As if upholding a No. 8 national ranking and preserving a
perfect record didn’t exert enough pressure on UCLA heading
into this Saturday’s game, the Bruins have had to deal with
the distraction of homecoming week as well.
That is, the homecoming of former teammate and current Oregon
State starting quarterback Matt Moore.
When the Bruins (6-0, 3-0 Pac-10) take the field against the
Beavers (4-2, 2-1) this Saturday at the Rose Bowl, they will be
squaring off against one of their own in Moore, who bitterly left
Westwood after the 2003 season amid a quarterback controversy that
engulfed the program.
Since leaving UCLA, Moore has gone from a Bruin outcast to a
possible Anaheim Angel minor leaguer to leading an Oregon State
team that is exceeding expectations and is currently tied for
fourth in the Pac-10.
His departure also left the UCLA program in the hands of
quarterback Drew Olson, who after two mediocre seasons, has guided
the Bruins back to national prominence and is enjoying a stellar
statistical year individually, throwing 15 touchdowns against only
three interceptions in six games this season.
While both Olson and Moore have been peppered with questions
throughout the week about the added significance of
Saturday’s game, both players say the issue of their meeting
on the field is being overdramatized and that this week’s
game is comparable to most others.
“I’m just going to try to keep this as normal as
possible, I guess,” said Moore, who says he has no bitter
feelings toward any of his former teammates. “It’s just
another game for me.”
But the Bruins pledge any distraction that arrives with
Moore’s return will take a back seat to the already-enormous
implications of Saturday’s game.
Looking to start the season 7-0 for the first time since 1998,
the Bruins will be pitted against a Beaver team they know very
little about.
In fact, UCLA hasn’t played Oregon State since 2002,
making Saturday’s game the first time that Bruin coach Karl
Dorrell and Beaver coach Mike Riley will have had the chance to
roam the sidelines against one another in their current
positions.
According to Dorrell, that unfamiliarity has made it slightly
more difficult to prepare for this Saturday’s game.
“We have no idea what their personnel is like or had that
experience in playing against them,” Dorrell said. “We
really have to treat this game like a non-conference game, like
it’s an opponent we don’t play on a year-to-year basis,
even though this is a conference game.
“We need to really focus on the little things they do
because of our lack of experience playing with them,” he
said.
In its last game, Oregon State used a smothering run attack,
totaling 45 carries for 181 yards, in beating California 23-20 on
the road, which is not welcome news for UCLA’s defense. The
Bruins have had well-documented troubles stopping opposing
teams’ rushing games, ranking last in the Pac-10 in rushing
yards allowed (229.7 yards).
And even though UCLA welcomes back hard-hitting safety Chris
Horton this Saturday after he recovered from a wrist injury he
suffered in fall camp, senior linebacker Justin London is
questionable for the game, and his impact will most likely be
limited.
“Oregon State’s run game is very efficient,”
Dorrell said. “They had a great plan and stuck to it last
week. I’m sure that’s a big confidence boost for them
and a concern for us, because we haven’t done so well against
the run.”
What is also a concern is the Bruins’ penchant for
beginning games as if the team were still in the locker room. In
their last three games, the Bruins have staked their opponents to
double-digit leads in the first half, overcoming each in the final
minutes of the fourth quarter.
In Oregon State, however, UCLA will find a team similar to
itself in that the Beavers like to start slowly and finish with a
flurry. While the Bruins have outscored their opponents 88-17 in
the fourth quarter this season, Oregon State boasts an equally
impressive 73-10 edge in the final quarter.
And if those trends hold to form, Olson and Moore could likely
find themselves in a shootout, each trying to score a victory in
his homecoming week.