I realize that this is a huge football game.
I realize that this could be the difference between a great
season and a good one.
But I also think what happened last week may be the most
important thing that happens to the UCLA football team all year,
and I don’t think fans should forget it.
That’s why I continue to stress it.
After watching the Bruins somehow pull off a win against
Washington last Saturday, I started to think about where the blame
should fall when a team is so apparently unready to play.
Should it fall on the coaches or on the players themselves? Or
is there perhaps some other variable that plays an equally critical
role?
The answer, of course, is not so simple. It comes down to the
interplay of several variables, I think; variables that can easily
affect the thoughts and actions of young men. Especially when these
young men are playing for a UCLA football team that has not been
regarded very highly for quite some time.
That’s why you can blame the media.
And that’s why you can blame Bruin fans as well.
After UCLA played very well in its victory over Oklahoma, Bruin
players started to hear how good they were. They could read it in
newspapers and on the Internet, and they could hear about it from
fans.
That victory was supposed to announce UCLA’s return.
After Washington, I think it’s safe to safe that the hype
was probably a bit premature. That’s not to say that I
don’t think UCLA is a good football team; I do. But I also
think that the Bruins have to learn to deal with positive publicity
without becoming satisfied and complacent, which is what happened
in the week leading up to last Saturday’s game.
“I look at Saturday and think there’s a great lesson
there,” offensive coordinator Tom Cable said. “The most
important thing we learned is, how you prepare is how you’re
going to play on Saturday.”
Talking to Cable is always a pleasure. He’s a straight
shooter. He’s going to answer your questions, and he’s
going to answer them honestly. So when he says the preparation
leading up to Saturday wasn’t very good, it probably
wasn’t very good. And when he seeks to explain why,
he’s probably right.
“It’s the attention,” he said.
“You’re 3-0 and everyone is patting you on the back
because you won a big game against Oklahoma. You’re ranked
for the first time in a long time.
“All those things in young people’s minds are almost
like a reward. You start to feel good about yourself, and
it’s okay to feel good about yourself. Just don’t feel
too good, because there are bigger things ahead of you.” Such
as the No. 10 California Golden Bears.
Last Saturday was surely a slap in the face for the Bruins. The
UCLA players have to realize that they are ultimately responsible
for their actions on the field. And one can only hope they really
have learned the lesson Cable said they learned.
“We’ve picked it up,” linebacker Spencer
Havner said. “We re-evaluated where we were, and we wanted to
pick it up.”
“That’s how you become a good football team, when
you don’t show any difference, when it doesn’t matter
who you’re playing,” defensive coordinator Larry Kerr
said. “You come to work, you come to practice, and
you’re working at the same level.”
That probably shouldn’t matter this week, because if you
can’t get up to play the No. 10 team in the country, you have
no business being on the field.
But it mattered last week, and it almost cost the Bruins an
embarrassing loss.
Complacency is the downfall of any athlete, and when
you’re not used to winning, it’s awfully easy to be
convinced that you’re better than you are.
This Saturday is a real chance for the Bruins to prove how good
they think they are. And if they’re fortunate enough to win,
here’s to hoping they’re not satisfied.
If you’re not satisfied with UCLA’s No. 20
ranking, e-mail Regan at dregan@media.ucla.edu.