After a month without a win, the Bruins’ 28-3 victory over conference doormat Washington State was music to their ears.
On the heels of three consecutive silent and solemn postgame locker rooms, the hip-hop was back over the loudspeakers on Saturday after a comfortable win over the Pac-10’s worst team.
Though the Bruins (2-3, 1-1 Pac-10) did not dominate the Cougars (1-5, 0-3 Pac-10), the 25-point victory was enough to warrant celebration ““ at least for one night.
“It’s been a month since we’ve had the taste of victory, so it’s exciting to share that in the locker room with the kids,” coach Rick Neuheisel said.
Saturday night’s win at a soggy Rose Bowl was anything but a surprise yet still provides a boost of confidence for the Bruins.
“We were on a three-game losing streak, and we wanted to come out here and get a win for these fans, for this program, for this team,” senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. “We can’t take this win for granted. You know, it’s hard to get a win in college football. We’re going to have fun tonight, then move on.”
Possibly the biggest indicator of improvement for the young UCLA team was their performance on third-down situations on both sides of the ball.
On the season, the Bruins were failing on 48 percent of third-down conversions on defense while only converting 31 percent on offense. But against the Cougars, UCLA limited them to only two third-down conversions while succeeding on nine of 18 themselves.
“We were getting those (conversions on offense), so we were able to keep moving the ball and keep making more calls,” junior quarterback Kevin Craft said. “It was really big for us. It was something we focused on all week and we saw improvement.”
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bruins found ways to get off the field when they had the chance ““ something they had been consistently unable to do so far this season.
“If we get a team to third down, that’s got to be our cue to get off the field,” junior cornerback Alterraun Verner said. “We tried to be more aggressive and we made more plays today. Our D-line did a great job getting pressure on the quarterback.”
That defensive front was able to hold the WSU running attack to only 26 yards, one year after giving up 224 yards to running back Dwight Tardy who was a non-factor this time around.
“We executed on third down,” Harwell said. “It all came together. We had pressure on every tackle, and it was a great game up front.”
Though the offensive line provided enough protection to give Craft time to throw the ball 36 times, the Bruins were still unable to establish a solid running game. They managed just 100 yards against a team that was forfeiting 269 yards per game before Saturday. Both Bruin rushing touchdowns were 1-yard gainers by Kahlil Bell with 300-pound defensive tackle/fullback Brian Price lined up in front of him on the goal line.
“Obviously, the inability to be real consistent running the football against a team that has been given up a lot of yards is a concern,” Neuheisel said. “We have more work to do. We have lots more work to do. But getting a victory in the Pac-10 is never easy.”
Though some might view this win as just beating up a conference cellar-dweller, defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker does not see it so lightly.
“I’m scared to even say you’re going to play a team that’s struggling,” Walker said. “Anybody can beat anybody. You just don’t know. College football’s crazy. Every week anything can happen. To me, Washington State ““ I was scared to death of their offense. They have enough offense to have me worried all week.”
And as Neuheisel described it, Saturday’s win “certainly wasn’t beautiful,” but the Bruins’ emphasis on staying competitive in conference is keeping everyone optimistic. They just hope to hear the music again next week.
“Man, it’s lovely,” junior wide receiver Terrence Austin said. “After that Tennessee game, it was the best, and we haven’t heard it since. Now we’re just trying to soak it up.”