EAGLEBANK BOWL
Washington, D.C.
UCLA Bruins (6-6) VS. Temple Owls (9-3)
Tuesday, December 29, 1:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: UCLA -4.5

Sam’s Take (56 – 22):

For the first time ever, UCLA and Temple will meet on a football field. The Bruins (with help from Navy) travel to Washington D.C. with a chance at a winning season. Meanwhile, Temple enters the EagleBank Bowl as one of the feel good stories of the 2009 season. The Owls are making just their third bowl appearance in program history.

The Bruins and Owls share quite a few statistical similarities, as both teams struggle on offense (UCLA 88th nationally in total offense, Temple 89th) but are considerably better defensively (UCLA 39th in total defense, Temple 37th).

If Rick Neuheisel is going to build momentum with this UCLA program then losing to Temple is out of the question. The Bruins won’t gain much respect with a win over the Owls, but a loss would set the program even further back in an increasingly competitive Pac-10 conference.

Temple hasn’t faced a team with UCLA’s talent since September 19th vs. Penn State. While I don’t expect the Owls to be blown out 31-6 (as was the case against the Nittany Lions), I do expect the Bruins to impose their will, especially on defense.

Al Golden’s club has one of the worst passing offenses in America (112th nationally in passing offense), which means UCLA will load the box to contain the excellent Temple rushing attack. DT Brian Price, LB Reggie Carter, and LB Akeem Ayers should get plenty of work.

Like many Pac-10 teams, the Bruins could use this extra month of practice time, continuing to developing freshman QB Kevin Prince. Prince was inconsistent throughout the regular season, but a solid effort on the east coast should give him something to build on heading into the off-season. Prince will face a Temple defense that ranks 74th nationally in pass defense, so he will certainly get the opportunity to make big plays.

The weather probably wont be great, and while Temple is used to playing in bad conditions I still expect UCLA to prevail. The Bruins can’t afford to take any opponent lightly and I don’t think they will overlook an Owls team that will treat this bowl like the national championship.

I expect UCLA to set the tone on defense and make enough noise on offense to pull away.

Prediction: UCLA 28 – Temple 14

UCLA Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Nelson Rosario – The physical Rosario is a difficult match-up for most defenses, and I expect the Temple DB’s to struggle with his combination of size and speed.

Temple Player to Keep an Eye On: RB Bernard Pierce – Pierce has been sensational for the Owls (1,308 yards rushing, 15 TDs) this season. He battled injury late in the season, but should be back strong for this game.

Dave’s Take (57 – 20):

If nothing else this year, UCLA showed that they could win the games they were supposed to win.

The Bruins played seven games against teams that finished with a winning record, and were 1-6 against those teams (with Tennessee being the only victory).

Against teams 6-6 or lower? A perfect 5-0.

Technically, obviously enough, Temple does fall into the winning record category. That said, picking up wins in the ultra-competitive Pac-10 and SEC is a bit more difficult than doing so in the MAC.

In fact, of the other three teams in the MAC with a winning record (Central Michigan, Ohio, and Bowling Green), Temple managed to only play one; @Ohio, a 35-17 loss.

As great of a season and a story as it has been for Temple, their very underwhelming schedule makes it hard for me to make a case that they belong in the tier of teams that beat UCLA (Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Cal, USC, Arizona) and not in the tier of teams that UCLA beat (including Kansas State and Washington).

Simply put, UCLA is the more talented team top to bottom; and when that has been the case this season, The Bruins have gone out and won the football game. Motivation shouldn’t be a problem, either; while this is only the third bowl appearance in Temple’s history, the Bruins have struggled to get into a bowl recently, and a bowl win would be a fantastic way to cap off the season.

UCLA should take care of business with a strong defensive effort and bring the Pac-10 to .500 in bowl season play.

Prediction: UCLA 27 – Temple 13

Arizona State Sun Devils (4-6) vs. UCLA Bruins (5-5)
Saturday, November 21, 1:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: UCLA -5.0

Sam’s Take (46 – 18):

For most of the 2009 season, Arizona State and UCLA have looked like mirror images of one another. Each team features a very strong defense, an inconsistent offensive line, and most recently, a young quarterback with great promise. The Bruins and Sun Devils also share identical conference records (2-5) with their two Pac-10 wins coming over the lowly Washington schools.

