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A collection of semi-organized musings as the Bruins limp toward the end of the football season ...
Friday Night Lights
UCLA came into Arizona State on Friday night and, after holding the Sun Devils to three-and-out, moved the ball with ruthless efficiency on the first few plays of the opening drive. Kai Forbath nailed a 53-yard field goal to put the Bruins on the board first.
ASU came into the game averaging 23 points per contest. The Sun Devils' offense would manage just a pair of field goals on 122 yards of total offense. A unit passing for an average of 242 yards per contest could only gain 101, and ASU converted just two of its 13 third-down conversion attempts.
And still, UCLA got steamrolled.
This was no Washington-Washington State. It might have been uglier. Final score: ASU 34, UCLA 9.
 He's no Shannon Kelly, right?
Kevin Craft, already "leading" the conference in interceptions, fell short of a career high in turnovers — sorta'. He threw three picks, all returned for touchdowns, and fumbled a ball that was recovered by teammate Derrick Coleman. Unfortunately, Coleman thought the ball was dead, and ASU stripped it — and returned that ball for a touchdown too. No word what Coleman, who has difficulty hearing, was thinking. It's his second ill-timed fumble in what has otherwise been a respectable freshman campaign.
Craft should have actually been on the hook for more ASU scoring. He fumbled while being sacked in the end zone, and it was recovered by a teammate and moved out to the 1-yard line. It easily could have been two or six more points for the Sun Devils.
The NCAA reports that ASU tied a record for the most defensive scores in a game. Here's a scary thought: Craft might have had the worst single game performance in college football history. When Houston returned four interceptions for TD's against Texas in 1987 (all in the fourth quarter!), only three were thrown by Shannon Kelly. There also were four fumbles in that game, though, and I'm not sure who committed those. So maybe Kelly had a worse day. Maybe.
It's easy to throw Craft under the bus for this game, but keep in mind the situation he was thrust into. He's not the Bruins' first-string QB. He's not the Bruins' second-string QB either. He was supposed to see limited action, if any, in mop-up duty this season. A pair of career-ending injuries to seniors forced this Juco transfer to start immediately, with a painfully thin offensive line and limited help at the skill positions. And then everybody left around him got injured.
On a brighter note, at least the coaches haven't burned Kevin Prince's redshirt year. Fellow freshman Nick Crissman missed the entire season with a shoulder injury. Add in Richard Brehaut (now expected to enroll in the spring) and it will be a spirited, though young, battle for next year's starting job. Craft and Chris Forcier have a long off-season to improve too.
Defense wins championships, somewhere
Even with all their defensive touchdowns, the Sun Devils' offense was still on the field for a surprising 28:34. The shock isn't just how long they managed to have the ball, but how soundly UCLA pummeled the Sun Devils' offense. The Bruins only gave up 3.9 yards per pass and a salty 0.9 yards per rush. Remembering some of the other stats mentioned a moment ago, it's safe to say the defense carried its weight — and then some. They actually held ASU to fewer offensive points (six) than the Bruins (nine).
The end is near
It's a big deal to make a bowl game in college football. It's also embarrassing not to. The Bruins made it the last six seasons (matching USC for the longest streak in the conference) and 10 of the last 11. It won't happen this year, though. The loss to ASU means the Bruins will finish with a losing record and the season will be over Dec. 6.
To put that in perspective, a lot of people joke about how easy it is to make the NBA playoffs, with 16 of 30 teams (53%) making the cut. In D-I football, 68 of 119 (57%) make the postseason.
To take away something positive, UCLA didn't lose any games it was expected to win this season. Sure, it was really only favored against Washington and Washington State, but at least it took care of business with those opponents.
There's got to be a morning after
The Bruins are headed into rivalry week with a motiviated USC squad fighting for a berth in the BCS National Championship game. Last time that scenario went down in the Rose Bowl, UCLA won, 13-9. It's not likely to happen again, but it wasn't likely to happen a first time either.
—Adam Rose
Top photo: Paul Connors / Associated Press
Bottom photo: Mark J. Rebilas / US Presswire
Hope everybody had a good Turkey Day. Here's some reading to kick off your weekend on the right note ...
Football:
Basketball:
Also at UCLA:
Elsewhere:
—Adam Rose
Three weeks before UCLA was set to host USC in the Rose Bowl, somebody got a head start on the crosstown shenanigans.
Not wanting to wind up with egg paint on their face, officials at both schools put their campus icons under wraps.
