UCLA is not overlooking Washington State.
That has been the theme all week as the Bruins get set to play
one of the Pac-10’s lower-tier teams following probably their
best-played game of the year.
The Cougars (3-5, 1-4 Pac-10) will be entering the game having
lost four in a row and with the conference’s second-to-last
rated defense and eighth-rated offense.
The Bruins (5-3, 3-2) hope to take advantage of this and pick up
their sixth victory of the season. A victory would assure them of a
regular season winning record and one of the Pac-10’s bowl
games.
“We want to build off what we did last week and see where
we can take that,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “I do know
there are other ramifications that begin with that game if we
win.”
Another ramification of a win would be climbing another rung in
the Pac-10 ladder and likely reaching one of the top-four
positions. UCLA would then head to Oregon to vie for postseason
positioning with the Ducks.
Of course, this is exactly what the Bruins don’t want to
be doing ““ looking ahead and underestimating.
“(Washington State) is scary. I’m not considering
their record at all,” Dorrell said.
The Bruins also want to make sure that they prove that last
week’s stunning defensive effort was not an aberration. After
questions started arising about another second-half swoon following
consecutive losses to Cal and Arizona State, the Bruins silenced
that talk last week with their best defensive effort of the season
in the shut out over Stanford.
“We’re trying to finish off the season and start a
new positive trend instead of spiraling down,” Dorrell
said.
Luckily for UCLA, they can catch the Cougars as they are
spiraling down.
During its four straight losses, Washington State has given up
36 points per game while coming off last week’s humbling
42-12 loss to No. 1 USC.
Despite its defensive struggles, the Cougars linebacker, junior
Will Derting, is the team’s obvious focal point. Derting
received first-team Pac-10 honors last year and is sixth in the
conference in tackles this season.
“You just make sure you put a hat on that guy,”
offensive coordinator Tom Cable said. “He’s a really
good player.”
The Bruin offense hopes to do what Washington State’s last
few opponents have done ““ stifle the Cougar offense and keep
Derting and the defense on the field.
Freshman quarterback Alex Brink will make his third start for
injured sophomore Josh Swogger. Brink has played erratically, but
has also struggled because of the lack of a reliable running game
to aid him. The Cougars are ninth in the conference in rushing,
averaging less than 100 yards per game.
“These guys are very similar to UCLA a year ago,”
Cable said. “They’ve got a heck of a defense. They just
struggled on offense with the quarterback injured, so the load has
totally fallen on their defense.”
This is certainly a down year for Washington State, a team that
has been near the top of the Pac-10 the last few seasons. Last
year, the Cougars finished second in the Pac-10 and ninth in the
country. They beat the Bruins handily at home, 31-13, marking the
third straight victory for Washington State over UCLA.
“They did lose a quarterback last year and they lost some
other key players from last year’s team,” quarterback
Drew Olson said. “It’s a little bit of a different team
up there.”
Another difference this year is that the Bruins do not have to
travel to cold and dreary Pullman in November, which is likely the
least hospitable place for opponents in the Pac-10 to play.
“It’s probably snowing up there and it is 75 degrees
here, so we’re real happy we don’t have to go up
there,” senior wideout Tab Perry said.
All in all, the Bruins have momentum and good reason to expect a
victory over their vulnerable opponent on Saturday.
Still, in no way will they admit this. And with the possibility
of assuring a postseason bowl, they have every reason to take
Saturday seriously.