Beavers Serve As A Tonic For UCLA

As I watched the end of the UCLA Bruins’ 27-19 win over the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, for their first win in the Pac-12 Conference, two words were prominent in my mind:

THANK GOD!!

As play unfolded, it was apparent that Rick Neuheisel’s team was properly motivated, eager, and desperate to redeem themselves after their humiliation at the hands of Texas last week at the Rose Bowl.

The tackling was better, and for once the Bruins were the ones forcing the turnovers as the fumble and interception that they got led to 14 UCLA points.

It was great to see the defense step up at the end and stop Oregon State on their last key possession in the 4th quarter; with the Beavers driving, the Bruins made the stop on 4th down, Sheldon Price breaking up the pass, to deny the Beavers a shot at tying the game and wiping out the 21-3 lead that UCLA built in the first half.

After Price’s denial, Derrick Coleman, who has been a beast and is, in my opinion, the team’s MVP to this point, then got two first downs on the ground to seal the deal.

It was also great to see Richard Brehaut cement his spot as the Bruins’ starting quarterback once and for all, throwing for 146 yards and a touchdown to Taylor Embree on 7-of-11 passing, while rushing for another score.

The 211 yards on the ground, led by Coleman’s 100, weren’t bad either.

After all the sub-par play during these first few games of the season, this was obviously a game that UCLA not only had to win, but perform and execute better than they had against Houston, San Jose State, and the Longhorns.

Even though the Bruins continued to make mistakes, such as:

Oregon State’s Jordan Poyer returning a punt 85 yards for a touchdown to bring the Beavers within 21-10 just before half time,

The defensive secondary giving up some ungodly yards in the air – namely a 45 yard touchdown pass from Sean Mannion to Jordan Bishop – to bring Oregon State to within two points in the 3rd quarter, and…

Having a field goal and an extra point blocked,

It’s safe to say that UCLA’s performance and execution at Reser Stadium was better, as they earned only their third conference win, and fifth overall, on the road under Neuheisel’s watch.

I’m positive that all of Bruin Nation dearly hopes that this victory serves as a springboard to build upon, that UCLA continues to improve, execute, and play to their potential, because the talent is there to do so.

NEXT OPPONENT:  at #6 Stanford Cardinal, Palo Alto, CA, 7:30 p.m.

A prominent reason why I’m glad that the Bruins got the win over Oregon State is the fact that they have to go to the former farm of Leland Stanford, Jr. in Palo Alto, and try to beat a Stanford Cardinal football team that has the following credentials:

* A number six ranking in the Associated Press poll,

* The distinction of being an extremely tough, physical bunch who has picked up where they left off – 12-1 last season with a dominating win in the Orange Bowl – rather nicely so far, and…

* Quarterback Andrew Luck, arguably the best quarterback in the country as well as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, who is almost guaranteed to be the top pick in next year’s NFL draft; he would’ve been this year’s number one overall pick if he had decided to enter the draft early, which he could have.

Oh, and they have a most entertaining band that’s a lot of fun to watch, as well as one of my favorite mascots in sports, the Tree.

Though this was the one game on UCLA’s schedule that I tagged as an almost guaranteed loss, the Bruins are capable of giving the Cardinal a good battle if they perform the way that they did against Oregon State and show that same intensity and determination, but I think Luck will be too much for them in the end.

Then again, UCLA could rise to the challenge, play lights out football, and score a big upset over Stanford the way they did over then-seventh ranked Texas in Austin last year – you never know.

The chances may look pretty bad on paper, but – forgive the cliche – that’s why you play the games.