In This Corner

Redlands East Valley climbed to 12-0 last week with a 38-7 spanking of Norco, and it seemed as if the Wildcats were headed for a CIF title game at the Home Depot Center. All they had to do was get past Corona Santiago, which was 7-4 and had lost in league to Norco.

But it didn't work out. Not even. Final score: Santiago 25, REV 10.

Here is what went wrong for REV:

1. Three lost fumbles, two interceptions by REV.

REV's turnovers: A lost fumble by Chris Polk on first-and-goal at the 9 when it was 8-0; a lost fumble by Tyler Shreve on a sack at the Santiago 39; a Polk fumble at the Santiago 29 when it was 22-10; a Shreve interception at the Santiago 6 at 25-10 in the fourth quarter; a Shreve interception from the Santiago 22 with 1:39 to play. That's four turnovers inside the Santiago 30.

2. Zero turnovers by Santiago. This includes at least four fumbles that the Sharks got back. Including a snap that flew right past their quarterback and was pounced on by their tailback for a loss of 8, and an Anthony Dye fumble that bounced right back up to him.

3. Santiago had more speed and skill players than did REV. B.J. Iverson, Kenroy Davis, Derrick Dawson, Marlion Barnett and Dye all were dangerous in the open field. REV had only Polk. Santiago's backs broke "outside contain" several times; REV did, oh, never.

4. Dye outplayed Polk. These two were THE star players on the field. The former is verbally committed to UCLA, the latter to USC. Dye not only ran for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries (to Polk's 163 on 32), he played defense all night and was in on at least a dozen tackles, including three or four of Polk in the open field when a whiff would have meant a REV touchdown.

Santiago was a decent team playing a tough schedule until it was trashed by Corona Centennial ... and then got Dye into the offense -- where he now is the main man. The Sharks are now 8-4 and headed for the final, and probably a rematch with Centennial. (Good luck with that.)

REV coach Kurt Bruich, on Dye: "He's an absolutely great football player. He's put this team on his back and he's carrying them."

Plus, REV was just unlucky. Trey Farquhar had a 54-yard field goal attempt bounce off the cross bar on REV's first possession; the rain made passing difficult, negating what should have been a REV advantage; the turnovers that bounced the wrong way. Etc.

But, at the end, REV was a little too one-dimensional: Chris Polk left, right and center. Santiago had more options, made more big plays ... and cashed in on them. REV went 12-1, which is a heck of a season. But, in retrospect, the Wildcats may have peaked back in September, when they defeated North, Compton Dominguez and Colton in succession. They seemed to lose their edge while coasting through a weak Citrus Belt League and, aside from the Norco game ... they weren't quite the same again.

San Bernardino County, shut out from the finals ... unless Colony of Ontario wins its semifinal game in the Central Division tonight.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Five turnovers killed the Wildcats, three lost fumbles and two interceptions. Three of the turnovers came inside the Santiago 30.

REV finishes 12-1. Santiago (8-4) advances to the Inland Division title game Saturday at the Home Depot Center.

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY vs. CORONA SANTIAGO
CIF-SS Inland Division Football Semifinals
At Yucaipa High School, Nov. 30, 2007
Weather: Rain, 60 degrees, 5 mph wind from the south. Kickoff: 7:34 p.m.
Play by play
REV wins coin flip, defers to second half. Santiago to receive and defend south goal.

continues ...

Farquhar kickoff through end zone, touchback.
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 20 at 12:00.
1-10 (20) Dye sweep right for 2 (Denny)
2-8 (22) Dye on dive, dropped for loss of 1 (Aguilera)
3-9 (21) Kruse pass intended for Peoples in right flat, incomplete
4-9 (21) Centeno 12 punt, downed by Connette
REV STARTS AT S33 at 10:14
1-10 (33) Shreve fumbles snap, recovers own fumble for loss of 9
2-19 (41) Polk for 4 on sweep left (Dye)
3-15 (37) Shreve pass incomplete middle right, intended for Ollar
4-15 (37) Farquhar 54-yard field goal attempt out of Aguilera hold, hits crossbar
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 20 at 8:46
1-10 (20) Davis for 4 over left tackle (Aguilera)
2-6 (24) Kruse fumbles snap, covered by Davis for loss of 8
3-14 (16) Kruse fumbles snap, recovers for loss of 2
4-16 (14) Centeno 34 punt, fair catch by Ollar
REV STARTS AT S48 at 6:26
1-10 (48) Polk runs into nothing over left tackle, loses 3 (Dazale)
2-13 (49) Polk bursts through middle for 16 (Berry)
1-10 (35) Polk breaks tackles over right side for 8, shoestring tackle by Charlot)
2-2 (27) Cruz for loss of 1 on trap left (Garcia, Green)
3-3 (28) Polk for 5 over right side, but holding penalty on REV costs 10
3-13 (38) Shreve sack for loss of 5 (Goldsboro)
4-18 (43) Farquhar 34 punt, no return
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 23 at 3:11
1-10 (23) Hawkins for 9 over right side (Coffin, Hansler)
2-1 (32) Dye for 43 on sweep right, runs up sideline, TD-saving push out (Wells)
1-10 (25) Hawkins for 3 up middle (Aguilera)
2-7 (22) Kruse pass in right flat to Iverson, loss of 2 (Krahenbuhl)
3-9 (24) Kruse pass for 7 to Barnett (Scott, Aguilera)
END OF FIRST QUARTER. REV 0, SANTIAGO 0

4-2 (17) Dye for 3 on dive (Carnes, Galvan)
1-10 (14) Hawkins for 4 over right side (Hansler, Galvan)
2-6 (10) DYE 13 RUN UP MIDDLE, TOUCHDOWN, at 10:36; Encroachment on REV costs 2 yards. KRUSE RUN for 2-point conversion. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 4:35 elapsed time. SANTIAGO 8, REV 0.

