Oregon State @ UCLA preview
Rose Bowl
Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2009 ) UCLA 19, Oregon State 26
Mired in a three-game losing streak, the UCLA Bruins appeared as though they were just going to through the motions at times during the season.
Last week that seemed to change.
The Bruins, who need to run the table to earn a berth in a bowl game, trailed Arizona 19-7 last week before mounting a spirited comeback.
The Wildcats eventually won the game 29-21, but UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was finally able to pull some positives out of his team’s effort.
Richard Brehaut, subbing for Kevin Prince at quarterback, threw his first touchdown pass of the season in the third quarter when he hit Randall Carroll on a 68-yard strike. A couple of series later, Brehaut connected with Josh Smith on a 48-yard touchdown pass.
Those kinds of things hadn’t happened for the Bruins even with Prince on the field. Prince was lost for the season with a serious knee injury a couple of weeks ago, but the Bruins couldn’t move the ball through the air even with their No. 1 signal-caller behind center.
And that was even when they were winning.
UCLA (3-5, 1-4 Pac-10) shocked Texas on the road earlier in the season during a three-game winning streak that saw the Bruins receive votes in the national top 25 poll. Since then they’ve looked more like bottom feeders.
The Bruins can run the ball. Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman continue to pace the offense. The duo has combined for exactly 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.
But UCLA still ranks 117th in the nation in passing and is one of the lowest scoring teams.
UCLA has also battled off-field issues and Neuheisel has suspended numerous players in the past several weeks. His zero-tolerance attitude on the sidelines is a marked change from his former easy-going mode and perhaps last week the Bruins got the message.
They’ll need a solid effort against the high-flying Beavers (4-3, 3-1 Pac-10).
Oregon State has just one win on the road this season, a 29-27 defeat of Arizona. But the Beavers have won three of their past four games and their only loss was a wacky 35-34 setback at Washington when they decided to go for a two-point conversion and the win but the potential game-winning pass fell incomplete in overtime.
Had Oregon State won that game, it could have been headed for a titanic clash with rival Oregon at the end of the season. Now it seems the Beavers will play a spoiler role in that game.
Jacquizz Rodgers, one of the nation’s most exciting players, leads the Beavers with 740 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback Ryan Katz has been solid throwing for 1,503 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Oregon State has also lost at TCU and Boise, both clubs are ranked in the top five in the nation.