Practice ended, and the UCLA football players slowly began to file out of Spaulding Field.
Except for one.
One stayed behind, working with coach Rick Neuheisel on his technique, putting in extra time to improve upon what, thus far, has been a disappointing start to the season.
That player was Kevin Craft, the much-beleaguered Bruin quarterback who transferred last spring from Mount San Antonio College.
Three games into his UCLA career, Craft has experienced the peak of leading the Bruins to an upset victory over ranked Tennessee, the depths of throwing four first-half interceptions and the pit of going two games without an offensive touchdown.
And the popular opinion surrounding the team is that if the Bruins (1-2, 0-1 Pac-10) wish to turn their recent offensive performance around to obtain a win this Saturday against No. 25 Fresno State (2-1), Craft needs to improve.
“I take it personal that we’ve only put up three points in two games,” Craft said. “As a quarterback, I take that really personal. I’m doing everything in my power to get better and to improve that. Twenty-two drives and no scores is unacceptable. Right now I have that attitude of I’m going to come out every day and work my hardest and do what I can do to get better.”
Neuheisel has continually preached about his confidence in Craft as a quarterback, and that despite the troubles Craft has encountered this season ““ 63 of 113 passes for 570 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions in three games ““ he believes Craft has what it takes to be a successful quarterback.
“I’ve seen sparks of it, but it has not been consistent,” Neuheisel said. “You ask yourself, what’s the next best thing to do? Challenge him with competition? The other kids are trying to take his job, but I don’t think that they’ve done that yet, so you just have to keep pushing through.”
Craft said that he believes that he has the ability to make the correct throws and decisions on the field during games, he just needs to work on doing it consistently.
Consistency has been one of the downfalls of the Bruins’ offense thus far. When asked what the reason is behind the team’s struggles on offense, Neuheisel pointed to their inability to convert on third down and extend drives. Through three games, the Bruins have converted on just 33 percent of third downs (15 of 46).
“It really comes down to staying on the field longer,” Neuheisel said. “Tennessee, second half, was because we stayed on field; we hit almost every third down, which ended making us over 50 percent for the game on third downs. We haven’t come close to that since, and the more plays you get the more Norm’s able to kind of counter himself and the more you keep the defense at bay rather than teeing off on you. But ultimately it comes down to being able to execute those types of plays and keeping the chains moving.”
As a result of the offense’s troubles extending drives, the Bruin defense has continually been put in short-field situations, placing immense pressure upon the defense to keep the score close.
Yet, according to defensive tackle Brigham Harwell, that should not matter.
“We got to keep fighting,” Harwell said. “As a defense, we love to play defense. So short field, long field, middle field, we got to fight, keep fighting until the end.”
On Saturday, the Bruins will face a formidable Fresno State rushing attack that has amassed a total of 513 yards and five touchdowns in three games. In addition to the effective ground game, the Bulldogs boast an experienced quarterback in Tom Brandstater, who has thrown for 672 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in three games.
“They’ve got some deep threats,” Neuheisel said. “They believe in their speed, and they’ve got the ability to kind of mash you, too. So it’s a nice combination of things, and it always starts with the quarterback, and I think their guy is experienced and capable.”
While the Bulldogs are 1-6 all-time against the Bruins and have never won in the Rose Bowl, Harwell was quick to note the team was not overlooking them.
“They should be top 10 in the country,” Harwell said. “We have a lot of respect for them. … They’re going down to the Rose Bowl looking for a win, and we’re hungry for a win. We’re so hungry for a win.”