Personal foul, 15 yards, on REV during conversion marked off on kickoff

Felix kick off from R45 into end zone, touchback.
REV STARTS AT 20 at 10:36 (Rain intensifies)
1-10 (20) Polk stopped by gang in backfield, loses 3 (Merchant)
2-13 (17) Polk for 8 up middle
3-5 (25) Polk for 4 up middle (Tameifuna)
4-1 (29) Polk hit at line over left side, second effort nets 2 (Charlot)
1-10 (31) Cruz for 1 on scissors left (Tameifuna, others)
2-9 (32) Polk for 7 up middle (Hinger); Berry of Santiago slow getting up, game delayed
3-2 (39) Polk tripped up in backfield, falls forward for 1 (Merchant)
4-1 (40) Polk for 2 over left side, hit hard (Dye)
1-10 (42) Polk for 16 over right side, TD-saving tackle (Dye)
1-10 (42) Shreve keep for 0 left (Garcia)
2-10 (42) Polk for 5 over left guard (Kelly)
3-5 (37) Polk over right side for 27, breaks into clear, TD-saving tackle (Martin)
1-10 (10) Polk fumbles when hit in backfield, loss of 2; Kelly recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 12 at 4:49
1-10 (12) Dye for 1 up middle (Krahenbuhl, Sofia)
2-9 (13) Davis up middle for 5 (Sofia)
3-4 (18) Kruse pass deep left to Barnett, nice over-shoulder catch for 29 (Brown)
1-10 (47) Encroachment costs REV 5
1-5 (48) Davis for 2 on dive (Krahenbuhl)
2-3 (46) Dye sweep left side, breaks up sideline for 15 till push out of bounds (Aguilera)
1-10 (31) (1:45) Kruse bobbles snap, keeps left for 2 on busted play (Hansler, Savedra)
TIMEOUT SANTIAGO, No.1, 1:23
2-8 (29) Iverson sweep left, gets outside contain, up sideline for 29 and TOUCHDOWN at 1:13; Centeno kick GOOD out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 15, REV 0. Drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 3:36 elapsed time.

Felix squib kickoff to 32, Moreno bobbles, covers for REV, 0 return
REV STARTS AT 32 at 1:09
1-10 (32) Shreve 6-yard pass to Clark in left flat (Murray)
2-4 (38) Shreve pass incomplete deep middle, intended for Ollar
3-4 (38) (:41) Polk bolts for 19 over right side (Dye)
TIMEOUT REV No. 1 at 0:35.
1-10 (43) Cruz 4 pass from Shreve in left flat (Murray)
TIMEOUT REV No. 2 at 0:28
2-6 (39) Shreve sack for loss of 2 (Garcia), fumbles, Green recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 41 at 0:22
1-10 (41) Kruse pass incomplete on post intended for Berry (Wells)
2-10 (41) (0:16) Dye 59 run over left side, slips three tackles, TOUCHDOWN at :03; Centeno PAT kick out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0. Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 19 seconds elapsed time.

Felix squib kickoff to REV 32, lateral back to Polk, return right, cuts back left for 73-yard TOUCHDOWN at 0:00; Farquhar PAT kick out of Baze hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 7.

HALFTIME
Feliz kickoff to 19, Ollar returns 16, fumble goes out of bounds.
REV STARTS AT 35 at 11:55
1-10 (35) Polk for up middle for 2 (Garcia)
2-8 (37) Polk over left side, runs through two tackles for 8
1-10 (45) Shreve pass incomplete in right flat, dropped by Ollar (Martin)
2-10 (45) Polk sweep right, cuts up for 8 (Berry)
3-2 (47) Polk squirts out of mass, makes 3
1-10 (44) Shreve scrambles for 4
2-6 (40) Polk through big hole over right tackle for 7 (Green) REV’s Peterson hurt; game stopped at 9:25; comes off under own power
1-10 (33) Clark 9 pass from Shreve in left flat (Murray)
2-1 (24) Shreve pass incomplete on deep out left, Ollar intended receiver
3-1 (24) Polk for 4 up middle (Garcia)
1-10 (20) Polk for 2 over left side (Dye and others)
2-8 (18) Encroachment costs Santiago 6
2-2 (13) Cruz into pile for 1
3-1 (12) Polk for 0 up middle (Goldsboro)
4-1 (11) Encroachment costs Santiago 6 (hard count by Shreve)
1-5 (5) Polk hit immediately in backfield (shotgun) loss of 5 (Merchant); game stopped at 5:12, REV’s Peterson hurt; helped off field
2-10 (10) Polk takes lateral, looks to pass, tucks ball away, scrambles for 1 (Garcia)
3-9 (9) Shreve pass incomplete into left flat, intended for Polk
4-9 (9) Farquhar 25 FIELD GOAL at 3:54 out of Aguilera hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 10. Drive: 17 plays, 56 yards, 6:43 elapsed time.

