Neither Oregon nor UCLA’s football teams played a game this weekend, but in the interim their nationally televised matchup for Thursday night in Eugene was upgraded to a showdown.
With Wisconsin’s upset over formerly top-ranked Ohio State on Saturday, Oregon took control of the nation’s No. 1 spot in both the AP and USA Today college football rankings. UCLA is set to be the first team to test that.
Though the Bruins (3-3, 1-2 Pac-10) are coming off a demoralizing 35-7 loss in Berkeley and their quarterback situation has yet to be fully decided, the Ducks’ high status has provided an emotional jolt to UCLA’s bye week practice.
“It’s exciting for all of us in the program to get this kind of stage,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. “Now, it’s up to us to make sure that it’s still exciting when the game’s over.”
Redshirt sophomore Kevin Prince shared his coach’s tempered enthusiasm.
“It makes it real exciting, but we’re just taking it, same approach as we always do,” he said. “We’ll definitely be locked in and focused like we were when we went in to play Texas.”
Many were surprised when the Bruins upended the then No. 7 Longhorns in Texas last month. In his weekly Monday press conference, Neuheisel commented on the fact that his team, by this time next week, could be the only one in the nation this year to have beaten two Top 10 teams on the road.
With a scheduled bye week of its own, Oregon (6-0, 3-0) has focused its sights on UCLA’s visit despite the attention that comes from receiving its first No. 1 ranking in the program’s 115-year history.
Oregon coach Chip Kelly deflected suggestions that his team’s new status will distract from its gameplan.
“I don’t think UCLA is now going to practice harder because, “˜Oh, now they’re 1,” said Kelly after practice Sunday, according to the Oregon Register-Guard. “We were Pac-10 champs last year and everybody we played we got their best game.”
Though UCLA’s tough schedule has once again presented it with the opportunity to increase its reputation, the team’s more recent woes are still a major topic of conversation, and Prince, once again, is Exhibit A.
Prince started for the Bruins in their Oct. 9 loss at Cal, but missed some practice last week with lingering pain and stiffness in his right knee from an injury sustained over three weeks ago.
If that knee is ready to go by Thursday, which Prince expects it to be, the quarterback is still the UCLA starter, according to Neuheisel. Sophomore Richard Brehaut who has 38 pass attempts in three different games this season has been a sufficient backup for the Bruins, but hasn’t been impressive enough to steal away the gig completely.
With Prince’s health issues and inconsistent play, it seems every week ““ sometimes every day ““ Neuheisel has had to address the status of his team’s captain and on-field leader.
“We’ll wait and see how it goes, see how he feels,” Neuheisel said. “He’s got enough done to where I can say that he’s still our guy right now. He just has to remain healthy.”
After the loss to the Bears, Prince said the passing game sometimes felt “out of sync.” This week, in preparation for the best team in the nation, he is doing his best to make sure everyone is on the same page.
“My goal has been to stay after a bit and try to get some extra throws in,” he said. “(I’m) just trying to get the timing down with everybody, and make everybody comfortable and confident in the action, so when we’re called upon again in a game situation, we don’t come out flat.”
Sitting at .500, the Bruins’ record is not what they wanted it to be at this point in the season, but a win on Thursday would likely change those feelings.
Neuheisel wants to capitalize on that notion.
“Only one team can say they’re playing the No. 1 team in the nation,” he said.
With reports from Ryan Eshoff, Bruin Sports senior staff.