As I look at this game, the biggest difference I see is the current state of the offenses. UCLA has struggled for most of the season offensively, but the unit has begun to make strides. QB Kevin Prince’s confidence seems to be high right now, and he finally has a difference maker to throw to on the outside in WR Nelson Rosario. If RB Derrick Coleman, Milton Knox, or Jonathan Franklin can spark the running game this week, the Bruins may have a chance to crack the stingy Sun Devil D.

Arizona State is looking to rally behind a new starting quarterback this week. Samson Szakacsy will be the third QB to start for the Devils this season, and he is also the most intriguing. Szakacsy is a true dual-threat with skills most suited for the zone-read scheme that Dennis Erickson implemented in the off-season. Against Oregon, Szakacsy demonstrated his ability to keep plays alive by scrambling, a foreign concept for the ASU offense up to that point.

Ultimately, I believe the Bruins will win a tight, hard-fought game this Saturday for two reasons. 1.) It’s senior day in Pasadena, and two of the best defensive players in the history of the program (CB Alterraun Verner, LB Reggie Carter) will be playing their final game in the Rose Bowl (and junior DT Brian Price is probably gone after this season as well). 2.) UCLA can become bowl eligible with a victory, which means the USC game is no longer a must win.

I look for the Bruins to prevail in a close and very physical game.

Prediction: UCLA 24 – Arizona State 20

Arizona State Player to Keep an Eye On: K Thomas Weber - In a close game, a player like Weber becomes invaluable. His groin injury appears to be a thing of the past, so the Devils should be in scoring range once they cross the Bruins’ 40-yard line.

UCLA Player to Keep an Eye On: FB Chane Moline - Moline is coming off of a 3 TD game against Wazzu, and the versatile fullback could have a big impact again this week.

Dave’s Take (49 – 15):

Before the season even started, I remember having this game circled as an extremely evenly matched one. My opinion hasn’t changed.

Both teams have weak offenses, both have strong defenses, both are clearly outside of the conference’s top tier, and both have wins over both Washington schools.

I’d consider this game a virtual coinflip. Yes UCLA has looked to be in better form over the last few weeks, but ASU’s four-game losing streak pretty much looks like UCLA’s five-game one did.

Before the season started, I picked UCLA to finish below ASU in conference play, and I’m sticking with that prediction. I expect a low-scoring ugly game with plenty of great defense and punting, and Arizona State to come out on top when it’s all said and done.

Prediction: Arizona State 16 – UCLA 13

UCLA Bruins 3-2 Overall (0-2 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Oregon 24 – UCLA 10

Next Week’s Opponent: California

This one hurts, plain and simple. Rick Neuheisel’s club outplayed Oregon at many points throughout the game, but everything came crashing down within the first four minutes of the second half.

For the second straight week, UCLA put together a very disappointing offensive effort coupled with uncharacteristically poor rushing defense. The Bruins had their chances against Oregon, but QB Kevin Prince and the rest of the offense could never capitalize in the key moments of drives. UCLA fans are still probably sick to their stomachs over the goal line failure, but that was one example of many disheartening moments for Norm Chow’s offense.

Would a TD on that drive have changed the game? It certainly would have had an impact, but there is no reason to believe that the offense could have produced much more than 17-20 points against Aliotti’s D. One thing that has become painfully clear is that the UCLA offensive coaches need to place a heavy emphasis on fixing the red zone offense.

Is there now a QB controversy in Westwood? Many Bruins fans might think Richard Brehaut is the future (I have stated in the past that I feel that way), but Neuheisel and Chow remain adamant about sticking with Prince.

“For the immediate future, we’re going to stay with Kevin Price and believe in him” Neuheisel said.

The defense played fairly well, but I am having trouble understanding how a unit led by DT Brian Price and LB Reggie Carter can allow two teams in a row to gash them in the running game (Oregon went off for 221 yards rushing altogether). Clearly the offense cannot be trusted to win games right now, so this Bruins D has to be great, not just good. I am by no means blaming the defense for this loss, as the unit only gave up 10 points to a high-powered offense, and actually scored the only UCLA TD (what a play by Ayers!). That said, I would like to see the unit generate a few more turnovers, because the Bruins offense needs a short field to score these days.

The next four weeks will make or break the Bruins season, as Cal, UA, OSU, and UW are all capable of beating the Bruins and sending them to 0-6 in the conference. To avoid that fate, UCLA will have to rally around Prince, establish a consistent running game, and play relentless defense for all four quarters. We should find out quite a bit about the will of this team against the Cal Bears this Saturday.