(Rain lessens)
Farquhar kickoff into end zone, touchback
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 20 at 3:54
1-10 (20) Iverson on sweep right, dropped for loss of 3 (Hansler, Brown)
2-13 (17) Kruse pass incomplete, intended for Barnett (Hansler cover). Illegal receiver penalty declined
3-13 (17) Davis sweep left for 6 (Brown)
4-7 (23) Centeno punt with roll 40
REV STARTS AT 37 at 2:12
1-10 (37) Polk for 2 up middle
2-8 (39) Shreve pass incomplete in right flat, intended for Ollar (Dye)
3-8 (39) Shreve pass to Cruz in left flat for 5
4-3 (44) Encroachment on Santiago (Goldsboro) costs 5
1-10 (49) Polk sweep right for 8
2-2 (43) Shreve roll left, pass to Cruz for 5 (Dye)
1-10 (38) Polk up middle for 9, hit by Green, fumbles, Dye recovers for Santiago; Polk down for minute
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 29 at 0:15
1-10 (29) Dye for 1 over left tackle (Krahenbuhl)
END OF THIRD QUARTER. SANTIAGO 22, REV 10
2-9 (30) Martin for 3 up middle; game stopped as REV’s Sofia hurt
3-6 (33) Kruse pass incomplete, ball falls out of hand; no fumble ruled
4-6 (33) Centeno 38 punt, Ollar fair catch
REV STARTS AT 29 at 11:17 (rain has stopped)
1-10 (29) Polk skirts left end for 12 (Dye)
1-10 (41) Shreve pass incomplete intended for Cruz shallow right flat
2-10 (41) Polk for 3 over right side (Merchant, Tamiefuna)
3-7 (44) Shreve pass incomplete intended for Cruz, nice coverage (Martin)
TIMEOUT REV No. 1
4-7 (44) Shreve pass incomplete in right flat, intended for Ollar
SANTIAGO STARTS AT R44 at 10:10
1-10 (44) Dye skirts left end for 6 (Brown)
2-4 (38) Kruse pass to Iverson on deep out for 14 (Brown)
1-10 (24) Dye for 1 on dive (Toailoa)
2-9 (23) Dye for 6 over right side (Aguilera)
3-3 (17) Dye breaks tackles over left side for 13, TD-saving tackle (Hansler)
1-4 (4) Procedure penalty costs Santiago 5
1-9 (9) (7:29) Kruse keep left for 1 (Aguilera)
2-8 (8) Kruse pass incomplete, intended for Barnett
3-8 (8) Dye for 4 up middle (Krahenbuhl, Sofia)
4-4 (4) Delay of game costs Santiago 5
4-9 (9) Centeno 26-yard FIELD GOAL out of hold of Anderson. SANTIAGO 25, REV 10. Drive 9 plays, 35 yards, 4:27 elapsed time.

Felix kickoff, fielded by Ollar at the 17, 17 return
REV STARTS AT 34 at 5:38
1-10 (34) Shreve gets out of pocket, throws deep strike to Clark up left sideline for 50 (Murray)
1-10 (16) Shreve pass to Cruz on slant left for 11
1-10 (5) Polk travel right, slip on cut for loss of 1 (Martin)
2-6 (6) Shreve intercepted in right flat by Merchant, intended for Cruz, return of 8
SANTIAGO START AT 13 at 4:31
1-10 (13) Dye for minus 1 around left end, knocked OB (Wells)
2-11 (12) Iverson for 5 on sweep right
3-6 (17) Dye covers own fumble in backfield for loss of 4
4-10 (13) Centeno punt out of bounds for 20
REV STARTS AT S33 at 2:20
1-10 (33) Shreve pass incomplete in end zone, intended for Ollar (Martin)
2-10 (33) Shreve pass scrambling to Cruz for 6
3-4 (27) Shreve pass incomplete in flat to Ollar
4-4 (27) (1:46) Encroachment penalty costs Santiago 5
1-10 (22) Shreve intercepted late over middle, near goal line by Murray, intended for Clark; personal foul on Clark; face mask costs REV 15
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 17 at 1:39
1-10 (17) Dye for 0 up middle (Underwood)
TIMEOUT REV No. 2 at 1:32
2-10 (17) Dye for 8 up middle
TIMEOUT REV No. 3 at 1:26
3-2 (25) Dye for 5 over right tackle (Underwood)
1-10 (30) Kruse takes a knee for loss of 1
2-11 (29) Kruse takes a knee for loss of 1.

FINAL SCORE: Corona Santiago 25, REV 10

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 9:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY vs. CORONA SANTIAGO
CIF-SS Inland Division Football Semifinals
At Yucaipa High School, Nov. 30, 2007
Weather: Rain, 60 degrees, 5 mph wind from the south. Kickoff: 7:34 p.m.
Play by play
REV wins coin flip, defers to second half. Santiago to receive and defend south goal.

Farquhar kickoff through end zone, touchback.
Santiago ball 20, 12:00.
1-10 (20) Dye sweep right for 2 (Denny)
2-8 (22) Dye for on dive, dropped for loss of 1 (Aguilera)
3-9 (21) Kruse pass intended for Peoples in right flat, incomplete
4-9 (21) Centeno 12 punt, downed by Connette
REV starts at S33 at 10:14
1-10 (33) Shreve fumbles snap, recovers own fumble for loss of 9
2-19 (41) Polk for sweep left (Dye)
3-15 (37) Shreve pass incomplete middle right, intended for Ollar
4-15 (37) Farquhar 54-yard field goal attempt out of Aguilera hold, hits crossbar
SANTIAGO starts at 20 at 8:46
1-10 (20) Davis for 4 over left tackle (Aguilera)
2-6 (24) Kruse fumble snap, covered by Davis for loss of 8
3-14 (16) Kruse fumble snap, recovers for loss of 2
4-16 (14) Centeno 34 punt, fair catch by Ollar
REV STARTS AT S48 AT 6:26
1-10 (48) Polk runs into nothing over left tackle (Dazale)
2-13 (49) Polk bursts through middle for 16 (Berry)
1-10 (35) Polk breaks tackles over right side for 8, shoestring tackle by Char;ot)
2-2 (27) Cruz for loss of 1 on trap left (Garcia, Green)
3-3 (28) Polk for 5 over right side but hold on REV costs 10
3-13 (38) Shreve sack for loss of 5(Goldsboro)
4-18 (43) Farquhar punt, no return
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 23 at 3:11
1-10 (23) Hawkins for 9 over right side (Coffin, Hansler)
2-1 (32) Dye for 43 on sweep right, runs up sideline, TD-saving push out (Wells)
1-10 (25) Hawkins for 3 up middle (Aguilera)
2-7 (22) Kruse pass in right flat to Iverson, loss of 2 (Krahenbuhl)
3-9 (24) Kruse pass for 7 to Barnett (Scott, Aguilera)
END OF FIRST QUARTER. REV 0, SANTIAGO 0

4-2 (17) Dye for on dive (Carnes, Galvan)
1-10 (14) Hawkins for over right side (Hansler, Galvan)
2-6 (10) DYE 13 RUN UP MIDDLE, TOUCHDOWN, at 10:36; Encroachment on REV costs 2 yards. KRUSE RUN for 2-point conversion. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 4:35. SANTIAGO 8, REV 0.

