Under the lights of the Rose Bowl and in front of just more than 15,000 fans at Saturday’s spring game, the Bruins’ defense showed why it is the unit getting the most respect at this point in the year.
With the Bruins top two quarterbacks, Ben Olson and Pat Cowan, both out with injuries, the offense generally struggled to move the ball against a defense that was expected to dictate the scrimmage.
Quarterback Kevin Craft led the first-team offense while Chris Forcier and Osaar Rasshan split time with the second team. The offensive teams finished with four touchdowns ““ two through the air ““ and a field goal, but the defense controlled the line of scrimmage handily.
For coach Rick Neuheisel, the biggest problem he saw in Craft, now suddenly his top signal-caller, is just his in-game speed.
“(Craft’s) just going too fast,” Neuheisel said. “He almost is hyperventilating ““ he’s trying so hard. He just needs to calm down. You have to remember he had only been on campus when we took our first snap for two days. And now he’s thrown in with the first team. He’s just really excited. To get him to calm down and get him to relax and make the comfortable throws, it’s going to be a work in progress.”
Craft finished 11 of 24 for 95 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Rasshan, who had not had a rep in practice in two weeks, was the only quarterback not to throw an interception.
“I was just trying to get out there and just get back into rhythm,” Rasshan said. “I hadn’t taken snaps in a couple weeks but just got out there and put my best foot forward, like everybody out here was trying to do.”
The defensive teams recorded seven sacks and 10 tackles for loss, as the defensive line flashed its talent against an inexperienced offensive line.
“We had a great night tonight,” defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. “We competed on both sides of the ball. The offense did great, surprisingly.”
One of the highlights for the offense was the touchdown that the second team put up against the first-team defense.
“I think we were just in the wrong defense,” Harwell said. “They gutted us, did the quick snap on us. I think we did all right. They just caught us on a bad play.”
The lack of depth on the offensive line has been a problem area so far this spring, but Neuheisel was in no rush to pass judgment after the game.
“You’ve got to remember many of those guys hadn’t played at the positions we were asking them to play,” Neuheisel said. “(I saw) definitely a lot of progress.”
Running back Chane Moline, who finished with 16 carries for 42 yards, had nothing but positives to say about his blockers.
“The offensive line blocked really well,” Moline said. “We struggled in the beginning, but we started clicking toward the end. We got some points on the board.”
For Moline, just playing at the Rose Bowl was a good end to the spring season.
“To see all these fans, it’s just very exciting,” Moline said. “Football season’s in the air almost. It’s very nice to see all the fans come out. We put on a show for them, and that was fun.”
DAVIS, SLATER, HORTON DRAFTED: Defensive end Bruce Davis, special teams star Matthew Slater and safety Chris Horton were the only Bruins selected in this weekend’s NFL Draft. All three were selected Sunday.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Davis in the third round with the No. 88 pick. Davis is likely to shift to outside linebacker in the Steelers’ 3-4 defensive scheme.
The New England Patriots picked Slater in the fifth round. Slater played both wide receiver and defensive back during his UCLA career, but he’s likely to play exclusively on special teams in the NFL. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns as the Bruins’ kick returner in 2007.
Horton was one of the very last players chosen during the two-day draft. The Washington Redskins picked him with the 249th pick during the seventh round.