It has been a rough couple of weeks for UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel.
After a rousing and emotional win over then-ranked No. 18 Tennessee at home on Labor Day on national television, Neuheisel has seen the shine surrounding that win fade a bit.
In the two games since then, the Bruins are 0-2, have been outscored 90-10, and in 25 offensive drives have come away with just one field goal.
Neuheisel’s mantra this season has been “relentlessly positive,” yet with the way things have gone for the Bruins in the last two games, one would think it would be difficult for him to maintain such a mindset.
However, according to Neuheisel, he does not know of any other way to go about it.
“When you’re optimistic, you have a chance to improve because you’re at least giving yourself hope that they’ll improve, and it’s what I’ve preached since I arrived,” Neuheisel said. “Just because we’ve had some bumps in the road and some disappointment doesn’t mean it’s time to deviate from that course. Matter of fact, this is the time when you actually get to test it. Relentlessly positive, and we’re going to continue along that path, and hopefully we’ll see improvement as early as this week. If not, we’ll continue to stay the course.”
Neuheisel is cognizant of the fact, though, that there needs to be improvement all around if the Bruins wish to be competitive this season. On offense, Neuheisel said they need to improve a running game that has gained just 153 yards on 75 attempts, increase productivity from a unit that has scored just two offensive touchdowns in three games, and win the field position battles in order to help out the defense.
Defensively, Neuheisel said his main concern lies in getting the opposing offense off the field on third down consistently.
On special teams, punt coverage has been the Bruins’ weakness. This was clearly evident in the 162 yards yielded in punt returns to Arizona last Saturday.
“There is not a quick-fix solution to this,” Neuheisel said. “It really is going to be about everybody getting focused and really getting involved with individual improvement that will then show collectively. But I am optimistic, I’m always optimistic. And I do believe that there will be brighter days ahead.”
One player who has received much of the criticism for the state of the offense has been quarterback Kevin Craft. In three games as the Bruins’ starter, Craft has completed 63 of 113 passes for 570 yards, one touchdown and five interceptions. Since he has taken over the starting quarterback spot when Ben Olson went down with a foot injury, coaches have continually said that the main criticism of Craft is he makes too many quick decisions that end, more often than not, in mistakes.
Yet Neuheisel continued to emphasize his belief in Craft.
“It’s inside him,” Neuheisel said. “The question is now can you take that and slow it down to game speed rather than at the warped speed sometimes he goes at and makes these quick and sometimes ill-advised decisions. If he can slow it down and then make the plays that are there and throw the ball accurately which we have all seen him do in practice, then we have hope that this will improve.
“But I think the world of Kevin Craft. I think Norm (Chow) thinks the world of Kevin Craft, and we believe that he is the best chance for success right now.”
Another facet of the Bruins’ struggles on offense has been the great amount of inexperience and transition, especially on the offensive line. In the Bruins’ three games, there have been three different starting lineups on the offensive line. Additionally, the Bruins’ most experienced offensive linemen, left tackle Micah Kia, left Saturday’s game early because of a back injury.
“One of the missing ingredients is longevity,” Neuheisel said. “We haven’t had a bunch of people stay in position very long. Part of that (is) because of us mixing and matching, part of that (is) because people (are) getting hurt. But I do believe the kids are willing, I believe our coaching is sufficient to get the job done and I believe we will get the job done. I just don’t see another reason to think otherwise.”
Following the Bruins’ 31-10 loss against Arizona at the Rose Bowl, offensive coordinator Norm Chow met with a group of reporters and talked about the state of the offense and what lay in store for the program’s future.
“It’s going to happen,” Chow said. “One of these days we’re going to be champions, and in order to be champions sometimes you have to fight through some tough times.”