Personal foul, 15 yards, on REV during conversion marked off on kickoff

Felix kick off from R45 into end zone, touchback.
REV STARTS AT 20 at 10:36 (Rain intensifies)
1-10 (20) Polk stopped by gang in backfield, loses 3 (Merchant)
2-13 (17) Polk for up middle for 8
3-5 (25) Polk for 4 up middle (Tamiefuna)
4-1 (29) Polk hit at line over left side, second effort nets 2 (Charlot)
1-10 (31) Cruz for 1 on scissors left (Tameifuna, others)
2-9 (32) Polk for 7 up middle (Hinger); Berry of Santiago slow getting up, game delayed
3-2 (39) Polk tripped up in backfield, falls forward for 1 (Merchant)
4-1 (40) Polk for 2 over left side, hit hard (Dye)
1-10 (42) Polk for 16 over right side, TD-saving tackle (Dye)
1-10 (42) Shreve keep for 0 left (Garcia)
2-10 (42) Polk for 5 over left guard (Kelly)
3-5 (37) Polk over right side for 27, breaks into clear, TD-saving tackle (Martin)
1-10 (10) Polk fumbles when hit in backfield, loss of 2; Kelly recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 12 at 4:49
1-10 (12) Dye for up middle (Krahenbuhl, Sofia)
2-9 (13) Davis up middle for 5 (Sofia)
3-4 (18) Kruse pass deep left to Barnett, nice over-shoulder catch for 29 (Brown)
1-10 (47) Encroachment costs REV 5
1-5 (48) Davis for 2 on dive (Krahenbuhl)
2-3 (46) Dye sweep left side, breaks up sideline for 15 till push OB (Aguilera)
1-10 (31) (1:45) Kruse bobbles snap, keeps left for 2 on busted play (Hansler, Savedra)
TIMEOUT SANTIAGO, No.1, 1:23
2-8 (29) Iverson sweep left, gets outside contain, up sideline for 29 and TOUCHDOWN at 1:13; Centeno kick GOOD out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 15, REV 0. Drive:

Felix squib kickoff to 32, Moreno bobbles, covers for REV, 0 return
REV STARTS AT 32 at 1:09
1-10 (32) Clark 6 pass in left flat (Murray)
2-4 (38) Shreve pass incomplete deep middle, intended for Ollar
3-4 (38) (:41) Polk bolts for 19 over right side (Dye)
TIMEOUT REV No. 1 at 0:35.
1-10 (43) Cruz 4 pass from Shreve in left flat (Murray)
TIMEOUT REV No. 2 at 0:28
2-6 (39) Shreve sack for loss of 2 (Garcia), Green recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 41 at 0:22
1-10 (41) Kruse pass incomplete on post intended for Berry (Wells)
2-10 (41) (0:16) Dye 59 run over left side, slips three tackles, TOUCHDOWN at :03; Centeno PAT kick out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0. Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 19 seconds.

Felix squib kickoff to REV 32, lateral back to Polk, return right, cuts back left for 73-yard TOUCHDOWN at 0:00; Farquhar PAT kick out of Baze hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0

HALFTIME
Feliz kickoff to 19, Ollar returns 16 , fumble goes out of bounds.
REV STARTS AT 35 at 11:55
1-10 (35) Polk for up middle for 2 (Garcia)
2-8 (37) Polk over left side, runs through two tackles for 8
1-10 (45) Shreve pass incomplete in right flat, dropped by Ollar (Martin)
2-10 (45) Polk sweep right, cuts up for 8 (Berry)
3-2 (47)Polk squirts out of mass, makes 3
1-10 (44) Shreve scrambles for 4
2-6 (40) Polk through big hole over right tackle for 7 (Green) REV’s Peterson hurt; game stopped at 9:25; comes off under own power
1-10 (33) Clark 9 pass from Shreve in left flat (Murray)
2-1 (24) Shreve pass incomplete on deep out left, Ollar intended receiver
3-1 (24) Polk for 4 up middle (Garcia)
1-10 (20) Polk for 2 over left side (Dye and others)
2-8 (18) Encroachment costs Santiago 5
2-2 (13) Cruz into pile for 1
3-1 (12) Polk for 0 up middle (Goldsboro)
4-1 (11) Encroachment costs Santiago 6 (hard count by Shreve)
1-5 (5) Polk hit immediately in backfield (shotgun) loss of 5 (Merchant); game stopped at 5:12, REV’s Peterson hurt; helped off field
2-10 (10) Polk takes lateral, looks to pass, tucks ball away, scrambles for 1 (Garcia)
3-9 (9) Shreve pass incomplete into left flat, intended for Polk
4-9 (9) Farquhar 25 FIELD GOAL at 3:54 out of Aguilera hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 10. Drive: 17 plays, 56 yards

(Rain lessens)
Farquhar kickoff into end zone, touchback
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 20 at 3:54
1-10 (20) Iverson on sweep right, dropped for loss of 3 (Hansler, Brown)
2-13 (17) Kruse pass incomplete, intended for Barnett (Hansler cover). Illegal receiver penalty declined
3-13 (17) Davis sweep left for 6 (Brown)
4-7 (23) Centeno punt with roll 40
REV STARTS AT 37 at 2:12
1-10 (37) Polk for 2 up middle
2-8 (39) Shreve pass incomplete in right flat, intended for Ollar (Dye)
3-8 (39) Shreve pass to Cruz in left flat for 5
4-3 (44) Encroachment on Santiago (Goldsboro) costs 5
1-10 (49) Polk sweep right for 8
2-2 (43) Shreve roll left, pass to Cruz for 5 (Dye)
1-10 (38) Polk up middle for 9, hit by Green, fumbles, Dye recovers for Santiago; Polk down for minute
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 29 at 0:15
1-10 (29) Dye for 1 over left tackle (Krahenbuhl)
END OF THIRD QUARTER. SANTIAGO 22, REV 10

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY vs. CORONA SANTIAGO
CIF-SS Inland Division Football Semifinals
At Yucaipa High School, Nov. 30, 2007
Weather: Rain, 60 degrees, 5 mph wind from the south. Kickoff: 7:34 p.m.
Play by play
REV wins coin flip, defers to second half. Santiago to receive and defend south goal.