UCLA Bruins (3-0) vs. Stanford Cardinal (3-1)
Saturday, October 3, 12:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Stanford -5.5

Sam’s Take (22 – 10):

While the USC-CAL game will get all the publicity, a second game in the Bay Area may be just as important in the Pac-10 race. Saturday’s match up in Palo Alto will feature the conference’s current first place team (Stanford, 3-1, 2-0) and the league’s only undefeated team (UCLA, 3-0, 0-0).

While there is a lot to like about both the Bruins and Cardinal, I see a discrepancy at the quarterback position. Stanford QB Andrew Luck is not being asked to do much because of RB Toby Gerhart’s phenomenal production, but the redshirt freshman has been very impressive nonetheless. Luck has delivered the ball on time and accurately so far in ’09, and his athleticism makes him a threat to run at any time. UCLA’s outstanding defense will be his stiffest test of the season, but I believe Luck’s poise will continue to shine in this game.

UCLA will counter with experienced (and much maligned) QB Kevin Craft. Many were hoping to see a battle of highly regarded freshmen QBs this Saturday (Kevin Prince vs. Andrew Luck), but instead the Bruins will rely on last year’s starter once again. Craft played a solid game against K-State and he actually played one of his better games from ’08 against the Cardinal. Now, he will have to prove that he can win a big game on the road.

I expect both defense to play well, but I think Stanford will generate a few turnovers and then turn towards Gerhart and Luck to do the rest.

Prediction: Stanford 28 – UCLA 23

UCLA Player to Keep an Eye On: LB Reggie Carter - Carter will be the key to stopping Gerhart, and this has the potential to be the most exciting one-on-one match up in the conference this season.

Stanford Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Chris Owusu - What more needs to be said about this guy? Kick to him at your own risk Rick Neuheisel, because he already has 3 TD returns, and his electric speed can change the course of a game.

Dave’s Take (25 – 7):

With a win this week, Stanford can keep their sole possession of first place in the Pac-10; a win for UCLA would keep their undefeated streak alive.

The Bruins defense is extremely tough, and will keep them in just about every game they play. That said, they haven’t faced an offense as good as Stanford’s yet; even Tennessee’s offense leaves plenty to be desired with Jonathan Crompton at the helm. Toby Gerhart is an outstanding back, Andrew Luck is a great game manager that can beat you with his arms and legs, and Ryan Whalen and Chris Owusu are both extremely dangerous on the outside.

With Kevin Craft under center, I just don’t trust UCLA to be mistake free and versatile on offense. Stanford’s defense is pretty strong, as made clear last week in shutting down the powerful Jake Locker/Chris Polk tandem. Perhaps I’m too hard on the guy, but I can’t be the only one; are UCLA fans really excited about Kevin Craft on the road?

I just think this is a bad matchup for UCLA. They’ve got a great defense, but Stanford isn’t really the type of team that shoots themselves in the foot on offense; they run the ball well and Andrew Luck has proven to be very smart with the football. Even if the defense has a nice day, I still think UCLA will have to make plays through the air without turning the ball over in order to win; something I don’t think Kevin Craft will be able to do.

Prediction: Stanford 24 – UCLA 13

UCLA Bruins 2-0 Overall (0-0 Conference)

This Week’s Score: UCLA 19 – Tennessee 15

Next Week’s Opponent: Kansas State

This was an outstanding win for UCLA and the Pac-10 conference. The Bruins played in one of the most hostile environments in all of college football and beat a team that was looking for revenge and oozing with confidence. Rick Neuheisel’s infectious personality is starting to manifest itself within this UCLA football team.

The win was especially impressive when you consider all of the young, inexperienced players that Neuheisel used in Knoxville. There will be doubters who believe that UT QB Jonathan Crompton had as much to do with the Bruins success as anything else (he threw 3 INTs), but Chuck Bullough’s D was tremendous at all three levels.

The D-line penetrated Tennessee’s massive offensive line all day, and not just Brian Price. The play of other d-lineman like Bosworth, Holmes, and Jones made life miserable for the Vols. When running gaps did open, Reggie Carter and the linebackers quickly closed them. As good as the front seven was, the secondary was lights out. Rahim Moore is playing at a super-human level (5 INTs in two games, two against Tenn) and teams shouldn’t even bother looking Alterraun Verner’s way. I mentioned Courtney Viney as the player to keep an eye on for UCLA, and he stepped up huge at the other CB spot.

