September 14th, 2013

I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the UCLA locker room at halftime of their game against Nebraska.  The Bruins were trailing 21-10 in Lincoln, and were being dominated.  In fact, it was 21-3 up until the final minute of the first half, before the Bruins started to wake up.  This might have also been because kickoff was at 9 am Pacific Time, which is usually about the time that most college kids are still recovering from their hangovers.  Then the Bruins scored 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half to defeat the Cornhuskers 41-21, and improve to 2-0 on the season.

In a post game interview that Jim Mora Jr did with AM 570 Fox Sports LA, Mora said that there weren’t really any adjustments to make at halftime, and it was simply a matter of focusing and executing better.  What he really meant, was that he had to tell his players to wake the hell up and start playing the way they know how to.  It’s a good thing they did, because this victory was a  tribute their former teammate Nick Pasquale, who was killed last weekend after being hit by a car in San Clemente, CA.   The Bruins wore number 36 patches on their jerseys to honor Pasquale.

The Bruins were once again led by quarterback Brett Hundley, who had 294 yards passing, to go along with 3 touchdowns.  Hundley did have one interception, but also tacked on another 61 yards rushing.   Jordan James was effective running the ball again for UCLA, rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown.

The 35 point explosion began with a 10 yard touchdown run from Paul Perkins with under a minute left in the first half.  The Bruins then opened the 2nd half with an 89 yard drive down the field, capped off by a 3 yard touchdown run by James.  After the Cornhuskers went three and out, the Bruins put together another 57 yard drive, ending in a 28 yard touchdown pass from Hundley to Shaquelle Evans.  That gave the Bruins the lead for good, and Hundley would go on to add two more touchdown passes for good measure.

Mora said “our aim is to be special.  Our aim is not to be average.”  The Bruins definitely looked special on Saturday afternoon, winning on the road against a a team that had won 14 straight non-conference home games, and 10 home games in a row.  All of this coming during a week in which they attended the funeral of their former teammate, Pasquale, and playing with heavy hearts.

The Bruins are off to a nice start, but the road ahead will not be easy.  They should handle New Mexico State at home next week, but will have a much more difficult stretch against Cal, Stanford, and Oregon.  In the meantime, UCLA should feel very good about honoring Pasquale in the best possible way.

September 1st, 2013

The UCLA football team opened their season in spectacular fashion on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl.   The Bruins pounded Nevada 58-20 to kick off a season that is beginning with high hopes for the UCLA faithful.  The Wolf Pack put up a good fight in the first half, but the Bruins exploded for 41 points in the 2nd half to cruise to an easy win.

I would say I had the pleasure of seeing this victory first hand, but considering it was nearly 90 degrees with 61% humidity at game time, I think I was just fortunate that I didn’t die of a heat stroke while attending the game.  Nevertheless, Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley put up video game like numbers against Nevada, as he finished with 274 yards passing, to go along with 2 touchdown passes, and 2 rushing touchdowns.  If he keeps this up, he might have a chance of getting invited to NY this winter for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Even more impressive was the Bruins running game.  One of the biggest question marks for this team coming into the season was how they would replace running back Jonathan Franklin.  At least for one night, that question was emphatically answered by junior Jordan James, who rushed for 155 yards on 21 carries, while adding a touchdown.  James got plenty of support from his teammates too, as Hundley rushed for 60 yards, freshman Paul Perkins rushed for 55 yards, and the Bruins ran for a total of 345 yards.

Much of this can be attributed to the job the Bruins offensive line did, which did not allow Hundley to be sacked once.  Just 8 plays into the game, Hundley ran for a 37 yard touchdown to put the UCLA up early.  For the first time in nearly a decade, the Bruins actually have a good quarterback.   Head coach Jim Mora Jr. said “if there’s one place you want security, it’s at quarterback.  He just really wants to be a great player.  Youv’e got to love it.”

Bruins fans are definitely loving it.  Although you might not have been able to tell from the less than capacity crowd that showed up.  The attendance was announced at 60,562 , which is far less than its capacity of over 90,000 .  Much of this can be attributed to UCLA not actually starting classes until late September, which usually limits the crowd at the first game.  Also, the heat was brutal.  Many of the prime tailgating spots were vacant right up until game time, and many people probably didn’t show up at the Rose Bowl because they feared they were going to melt.

As for the Bruins, there are still questions that need to be answered on the defensive side of the ball.    The secondary has been rebuilt, but it was pretty untested in the season opener.  UCLA had a knack for giving up huge plays last season at very inopportune times.  Against Nevada, they didn’t give up any huge plays, but they did surrender 353 yards to scrappy Wolf Pack quarterback, Cody Fajardo.  They’ll need to tighten things up in the coming weeks against better competition.