(continued)

Farquhar kickoff through end zone, touchback.
Santiago ball 20, 12:00.
1-10 (20) Dye sweep right for 2 (Denny)
2-8 (22) Dye for on dive, dropped for loss of 1 (Aguilera)
3-9 (21) Kruse pass intended for Peoples in right flat, incomplete
4-9 (21) Centeno 12 punt, downed by Connette
REV starts at S33 at 10:14
1-10 (33) Shreve fumbles snap, recovers own fumble for loss of 9
2-19 (41) Polk for 4 on sweep left (Dye)
3-15 (37) Shreve pass incomplete middle right, intended for Ollar
4-15 (37) Farquhar 54-yard field goal attempt out of Aguilera hold, hits crossbar
SANTIAGO starts at 20 at 8:46
1-10 (20) Davis for 4 over left tackle (Aguilera)
2-6 (24) Kruse fumble snap, covered by Davis for loss of 8
3-14 (16) Kruse fumble snap, recovers for loss of 2
4-16 (14) Centeno 34 punt, fair catch by Ollar
REV STARTS AT S48 AT 6:26
1-10 (48) Polk runs into nothing over left tackle (Dazale)
2-13 (49) Polk bursts through middle for 16 (Berry)
1-10 (35) Polk breaks tackles over right side for 8, shoestring tackle by Char;ot)
2-2 (27) Cruz for loss of 1 on trap left (Garcia, Green)
3-3 (28) Polk for 5 over right side but hold on REV costs 10
3-13 (38) Shreve sack for loss of 5(Goldsboro)
4-18 (43) Farquhar punt, no return
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 23 at 3:11
1-10 (23) Hawkins for 9 over right side (Coffin, Hansler)
2-1 (32) Dye for 43 on sweep right, runs up sideline, TD-saving push out (Wells)
1-10 (25) Hawkins for 3 up middle (Aguilera)
2-7 (22) Kruse pass in right flat to Iverson, loss of 2 (Krahenbuhl)
3-9 (24) Kruse pass for 7 to Barnett (Scott, Aguilera)
END OF FIRST QUARTER. REV 0, SANTIAGO 0

4-2 (17) Dye for on dive (Carnes, Galvan)
1-10 (14) Hawkins for over right side (Hansler, Galvan)
2-6 (10) DYE 13 RUN UP MIDDLE, TOUCHDOWN, at 10:36; Encroachment on REV costs 2 yards. KRUSE RUN for 2-point conversion. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 4:35. SANTIAGO 8, REV 0.

Personal foul, 15 yards, on REV during conversion marked off on kickoff

Felix kick off from R45 into end zone, touchback.
REV STARTS AT 20 at 10:36 (Rain intensifies)
1-10 (20) Polk stopped by gang in backfield, loses 3 (Merchant)
2-13 (17) Polk for up middle for 8
3-5 (25) Polk for 4 up middle (Tamiefuna)
4-1 (29) Polk hit at line over left side, second effort nets 2 (Charlot)
1-10 (31) Cruz for 1 on scissors left (Tameifuna, others)
2-9 (32) Polk for 7 up middle (Hinger); Berry of Santiago slow getting up, game delayed
3-2 (39) Polk tripped up in backfield, falls forward for 1 (Merchant)
4-1 (40) Polk for 2 over left side, hit hard (Dye)
1-10 (42) Polk for 16 over right side, TD-saving tackle (Dye)
1-10 (42) Shreve keep for 0 left (Garcia)
2-10 (42) Polk for 5 over left guard (Kelly)
3-5 (37) Polk over right side for 27, breaks into clear, TD-saving tackle (Martin)
1-10 (10) Polk fumbles when hit in backfield, loss of 2; Kelly recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 12 at 4:49
1-10 (12) Dye for up middle (Krahenbuhl, Sofia)
2-9 (13) Davis up middle for 5 (Sofia)
3-4 (18) Kruse pass deep left to Barnett, nice over-shoulder catch for 29 (Brown)
1-10 (47) Encroachment costs REV 5
1-5 (48) Davis for 2 on dive (Krahenbuhl)
2-3 (46) Dye sweep left side, breaks up sideline for 15 till push OB (Aguilera)
1-10 (31) (1:45) Kruse bobbles snap, keeps left for 2 on busted play (Hansler, Savedra)
TIMEOUT SANTIAGO, No.1, 1:23
2-8 (29) Iverson sweep left, gets outside contain, up sideline for 29 and TOUCHDOWN at 1:13; Centeno kick GOOD out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 15, REV 0. Drive:

Felix squib kickoff to 32, Moreno bobbles, covers for REV, 0 return
REV STARTS AT 32 at 1:09
1-10 (32) Clark 6 pass in left flat (Murray)
2-4 (38) Shreve pass incomplete deep middle, intended for Ollar
3-4 (38) (:41) Polk bolts for 19 over right side (Dye)
TIMEOUT REV No. 1 at 0:35.
1-10 (43) Cruz 4 pass from Shreve in left flat (Murray)
TIMEOUT REV No. 2 at 0:28
2-6 (39) Shreve sack for loss of 2 (Garcia), Green recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 41 at 0:22
1-10 (41) Kruse pass incomplete on post intended for Berry (Wells)
2-10 (41) (0:16) Dye 59 run over left side, slips three tackles, TOUCHDOWN at :03; Centeno PAT kick out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0. Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 19 seconds.

Felix squib kickoff to 32, lateral to Polk, return right, cuts back left for 73-yard TOUCHDOWN at 0:00; Farquhar PAT kick out of Baze hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0

HALFTIME

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY vs. CORONA SANTIAGO
CIF-SS Inland Division Football Semifinals
At Yucaipa High School, Nov. 30, 2007
Weather: Rain, 60 degrees, 5 mph wind from the south. Kickoff: 7:34 p.m.
Play by play
REV wins coin flip, defers to second half. Santiago to receive and defend south goal.

