Author Archives: Andrew Finley

Thank goodness that’s out of the way. On Tuesday night, UCLA had to contend with a slew of injuries, the expectations of a No. 19 ranking, the hype of a nationally televised audience, and an opponent easier to overlook than an oceanography midterm. None of it had the makings of an upset, though. It all […]

The third year on campus means different things to different people. For undergraduates, it usually marks the beginning of legal alcohol consumption. For those in law school, it typically marks the end of college. And for students under Ben Howland, it always marks the pinnacle of success. When UCLA kicks off its season tonight against […]

Saturday’s game was supposed to answer all the questions we had about this UCLA team. As it turns out, we shouldn’t have even had to ask. Could the Bruins win a crucial game in November? Umm, they proved that last year at Oregon. Could the offense get back on track? Duh, it was averaging 40 […]

There’s a lot riding on this game for UCLA. Will the aftermath be a utopia or apocalypse? THE UTOPIA All smiles, coach Karl Dorrell steps up to the press conference podium and lets out a sigh of relief. “Where to begin,” he ponders after the Bruins survive a high-scoring shootout against Arizona State. “This really […]

An hour or so after the most embarrassing loss in UCLA history, Susie Sunshine decided to pay me a visit. She couldn’t have come at a better time. Having spent Saturday afternoon watching the Arizona debacle with Debbie Downer, I needed a positive perspective on Bruin football. And as ugly as things looked in Tucson, […]

Don’t be alarmed by the number of security guards hovering around Pauley Pavilion this evening. They’re just there to usher in the start of basketball season, something that’s largely been overlooked in the wake of midterms, political protests, and of course, an undefeated football team. It’s hard to recall the last time there’s been such […]

This story has been written before. Three times, to be exact. It’s the one where UCLA stumbles out of the blocks, bumbles around for three plus quarters, yet prevails in the end with some magical burst. But on Saturday afternoon, there was a slight twist to the plotline, a role reversal of sorts. It was […]