THIRTY FIVE YEARS A BRUIN: Thoughts of Being a Part of the UCLA Family

The iconic Joe Bruin statue on the UCLA campus. Photo courtesy of pixels.com

MY REFLECTIONS OF MY THREE AND A HALF DECADES (and counting) AS A MEMBER OF BRUIN NATION

I saw on social media that the fall quarter has started at what is considered the nation’s #1 public university for seven straight years (and counting!).

Which reminded me of this analogy that I feel is a perfect one as far as what UCLA has meant to me for the past thirty-five years…

Imagine the nerdiest, dweebiest, dorkiest kid in the 1950s asking Marilyn Monroe to be his girlfriend.

Or the nerdiest, dweebiest, dorkiest kid of the past twenty years asking Beyonce to dump Jay-Z and marry him.

Or the nerdiest, dweebiest, dorkiest kid in school, a kid who would be considered a nerd even among the cast of “Revenge of the Nerds”, asking the head cheerleader or homecoming queen to go out with him.

And Marilyn, Beyonce, the head cheerleader and the homecoming queen all saying yes!

That is what being a part of the UCLA community and a member of Bruin Nation has meant to me, as that institution of higher learning in Westwood had been my “dream school” for as long as I could remember.

Saturday, February 13, 1988 will be forever imprinted into my gray matter,

Because that was the day I received the big, thick manila envelope with the lead letter – among a lot of other things – that said “CONGRATULATIONS! You have been admitted to UCLA’s College of Letters and Science…” while watching The Buddy Holly Story on TV,

Which was a surprising shock as I was expecting to and was all set to transfer to Cal State Northridge after spending my first few undergraduate years at Santa Monica College.

I remember jumping around with the acceptance letter in my hand, humming the fight song as I didn’t know the words to “Sons of Westwood” as of yet, then calling my grandmother to read the acceptance letter to her; my mother was there visiting for the weekend, so of course my grandma told her and everyone was very happy over my accomplishment.

I had a jacket just like this during the 1990s, which I wore all the time; I wish I still had it. Photo courtesy of offerup.com

Six months later I began taking classes there as part of the Academic Advancement Program’s Transfer Summer Program, where new students coming to UCLA from other colleges took two courses, including a writing course, to get ready for the rigors of the quarter system in a sort of “Spring Training”.

I did pretty well in those six weeks of classes that August and early September, getting an A- in my writing class and a B in a Political Science class, before I officially began life in the UCLA Bruin Marching Band a week later as I joined their band camp and official became a Bruin Band member, making friends that (CLICHE ALERT!) I’m still friends with today.

Three years of classes, band trips, studying, and other experiences followed, which culminated in what I consider one of my biggest life achievements,

Getting my bachelor’s degree in history, which I was quite proud of due to being told that only 30% of blacks and Latinos – at least at that time – earned an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

And doing well enough in my classes – mostly Bs – to be able to get into graduate school.

I’ve always told people that there are two things that, while I won’t call them regrets, I wish I would have done while a student in Westwood:

• Taken more Political Science classes as I’ve always liked to hear and participate in discussions and debates, and…
• Tried out for the Bruin baseball team; I would have certainly been cut because I didn’t have a good throwing arm – at all – but at least I could have said that I tried, just like a high school classmate of mine who tried out for the women’s volleyball team at Cal Berkeley and didn’t make it; I admired her for going for it and told her so at a class reunion.

After my student days, the friends I made in the marching band got me to join the UCLA Alumni Band, which is the perfect way to stay involved with the school post-graduation if you play a band, woodwind, or a percussion instrument as we play at many UCLA events, including the football games, the women’s gymnastics meets, and many other Bruin soirees on a yearly and regular basis.

A main factor in my joining the Alumni Band was to be able to continue to go to football games and other UCLA sporting events free after paying a nominal dues fee at the beginning of the school year.

But over the thirty-plus years I’ve been involved with that group, it’s evolved into more than that as I’ve been able to stay connected to my alma mater through that organization, which was honored in being named the UCLA Alumni Network of the Year in 2022.

I can spout a lot more odes to this collegiate alma mater of mine and tell a lot more stories about my days as an undergraduate and alum.

But that would probably take too long, so besides stating the obvious in my unbelief that it has been thirty-five years since I first matriculated at the University of California, Los Angeles and became a Bruin,

I’ll close this post by stating this:

Joe DiMaggio – you know, the former baseball legend of the 56-game hitting streak who married Marilyn Monroe after his playing days were done and became Mr. Coffee after that,

Famously said, “I thank the Good Lord for making me a (New York) Yankee.”

Well, with regards to being a UCLA alum and a longtime member of Bruin Nation, I say this…

“I thank the Good Lord, and will be forever grateful to him, for making me a UCLA Bruin.”

I think that sums everything up pretty well.

Royce Hall, the centerpiece of UCLA; I still find myself in awe every time I pass it. Photo courtesy of fineartamerica.com

THE DEMISE OF THE PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE: My One and a Half Cents

The UCLA and USC football teams engaging in one of their annual Crosstown Rivalry games. Photo courtesy of moorparkreporter.com

THIS IS A RARE SPORTS POST FROM THIS PERSONAL BLOG OF MINE

But being that what is essentially the end of the Pac-12 Conference coming to pass with UCLA and USC leaving for the Big Ten Conference in 2024 is a fairly substantial piece of sports news at the moment,

I think my thoughts regarding this upcoming development mandates some thoughts from me…

THE PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE: 1915-2024

That’s the perfect description of the conference that my alma mater had been an indelible part of since 1928.

To put that in pespective, my grandparents had just gotten married the year before – and they passed away forty-one (my grandfather) and thirty (my grandmother) years ago.

And none other than Babe Ruth had hit his legendary sixty home runs the same year.

Anotther equally perfect description and analogy of what will officially be the death of this Pac-12 Conference a year from now is this…

111 years after the sinking of the Titanic, history – in a sense – is repeating itself.

With the two icebergs sinking that “unsinkable ship” being…

• Larry Scott, and
• George Kliavkoff

For those who don’t know, those are the last two Pac-12 commissioners that because of what has turned out to be an pronounced level of ineptitude in their television deals in particular;

I, along with millions of others, have never been able to get the Pac-12 Network due to Direct TV, the provider in my area, refusing to pay the excessive amount of money that was required to carry that station, resulting in those conference’s schools getting far less money than their counterparts in the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference,

That sub-par TV deal, plus the current television deal that was proposed by Kliavkoff that will require fans to purchase Apple TV to see their teams play and will pay the soon-to-be four Pac-12 institutions a paltry $25 million per school – as compared to the Big 12’s $37.7 million, the SEC’s $49.9 million, and the Big Ten’s $58.8 million,

Was the last straw and the top factor in, with Oregon and Washington joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten and the Arizona schools, Utah and Colorado moving to the Big 12 Conference on August 1st of next year,

Essentially killing what had been a significant staple of collegiate sports since 1915.

