With USC in control of Saturday’s game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, a handful of Trojan fans sitting behind the UCLA bench began to voice their opinions.
Some of their comments were funny. Some were vulgar. Others were simply incorrect.
“I hear the Emerald Bowl representatives were in attendance,” one fan yelled toward the disillusioned Bruin players. “Way to make an impression, Bruins.”
True, UCLA’s 28-7 loss was not impressive. The Bruins’ defeat matched the score of last year’s Trojan victory at the Rose Bowl.
But if Emerald Bowl representatives indeed were there, they were not there to monitor the now 6-6 Bruins, as the red-clad fan assumed.
It’s the fourth-place Trojans that are in the running for a trip to AT&T Park in San Francisco, where the Emerald Bowl is played. The Emerald Bowl usually pits the Pac-10’s fourth-place team against a squad from the ACC. UCLA played in it three years ago, losing 44-27 to Florida State.
And as much as the bowl-eligible Bruins would hope to be in line for a return trip to the Bay Area over winter break, that’s not the case.
“We’re just hoping that someone takes a chance on us,” senior cornerback Alterraun Verner said.
At Pac-10 media day in late July, coach Rick Neuheisel said that reaching a bowl game would make this year a successful season.
But with the loss Saturday, the Bruins’ chances for a bowl bid took a hit.
“It definitely hurts to not get this victory, because now we don’t know if we’ll get an extra game,” redshirt senior linebacker Reggie Carter said. “I’ll be praying and hoping.”
Neuheisel, meanwhile, feels that his team has earned the right to play in December.
“With the schedule we played and the way we played in the final month of the season, absolutely,” he said.
To earn their sixth win and become bowl-eligible, the Bruins reeled off three consecutive wins against Washington, Washington State and Arizona State.
UCLA, which won four games all of last season, won its first three games this season before losing five straight.
“I think we’re deserving,” Verner said. “The losses that we had were very close. Our record is not indicative on how good we are as a team.”
After starting the season 3-0, the Bruins lost to third-place Stanford by just eight points. Stanford, meanwhile, went on to beat first-place Oregon by nine and USC by 34.
The Bruins lost to the Ducks by 14, while the Ducks beat the Trojans by 27. UCLA also suffered a seven-point road loss to second-place Oregon State, who can attain a Rose Bowl berth with a win against Oregon on Thursday.
“We’re not as far as some people think,” senior tight end Logan Paulsen said. “We’ve got great young talent at every position. We’re an offseason or another recruiting class away from being right there.”
If the Bruins don’t get a bowl bid, they will shift their focus to getting stronger, faster and better.
“We’re hungry,” redshirt freshman running back Johnathan Franklin said. “The whole team can’t wait. Eat, sleep and breathe football ““ that’s what it’s about right now. Football, football, football.”
Neuheisel is still hopeful that the Bruins will receive a call.