Neuheisel Bowl? More like Neuheisel Blowout.
Sure, there wasn’t an inordinate amount of attention on UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel’s return to the school that he departed in a plume of controversy six years ago. That’s probably because off-field hype disappears when the combined records of the teams playing is 3-15.
But this was a bit of redemption for Neuheisel, who received a raw deal in Seattle, pink-slipped for participating in a March Madness pool. Certainly, none of us have ever partaken in such an unethical challenge involving college basketball brackets!
When asked about his feelings after the game, he conceded, “(Winning’s) for UCLA, not for us. Although the Neuheisel family will enjoy it for a little bit.”
So while this 27-7 romp was a necessary step ““ the hapless Huskies are one of the worst teams in Division I ““ it was, as senior running back Kahlil Bell said in practice this week, also an opportunity “to go out and show the University of Washington they lost a good coach.”
Bell and Co. proved their point.
Furthermore, the outcome was a lesson in persistence for the Bruins.
After four weeks of anemic running, a healthier Bell (He has been hobbled by an ankle injury.) and improved blocking from the offensive line helped churn out 159 yards on the ground while chewing up nearly 37 minutes of clock. It was a ball-control clinic for a team that had failed to surpass 86 rushing yards in any of its previous four games. Bell finished with a season-best 97 yards.
Despite quarterback Kevin Craft’s traditional triumvirate of turnovers, the Bruins forced five takeaways themselves. UCLA is now 3-0 this year when they win the turnover battle and 26-2 in the last five years under such circumstances. (The lesson? It helps to have the ball in football.)
And, most notably, for the first time this year they marched down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, a feat Neuheisel called “rewarding.” Equally noteworthy was a 15-play, 92-yard drive that consumed 8:12 of the second half.
After practice on Tuesday, the defense huddled together before storming off the field as a single unit, woofing with joy on its way to the locker room. Senior tackle Brigham Harwell described the act as “about coming together.” They did just that on Saturday night, forcing turnovers and holding the hapless Huskies to 135 yards of total offense.
In many ways, Washington was just what the doctor ordered for the Bruins. The victory ““ UCLA’s first on the road this year ““ keeps them alive for a bowl game and instills the confidence to win on the road. Harwell likened the game to an NFL wild-card contest. Lose and go home. Win, and move two steps away from the ultimate goal. For seniors like Bell and Harwell to play in one final bowl game, UCLA has to win next week at Arizona State and then upset USC at the Rose Bowl on Dec. 6.
Sure, it’s a tall order to beat the 9-1 Trojans, just as it’s also difficult for wild-card teams to win the Super Bowl. Yet it happened last year with the Giants. They defeated an 18-0 opponent.
With the wild-card round behind UCLA, a divisional playoff game awaits in Tempe on Nov. 28. Do-or-die.
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If you think the Bruins have a chance for a bowl, e-mail Taylor at btaylor@media.ucla.edu.