With two-thirds of that conference soon to be gone for greener pastures, how else can I describe that terminal situation?

UCLA’s and USC’s beach volleyball teams clashing. Photo courtesy of dailybruin.com

The two women’s basketball teams going after it in Pauley Pavilion. Photo courtesy of pinterest.com

As for my personal thoughts and opinions regarding all of this:

The best way I can express such thoughts here is,

It both had to happen and didn’t have to happen.

On one hand,

As far as my alma mater is concerned, and as is quite well known among my fellow Bruins,

UCLA had a debt of $108 million due to problems with Under Armour, who served as their gear and equipment provider, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

If they hadn’t accepted the opportunity to join their crosstown rivals in the Big Ten, those Bruins would have most likely had to cut some of their non-revenue sports programs.

As much as I would have preferred UCLA to remain in the Pac-12 in a perfect world,

Bruin Nation had virtually no choice but to go, and because they have chosen to do so, they will be getting $58.8 million from the Big Ten and their network as opposed to the $25 million from the new Pac-12 deal.

That’s more than twice as much dinero, folks.

On the other hand,

If Scott and Kliavkoff had any competency at all and worked out a deal that paid anywhere in the vicinity of the other NCAA Power Five conferences,

Then UCLA wouldn’t have had to make the decision to leave something that they had been a part of for what will be ninety-six years.

While I certainly cannot speak for anyone else,

As much as I’m looking forward to seeing teams like Michigan, Penn State and Ohio State (who will be coming to the Rose Bowl next year),

I’ll miss the Pac-12 Conference, particularly since with only four schools remaining, which will both probably and eventually shrink to zero as Stanford will likely go independent and California, Oregon State and Washington State will merge with the Mountain West Conference and play schools like San Diego State, Fresno State, Boise State, Air Force, and UNLV,

Well, let’s put it like this…

The thought of a NCAA Power Five conference with only four schools induces one word in reaction:

PATHETIC.

In other words, those Golden Bears, Beavers and Cougars will pretty much have no choice but to become Mountain West schools in 2024.

At least, that’s the way I see it.

In the meantime,

Saturday, November 25, 2023 will be a historic day for my alma mater in Westwood.

Because that will be the day that the Bruins will play their last game of football as a part of the Pac-12 Conference as they will be facing their Golden Bear brothers from Berkeley in what will be the last time for a while, as the Bruins’ non-conference schedules are full until at least 2027.

It will be at the Rose Bowl, and I will make it a point to be there;

Being a former history major with a degree in that subject from UCLA, how could I miss it?

It will be the golden opportunity to say good bye to something that was synonymous with Bruin Nation for nearly a century.

And I reckon that many of my fellow Bruins will be there for that big farewell, too.

A scene from the men’s basketball version of the Crosstown Rivalry. Photo courtesy of conquestchronicles.com

RACIAL ISSUES HEATING UP AT MY ALMA MATER: A Few Thoughts

Royce Hall, the centerpiece of my collegiate alma mater…

UCLA, THE INSTITUTION WHERE I RECEIVED MY BACHELOR’S DEGREE THIRTY YEARS AGO, HAS BEEN IN THE NEWS FOR SOME NOT-GOOD REASONS.

HERE’S MY ONE AND A HALF CENTS ABOUT IT…

I reckon everyone in Bruin Nation has heard about,

• Christian Secor, a far-right student who matriculated at UCLA who founded a campus organization called “America First Bruins”, having stated that this country should be a “Whites Only” nation, being one of the multitudes who stormed the Capitol on January 6th as part of an insurrection, even sitting in former Vice President Mike Pence’s chair during that riot, and…
• Chris Weiland, a member of the Bruin track and field/cross country team, being dismissed from that program for using nasty bigoted language, including the “N” word, in a text message and video

In addition to that, the UCLA women’s gymnastics team’s plan to wear “Black Lives Matter” leotards in an upcoming meet has stirred a bit of controversy on Facebook as when a photo of such leotard was posted onto that site, the comments were divided between supporters and the “All Lives Matter”, “shut up and play” crowd that has been polarized ever since “Black Lives Matter” began.

These are the thoughts that have been prevalent in my mind regarding this issue that has reared its head in Westwood…

Though I’m sure that many, many folks, Bruin students and alums and otherwise, are shocked over what has been happening, I’m not.

Because as everyone knows (or should know), racism is everywhere; no place or institution on this earth is completely, 100,000% racism-free.

Here’s a good illustration;

Does anyone remember the classic 1971 movie Billy Jack, featuring a half-Native American with wicked martial arts skills who uses such skills to fight bigots?

In one key scene, in answering his friend who suggests that they find a place that’s not racist/sexist/etc., Billy answers,

“In what corner of the entire…planet exists where men truly care about each other and truly love each other. You name me such a place and I’ll never harm another human being as long as I live. JUST ONE PLACE! That’s what I thought (when the friend couldn’t name anywhere).”

In a university with nearly 45,000 students, with over 31,000 of them being undergrads,

To expect all of them to be completely non-racist/sexist/homophobic or completely culturally sensitive is, to be honest, unrealistic as the only difference between Secor and Weiland and others on the Westwood campus who share their views – and there are at least some, as evidenced by the presence of the America First Bruins – is that Secor and Weiland were outwardly blatant in their views and got caught.

As not only a UCLA alum, but also an African American, of course I’m glad that action was taken with those guys – that should go without saying – though if I were Secor’s coach I would have expelled him from the team at the onset, rather than suspend him and bring him back in giving him what was essentially a “second chance”.

My most prevalent thought regarding all of this:

That it’s my fervent hope that the African American community, particularly Black high school students and families who aspire to attend a prestigious college (UCLA has been ranked as the #1 public university in the nation for the past four years and counting),

Does not get put off or scared off by what has happened in Westwood in the form of, “UCLA’s a school full of bigots, I’m sure not going to send my child there!” or “I’m not going to apply there!”

Because of such ends up being the case, the racist bigots who don’t want the diversity that UCLA has been long heralded for, who wants UCLA to be a white school, will have won.

In fact, I want to see more African American students apply and get accepted into the Bruin Nation, to show those far right racists that “We’re not going anywhere!”