For those people who labeled the Bruins as a soft team, this game should help to erase that sentiment.

Unfortunately, the Bruins big win came with some bad news. QB Kevin Prince is expected to miss 3-4 weeks after suffering a fractured jaw on a third down play in the endzone at the end of the game.

It’s a shame that Prince will miss time considering his performance Saturday. What can I say about the Bruins freshman QB? Prince showed heart, resiliency, and guts while making very few errors (11/23 101 yds 1 TD, 0 INTS). Did he look like a freshman at times? Absolutely. Was he perfect? Not even close. But make no mistake about it; Prince is a budding star who grew up a lot in Knoxville, and hopefully he makes it back soon.

Now, it is very important that the Bruins don’t lose momentum with Richard Brehaut or Kevin Craft in the game. This team can win with defense, special teams, and a solid run game, but the QBs must limit mistakes.

My only warning for UCLA: Remember BYU. One week after beating the Vols last year, disaster struck in the form of a 59-0 beat down at the hands of the Cougars. Neuheisel must make sure to have his young team ready for a hungry Kansas State squad.

UCLA Bruins 1-0 Overall (0-0 Conference)

This Week’s Score: UCLA 33 – San Diego State 14

Next Week’s Opponent: @Tennessee

Sam’s Take:

UCLA started the 2009 season in terrible fashion (down 14-3 to start), but responded well while getting contributions from a variety of exciting new players.

QB Kevin Prince looked like a freshman making his first start, finishing 18-29 for 176 yards passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. SDSU DC Rocky Long threw a lot of looks at Prince, and I was impressed with how he handled himself for the most part. I loved the power running of Derrick Coleman as well as the speed of Jonathan Franklin, and the compact style of Milton Knox should provide a different dimension for the run game in ’09.

On defense, Rahim Moore was tremendous for the entire game and picked off three Ryan Lindley passes. Obviously the defense did not start well out of the gate, but once they settled down it became clear that this unit has the potential to be special in 2009. Price, Carter, and Verner looked good as usual, but the injury to Hester is an absolute depth killer at corner.

With a solid win to begin the year, UCLA will now make the trip to Neyland Stadium to take on Lane Kiffin’s upstart Vols. Tennessee looked good this weekend, so a win in a hostile SEC stadium would be huge for the Bruins.

Dave’s Take:

Defense, defense, defense. After getting caught flat footed on the first two drives of the game (including inexplicably allowing WR Vincent Brown to get behind everyone on the second drive leading to a 78-yard touchdown pass), the Bruins settled down and completely shut down the Aztecs for the rest of the game.

Rahim Moore’s three interceptions led the way on defense, and Alterraun Verner capped off a nice day with a field goal block return for a touchdown. The defense was every bit as good as advertised save the first two drives of the game.

Kevin Prince was far from perfect in his debut, but regardless of the final line, he was a noticeable upgrade over Kevin Craft. He’ll have to be better next week for UCLA to have a shot at beating Tennessee, but either way it will be a great experience for him to get a hostile road environment under his belt before Pac-10 play begins.

Derrick Coleman’s big day set the tone for a nice day on the ground for UCLA, racking up 69 yards and a touchdown on only four carries. All things considered, it was a nice opener for UCLA, and the final score wasn’t really indicative of how much the Bruins controlled this game from the second quarter on.

Listed below are all of the Pac-10 players who were included on the national lists. The only two awards not listed are the Heisman Trophy and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The Heisman Trophy does not release a preseason watch list, and the Unitas Award, which is handed out to the nation’s best senior college quarterback, had no Pac-10 players on their watch list.

Congratulations to the players named, and good luck taking home the hardware!

Chuck Bullough will be entering his fourth season with UCLA, and his first as the defensive coordinator. Bullough has been the linebackers coach for the last three seasons, and he will continue to coach the unit in addition to serving as DC.

This season, Bullough will have all-conference talent to work with throughout the defense, but his linebacking corps seems especially lethal. The group features some of the most physical athletes in the Pac-10, including an All-American candidate looking to finish off his tremendous career in style.

Senior Reggie Carter enters his final season in Westwood as a team captain and one of the best defensive players in the country. Last season, he led the Bruins with 83 tackles on his way to garnering second team All-Pac-10 honors.

Reggie Carter in pursuit

The 6-1 240 pound Carter also tallied 4.5 tackles for loss (5th on team) and tied for 4th in the conference with three forced fumbles. Against BYU, Carter made a career-high 20-tackles, which gave him the most stops in a game by a Bruin since 1989.