Farquhar kickoff through end zone, touchback.
Santiago ball 20, 12:00.
1-10 (20) Dye sweep right for 2 (Denny)
2-8 (22) Dye for on dive, dropped for loss of 1 (Aguilera)
3-9 (21) Kruse pass intended for Peoples in right flat, incomplete
4-9 (21) Centeno 12 punt, downed by Connette
REV starts at S33 at 10:14
1-10 (33) Shreve fumbles snap, recovers own fumble for loss of 9
2-19 (41) Polk for 4 on sweep left (Dye)
3-15 (37) Shreve pass incomplete middle right, intended for Ollar
4-15 (37) Farquhar 54-yard field goal attempt out of Aguilera hold, hits crossbar
SANTIAGO starts at 20 at 8:46
1-10 (20) Davis for 4 over left tackle (Aguilera)
2-6 (24) Kruse fumble snap, covered by Davis for loss of 8
3-14 (16) Kruse fumble snap, recovers for loss of 2
4-16 (14) Centeno 34 punt, fair catch by Ollar
REV STARTS AT S48 AT 6:26
1-10 (48) Polk runs into nothing over left tackle (Dazale)
2-13 (49) Polk bursts through middle for 16 (Berry)
1-10 (35) Polk breaks tackles over right side for 8, shoestring tackle by Char;ot)
2-2 (27) Cruz for loss of 1 on trap left (Garcia, Green)
3-3 (28) Polk for 5 over right side but hold on REV costs 10
3-13 (38) Shreve sack for loss of 5(Goldsboro)
4-18 (43) Farquhar punt, no return
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 23 at 3:11
1-10 (23) Hawkins for 9 over right side (Coffin, Hansler)
2-1 (32) Dye for 43 on sweep right, runs up sideline, TD-saving push out (Wells)
1-10 (25) Hawkins for 3 up middle (Aguilera)
2-7 (22) Kruse pass in right flat to Iverson, loss of 2 (Krahenbuhl)
3-9 (24) Kruse pass for 7 to Barnett (Scott, Aguilera)
END OF FIRST QUARTER. REV 0, SANTIAGO 0

4-2 (17) Dye for on dive (Carnes, Galvan)
1-10 (14) Hawkins for over right side (Hansler, Galvan)
2-6 (10) DYE 13 RUN UP MIDDLE, TOUCHDOWN, at 10:36; Encroachment on REV costs 2 yards. KRUSE RUN for 2-point conversion. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 4:35. SANTIAGO 8, REV 0.

Personal foul, 15 yards, on REV during conversion marked off on kickoff

Felix kick off from R45 into end zone, touchback.
REV STARTS AT 20 at 10:36 (Rain intensifies)
1-10 (20) Polk stopped by gang in backfield, loses 3 (Merchant)
2-13 (17) Polk for up middle for 8
3-5 (25) Polk for 4 up middle (Tamiefuna)
4-1 (29) Polk hit at line over left side, second effort nets 2 (Charlot)
1-10 (31) Cruz for 1 on scissors left (Tameifuna, others)
2-9 (32) Polk for 7 up middle (Hinger); Berry of Santiago slow getting up, game delayed
3-2 (39) Polk tripped up in backfield, falls forward for 1 (Merchant)
4-1 (40) Polk for 2 over left side, hit hard (Dye)
1-10 (42) Polk for 16 over right side, TD-saving tackle (Dye)
1-10 (42) Shreve keep for 0 left (Garcia)
2-10 (42) Polk for 5 over left guard (Kelly)
3-5 (37) Polk over right side for 27, breaks into clear, TD-saving tackle (Martin)
1-10 (10) Polk fumbles when hit in backfield, loss of 2; Kelly recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 12 at 4:49
1-10 (12) Dye for up middle (Krahenbuhl, Sofia)
2-9 (13) Davis up middle for 5 (Sofia)
3-4 (18) Kruse pass deep left to Barnett, nice over-shoulder catch for 29 (Brown)
1-10 (47) Encroachment costs REV 5
1-5 (48) Davis for 2 on dive (Krahenbuhl)
2-3 (46) Dye sweep left side, breaks up sideline for 15 till push OB (Aguilera)
1-10 (31) (1:45) Kruse bobbles snap, keeps left for 2 on busted play (Hansler, Savedra)
TIMEOUT SANTIAGO, No.1, 1:23
2-8 (29) Iverson sweep left, gets outside contain, up sideline for 29 and TOUCHDOWN at 1:13; Centeno kick GOOD out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 15, REV 0. Drive:

Felix squib kickoff to 32, Moreno bobbles, covers for REV, 0 return
REV STARTS AT 32 at 1:09
1-10 (32) Clark 6 pass in left flat (Murray)
2-4 (38) Shreve pass incomplete deep middle, intended for Ollar
3-4 (38) (:41) Polk bolts for 19 over right side (Dye)
TIMEOUT REV No. 1 at 0:35.
1-10 (43) Cruz 4 pass from Shreve in left flat (Murray)
TIMEOUT REV No. 2 at 0:28
2-6 (39) Shreve sack for loss of 2 (Garcia), Green recover for Santiago
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 41 at 0:22
1-10 (41) Kruse pass incomplete on post intended for Berry (Wells)
2-10 (41) (0:16) Dye 59 run over left side, slips three tackles, TOUCHDOWN at :03; Centeno PAT kick out of Anderson hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0. Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 19 seconds.

Felix squib kickoff to 32, lateral to Polk, return right, cuts back left for 73-yard TOUCHDOWN at 0:00; Farquhar PAT kick out of Baze hold. SANTIAGO 22, REV 0

HALFTIME

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 8:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY vs. CORONA SANTIAGO
CIF-SS Inland Division Football Semifinals
At Yucaipa High School, Nov. 30, 2007
Weather: Rain, 60 degrees, 5 mph wind from the south. Kickoff: 7:34 p.m.
Play by play
REV wins coin flip, defers to second half. Santiago to receive and defend south goal.