An increase of Black students at UCLA would really show those bigots, and drive them crazy.

And make me even prouder of being a member of Bruin Nation than I already am.

So I guess my message to all those Black high school seniors out there who are considering attending my alma mater is this:

“Apply to UCLA! And if you get accepted, come to Westwood! Join the Bruin Nation! Because we can’t let the bigots who don’t want us there win; we can’t give them the satisfaction! We must make our presence felt and let people know that we’re not going anywhere!”

A nice view of UCLA’s Royce Hall, Powell Library, and Bruin Walk as well as Century City and Downtown L.A…

THREE DECADES IN BRUIN NATION: My Thirty Years (and counting) With UCLA

Anyone who’s ever been involved with UCLA in any way, shape, or form knows what this building is. Photo courtesy of knock-la.com

 

MY CELEBRATION OF BEING A PART OF MY DREAM INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING AS A STUDENT, ALUMNUS, AND A BRUIN SPORTS FAN FOR THIRTY YEARS

 

Saturday, February 13, 1988.

I was at home in Santa Monica, CA, killing the afternoon by watching The Buddy Holly Story, the biopic starring Gary Busey as the rock and roll pioneer from Lubbock, TX who, along with Ritchie Valens and J.B. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, tragically met their fates riding in a small plane on an Iowa cornfield.

The mail came through the slot in the door, which included a thick manila envelope addressed to me.

The contents in that envelope would, at the risk of sounding clichéd and corny, change my life as the letter accompanying the contents said…

“Congratulations! We are pleased to offer you admission to UCLA’s College of Letters and Science…Your application has shown that you are capable of doing college level work.”

To say that UCLA was my dream school would be an understatement, and not just because my mother attended there in the late 60s and early 70s, thus explaining my initial exposure to that place.

And though it was a fair-sized factor, it wasn’t just because I was a big fan of the Bruin football and basketball teams either, the football team in particular in those days as they enjoyed a peak during the 80s, chock full of triumphs over crosstown rival USC and Rose Bowl wins.

Which gave me some nice bragging rights over my ‘SC friends in high school.

As I progressed through high school and Santa Monica College – my high school career wasn’t very good – UCLA didn’t seem to be a realistic goal as horror stories of students with straight A’s getting turned down and the ones that did get accepted suffering through seemingly impossibly high standards in their classes abounded.

 

 

The UCLA Bruin Marching Band, where I was a member from 1988-1991. Photo courtesy of alchetron.com

 

 

Though I did significantly better at SMC, considered one of the best community colleges, what with me getting into Alpha Gamma Sigma (the honor society) and being elected president of the University of California Club – we took a tour of U.C. Berkeley and U.C. Santa Cruz the weekend before – and although I did apply to UCLA and U.C. Santa Barbara, where my mother wanted me to go to,

I had no expectation whatsoever of matriculating in Westwood, as I fully expected to transfer to Cal State Northridge.

So when I got that thick envelope and that “Congratulations” letter, what with me dancing around the living room like an idiot singing the fight song (I didn’t know the words yet) and calling a close friend of mine as well as my grandmother and mother, who was staying with grandma that weekend, to read that congrats letter,

And subsequently photocopying it to give to certain teachers and friends, writing on it, “Well, aren’t you shocked?!”,

Let’s put it like this…

Getting accepted to, attending, and eventually obtaining my bachelor’s degree from UCLA is akin to the nerdiest, dweebiest boy in the 1950s asking Marilyn Monroe to be his girlfriend.

Or the geekiest guy today asking Beyonce to dump Jay-Z and marry him.

And Marilyn and Beyonce saying yes!

That was exactly how I felt when I got that thick envelope from UCLA’s admissions office in Murphy Hall, as I made my induction into Bruin Nation official when I signed my Statement of Intent to Register on the kitchen table that sunny afternoon.

Looking back, I should have known that I had gotten into UCLA due to the information about housing and various other programs that were mailed to me in the days before I got that big letter; that should have tipped me off, but that’s neither here nor there.

 

 

A part of what first attracted me to UCLA: the school colors as shown on these game-worn jerseys from the 1980s. Photo courtesy of sports.ha.com

 

 

Fast forward seven months:

After taking a political science and writing class in UCLA Transfer Summer Program and joining the Bruin Marching Band, playing tenor saxophone and taking part in their week-long band camp where I learned the fight songs and lots of other UCLA stuff,

Though I can’t remember the exact date, I remember the first class I walked into that fall quarter, a sociology class which included none other than superstar quarterback, eventual Super Bowl champion and pro football hall of famer Troy Aikman.

Thus started my thirty years as a full-fledged, card-carrying member of UCLA’s Bruin Nation, with my student days being spent in the marching band, where I flew on a plane for the first time – to Dallas, TX for the Cotton Bowl – saw roughly 90% of the football games at the Rose Bowl (which certainly gave me a thrill to be on the field of that iconic stadium) and home basketball games in Pauley Pavilion, and (again, at the risk of sounding clichéd and corny) made friends whom I’m still friends with today.

It was those friends who, after I achieved what I consider the biggest achievement of my life in getting my degree in history in 1991, got me to join the UCLA Alumni Band that fall, my first game being (unfortunately) a 27-24 loss to Cal.

And it is through the UCLA Alumni Band that I have been able to stay involved with UCLA and Bruin Nation, as I reckon I have played my tenor sax at roughly 175 football games and fifty women’s gymnastics meets; that band has played for that Bruin gymnastics team since 2003.

I have met countless well-known Bruin folks, had classes with basketball standout Tracy Murray and softball legend Lisa Fernandez along with Aikman during my student days, and consider football games at the Rose Bowl – as well as the alumni band – my own personal Kiwanis Club of sorts, seeing kids grow up and have kids of their own among other things.

 

 

The jacket I used to wear all the time during my college days, especially while I matriculated in Westwood. Photo courtesy of worthpoint.com

 

 

Not to mention having the pleasure of witnessing significant UCLA football triumphs such as:

• The wins over USC in 1996, 2006, and 2012 in particular, the ’96 triumph the only game in the Crosstown Rivalry that went overtime and the ’06 win being the rivalry’s biggest upset, knocking ‘SC out of the national championship game,
• An exciting win over a very highly ranked Washington team in 1997, and,
• Big victories over such elite powerhouses as Miami in 1995, Texas in 1998, Alabama and Michigan – where it was 110 degrees and fifteen people had to go to the hospital for heat exhaustion – in 2000, Ohio State in 2001 (about a week after the 9-11 attacks), Oklahoma in 2005, and Nebraska in 2012.