The Los Angeles (CA) native is the heart of the defense, and teammates and coaches have praised him for his leadership qualities. Carter spent part of his career at outside linebacker, but will now return to the middle where he is better suited. While he lacks elite speed (4.6), Carter is relentless in his pursuit of ball carriers. He possesses rare instincts and a tremendous football IQ as well.

Carter has consistently improved every season since arriving at UCLA, going from 48 tackles as a freshman All-American, to 62 tackles as a sophomore, and finishing with 83 tackles as a junior last season. He is a likely candidate for the Bednarik Award (Defensive Player of the Year) as well as various other honors, and will be one of the key components for Rick Neuheisel’s Bruins in 2009.

Joining Carter as a starter will be fellow senior Kyle Bosworth. Bosworth will occupy the weakside at linebacker once again, after an injury forced him to miss most of the 2008 season. Bosworth sprained his knee against BYU last season after playing in just two games, and was granted a substitute year of eligibility as a result.

At 6-1 234 pounds, Bosworth is an extremely physical presence at weakside linebacker, and like Carter he plays with steadfast aggression. In 2007, Bosworth finished 5th on the team with 74 tackles and four tackles for loss.

He plays much faster than his forty-time suggests (4.70), and is rarely caught out of position. The Plano (TX) native will look to wreak havoc on opposing offenses alongside his brother Korey (defensive end). Bosworth enters fall camp in good health, and has a firm grasp on a starting role in 2009.

The strongside spot belongs to exciting redshirt sophomore Akeem Ayers. Ayers burst onto the scene last season as a redshirt freshman, recording 40 tackles, four sacks, and five tackles for loss. He earned honorable mention All-Pac-10, while also being named to multiple all-freshman teams.

Akeem Ayers takes down Fresno State's Tom Brandstater

At 6-4 252 pounds, Ayers possesses the size of a defensive end, but is athletic enough to play outside linebacker. He will be a headliner for years to come in Westwood, with a versatile skill set that could allow him to move around on the defense.

The Los Angeles (CA) native was a phenomenal high school player at Verbum Dei High School, playing on offense, defense, and even returning kicks. Rivals and Scout.com gave him 4-star recognition and he was named a PrepStar All-American. Ayers has the strongside spot locked up, and looks primed for an all-conference season in 2009.

Reserve sophomores Steve Sloan and Sean Westgate could also see playing time in 2009 after impressive freshmen campaigns.

The 6-4 231 pound Sloan was able to take advantage of playing time after Boswroth went down, starting nine of 12 games and finishing with 29 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss. Sloan played inside last season, and will therefore be the main backup for Carter.

The Campbell (CA) native played linebacker at Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, making 143 tackles during his senior year. Rivals and Scout.com rated him as a 4-star prospect and he will be the future at middle linebacker for the Bruins once Carter is gone. He enters fall camp as one of the top reserves for UCLA.

The 5-11 205 pound Westgate wasted no time making an impact at UCLA, picking up a blocked punt and returning it for a TD in the season opener against Tennessee. He went on to appear in all 12 games as a true freshman, making 18 tackles on the season. Westgate does not have the size of the other linebackers, but he is a fierce competitor that plays with a high motor. The Oak Park (CA) native enters fall as the main backup to Bosworth on the weakside.

Other linebackers that could see time in 2009 are: freshmen Isaiah Bowens, Donovan Carter, Todd Golper, Patrick Larimore, and junior Mike Schmitt.

My Take

UCLA will field three all-conference caliber linebackers this season as part of an exciting Bruins defense. The sky is the limit for this unit as long as they can stay healthy, but if the offense struggles, fatigue may become an issue. There are talented underclassmen after the big three, but proven depth is the biggest concern.

How many linebackers return to the Pac-10 this season that are better than Reggie Carter? I can’t think of many (Oregon State’s Keaton Kristick is close). Carter will join DT Brian Price and CB Alterraun Verner in forming a three-headed monster at all defensive levels for UCLA.

I look for Carter to finish his career on a high note, and a spot on an All-American team is a real possibility. The return of Bosworth is massive, giving the Bruins another tackling machine to go along with Carter. I also love the explosiveness of Ayers, who seems destined for a breakout sophomore season.

Overall, I expect UCLA’s linebackers to be among the most productive in the conference throughout 2009.