Easier said that done?
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LOS ANGELES_The gates at the Rose Bowl hadn’t opened Thursday when UCLA Coach Jim Mora, his preparations done on the field, began his pregame ritual. Through the ups and downs, though, Rosen has displayed uncommon poise and maturity for an 18-year-old quarterback. I just don’t know how UCLA’s defense holds Cal below 30 and I think Cal can keep UCLA under 30, so there’s the practical math.
But the difference was made by Wadood, John Johnson, Randall Goforth and Marcus Rios, among others, in the Bruins’ secondary. Those two teams have combined for 13 interceptions this season.
WR Kenny Lawler – almost a quarter of his catches have come in the end zone.
QB Jared Goff – Arguably the best quarterback in the Pac-12, and a likely first-round National Football League pick. Cal converted only five of its last 16 third-down situations. UCLA’s defense registered five sacks against Goff. “There’s going to be a few plays that are dumbfounding”, he said. “We didn’t look at stopping the big play as much as we looked toward everybody doing his job, and nobody trying to be a hero”. UCLA isn’t going to turn into Arizona State overnight.
Rosen had completed no more than 55 percent of his passes in each of his last two outings, as UCLA fell to Arizona State and Stanford in yet another October lull.
But the California defense will also have its hands full, trying to contain UCLA’s true freshman quarterback sensation, 18-year-old Josh Rosen.
It’s not often that teams get a chance to avenge their losses just one week after they happen.
Goff said he moved on quickly from the loss and took advantage of the time off to clear his mind and freshen up his body for the second half of the season.
Wallace, whose dad Aaron was an 8-year pro and an All-American at Texas A&M, got 2 1/2 sacks and leads the Bruins with four for the season.
I would not be surprised if Cal won this game outright. “I had to go after it”.
However, Fairbairn sent his teammates into delirious celebration when he closed out the first half with a school-record 60-yard field goal. I need to watch game tape to get the clearest picture possible, but I’m interested to see if Goff was defaulting to so many short throws due to the coverage or if it was due to his lack of confidence in his receivers getting open beyond the short throws. As time expired in the first half, Fairbairn nailed a 60 yard field goal that gave the Bruins momentum as well as silence any hopes of a Cal comeback. The Bears consumed 5:27 while driving 66 yards in 14 plays, converting three of four third-down plays en route to a 27-yard field goal by kicker Matt Anderson.
Mora nixed the Hail Mary.
Christian Caple reports that Washington wants more big plays in the passing game, regardless of who starts against the Cardinal on Saturday night. “I heard the boom when he hit the last one”. The UCLA Bruins ground game is averaging 198 yards per contest, and Paul Perkins leads the way with 681 yards and eight touchdowns.
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“We had a great week of practice”, Dykes said. Yet, with Utah on the schedule (in Salt Lake City), a loss here to Cal would put the Bruins in danger of falling into that pit. The team already lost three defensive starters, including linebacker Myles Jack, who suffered a knee injury and withdrew from school to concentrate on rehab and his pending professional career. If your plan is to play full-court football with the Bruins, there is still time to reconsider.