Of course I must mention the 1995 Ed O’ Bannon and Tyus Edney-led basketball title in 1995; I went to the celebration rally in Pauley a few days later, and to this day I haven’t heard that building be as loud since.

As well as the huge stand that the UCLA and Oklahoma gymnastics teams took against sexual earlier this year after their epic meet, which I saw, that was very memorable even though the Bruins lost the meet by the smallest of margins; don’t worry, we paid OU back and won the national championship two months later in a Hollywood-style epic fashion.

And how can I write an article like this without mentioning meeting the greatest coach in the history of sports, John Wooden, and getting his autograph on a program as a student in the band (which I still have!) and on the front page of one of his many books?

I could go on and on; if I wrote about every UCLA experience that I have had, it would end up becoming a full-sized book.

My main point is this…

I know it’s a cliché, but it’s quite difficult for me to believe that I have been a member of UCLA’s Bruin Nation for three full decades.

The time has gone by warp-speed fast, seemingly (I know, another cliché!).

To say that it has been, and will continue to be, a great time; well, that should go without saying.

I only hope that the next thirty years are as good as the first thirty years.

And maybe, just maybe, I can have the pleasure of seeing that Bruin football team win a national championship one day.

 

Oh, before I go, I have to mention two things that I wish I would have done while a UCLA student – I won’t call them regrets:

• Taken more political science classes, as I liked to debate issues, and,
• Tried out for the baseball team; I would have been among the first ones cut because of my weak throwing arm (though I could hit some), but at least I could have said that I tried.

 

 

 

I’ve always liked this view of UCLA and downtown L.A. Spectacular, isn’t it? Photo courtesy of sustain.ucla.edu

 

 

UCLA FOOTBALL: A Review of the 2014 Season

The Bruins celebrating their 40-35 win over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl, their second straight season with ten victories

 

 

HOW ONE LONGTIME MEMBER OF BRUIN NATION SAW THE JUST-CONCLUDED CAMPAIGN

 

After seeing that UCLA’s football team ended their 2014 season with a win over Kansas State’s Wildcats in San Antonio, TX, a few things went through my mind:

First, that 10-3, which was the won-loss record that the Bruins ended up with for the second year in a row, looks a heck of a lot better than 9-4 would have looked.

Second, that before this Alamo Bowl I was wondering on a pronounced scale which UCLA team would show up on that second day of 2015: the one that whipped their crosstown private school rivals for the third year in a row in convincing fashion or the one that played worse than a bad Pop Warner team of eight year-olds against Stanford.

It turned out that both Bruin teams showed up against Kansas State as thanks largely to a Wildcat team that didn’t fold its tents, combined with 15 penalties – six of them of the personal foul kind – for a incredible 128 yards and a secondary that was a complete sieve in the second half, Jim Mora’s team had to sweat it out after building a 31-6 halftime lead, leading the fans clad in blue and gold to collectively give a big, fat “Whew!” when the clock hit three zeroes.

Third, and most importantly,

To put it in a concise manner, my conclusion of the UCLA Bruins football program in 2014 is this:

 

These Bruins, by all standards, had a very good season.

They could – and very much should  – have had a GREAT season.

 

In other words, I must be honest and state that considering what the expectations were, I found myself a tiny bit disappointed in UCLA’s ultimate fate in 2014.

Not as disappointed as I would have been if the Bruins had completely blown that lead and lost to Kansas State, but a tiny bit disappointed nonetheless.

Sure, they won ten games in consecutive seasons for the first time in 17 years.

Sure, they won every game they played while wearing their white jerseys and away from the Rose Bowl.

Sure, they’ll have a great chance to finish the season ranked in the nation’s top ten.

Sure, they won consecutive games in the postseason for the first time since their seven-game bowl winning streak in the 1980s.

Sure, they beat that cardinal and gold-colored private school (as per personal policy, I absolutely refuse to mention that institution located just south of Downtown Los Angeles by its name) for the third consecutive year, solidifying its position as the rulers of L.A., complete with the retaining of the Victory Bell and all the bragging rights.

And sure, key players like quarterback Brett Hundley, who became the Bruins’ all-time leader in touchdown passes and rose to second all-time in passing yardage, and linebacker Eric Kendricks, who once again led the Pac-12 in tackles and became UCLA’s all-time leading tackler on his way to winning the Butkus Award as the country’s best linebacker, did what was expected and had great seasons.

All of those things are greatly appreciated and celebrated by me, don’t get me wrong.

 

Preparing to take the field at the Rose Bowl

 

HOWEVER…

The fact that these Bruins could have done even better, as in:

* Win the Pac-12 South (which I predicted them to, and which they didn’t)

* Possibly beating Oregon to win the Pac-12 championship (which I didn’t think they would do, being that those Ducks walloped Florida State in the recent Rose Bowl and are on an overwhelming roll), and…

* Possibly ending up in a New Year’s Six bowl game (most likely the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State)

leaves a conviction inside of…

Not bitterness, but more of coming up short and a feeling of what might have been if not for losing to Oregon – which in retrospect wasn’t that surprising as I officially pick those Ducks to beat Ohio State and win their first national championship on January 12th – and Stanford, which was particularly frustrating as it was the seventh straight loss to a Cardinal team that frankly wasn’t as strong as in previous years.

The loss to Utah is tied with Stanford for the 2014’s lowest point in my book; giving up ten sacks and missing a winning field goal kick twice clinches that personal view.

Having said all of that, I AM quite proud of the way that the team showed outstanding character in bouncing back after their bumps in the road, going on a five-game winning streak after getting butt hurt by the Ducks and securing the win over Kansas State after not only the Stanford failure, but also doing everything they could to give the Alamo Bowl to Kansas State after an overwhelming first half.

And although Kendricks and especially Hundley will be sorely missed, things don’t look bad in Westwood – at all – as 18 of 22 starters will return, most notably my choice for team MVP, running back Paul Perkins.

Simply put, Perkins was the man as not only did the sophomore win the Pac-12 rushing title with his 1,575 yards and 6.3 yards per carry, he more or less singlehandedly saved the Bruins in San Antonio with his 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and his grab of Kansas State’s onside kick.

He will be desperately counted on in 2015.

As for who will take over behind center starting with the contest against Virginia at the Rose Bowl on September 5th…

I’ll bet anything that I am the only member of the UCLA community who has this opinion due to the imminent arrival of Josh Rosen, the number one ranked high school quarterback in the nation, who many in Bruin Nation expect to start next fall, but the player who I want to see take over for Hundley in 2015 is a redshirt freshman named Asiantii Woulard.