Tommy Trojan was encased in duct tape and the Bruin Bear was put into hibernation early this week. Normally, such measures aren't taken until the week of the game. Both teams have other opponents on the schedule before their Dec. 6 showdown. UCLA will be at Arizona State on Friday and USC will host Notre Dame on Saturday.
—Adam Rose
The Pac-10 is taking a pass on passing and making a run at running.
Better known for an aerial approach that produces gaudy quarterback numbers, the Conference of Champions experienced a tectonic shift in 2008. Those, of course, can happen only on the ground.
Oregon State is the most pass-happy attack, leading the league with 2,670 yards. Oregon is tops in rushing with 2,949 yards. The last time the rushing leader finished ahead of the passing leader was 1984, a bizarre season when Brigham Young won the AP National Championship and Washington was runner-up.
That may explain why the national perception of the conference is low — all the way to the ground, you could say. Have analysts misunderstood the new-look Pac-10?
Not a single team in the conference ranks in the nation's top 25 in passing offense. Players have caught for 100 yards in just 17 games this season — but they've done it on the ground 51 times.
Pac-10 receiving leader Sammie Stroughter from Oregon State is on pace, including the postseason, to finish with 954 yards. Even with a 13th game, nobody else is on track to hit 870. The last time the conference didn't have a
1,000-yard receiver was in 2000. Somebody has hit that mark for 14 of
the last 16 years.
This season the league has been headlined by tailbacks, notably Stroughter's teammate, Jacquizz Rodgers with 1,253 yards so far and two games remaining. Stanford's Toby Gerhart finished his campaign with 1,136 yards and Cal's Jahvid Best is already at 1,083 yards with two games left. Arizona's Nic Grigsby should eclipse the 1,000-yard make (he's at 952 with two games left), and a pair of Oregon tailbacks could do it in the next two games as well.
One explanation could be a rash of quarterback injuries. Arizona State's Rudy Carpenter has been roughed up a lot; UCLA lost its top two signal callers for the entire year; Washington lost rising star Jake Locker early on; and Oregon's group was pummeled from the get-go. Oregon State may be limping toward the postseason without its starter; and Washington State was beaten so thin, it held an open tryout for a scout team quarterback. Both Cal and Stanford have been lucky enough to have two healthy players at the position. The problem for the Bay Area schools is that when you have two, you really have none. The only program to escape relatively unscathed was USC, where Mark Sanchez almost sent coaches into cardiac arrest not once, but twice with knee injuries. He somehow managed to play every game.
Another explanation could be the style of defense that Pac-10 teams are playing. Having faced all but one school, USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian noticed a couple trends he's had to contend with. "There's definitely more two-high safety looks to try and protect the corners and not allow some of the big plays that people have gotten. There's a lot more emphasis on rushing and putting pressure on the quarterback with exotic blitzes, to where a run game can hurt that if you do a nice job and you execute really well. Those are the two areas we see that allow you to say, 'a run here looks really good.' "
Sarkisian pointed out that things can change over time. "There are trends," he said. "Two or three years from now, the story may be switched to 'why aren't they running the football!' "
Don't expect this run to end next year though. All the rushing leaders are young. Rodgers is only a freshman; Best and Grigsby are sophomores; and Gerhart is listed as a junior but missed almost all of last year with an injury and probably would be granted an extra year of eligibility if he applies. Of the conference's top 10 rushers, only two are seniors this year. Seven of the receiving leaders will be departing — not that anybody will notice.
—Adam Rose
Photos: Jeff Lewis and Paul Sakuma / Associated Press
Maurice Jones-Drew (RB, Jacksonville) exploded for 113 yards on nine receptions, adding only four yards on three carries, in a 30-12 loss to Minnesota.
Brandon Chillar (LB, Green Bay) had his best game of the season with 10 tackles and a sack, but the Pack lost to New Orleans, 51-29.
DeShaun Foster (RB, San Francisco) made a nine-yard touchdown reception in a 35-22 loss to Dallas.
Marcedes Lewis (TE, Jacksonville) grabbed four catches for 41 yards in the loss to the Vikings.
Chris Kluwe (P, Minnesota) dropped two of his three punts inside the 20, averaging 46.3 yards per attempt in the victory over the Jags.
Jarrad Page (S, Kansas City) made four tackles in a 54-31 loss to Buffalo.
Ryan Nece (LB, Detroit) had four tackles and a sack in a 38-20 loss to Tampa Bay.
