The Bruin locker room was a ghost town after UCLA’s 37-15
loss to Washington State on Saturday.
Oh, there were people there, but it didn’t make much of a
difference.
It’s normally a crowded, bustling place where you’re
bumping into people to move around, but on Saturday it was as empty
as people’s chosen professions and obligations would allow it
to be.
UCLA was depressingly and disgustingly ineffective against
Washington State, and when the game was done, you can’t
really blame them for wanting to get as far away from the field as
possible.
SLIDESHOW
Click here to see more photos from UCLA Football’s game against
Washington State.
The Bruins couldn’t pass the ball in the second half,
couldn’t run the ball for most of the game, and just looked
like they didn’t have the personnel to match the Cougars.
UCLA got picked apart in the secondary to the extent that it just
became draining to watch.
This program is in serious trouble.
Fans along the sidelines were calling for Dorrell’s head.
I don’t think they’ll get it, but I understand their
frustration.
This is a team that was 10-2 one season ago. Yes, they graduated
a lot of players, and yes, Ben Olson went down with an injury, but
a well-recruited, well-coached program can adapt. It doesn’t
fall that far that fast.
Saturday’s game was one of the hardest games to watch,
because it was like a second, or really third, opinion from a
doctor that the illness you have is serious and potentially
fatal.
You lose an ugly game at Oregon, and you had a bad week. You
lose a heartbreaking game at Notre Dame after playing incredibly
well in a game that no one thought would be close, and you’re
frustrated but doing alright. You lose to Washington State by more
than two touchdowns after leading at half and then getting shut out
in the second half, and depression sets in.
It doesn’t help that the Bruins play in Berkeley next
weekend against a team that you would never believe got smoked by
Tennessee earlier in the year.
The truth is I’m not mad at Dorrell. I feel bad for him.
It seems like he’s a guy who is desperate for answers and
coming up empty. He’s needed a solution badly, and the
situation has only gotten worse. UCLA fans have high standards, and
if he doesn’t find a branch somewhere to grab onto, he
won’t be in Westwood for much longer.
There really is only one thing I’m watching for this
season, only one reason I still have hope for this football season
after Saturday.
I’ll give you a hint: It’s a mammal and lives in a
dam on the lake.
Oregon State managed what is easily the biggest Pac-10 upset in
recent history by beating USC. The Beavers tried to let the Trojans
back into the game. In fact, they tried really hard.
They let visiting USC drive the field for six, to bring them
within a simple two-point conversion of the tie. When quarterback
John David Booty’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage
and fell to the floor, so did the Trojans’ mystique.
USC, who has been threatening to pull up lame against a weaker
team all season, finally showed that it can lose one of those
games.
It made me think.
I’ve been at UCLA for two UCLA v. USC games, and while
they played pretty close my freshman year, I never actually thought
they had a chance.
It seems strange to say something like this after one of the
most depressing sporting events I have ever attended, but the
Bruins have a legitimate shot to win it this year.
Granted, there are a few ifs.
If the Bruin defense plays aggressively for a complete game, and
the bleeding at cornerback situation is stopped.
If whoever at quarterback can manage the offense and the ball
for at least a few drives.
If UCLA can play with the fire it had in South Bend at the Rose
Bowl.
Then they’ll beat the Trojans this year.
At this point, I don’t care if they go 5-7, if the fifth
win is against USC.
E-mail Gordon at bgordon@media.ucla.edu if you cried on
Saturday too.