Often, football games and seasons are likened to war. Players say the game is a battle, coaches talk about their strategies in the hushed tones one uses when discussing top-secret plans, and the pageantry of college football itself, with all of its marching bands, school colors, and fight songs, gives off no impression more striking than that of 18th- or 19th-century nationalistic warfare.
It is perhaps fitting then that UCLA’s 16-0 victory over Oregon had all the marks of the last gasps of a war of attrition.
UCLA began the game with its fourth quarterback of the year. Oregon ended the game with its fourth. Both teams have seen their seasons implode because of injuries, with the Bruins losing both of their top two quarterbacks for extended periods of time, as well as two of their top receivers, a starting defensive tackle, a series of running backs and a long list of others.
The Ducks lost starting quarterback Dennis Dixon last week at Arizona. His injury was enough to throw their entire offense into disarray and knocked them out of the national championship hunt and now the Rose Bowl race. Dixon was the heart of that offense ““ without him and his speed, the spread option of coach Mike Bellotti is simply nowhere near as effective.
In the parlance of the college football world, the quarterback is the general in command of the offense. And when a team loses its starter at the position, it does nothing good for the offense as a whole.
“It’s unfortunate in any level of football when you lose the primary player on the field,” UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. “It is a big challenge to keep production at a high level when that happens. It’s good we are getting some of our health back.”
Quarterback Ben Olson finally made his return to the field on Saturday at the beginning of the third quarter, and although it was nowhere near a perfect performance, the offense did seem to run a lot smoother with him at the helm, with the team actually generating a passing attack. In Osaar Rashaan’s single half of play Saturday, he did not complete a pass in seven attempts.
As for next Saturday’s game against USC, the starter has not yet been named but at least one person has a vested interest.
“I felt pretty good,” Olson said. “It wasn’t perfect in any sense.”
As for starting against ‘SC?
“Don’t know, it’s not my call. But I sure as heck hope so.”
SENIOR DAY: Twenty-five UCLA seniors had what was likely their last game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. For defensive end Bruce Davis, it was an emotional experience.
“It’s hard to take this (uniform) off right now,” Davis said. “I kind of sat down in the Rose Bowl and soaked everything in. … My family is all about UCLA. Everyone in my family bleeds blue and gold. It’s been an honor to come into the same locker room my father played in, to play on the same field.”
Davis’ father, Bruce Davis Sr., and senior cornerback Trey Brown’s father, Theotis Brown, both former football players, were named honorary captains on Saturday.