A four-star recruit out of high school, Woulard is thought to have more size than Hundley, with the same running ability and a stronger arm. The fact that he has not completely grasped UCLA’s offensive playbook has held him back and kept him from seeing any playing time as Woulard was the third string QB this season.

I know a lot of people have talked about Jerry Neuheisel, son of the previous UCLA coach, as a possible replacement; he is an outstanding backup who did wonderfully against Texas and will make a great coach one day but as far as being the starter and leading the Bruins to victory week after week…

I’m sorry – I just don’t feel it.

Of course I am happy to see Rosen, from St. John Bosco High, become a Bruin as like Hundley in 2011, he is seen as the future and will undoubtedly be a great quarterback in Westwood, but…

I don’t care one iota how dominating he was in high school or that he will enroll at UCLA this month and participate in spring practice, Rosen will still be a true freshman.

That will mean a transition period and subsequent bumps in the road, which will likely lead to a few losses, which I’m really not sure that the Bruins can afford at this point.

That also mean that Woulard will need to have the best eight months of his life, namely with regard to spring practice and fall camp, if he is to reach his potential and be the man under center.

Will this soon-to-be redshirt sophomore step up, win the starting job, and enable Coach Mora to redshirt Rosen to further prepare him for the rigors of major college football?

Can UCLA continue its general progress and upwards trend in the now-post Hundley Era?

I’m certainly looking forward to finding out…

 

As a final goodbye to one of the Bruins’ all-time greatest players, here’s a highlight video of Brett Hundley in 2013:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UCLA FOOTBALL 2014: Thoughts on the Bruins’ 3rd Straight Win in the Crosstown Rivalry

I regret to inform all those students, alumni and fans of that crosstown private school rival of UCLA’s that your request to have this bell painted red (or, “Cardinal”) has been denied.

Bruin Nation will be keeping this bell, and it will remain blue.

 

UCLA WINS, 38-20!

ONE PRIVATE SCHOOL DOWN, ONE TO GO!

 

All right, the 84th meeting of my college alma mater and their rivals from just south of Downtown Los Angeles is in the books.

Like all members of Bruin Nation, I was and am happily ecstatic that our school’s football team came through and showed once and for all who owns L.A. after what the South Bay Daily Breeze’s sports section called a “Crosstown Beatdown” in their 38-20 triumph.

The biggest impression that I gleamed from UCLA’s victory can be summed up in one word…

CHARACTER.

Meaning that after Brett Hundley threw that pick-six on the game’s second play and got the fans of that private school excited, neither he nor anyone else wearing blue and gold panicked or got down on themselves.

They merely answered back with not one but two touchdowns, and never trailed again.

In fact, I got a good feeling about UCLA’s chances when I noticed the entire Bruin team, before the opening kickoff, jumping up and down and basically going crazy on the sidelines in pumping themselves up to way past the moon, while their private school counterparts did nothing of the sort.

I have always taken the time to notice those sort of things as it tells me a lot of a team’s mindset and has always given me a good idea of who will win the game.

And I was ultimately proven right.

Everyone has said that Bruin linebacker Eric Kendricks’ interception in the second quarter with the game still close and that private school driving turned the game around, which I don’t disagree with, but there was one other moment in the contest before that pick that got UCLA going…

Nelson Agholor, the private school’s all-American receiver, muffing a punt with his team up 7-0 and giving the Bruins a very short field, which they took advantage of right away in scoring their first touchdown and tying things up.

That got UCLA in the game, and as it went on it was clear that the Bruins were doing exactly what I felt they needed to do:

1. Pressure Cody Kessler, which they did brilliantly as for the second year in a row, that private school’s quarterback was sacked six times.

and…

2. Sustain drives on offense, which they likewise did a great job, especially in the second half when they got first down after first down, 24 in all.

 

 

The first of many celebrations from the Bruins during their battle with that private school

 

There were a couple of surprises that I saw upon entering the Rose Bowl on Saturday, the biggest one of all being that the end zones, which has long been a sea of red (or as those private school’s fans call it, “Cardinal”) and gold for this game, had many speckles of blue as the number of private school fans at the game was noticeably lower than in years past.

Which of course I was happily surprised about, but also puzzled as there was as much at stake for that private school as there was for UCLA, and that fan base of theirs always shows up in overwhelming numbers.

Besides getting the win, which enabled my alma mater to keep the Victory Bell – which is awarded to the game’s winner – painted blue, there was one other memorable moment that was, for me, my favorite one of the evening:

Sam Handler, a walk-on player for the Bruins who was injured, standing by the UCLA logo in the middle of the field in order to keep the drum major of that private school’s marching band (who wears a mini-skirt, by the way) from participating in a hugely obnoxious tradition of theirs – stabbing the logo with his sword.

The private school’s band director threw a hissy fit over it, and Handler was eventually escorted off the field, but he succeeded in what he set out to do:

Prevent that feather-helmeted drum major from disrespecting UCLA and the football field it plays on.

It was also great to see the private school’s students and fans heading for the exits at the start of the fourth quarter, essentially waving the white flag like they were the Confederate Army at Appomattox Court House with their beloved team down 38-14.

As much as I enjoyed beating that private school, as I always have as a Bruin, one thing kept me relatively mellow in my happiness and prevented me from doing any wild, over-the-top New Year’s Eve-style celebrating…

The thought of playing – and needing to win – one more game this Friday against another private school, which unlike the one crosstown I don’t mind mentioning their name in the slightest: 

The Cardinal of Leland Stanford Junior University.

I remember VERY clearly two years ago, when the Bruins beat that private school in the rain only to suffer a humongous let down against that Ivy League-type school from just south of San Francisco and lose, starting a three-game collapse which saw UCLA lose for a second time to Stanford and then get beaten up by Baylor in the Holiday Bowl.

If that happens again, no member of Bruin Nation will be more disappointed than I.

Which is why I have devised a special 8-clap for our beloved football team, one which I fully plan to do throughout Friday:

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,  U…C…L…A… U!  C!  L!  A!  DON’T LET DOWN!!

Not that I expect a letdown from this team as with a 6-5 record, Stanford is not the same team as in recent years, but I’ll be honest – I’ll have at least a bit of anxiety to see how our team responds after such an emotional win over that private school.

If UCLA beats the Cardinal – which every Bruin knows will punch our ticket to the Pac-12 Championship Game – that will leave me happier than our win over the private school.

That’s all I have to say about that.

In the meantime, I’ll immensely enjoy wearing my Bruin hear this week.

