Freshman safety Rahim Moore stood, bruised and battered, after the UCLA football team’s 28-7 loss to USC. He glanced around the somber Bruin locker room, searching for an answer.
Moore, a starting safety and one of the Bruins’ most promising young players, said the culture of UCLA football must change.
“Some guys, they’re just used to losing,” Moore said. “I’m not a loser. I’m a competitor, and a lot of other guys are competitors, too. But everybody has to have that mentality ““ that we are winning no matter what.”
Moments after their season came to a quiet, demoralizing end, UCLA football players and coaches reiterated their optimism and explained their hopes that the team will improve greatly in 2009.
Coaches cited the development of young, talented players, such as Moore, and the importance of recruiting. Players said that a better understanding of their coaches’ systems and time to add muscle in the weight room would help substantially.
And after such a dismal end to this season, the Bruins expressed all their hopes for next year seriously and with a sense of urgency. Several pledged that the team was no more than a year away from contending, and that they would make significant progress this offseason.
“There is no better motivation than to get beat by your rival,” freshman offensive lineman Jeff Baca said. “This is just going to fire up our team and our young players.”
Sophomore defensive tackle Brian Price also said the loss to the Trojans would inspire the Bruins.
“We have to look back at 28-7 and 4-8,” he said, referring to Saturday’s final score and the Bruins’ final record. “We have to get bigger and stronger and faster.”
UCLA hired coach Rick Neuheisel 12 months ago, but Neuheisel dedicated most of his first offseason to building a staff of assistant coaches and re-recruiting players who had committed to play for former coach Karl Dorrell.
Neuheisel said he expects this offseason to be more productive, and on Saturday, he specifically mentioned adjustments at the quarterback position.
“For us to be the type of team that we want to be, the position of quarterback has to be played better,” Neuheisel said. “We’ve got to coach it better, we’ve got to perform better, and we’ve got to create more competition.”
Neuheisel said that comment was not specifically directed at starting redshirt junior quarterback Kevin Craft, but his message was still loud and clear. Craft, who threw 20 interceptions this season, will have to compete to retain his job next year. And several young quarterbacks will challenge him for the coveted spot, including redshirt freshman Chris Forcier and freshmen Kevin Prince and Nick Crissman.
“We are going to raise the stakes,” Neuheisel said. “Guys have to understand that they have to elevate their game.”
The weakest point of this year’s team was its offensive line, and Neuheisel said that players need to add strength so that the Bruins are not so easily dominated at the line of scrimmage. Baca said he and his fellow offensive linemen will have to work diligently.
“If we have guys who know what it takes, then we’re going to have a hell of an offensive line next year. … I need to push guys to be the best they can be,” Baca said.
The offensive line will lose only one senior ““ center Micah Reed. Starting senior tailback Kahlil Bell will also graduate, but the Bruins have a stable of young backs to replace him.
The Bruin defense may face a much more significant loss if coordinator DeWayne Walker leaves. Walker is reportedly a candidate for the head coaching position at San Diego State and is scheduled to interview this week.
If Walker stays, he will return to coach a similar group of players who improved steadily this season. Only linebacker John Hale, cornerback Michael Norris and defensive tackle Brigham Harwell will graduate.
Walker said the most important thing is the physical development of the young defenders who played big roles this season, such as Price, Moore, redshirt freshman outside linebacker Akeem Ayers and freshman defensive end Datone Jones.
“If they don’t develop, then it’s back to square one again,” Walker said.
The greatest schematic changes will likely come on offense. The Bruins had to design a conservative offensive strategy this season because of their struggles in run blocking and pass protection.
“As a football team and as an offensive philosophy, we really do have to find ourselves,” offensive coordinator Norm Chow said.
Yet even as everyone in the UCLA locker room searched for details to justify their big expectations, they all expressed a more powerful sentiment. There was a simple, prevailing sense of confidence and hope. Players and coaches articulated it differently, but it seemed to be in the back of all their minds.
“Now we know what it takes,” Baca said. “And, to be honest with you, we are not that far away.”
Moore, standing at an opposite corner of the locker room, echoed that optimism.
“If we can change the culture at UCLA, we can go as far as we want,” he said.