EUGENE, Ore. “”mdash; The odds were stacked high against
quarterback Pat Cowan in his first collegiate start. But there he
was, leading the Bruins into the ear-shattering noise of Autzen
Stadium.
Cowan managed a game that coach Karl Dorrell referred to as
“admirable,” but couldn’t overcome shoddy
blocking by his offensive linemen and numerous penalties that left
drives stuck in neutral.
Oregon’s 30-20 win over visiting UCLA gave Cowan a taste
of top-tier college football, but inevitably left him sour on the
fact that his team couldn’t mount much of a comeback.
FLASH SLIDESHOW
See more photos from UCLA Football’s match with the Oregon
Ducks.
For much of the game, Cowan was getting by strictly on his
guile, shuffling short passes to his running backs and tight ends
or scrambling for modest gains. His creative maneuvering was less
by design and more the result of a collapsing pass pocket and the
penalty yards that drove UCLA in the wrong direction.
The Bruins (4-2, 2-2 Pac-10) were looking to exploit a leaky
Oregon rush defense to open up the passing game for Cowan.
But when the Ducks (5-1, 3-1) jumped out to a 20-3 lead by the
end of the first quarter, the weight was put entirely on
Cowan’s shoulders.
That’s when the Ducks started to blitz, forcing Cowan to
make plays on the run.
“They just played really tough,” said Cowan, who
finished 16-31 for 112 yards with one interception and no
touchdowns.
“It created opportunities for little shuffle passes or
screen passes. When plays break down, you try to make something
happen, like playing in the backyard. That’s when you just
have to have fun and play,” he said.
But it wasn’t enough, as the Bruins finished the game with
216 net yards ““ nearly half the Ducks’ 404 yards.
Oregon slashed right through UCLA’s defense on its first
three possessions, but the game tightened up and the Bruins had a
chance to chip away at the deficit.
UCLA started with the ball in the third quarter, down 20-6 and
with a chance to pull the momentum to its sideline.
It looked like things could change in UCLA’s favor when
Cowan completed a 14-yard pass to Brandon Breazell on
third-and-7.
But a false start plagued the drive, and UCLA was forced to
punt.
The play seemed to be a microcosm of the entire second half
““ Oregon couldn’t put the game away, and UCLA never
strung together enough positive plays to come back.
“It was the start of the third quarter when we blew
it,” redshirt senior wide receiver Junior Taylor said.
“We needed to take that ball down there and score. And then
our defense made a couple of stops, and we still didn’t
score. That hurt us.”
UCLA’s penalty yards (89) came too close to matching the
net passing (112) and net rushing (104) totals.
Although the Bruins clearly didn’t make enough plays on
offense, Dorrell thought his quarterback handled his first career
start as well as could be expected.
Throughout practice last week, UCLA used noise machines in an
attempt to simulate the hostile environment Autzen Stadium is known
for harboring, but the drill paled in comparison to the real
thing.
“It was a huge test,” Dorrell said. “You
can’t get anybody ready for that until you finally do it live
and in person. I thought (Cowan) played well given the
circumstances.”
For Cowan, it was a crash course that he’s going to get a
prolonged shot at passing.
With Ben Olson out for four to six weeks with a tear in his left
MCL, Cowan is the starter for at least the next month, including
next week’s game at Notre Dame.
Cowan’s first start can be seen as a warm up for the trip
to South Bend, Ind., where the Bruins take on the No. 9 Fighting
Irish, led by Heisman candidate Brady Quinn.
With that monumental challenge looming, Cowan has his first
start as one to stick into the memory bank.
“It was a fun game, a nice experience up here,”
Cowan said. “We’re going to get better for next
week.
“All the guys on the sideline thought right up to the end
we could come back, but it wasn’t in the cards,” he
said.