BOULDER, CO.””mdash;The UCLA football team answered several
questions in its season-opening 16-14 loss to Colorado Saturday
before 48,584 at Folsom Field””mdash;questions that have hung in the
air all summer. It’s just that first-year head coach Karl
Dorrell and the rest of the Bruins are not happy with some of the
answers. While the Bruins proved that their defensive line is very
good, giving up only 88 rushing yards, the offensive line””mdash;an
area many have questioned””mdash;did not deliver. Holes were
nonexistent, the UCLA’s inability to open up the running
game, gaining only 38 yards on the ground, impacted the
Bruins’ ability to pass effectively. “This is a young
team, we will get better,” Dorrell said. “Our defense
was on the field a lot more than it should have been. But I am
proud of the team for fighting all the way to the end.”
Despite fighting to the end, the Bruins’ came up short in the
waning minutes of the game. Trailing 14-10 with less than six
minutes remaining, Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt put together a
63-yard drive that culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to tight
end Joe Klopfenstein. Senior Brandon Chillar blocked the extra
point attempt, and the Bruins got the ball back with 2:15
remaining, but failed to move the ball. One question that still
hangs in the air is the Bruins’ quarterback situation, after
sophomore Matt Moore sprained his left knee with 1:23 remaining in
the first quarter after a late hit by Colorado defensive tackle
Brandon Dabdoub. That set the stage for sophomore Drew Olson, who
started five games last season, and narrowly lost the starting job
to Moore in fall camp. Because the offense had worked with
both quarterbacks in the fall, not many adjustments were needed
when Olson took over. “I had no doubt Drew would pick up the
slack and he did it,” said sophomore tight end Marcedes
Lewis, who had six receptions for 96 yards. It is no wonder Lewis
did not doubt Olson; after all, he directly benefited from
Olson’s solid play, as the two connected for Olson’s
second of two touchdowns on a 13-yard strike with 0:08 remaining in
the third quarter to put UCLA up 14-10. Olson went 13 for 23 and
threw for 164 yards. His first touchdown pass came at the 13:10
mark in the second quarter, when he connected with senior wide
receiver Craig Bragg for a 42-yard precision strike that evened the
game 7-7. Still, Moore, whose x-rays were negative, is the starting
quarterback, and Olson recognizes this as well as anyone else on
the team. “This team needs him,” Olson said of Moore.
“We hope for the best recovery.” More information on
Moore’s condition will be available Monday. As far as special
teams were concerned, a UCLA unit with relatively inexperienced key
players performed rather well, save for two costly plays.Â
Freshman place kicker Justin Medlock, who made all of his
extra-point attempts, missed his only field goal try””mdash;a
35-yard attempt with 5:56 remaining in the third quarter that was
the difference in the game. Junior Punter Chris Kluwe, who logged a
57-yard punt earlier in the game, shanked his final punt for only
27 yards, giving the No. 22 Buffaloes good field position for their
final drive. The Bruins’ nerves also plagued the team as they
were flagged six times for 52 yards in the first quarter
alone””mdash;only eight yards less than the Bruins’ total
offense for that quarter. The Bruins committed 12 penalties for 107
yards on the game, including several false start and delay of game
penalties. “˜We didn’t execute from an offensive
standpoint,” said sophomore tailback Tyler Ebell, who had 47
yards on 18 carries. “We killed ourselves with penalties. The
defense did a great job and we (the offense) just have to
execute.” Leading up to the game, there was a great deal of
talk from the Buffaloes’ coaching staff about a perceived advantage
UCLA would have because former Colorado assistants Jon Embree and
Eric Bieniemy left Boulder for assistant coaching jobs at
UCLA. Colorado feared Embree and Bieniemy would bring to
Westwood a shrewd understanding of the Colorado playbook. As if to
counter that notion, Colorado got creative, running several trick
plays -Â a fake punt, a reverse, and a flea flicker – all in
the first quarter. "Colorado had a great gameplan, but we just beat
ourselves," sophomopre inside linebacker Justin London said. "We
didn’t show up. We’ll take this as a learning experience for the
rest of the season."