Continue reading Bruins in the NFL: Week 12 »
Former UCLA football player Chris Joseph has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. A three-year starter on the Bruins' offensive line (2005-07), he will begin studying at Oxford in the fall.
Joseph will be joined across the pond by fellow Westwood student Scott Hugo. The senior, majoring in political science and history, is a starter on UCLA's rugby team.
Another collegiate athlete made headlines this weekend when he was named one of this year's 32 recipients. Florida State safety Myron Rolle will choose between a couple of years in England and a possible NFL career. He aspires to be a neurosurgeon.
Surprised that sports play such a prominent role in theses scholars' lives? Don't be.
Although many people associate President Clinton with the prestigious award, one of the four criteria for selection is "energy to use one's talents to the full, as exemplified by fondness for and success in sports."
Of course, there are rigorous academic standards, and Joseph had no problem with those. He graduated ins June with a 3.95 grade point average, majoring in geography with a focus on the complex social and scientific causes of deforestation. At Oxford, he plans to do his master's of philosophy in geography.
A regional announcement was made this weekend in a room with 16 nominees. Only the two Bruins were selected. "I was stunned," Joseph said. "It took about 10 to 15 seconds for me to realize they had said my name." You can read a full account of his exciting weekend on UCLA's website.
Joseph is the second UCLA football player and fifth UCLA student-athlete to receive a Rhodes Scholarship. The others are: 1997, Annette Salmeen, swimming; 1969, Harold Griffin, football; 1962, William Zeltanoga, wrestling; and 1925, John Olmsted, tennis.
Earlier this year, Joseph won an NCAA postgraduate scholarship after
being a first-team Academic All American for the two previous seasons. For more on his road to the Rhodes, check out this profile by Chris Foster that ran in April.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Don Morrison, UCLA faculty athletic representative, is embraced April 24 by
Chris Joseph, who played center for UCLA last fall
but decided to pursue a Rhodes Scholarship instead of being a
long shot to turn pro in the NFL. Morrison helped him in the pursuit.
Credit: Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times
L.A.'s teams had a collective bye week so I figured it would be a great chance to catch up on some West Coast football.
Actually, that's not true. One L.A. football team was in action. Occidental, ranked No. 11 in Division III, fell in the first round of the playoffs. Another reminder of what D-I doesn't have.
Anyway, let's keep it gossipy and avoid too many pesky stats today. Consider this your sports talk radio primer ...
Washington State 16, Washington State 13, 2OT:
- The Apple Cup was fun to follow, just for laughs. Washington
and Washington State are probably the worst two teams in America
(definitely the worst, if you ask ESPN).
It's the first time in conference history that a pair of 10-loss teams
played each other. Michael Lev of the Orange County Register and I started
calling this year's edition the Cumquat Cup, since it was the most
inconsequential fruit we could think of. Plus, it's also known as
"dwarf fruit" — a good description of both team's stature in college
football.
- Wazzu proved to be slightly less inept than Washington, pulling out
a mildly amusing comeback. The 29 combined points might have been a
historic low for a double-overtime game. I thumbed through the record
books and confirmed it's the worst offensive output going back to the
start of the 2003 season. Together, they had slightly more offensive
yards (661) than Oklahoma alone had against Texas Tech (625). And that
game merely lasted four quarters (if you watched, the Sooners needed
all of two).
- Washington has one more game, at Cal, which should seal a perfect
0-12 record for outgoing Coach Tyrone Willingham. I'm still dumbfounded
that he held a news conference to announce that he was fired, then kept
coaching. Remember, he had the leverage of his contract. He could have
forced an immediate break by not showing up to the news conference,
demanded that they announce after the season, or simply said it was
his own (or a mutual) decision. Either of the last two options would
have allowed him to "finish the job," and he could have walked away with a shred of dignity. At least Green Day made him a tribute video.
Cal 37, Stanford 16:
- I went to the Big Game and it felt like some sort of college
football alternate reality. The train station on the way into Berkeley
was strewn with empty latte cups instead of beer cans, and I overheard
students talking about Ben Bernanke and Alan Greenspan. Stereotype upheld.
- After the first quarter, a contestant tried to throw a football 25
yards through a small target for $500,000. It fell short, bounced ...
and went in. The crowd went wild until the announcer said it didn't
count. He hit a second, closer throw and won free groceries for a year.
The fans weren't sure if they should cheer for him or boo the
organizers for withholding the big prize.
