Statistically speaking

At this time last year, UCLA was 5-5 and unsure of a bowl berth because it was facing a pair of top 10 opponents to close out the year (Oregon and USC).

This time around, UCLA is 4-6 and unsure of a bowl berth because it is facing a top 10 opponent (USC) and a team many expected to be great but turned into a flop (ASU).

Much has changed, of course, about the personalities and tenor of the team — especially at the top. While last year people were waiting for the axe to fall on the tenure of Karl Dorrell, this year fans are buying into the relentless optimism of Rick Neuheisel. It doesn't hurt that his honeymoon is still on (and should probably extend through next season).

What else has changed since then? Let's pull out the stat book on this year and compare it to the first 10 games of last season ...

Offense:

• It's no surprise that UCLA is having a down year on the ground (falling from 1,633 yards to 857), and that's contributed to a significant drop in scoring (252 to 196).
• Kevin Craft, it appears, isn't much of a drop-off at QB in terms of yardage. The Bruins have passed for 2,079 yards this season, up from a cool 2,000 last year. Unfortunately, touchdowns are down (11 to eight) while interceptions are up (11 to 17).
• Despite giving up six more interceptions, total turnovers are up only by one. Last year, UCLA put the ball on the ground 23 times and lost it 12 of those times. This year, the Bruins have dropped it only 12 times and recovered it all but seven times.

Defense:

• Even though opponents are running better against the Bruins this year (1,807 yards compared to 1,111), the UCLA pass defense is much improved. Last year it gave up 2,501 yards. This year? Only 1,642. As a result, opponents' total offense is down slightly, from 3,612 to 3,449.
• It is a surprise that UCLA has improved in time of possession. Many expected that this Bruin defense would get worn out because it would spend a lot of time on the field. Not so. UCLA had the ball for 28:54 per game last year after 10 games, and 30:28 this year. In a related statistic, opponent first downs have dropped from 197 to 182. The cause and effect can go either way on this one.

Mix and match:

• A good sign of discipline is improvement on penalties, which have fallen dramatically. Last year, the Bruins were flagged 78 times for 656 yards, while this year it's only 59 times for 480 yards. Considering how many new coaches and inexperienced players the Bruins are using, that's a testament to coaching sound fundamentals.
• Despite struggles on third down, offensively the Bruins are about the same if not slightly improved. They have had 59 successful third-down conversions through 10 games this year and last year. In 2007, they needed 162 tries, while only 159 this year. Defensively, things aren't going as well. The Bruins have allowed 53 in 141 attempts, as opposed to 47 in 162 tries last year.
• Quarterback pressure is probably a big disappointment for the Bruin defense, with only 18 sacks on the year compared to 30 last season. On offense, the front line has fared better than feared, allowing 30 sacks compared to 24 at this stage of the season last year.
• UCLA remains marginally better at scoring in the red zone than opponents, but opponents tend to score more touchdowns and UCLA tends to get more field goals. Those numbers have been surprisingly consistent over the last two years.
• Last year, UCLA and opponent scoring was fairly balanced in the first half. UCLA would give up a lot in the third quarter, and then take it all back in the fourth. This year, UCLA has consistently been outscored in every quarter, especially the second.
• Rose Bowl attendance has fallen from 77,167 per game to 70,296 per game. On the road, attendance is up nearly 50% (41,161 to 61,818), but keep in mind stadium size and success of road teams has a lot to do with that.

—Adam Rose

Comments

[Happy4LA]

Great stats, very surprised about the time of possession, especially with the lack of a running game this year. Also surprising is the turnovers, Craft has thrown a lot of INTs, but I would say the RBs haven't been in the open field enough to get careless with the ball. Or maybe it is coaching? Some coaching takes more than a season to sink in with the style of the coach and for the old players set in their ways to leave. Also, the attendance will increase after the usc game, based on your figures UCLA's attendance should exceed last year's average of 77,000.