 

Oh, just two more things…

Here’s one last shot of the Victory Bell painted in glorious blue:

 

And please enjoy, compliments of me, the highlights of UCLA’s 31st victory in Crosstown Rivalry history over that private school below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UCLA FOOTBALL 2014: My Predictions for the Crosstown Rivalry Game

 

FEATURING HOW I SEE THE GAME UNFOLDING BETWEEN MY COLLEGIATE ALMA MATER AND THEIR PRIVATE SCHOOL RIVALS, PLUS WHAT I THINK THE SCORE WILL BE

 

OK, with 48 hours before kickoff at the Rose Bowl as of this writing, I won’t waste any time; here’s how I see the 84th meeting between UCLA’s Bruins and USC’s Trojans (the last time I mention that name in this post as per personal policy, they shall be referred to as “That Private School”) unfolding:

 

As I had stated in my preview of what is widely known as one of the nation’s elite rivalries, this year’s version of UCLA vs. that private school will feature teams that – at least as far as both player and team statistics – are VERY evenly matched.

In fact, it’s hard for me to remember a Bruin vs. the private school game that is matched up more evenly than this; not in a long time.

That evenness will show on the field this Saturday, particularly with regards to the offenses as while I don’t think it will be a total shootout a la “I went to a football game and a basketball game broke out”,  with one team scoring over 50 points and losing, both UCLA and that private school will get their yards and points.

Cody Kessler, the private school’s quarterback, has had a great season in that he has thrown for five or more touchdowns in a game more than once. I think he’ll have another good day, but won’t go off on the Bruins like he did against Colorado and Washington State.

In last season’s UCLA sacked him six times, which neutralized the passing game as it did in their wins over that private school in 2006 and 2012. I think the Bruins’ front seven – and their entire defense for that matter – has been playing better of late to the point where they will put enough pressure on Kessler to disrupt his throwing, which means that Nelson Agholor and the other private school receivers won’t have the gaudy numbers that they are used to.

I don’t see six sacks, but they will pressure Kessler and bring him down a few times.

They will have to in order to win the game and keep the Victory Bell, which is awarded to the winner, in Westwood and painted blue.

As for UCLA’s offense, like their defensive counterparts they have likewise been playing well of late, mostly because as opposed to earlier in the season when that unit struggled, Brett Hundley has done what has rendered him most effective; run the ball from the quarterback’s spot.

The offensive line, which I covered in savage criticism after giving up ten sacks in their loss to Utah, has improved as they have done a better job in protecting Hundley, which is another key to this game.

As I’ve mentioned, however, the private school player that the Bruins need to watch more than anyone else is a sophomore defensive back named Su’a Cravens.

Cravens’ 14 tackles for loss and five sacks on the year tells me quite plainly that he blitzes a lot; if he does that and gets to Hundley, it could result in some hero-making moments for the guy.

As such, I think UCLA will be aware of that and make sure he’s contained, which will better allow Hundley to run his plays and get the ball to receivers like Jordan Payton.

The running backs? Both of those featured guys, the Bruins’ Paul Perkins and Javorious “Buck” Allen from that private school, will get their yards and will likely go over 100 for the day; they’ve been too good all season not to.

If the game comes down to field goals – which games like this often does – it’s pretty even there too, though Bruin Nation has been holding their collective breath whenever Kai’mi Fairbairn takes the field.

His numbers (14 out of 18 field goal tries) are perfectly respectable, but he still retains an aura of inconsistency that his private school counterpart, Andre Heidari, doesn’t have.

Having said that, I think since Fairbairn, like the rest of his Bruin teammates, has performed better in recent games, I’m calling the kickers even.

 

A scene from the last UCLA game against That Private School in the Rose Bowl

 

All right, enough elaboration. Here’s the bottom line…

UCLA and That Private School will engage in a close, hard-fought battle that has a fairly good chance of coming down to the last play or a field goal try.

But because of two factors:

1.  The Bruins having the home field and crowd (yes, I know that the visiting team has won more than their share of games across the country  this year; as evidence of that, UCLA was 6-0 away from the Rose Bowl this season, but still),

and…

2.  Brett Hundley, unlike Kessler, being able to run from under center and get much needed yards and scores in that fashion,

Here is my official prediction of the final score:

 

UCLA BRUINS – 37

THE PRIVATE SCHOOL – 31

 

If the Bruins execute like I know they can, I’m quite confident that this prediction will come true and I’ll be one ecstatic Bruin at around 10:00 p.m. Saturday night.

For the time being , I hope all my fellow members of Bruin Nation enjoy this clip of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UCLA FOOTBALL 2014: My Preview of This Year’s Annual Crosstown Rivalry Game

THE 84TH MEETING OF LOS ANGELES’ CROSSTOWN RIVALRY 

UCLA BRUINS (8-2, 5-2 in the Pac-12, ranked 9th) vs USC TROJANS (7-3, 6-2 in the Pac-12, ranked 19th)

DAY, DATE & TIME:  Saturday, November 22nd, 5:00 p.m.

PLACE: The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA

TV: KABC Channel 7

ALL-TIME SERIES:  USC Leads 46-30-7 (Trojans vacated 2 wins due to NCAA sanctions, so it’s really 44-30-7)

LAST YEAR’S GAME:  Bruins won 35-14 

UCLA has won the last two meetings

 

Now that the essential information has been shared…

For the past six years, I have written a preview of what is without any doubt or argument the biggest single sporting event not only in America’s second largest city, but on the West Coast: the annual football game between my collegiate alma mater and their private school counterparts located just south of Downtown L.A.

Since I officially became a student at UCLA in 1988, I have seen this game in person 14 times; this will be my 15th viewing of what  I’m sure some folks call the “Crosstown War”.

I have witnessed both blowouts and close games were the intensity was so high on a pronounced scale, there were fights and near-brawls not only on the field, but in the stands.

And I, like all members of Bruin Nation, have felt the utmost joy after a win and enhanced despair after a loss in this “Battle For L.A.”

But enough of that…

Let me get to how these Bruins and Trojans match up:

It’s been a while since I have been able to say this, but after researching both teams and the statistics of the various players on both sides, this UCLA squad and their private school counterparts (like my previous post regarding this rivalry, from this point forward I will refer to the USC Trojans strictly as the “Private School”) are matched quite evenly, more so than in previous years.

Both teams have 1,000-yard rushers, with the private school’s Javorious “Buck” Allen leading the Pac-12 with 1,184 yards and UCLA’s Paul Perkins right behind him with 1,172.