UCLA will have a bye next week, then travel to Lincoln to take on 18th ranked Nebraska on September 14th.  The Bruins have a tough road ahead of them, including road games against Stanford and Oregon in October.  Vegas lists the over/under on Bruin wins this year at 6.  That’s right….6 games!  As tough as the schedule is, I can’t see this team winning less than 8 games.  The Bruins played 11 freshman yesterday in significant roles, and although inexperienced, they appear deep and talented.  Something big may be Bruin in Westwood.

July 25th, 2013

With the Bruins getting ready to open training camp, it’s time to ask: can the team build on last season’s surprising success?  UCLA’s 9 wins, and 2nd straight trip to the Pac 12 Championship game last season was more surprising than a sorority girl being sober on a Saturday night on the row.  Head Coach Jim Mora Jr. completely change the culture of the program in one season, and quarterback Brett Hundley emerged as the best UCLA Quarterback since I was causing trouble in my college days.

Despite some big wins over ASU, USC, and Nebraska, the Bruins also had some nasty losses to Cal and Baylor, where they looked like a completely different, and horrendous team.  The schedule will be much tougher this year, including back-to-back road games at Stanford and Oregon.  Fortunately for UCLA, there’s quite a few winnable games at home.

The Bruins return 7 starters on offense, and 5 starters on defense.   The biggest question mark on offense right now is who will be running the football?  With Jonathan Franklin leaving for the NFL, UCLA will look to Jordon James and Damian Thigpen to emerge as a #1 running back.  The Bruins were a solid 37th in the nation in rushing yards last season, but they’ll need to have someone step up in order to be just as effective as last season.  The offensive line is still young, but added 6 four star freshman to the mix, which will provide some much needed depth.   They are led by all-conference guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who is entering his junior season.

Meanwhile, the receiving corp is still looking strong, led by the return of Senior Shaquelle Evans.  Evans was recently named to the Biletnikoff pre-season award list, as a potential candidate for the top receiver in the nation.  Sophomore Steve Manfro should emerge as a solid #2 receiver for this group as well, which was 34th in the nation in passing last season.  Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone made use of a very well balanced attack, and Hundley figures to improve in his second full season as a starter, which should make the offense just as lethal.

On defense, UCLA was surprisingly effective last year due to a solid pass rush.  However, their lack of depth up front hurt them in the 2nd half of many of their games.  This years defensive front will be led by senior defensive end Cassius Marsh, but will take a major hit with the potential loss of Owamagbe Odighizuwa, who will likely be lost to a hip injury.  The Bruns added depth here with some quality freshman, but they key will be avoiding giving up the big play, which this unit was known for at inopportune times last season.

The linebacking corp is led by Senior Anthony Barr, who is one of the best 3-4 linebackers in the country, and also was 2nd in the nation in sacks last season.  Junior Erik Kendricks should be very effective alongside of Barr, so the Bruins shouldn’t have much of a drop off here after losing Damien Holmes and Datone Jones.

As for the secondary, this is where Bruin fans might wet their pants in fear.  5 of last seasons 6 top defensive backs are gone, and that unit was horrendous.  The Bruins added several 4 star recruits in their defensive backfield, so its hard to image this group getting any worse, but nevertheless, it’s the teams biggest concern.

If the Bruins are going to return to the Pac-12 Championship for the 3rd year in a row, they will have to come up with a couple of big wins on the road.  Here’s my prediction:

vs Nevada- Win

@ Nebraska- Loss

vs New Mexico St – Win

@ Utah – Win

vs Cal- Win

@ Stanford- Loss

@ Oregon- Loss

vs Colorado- Win

@ Arizona- Win

vs Washington- Win

vs ASU- Loss

@ USC – Win

An 8-4 finish for the Bruins.  As more teams get more film on Jim Mora Jr’s squad, UCLA is unlikely to surprise teams like last season without further adjustments.  A number of incoming freshman will have to make an impact on the defensive side of the ball, and they will need a full season to develop.  The road schedule will be a challenge for this group, but they certainly have the chance to go undefeated at home to keep them in the Pac-12 race.  The 2013 season may not be as promising as the previous season, but the Bruins are building a new brand of football in Westwood, which could be a national player in 2014 and beyond.

March 30th, 2013

When I work up this morning, I had to double check the date to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s day.  Much to my disappointment, it was only March 30th.  That meant the ESPN report that Steve Alford would be hired as the next UCLA coach was true.

UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero confirmed in a conference call Saturday morning that Alford will receive a 7 year $18.2 million contract.  Alford will be paid $2.6 million per season, along with a $200,000 signing bonus to cover a buyout from his contract with New Mexico.

So let me get this straight: Ben Howland hasn’t been to the Sweet 16 in the last 5 years, and the Bruins just hired a coach who has been there just once in the last 18 years??  Not only is this a let down for Bruin fans, it’s an obvious downgrade from Howland and Steve Lavin.

Let me try to highlight the few positives of hiring Alford.  Alford has had success recruiting on the west coast.  He lured MWC player of the year Kendall Williams to New Mexico, as well as Riverside product Tony Snell, who has developed into an NBA prospect.  The Bruins may also now have a shot at elite 2013 recruit Aaron Gordon, who is still undecided on where he will attend college.  UCLA might also be able to steal a few undecided recruits to add some depth to their roster for next year as well.

Still, the drawbacks are devastatingly disappointing.  Alford hardly brings the “uptempo style” that Guerrero claims.  His teams were only 239th in the nation in possessions per 40 minutes, a style that is very similar to Howland’s.  In fact,  Alford’s teams have typically been know for their defensive discipline.

Even more disappointing is Alford’s post season record of just 5-7 in the NCAA Tournament.  This includes losses to two 14th ranked teams in the opening weekend of the tournament this past season vs Harvard, and vs Northwestern State while coaching Iowa.

To put it in perspective, UCLA just hired a poor man’s Steve Lavin as their next head basketball coach.  Lavin was a great recruiter, but had some up and down regular seasons, and a limited amount of post season success.  Alford may have had more solid regular seasons, but almost no post season success.

Any Bruins fan that is content with the hiring of Alford is simply relieved that Ben Howland is gone and that there will be a new coach with a new approach.  However, within two years UCLA fans will calling for the firing of both Alford and Guerrero.

March 28th, 2013

On Wednesday, Shaka Smart informed ESPN.COM via text message that he would be remain the head coach at VCU.  The University also issued a statement announcing that changes are being finalized to Smart’s contract.

These developments come as a major disappointment to the UCLA Bruins and their fan base, as the Bruins had hoped to lure Smart to Westwood to become to be their next men’s basketball head coach.

Many Bruin fans are asking themselves: Was Shaka Smart sniffing glue??? How can someone turn down the head coaching job at UCLA in favor of VCU???  Unfortunately for Bruins fans, they might need a reality check on what it really means to be the Head Coach of the UCLA mens basketball team.

Of course Smart would probably double his current $1.4 million salary by coaching UCLA instead of VCU.  Of course Smart would be coaching a much more prestigious college basketball name with great tradition in UCLA than VCU.  And of course he would be living in glamorous Southern California, as opposed to the dumps of Richmond, Virginia.  However, with all those advantages comes tremendous pressure and expectations that may be difficult to live up to.

The Bruins just fired Ben Howland, who made it to 3 final fours, won 4 conference regular season titles, two conference tournament titles, and had an overall record of 230-105 during his 10 year tenure.  To put it in perspective, no other Pac-12 team has made it to the Final Four in the last 10 years, while Howland has done it 3 times!  That in itself is a lofty standard to exceed, let alone live up to, for a coach in his 4th year in a mid-major conference.

In 4 years, Smart’s team has made it to one Final Four, but has never won his conference regular season title, and they were eliminated in the third round of the tournament the last two years.  By UCLA standards, this would already have many of the Bruins donors and influential alumni concerned, and making calls to Dan Guerrero complaining this isn’t good enough.

By no means is this article intended to diminish what Smart has accomplished at VCU.  Instead, it is intended to show how easily he could turn down the UCLA job based off what he might feel are unrealistic expectations.  At VCU, Smart has already begun to build great basketball tradition, and is building legendary status with the athletic department and the fans.  In Westwood, he has to follow in the footsteps of the greatest coach of all time, and one of the most accomplished college coaches in the last 10 years.

It isn’t wrong for the Bruins to have aspirations of winning the Pac 12 every year, and being in contention for a national title.  The Duke and Kansas men’s basketball programs are faced with the same lofty expectations year in and year out, and are able to re-load their teams without even blinking.  However, there are only a special group of coaches who will be able to run these type of programs.  Rick Pitino? Billy Donovan? Tom Izzo?  These are the guys the Bruins need, but none of them are attainable.   But maybe the Bruins should have thought of that before sending Howland packing.