Inconsistent Bruins Escape Rose Bowl With Win

UCLA, behind the running attack of Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman, avoided the upset bug as they pulled away from the Washington State Cougars and won 42-28 at the Rose Bowl.

THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM SATURDAY'S GAME

The Bruins Running Game is Virtually Unstoppable – The Bruins racked up 437 yards rushing which is more than 30 teams have gained all year.  Franklin carried the ball 30 times for 216 yards and Coleman added 185 yards on 15 carries.  Coleman had three touchdowns and Franklin scored one.  There was no stopping the running game for the Bruins.

There is a Quarterback Controversy on the Horizon – Kevin Prince wasn't able to start at quarterback for the Bruins because of a bruised right knee.  Sophomore Richard Brehaut stepped in and went 12 for 23 with 128 yards.  Although the yardage is nothing to write home about it was still more yards than Prince had gained in any of his previous four starts. More importantly, Coach Rick Neuheisel seemed to trust the passing abilities of Brehaut and gave him additional attempts in pressure situations.  At the end of the day, Prince might be the better athlete, passer and quarterback but due to his inability to stay healthy, he is on the verge of a quarterback controversy.

The Defense is the Identity of the Bruins – The Bruins defense just didn't show up.  The played down to the level of their opponents. They forgot the lesson that Stanford taught them. But the most disappointing part was seeing the missed tackles, blown assignments and total lack of effort for three quarters.  The defense sets the tone for this team, as seen in the previous two wins over ranked opponents, but if their effort remains inconsistent then the Bruins are destined to miss out on a invitation to play in a Bowl.  They aren't good enough to just "flip a switch" when needed.  However, it is fortunate for the Bruins that they played an inferior team and were able to do just enough in the fourth quarter to escape with a win.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The game was tied, the ball sitting on UCLA's one-yard line and it was fourth down.  Two plays prior a touchdown was reversed by replay, leaving Coach Paul Wulff with a decision early in the fourth quarter.  Do you take the points with the field goal or do you roll the dice and go for the touchdown?  Wulff rolled the dice and crapped out as UCLA's defense came up big for the first time all afternoon.  The Bruins offense took over and orchestrated a 99-yard drive grabbing the lead and never looking back.

WE DON’T DO GAME BALLS:

Instead, we do a “Tan NBC Peacock That’s Sporting Shades” because this is LA, baby!

The dynamic duo of Franklin and Coleman became the first pair of UCLA running backs to rush for 100 yards each since 2007. They pounded away at the Cougars defense and combined for six rushes of 20 or more yards.

POST-GAME QUOTE

"Me and Johnathan got a little competition going. We always want to see who has the most yards, and that competition brings out the best in the team." – Derrick Coleman, UCLA tailback

BY THE NUMBERS:

GAME STATS
	UCLA BRUINS	WASHINGTON ST. COUGARS
SCORE	42	28
RUSHING YARDS	437	73
PASSING YARDS	128	311
TOTAL YARDS	565	384
PENALTIES	10-103	8-90
TURNOVERS	2	1
TIME OF POSSESSION	34:49	25:11

 

NEXT WEEK:

UCLA Bruins (3-2, 1-1 Pac-10) vs. Cal Golden Bears (2-2, 0-1 Pac-10)

MY PREDICTIONS:

MY RECORD FOR PREDICTIONS: 2-3
RESULTS	GAME DETAILS	MY PREDICTIONS
	@ Kansas State UCLA 22 - Kansas St. 31		The Bruins need this to go bowling at the end of the year. Bruins 17 - Wildcats 13
	vs. Stanford UCLA 0 - Stanford 35		Stanford's offense will be too much for the Bruins. Bruins 10 - Cardinal 34
	vs. Houston UCLA 31 - Houston 13		UCLA will not be able to keep up with Houston's offense. Bruins 24 - Cougars 38
	@ Texas UCLA 34 - Texas 12		Texas will not be able to shake loose of the Bruins. Bruins 23 - Longhorns 27
	vs. Washington State UCLA 42 - Wazzu 28		The only question: Will the Bruins get 100 yards passing? Bruins 45 - Cougars 10

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