- The most universal applause might have come when an errant pass hit a referee squarely on his dome.
- Stanford's band is pretty innovative, but this is the first time
I've seen cyclical percussion. A guy was basically strapped into a mini
Ferris wheel and spun head over heels while drumming. Props to them for
keeping up a party atmosphere after a rough loss to their top rival.
- Speaking of atmosphere, Cal's cheerleaders were a pleasant
surprise. Their postgame was more like a dance party than the ho-hum
traditional stuff. Very nice.
- Oh, right. Game. It wasn't close. Woulda' been nice to see Stanford
use Alex Loukas more. After a slow first half, trick plays and turnovers
killed the Cardinal, who are now bowl ineligible. These teams feature
premier tailbacks who will be a force next year in the conference.
Oregon State 19, Arizona 17:
- This was a comeback thriller. Unlike the Cumquat Cup, it
mattered. Both teams are bowl-bound, but a field goal as time expired
kept the Beavers on pace for the Granddaddy. Their Rose Bowl hopes all
comes down to the final regular season game against Oregon.
- We'll probably hear a few "shoulder the pressure" jokes about
Oregon State. It didn't use starting quarterback Lyle Moevao because
of an earlier shoulder injury, and star-in-the-making Jacquizz Rodgers
hurt his in the first quarter. Now that Cal has played every team in
the Pac-10 (except Washington, but they don't count) I asked some of
their linebackers about the league's best tailbacks. Rodgers' name always came up.
- Let's say Oregon State gets to the Rose Bowl and is dinged up.
That's bad news, because the team was healthy when Penn State blew it out early in the year. The Nittany Lions clinched the Big Ten on
Saturday and will be in Pasadena on New Year's Day. Could be a bad
rematch.
Bowl thoughts:
- The Pac-10 has six bowl contracts in addition to the Rose Bowl.
If Oregon State beats Oregon and plays in Pasadena, USC will probably
wind up in a different BCS game. That leaves three other bowl eligible
Pac-10 teams for six games. Whoops. Arizona State or UCLA could slip into the
mix; only one will even have a shot. They play each other Friday. Whoever wins that game must beat their archrival (Arizona for ASU, USC for UCLA). Both are tall tasks.
- After this season, the Pac-10's six bowl contracts are finished.
They'll probably renegotiate a few, but there could be some changes.
All of this should happen before the retirement of Commissioner Tom
Hansen.
—Adam Rose
Cigarettes may have been banned in most of New York's public establishments, but that didn't stop UCLA from smoking the Salukis in Madison Square Garden.
David Wharton reports that the 77-60 victory over Southern Illinois was redemption for Thursday's big upset against Michigan.
Alfred Aboya was the story of the game. After having a career night, he left early with an injury. All tests have been negative so far. Aboya was in the hospital during postgame interviews, but released the following statements through the school:
On his career night of 22 points against Southern Illinois:
"I think my teammates did a great job of finding me tonight. Southern Illinois is an aggressive team, especially on defense. They are very help conscious and when my teammates drove to the basket, they (Southern Illinois) did a good job of helping and my teammates did a good job of getting the ball to me when my man came to help. That was why I got easy baskets. I just concentrated on my foul shots tonight when I got fouled."
On the injury to his wrist:
"I hurt it last night (against Michigan) after a charge and then again tonight when I drew that last charge (came in the second half at the 3:38 mark by Nick Evans). I just came back from the hospital and the CT scan and X-rays were both negative. On Monday, I'll go get an MRI on my wrist (left), just to double check. But I think I'll be fine. We have tomorrow and Sunday off, so for me, I think that is enough time to heal. My body heals up pretty quickly."
Aboya absorbed quite a pounding this weekend in New York. Against Michigan, he drew four charges and was on the receiving end of a fifth against Southern Illinois. He also drew contact on two other plays that weren't whistled.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Frank Franklin II / Associated Press
UCLA senior big man Alfred Aboya got some good news after initial concern over an injury to his hand/wrist. A pair of X-rays and a CT scan came back negative at the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. UCLA will do a precautionary MRI when he returns with the Bruins from the 2K Sports Classic (benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer).
Aboya was having a monster game until the injury, with 22 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes. He was 10-of-13 from the charity stripe. UCLA cruised past Southern Illinois in the consolation round of the tournament, 77-60.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Nick Laham / Getty Images
Football:
Basketball:
Also at UCLA:
Elsewhere:
—Adam Rose
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He's no Shannon Kelly, right?
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