Farquhar kickoff through end zone, touchback.
Santiago ball 20, 12:00.
1-10 (20) Dye sweep right for 2 (Denny)
2-8 (22) Dye for on dive, dropped for loss of 1 (Aguilera)
3-9 (21) Kruse pass intended for Peoples in right flat, incomplete
4-9 (21) Centeno 12 punt, downed by Connette
REV starts at S33 at 10:14
1-10 (33) Shreve fumbles snap, recovers own fumble for loss of 9
2-19 (41) Polk for sweep left (Dye)
3-15 (37) Shreve pass incomplete middle right, intended for Ollar
4-15 (37) Farquhar 54-yard field goal attempt out of Aguilera hold, hits crossbar
SANTIAGO starts at 20 at 8:46
1-10 (20) Davis for 4 over left tackle (Aguilera)
2-6 (24) Kruse fumble snap, covered by Davis for loss of 8
3-14 (16) Kruse fumble snap, recovers for loss of 2
4-16 (14) Centeno 34 punt, fair catch by Ollar
REV STARTS AT S48 AT 6:26
1-10 (48) Polk runs into nothing over left tackle (Dazale)
2-13 (49) Polk bursts through middle for 16 (Berry)
1-10 (35) Polk breaks tackles over right side for 8, shoestring tackle by Char;ot)
2-2 (27) Cruz for loss of 1 on trap left (Garcia, Green)
3-3 (28) Polk for 5 over right side but hold on REV costs 10
3-13 (38) Shreve sack for loss of 5(Goldsboro)
4-18 (43) Farquhar punt, no return
SANTIAGO STARTS AT 23 at 3:11
1-10 (23) Hawkins for 9 over right side (Coffin, Hansler)
2-1 (32) Dye for 43 on sweep right, runs up sideline, TD-saving push out (Wells)
1-10 (25) Hawkins for 3 up middle (Aguilera)
2-7 (22) Kruse pass in right flat to Iverson, loss of 2 (Krahenbuhl)
3-9 (24) Kruse pass for 7 to Barnett (Scott, Aguilera)
END OF FIRST QUARTER. REV 0, SANTIAGO 0

4-2 (17)

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Prep football fans, anyway, will. At least Redlands East Valley High School fans.

So many of them were in the stands at Yucaipa High School when I pulled into the parking lot at 6:50 p.m. that I thought it might be a 7 p.m. game.

Nope. It's 7:30. They just all got here early.

Doesn't make much sense ... from the perspective of getting wet. The early-comers have an extra 30-40 minutes in the elements.

The rain had let up a bit, for a few minutes, but it's coming down again now.

Luckily, it's isn't particularly cold. No wind. It's bearable ... aside from that soaked-to-the-bone part of it.

Most fans have come wearing ponchos or plastic bags ... and everyone has a hat or a hood or both.

The main grandstand is filled. Might not be tightly packed because of all the umbrellas. The visitors side is very lightly populated, which could be a function of Corona Santiago people struggling to get here, on a rainy Friday night, coming up the 91/215/10.

So far, the extra bleachers REV had put up at the south end (the Yucaipa Blvd side) of the stadium are unused.

Warmups are under way, and it strikes me as a very VERY good thing this is not being played at the U of Redlands, REV's normal home field ... because the U of R field was going to pieces two weeks ago ... and after an inch of rain today ... these guys would have torn it up.

REV and Redlands never have been able to play at the U of R in the semifinal round because the school's annual Festival of Lights is scheduled, and there's no way to get a prep game on campus, too.

Anyway ... Yucaipa went to Field Turf (artificial, that is) just this season, and it's a good thing. No obvious puddles on the playing surface, and no mud, of course. Might make for a quasi-normal game. Probably depends on how wet the ball gets.

I imagine both coaching staffs are talking to their skill guys about making sure they hold the ball, which is gonna get wet.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Darren Collison missed the first three weeks of the UCLA basketball season with a sprained left knee, and it was fair to wonder how rusty the junior point guard out of Etiwanda High School would be when he got back.

He finally returned, Wednesday night, and looked fine -- if a bit encumbered by a knee brace. He scored 14 points and had five assists in 26 minutes of an 83-60 rout of George Washington.

Collison, a preseason All-America, came off the bench. It will be interesting to see if starts when UCLA plays No. 8-ranked Texas on Sunday.

UCLA was concerned how Collison's knee would react to game action. The Bruins didn't practice Thursday, so UCLA coach Ben Howland isn't quite sure how he's doing. But he said today that Collison rode an exercise bike and said he felt fine.

Howland was impressed by Collison's game Wednesday.

“I was really amazed," Howland said of Collison, "No. 1, at how we played after being out of action for 24 days and having had two practices – one of which he was a little hesitant. Monday, he was a little hesitant, thinking about it. Tuesday, he was much better.

"Wednesday, in reviewing the film, he wasn’t even thinking about his leg. Normally, when you’re out for 10 days, two weeks or three weeks, it takes quite a bit of time to get back into a normal rhythm. He’s not where he would be if he had never missed this time. It just speaks to his great athletic ability and what a great player he is to step in and do what he did on Wednesday."

If Collison got through practice OK today, he WILL start in the 5 p.m. Sunday game against Texas, Howland said. And that should make for a serious test of Collison's ability, as well as his knee.

"We’re playing against arguably one of the top two or three point guards in Augustine," Howland said. "He’s really good, and I’m amazed watching this kid on film. We’ve got our hands full just trying to defend him. They’re both really good point guards.”

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This has been ugly and silly. Well annoying, too.

It's this battle of wills between two wealthy and completely unsympathetic industries -- the National Football League and national cable-TV operators.

The upshot of it is this: Most of us with cable TV are NOT watching the Thursday night NFL game, which is going on right now.

And, this time, it turns out it's an attractive game -- the 10-1 Packers vs. the 10-1 Cowboys.

Meanwhile, most of America is held hostage ...because the game can be seen only on NFL Network. Which most cable companies do not include in their basic plans.

Such as Charter and Warner ... which covers nearly the entire IE.