The Bruins have more yards as far as total offense and have been more successful in the red zone (within the opponents’ 20-yard line), while that private school has been more successful on third down, both in converting them on offense and stopping the opposition from converting on defense.

The private school’s 235 first downs is only 12 less than UCLA’s 247.

Their 11 interceptions are just two less than the Bruins’ nine.

I think you can see where I’m getting at by now.

It’s only in number of sacks, sacks given up, and passing statistics where that private school has the clear edge, Cody Keesler having the season of his life with his 70.2% completion percentage, over 2,900 yards in the air, and 29 touchdown throws to go with his only three picks.

However, even with those gaudy numbers I still give UCLA’s stud quarterback, Brett Hundley, the edge for this simple reason:

 

Hundley can win games with his legs. Kessler can’t, as he is not a scrambler in the slightest.

 

 

The Bruin signal caller’s stats on the ground – 564 yards, a 4.2 yards-per-carry average, and seven touchdowns, good for second on the team after leading UCLA in rushing last year – are proof enough.

Meanwhile, Kessler’s ground numbers? MINUS 112 yards, no doubt due to sacks.

On the surface, the receivers’ comparison favors the private school largely thanks to Nelson Agholor’s 1,079 yards, with ten of his 82 catches going for scores, but Jordan Payton (58 receptions, seven TDs) and Devin Fuller (45 catches) haven’t exactly been chopped liver as the Bruins continued their emphasis on spreading the ball around in the air.

The defenses of these two 12 miles apart squads are fairly even too, the private school giving up 23.3 points per game with their Westwood counterparts’ 27.9 points given up per contest not at all far behind.

Everyone has been gushing about how Leonard Williams had been an extreme beast for that private school’s defensive line with his 62 tackles, 8.5 for loss and six sacks, but…

Bruin linebackers Eric Kendricks (114) and Myles Jack (69) both have more tackles than Williams and are not far behind with their six TFLs each; neither is UCLA’s Owa Odighizwa with his 7.5 TFL.

A real key to the game is Su’a Cravens, one of that private school’s leading defensive backs.  Here’s why:

I saw on the private school’s statisticss sheet that Cravens had 14 tackles for loss and five sacks from the defensive backfield.

That means that he has been blitzing a lot, and UCLA’s offensive line need to watch for him going after Hundley as his exploits in the backfield could be a turning point in the game.

Like all games of this stature, it is often decided by someone’s foot.

And like more or less everything else, the two schools’ kickers have put up similar numbers as the private school’s Andre Heidari is eight -for-ten in three-point attempts while the Bruins’ Ka’imi Fairbairn, after hitting a mid-season rough patch, has made 14 out of his 18 field goal tries.

Kicking and punting returns? That’s likewise pretty even as Agholor has returned two punts for touchdowns while Ishmael Adams ran back a kick 100 yards against Arizona State.

After regurgitating all of those numbers, I’m now going to state what all of that will mean this coming Saturday at the Rose Bowl:

 

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!

MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, IT WILL BE ALL ABOUT WHO PLAYS BETTER AND MAKES THE FEWER MISTAKES.

THE REASON:  Both teams are SO evenly matched.

 

I know it’s a complete cliche, and I’ve always thought of cliches as lame, but this is one time where this particular cliche perfectly applies:

In any rivalry game, you throw the records out as ANYTHING can happen.

Don’t get me wrong – like all members of Bruin Nation, I’m not only fervently rooting for a third UCLA triumph in a row over that private school, I see the Bruins doing just that and keeping the Victory Bell painted blue.

For predictions of how Jim Mora’s team will go about conquering new private school coach Steve Sarkisian’s squad, you’ll have to check out this blog tomorrow.

Where I will also have a score of the game, so be sure to be here for that.

 

In the meantime, please enjoy a video clip of last year’s Crosstown Clash, won by the Bruins:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UCLA FOOTBALL 2014: My Personal Crosstown Rivalry Story

My former marching band, as they look today

REMINISCING ABOUT A PREVALENT MEMORY REGARDING MY ALMA MATER AND THEIR CROSSTOWN RIVALS, AS THE 84TH MEETING OF UCLA AND USC IN FOOTBALL WILL COMMENCE THIS SATURDAY

November 14, 1988 (I think).

It was my first year not only as a UCLA student after transferring from a junior college, but my first year in the UCLA Bruin Marching Band, where I played the tenor saxophone.

As I was a longtime Bruin fan who was realizing my longtime dream of becoming a Bruin, I was excited about experiencing in person, for the first time, the rivalry that my institution of higher learning has with a certain private school located 12 miles to the east in Los Angeles’ inner city, having watched the two football teams do battle on TV since I was less then ten years old.

Not to mention seeing in person what I had been bragging about during my high school days as UCLA beat that private school in my 10th, 11th and 12th grade years.

A quick note before I continue:  I refer to the University of Southern California – USC – as a “private school” because it is. Those three letters put together will not be written again in this post from this point, nor will their nickname, the “Trojans”.

All right, now that that disclaimer has been taken care of…

I was riding with some fellow UCLA band members to the private school to partake in a flag football game called the “Band Bowl”, which the marching bands of the two schools have played in since the 1950s during the week of the “real” game.

It was usually held on the Sunday before, but due a prior commitment from the private school’s band, the game had to be held on a Wednesday night.

As I was and still am a big guy, I was going to the game as a member of the Bruin band football team but because I had fallen on a broken beer bottle and subsequently suffered a cut on the bottom of my toe that required stitches and a small cast, I was on the “Injured Reserve” list, so to speak, and was attending the game solely for moral support.

I was told by friends in the UCLA band about the evil nastiness that the private school band exuded with regards to us, but it was that evening where I would experience it face to face.

We arrived at the private school campus’ track field, getting off our yellow school bus (“Let’s go back to the 6th grade, shall we?” our captain quipped), and prepared to play the game, which much like our real football team with the full scholarships was important on a pronounced scale to everyone involved, on both sides.

The game begins, and we played very well; I believe we led the whole way and ended up winning 21-7.

It was during halftime that I saw, for the first time, the way that private school band acted like a combination of Lord Voldemort’s Death Eaters and Satan-led devils…

After the private school band played – well, I don’t recall what they played but I do remember that it sounded rather bad – they turned around to face our side and screamed at the top of their lungs, with their middle fingers proudly pointed in the cool L.A. night…

“F*** the Bruins!!!”

While getting into our band’s faces – those who showed up to support us – with what I’m sure was their drunken breath, yelling various versions of “F*** You!”  for roughy 15 minutes until it was time for the second half.

Although I was on the other side of the sideline from that evilness, I’m sure that saliva from that private school band’s mouths found the faces of at least some of our band members.

There was one particular member of that private school band whose image I haven’t forgotten after more than 25 years – he had a long, scraggly beard that would be made popular by pro athletes today, who was obviously smashed on various liquors as his face was as red (or “Cardinal”, as they call it) as his school’s primary color.

I was surprised that he didn’t vomit on the poor Bruin band girl whose face he so obnoxiously got into; I believe she was a piccolo player who had brought a large Bruin teddy bear to the game.

Other hate crime-level deeds such as water balloons being thrown from a building that stood behind us which was intended to humiliate, which our band director chased away, marred the whole evening, which would have been a much more bitter memory if we hadn’t won the game.

As such, this was an annual tradition with that private school band, I would later find out.

But it wouldn’t be until 12 years later, having long since received my degree, when this private school bigotry would reach the last straw when – to make a long story short – UCLA’s instrument and equipment truck was broken into during a Band Bowl game on that private school campus, $30,000 worth of instruments, uniforms and other stuff were stolen and a tenor sax case, when recovered, had a “Stop Hate” sticker ripped off and replaced by, crudely written in black marker, the word “Jew”.

Sounds like Germany in 1938, don’t you think?

That solidified my dislike for that private school in South L.A. to nuclear-like proportions; not that is was much less to start with.

And because of that hate crime, which is precisely what it was, the Band Bowl has not been held since as the private school band’s leaders feared retaliation.

There are quite a few other incidents that occurred with that private school over the years since that day in 1988, some that directly involved me and some that did not, like that instrument truck incident.

However, If I discussed every one of those episodes, the size of this article would approach that of “War and Peace”.

So I’ll end this post with those two prevalent memories of the longtime animosity between the two major college marching bands that call America’s largest city west of the Mississippi River home.

As well as announce that my official preview of the big showdown between UCLA and that private school and a separate piece that will feature a prediction of the game, which will include a score, will appear on this blog later this week.

For the record, my preview of this 84th renewal of the Crosstown Rivalry will be on this site Wednesday, while I’ll give my prediction – including a score – in a post on Thursday.

I certainly hope you are all looking forward to reading what I think the keys to this game will be and how I see it unfolding…

What UCLA does to protect their Bruin Bear statue; because vandals from that private school have ripped this cover to deface the statue, thus committing a felony, it is now covered in a big plywood box.

UCLA FOOTBALL 2014: After This Lost Weekend, Do These Bruins Have a Chance?

The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA: Site of UCLA’s now two-game losing streak

 

I won’t take up too much space in this opinion piece or take too long, because to be honest there’s not that much to say about this team after what happened in their most recent game.

Except for these things…

*  Has anyone else besides me wondered when was the last time this Bruin football bunch lost two consecutive games – at home?

I’ll say this about that Utah defeat: At least UCLA had a chance to win that game.

Against those Ducks from Eugene, OR, however – which incidentally was where arguably the greatest comedy of all time, Animal House, was filmed – it became crystal clear by the middle of the third quarter that the Bruins had NO chance of beating Oregon as Marcus Mariota and company did what they wanted in that second half in particular.

*  I certainly can’t speak for everyone else, but I was one embarrassed Bruin at the Rose Bowl this past Saturday

In fact, the last time I felt that embarrassed at a UCLA football game was during Thanksgiving Weekend in 2011, when USC made the Bruins look like eight-year old Pop Warner players in their 50-0 beat down at the Coliseum that year.

It was a good thing I was in Las Vegas on vacation at that time, because I didn’t have to show my face among ‘SC fans.

Having said that, amongst this disastrous fiasco of a game there actually WERE a couple of things that eased my embarrassment a little:

1.  Paul Perkins 

The running back had his best day in a Bruin uniform with his 190 yards on 22 carries behind an offensive line that admittedly performed better, averaging 8.6 yards a pop as the term “Bright Spot”  and “UCLA has found their feature running back” are significant understatements in this case.

2.  The Bruins didn’t quit

Even if it was during garbage time with the game long decided, I need to acknowledge that scoring those three touchdowns in the fourth quarter was quite encouraging.

And the yell leaders, one in particular who was in my section working her heart out to egg the crowd on, did a most admirable job in keeping the fans’ spirits up in the face of UCLA getting butt hurt on the field; it must be tough to keep up the enthusiasm when your team is being beaten up so badly.

Now that I have covered the silver linings…

Besides the fact that the coaches had no guts in not going for it on fourth down when their were within the five-yard line in the first quarter, and showing their lack of guts in a similar situation later in the game,

I have no desire to put any emphasis on the Bruins’ stats or their standing in the Pac-12 South, nor do I want to go on and on about what their problems are, why they are not an elite team or even a very good team in too many areas.

I’ll go ahead and answer the question that I asked in this post’s title regarding UCLA’s chances for the rest of the season, which has six games left:

SURE, THE BRUINS STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO ACCOMPLISH POSITIVE THINGS THIS YEAR…but I’m going to make that a tentative sure.

The reason for that sentiment is simple:

Realistically speaking, I’m not sure – at all – if this band of UCLA Bruins can win out.

I truly wish I could say otherwise, but I just can’t as the way this team is performing and executing right now (especially on defense), none of the remaining games are gimmes, including last-place Colorado on October 25th.

Yes they can do a complete 180-degree turn and go on a six-game winning streak against the likes of (next opponent) California, Arizona, Washington, USC and Stanford.

But with much regret in saying this, they could also lose those games as well.

In other words, these Bruins could finish 10-2 or 9-3.

But they could also go 6-6 or 5-7.

Or even – God Forbid – 4-8.

One thing is for certain…

THIS IS A TEAM THAT NEEEDS TO PLAY WITH AN ACUTE SENSE OF DESPERATION BECAUSE ONE MORE LOSS AND THIS SEASON – AS FAR AS ACCOMPLISHING GREAT THINGS – WILL BE PRETTY MUCH OVER.

This desperation will need to begin in a place where they haven’t won since Bill Clinton was the President: Berkeley against an improved Cal Bear team that features a very high flying offense.

I honestly don’t 100% know if UCLA can completely fix their issues (read: defense) and turn things around – although I certainly hope they do.

By roughly 6:00 p.m. on October 18th we’ll all know their probable fate.

 

A bright spot in the Bruins’ disappointing day against Oregon

 

A final note:  I’ll continue my coverage of UCLA’s football team in the middle of November, the week before their showdown with USC, as I have quite a bit to say about that rivalry.