If you don't get DirecTV ... or didn't make a point to get to a sports bar ... you're just sitting around wondering what's going on.

Kinda retro, but kind of ridiculous, too.

So far, neither side is budging. The NFL wants more TV revenue (as if) ... and the cable companies refuse to pay the NFL for its network, which would cost them money and cut into their profits. Each side is trashing the other, and we lose.

So NFL fans just sit and wonder what the game might look like. Presumably you can tune in ESPN around 9 p.m. and see some highlights, anyway, of Favre vs. Romo, et al.

This has to stop, though. I think the NFL should just bag it. Go back to having all its one-a-night games televised someplace just about anyone can find -- a local network or at least ESPN.

Which reminds me ... I hate it when USC or UCLA show up on Versus -- another station not always available on basic cable. I mean, not all of us are ready to spend hundreds of dollars per month for TV stations we don't look at, 360 days a year.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The first time I talked to Steve Eckerson, general manager of the arena being built in Ontario, we were talking about potential sports teams that could call Citizens Business Bank Arena home.

Eckerson is a hockey guy, from upstate New York, and he was on-board with hockey, of course. An ECHL club will be Ontario's primary tenant.

And he mentioned arena football ... and I asked him about pro basketball. Specifically the NBA's D-League. I said I thought pro basketball would be THE surest thing the arena could have. I mean, hockey is great to watch, in person, but this isn't exactly prime hockey country. The Inland Empire.

Earlier this year, Ontario city officials seemed to believe the Lakers would be keen to move their D-League team, the D-Fenders, to Ontario.

Now, Eckerson is checking it out ... the Lakers or some other D-League team ... and it could happen. But he had one warning for me.

"I have to tell you," he said, "that after my conversation with you I got a little more intrigued with basketball.

"If we get it and it doesn't work out ... I'm going to come looking for you."

Just kidding, of course. Or I think. The guy DID use to play hockey, so he's probably good with his fists ...

Anyway, I still think that if anything will work in Ontario ... it would be pro basketball, especially the club affiliated with the Lakers and featuring a bunch of guys who can play above the rim.

D-League people will tell you that 44 of their alumni were on NBA opening day rosters, representing nearly 10 percent of the players in the league. And that some 25 percent of all NBA refs came from the D-League.

So it would be serious basketball. Certainly the best league in the country that isn't the NBA.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We make fun of Phil Jackson, from time to time. I mean, he's kind of a Moonbeam sorta Flower Child of a coach ... You're never quite sure he's really aware of where he is, at any given moment. Too blissed out, maybe?

But the guy can coach, and he also gets along with Kobe Bryant, so it's good news for Lakers fans that Phil signed a two-year contract extension today to remain as Lakers coach through the 2009-2010 season.

Phil apparently will get a bit of a raise, from $10 million per season to something like $11-12 million. Which is a boatload of money for a coach ... but he does have nine NBA championship rings.

And he does get along with Kobe. Did we mention that?

Phil's decision to go for an extension hinged, in part, on his latest hip-replacement surgery. He had the left hip done before last season, and bounced right back ... but he had the right hip done this summer, and it's been a slow recovery. He was using a cane, still, on opening night.

He apparently now feels spry enough to envision being around the Lakers an extra two seasons.

Who knows: By the spring of 2010, Andrew Bynum might be one of the league's best centers. And maybe Kobe will have given up on his trade dreams and decided against opting out of his Lakers contract.

If anyone can talk him out bolting, it would be Phil. So keeping him ... good move.

I approve, Jerry Buss.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just feel like doing a list. Everyone loves lists, right?

And I just came across the name of one of the guys I'm gonna put on one of these two lists.

He was my inspiration, really. A guy named after applesauce, or something.

So, two lists, actually: Lakers so awful we probably haven't forgotten them; Lakers so awful we did, in fact, forget them. Isn't it interesting how some guys make one list but not the other?

And one guideline here: The guy had to have been in the rotation. Twelfth men don't count, that is.

Oh, and one more guideline: These are Lakers only from the Magic Johnson Era and forward. That is, 1979 to present.

Lakers So Awful We Will Never Forget Them.

5. Swen Nater. Yeah, Bill Walton's backup, who played more in the NBA than he did at UCLA. The guy the Bruins recruited out of a garage. He actually had the ninth-most minutes for the 1983-84 team. There was a reason John Wooden never played him.

4. Chuck Nevitt. One of the all-time gawky 7-foot-6 no-game centers. Sort of the Shawn Bradley of the late 1980s.

3. Pig Miller. Imagine, the Lakers traded for a guy named Pig Miller ... and he stunk it up for a big chunk of 1994-95.

2. Kwame Brown. Still with the team, but I'm sure we'll never forget this fumble-fingered lout. Rivals Michael Olowokandi as the worst No. 1 overall pick in the draft in the last decade. Or three.

1. Smush Parker. Some day we'll look back on William "Smush" Parker's two-year reign of error as the Lakers' starting point guard and laugh ... or maybe wince. Thing is, he was a no-talent playground baller who actually believes he can play and has the 'tood and bling to back up his madness. The belief; not the game of basketball as conducted in the NBA.

Five Lakers So Awful We Did, in Fact, Forget Them

5. Larry Spriggs. Never heard of him, right? If you're 35 or older, you just forgot him, because he played with the Lakes for three seasons in the mid-1980s, when they were an elite team.

4. Sedale Threatt. All you need to know about the incompetence of the post-Magic Lakers is this: Sedale led the team in scoring in 1992-93. And he's as forgotten as yesterday's comics.

3. DeJuan Wheat. Lakers' first-round pick in 1997. Sure. Out of Louisville. Don't remember him??? Maybe 'cause he was awful.

2. Samaki Walker. Dude got real minutes for two recent seasons, 2002-2004 ... and now you couldn't pick him out of a police lineup.

1. Dennis Rodman. Bet you forgot "Worm" had 23 games with the 1998-99 Lakers, mainly because Shaq wanted him around to help rebound. But Worm had gone bye-bye by then, and now his Lakers days are not even a memory. It's like he went directly from the MJ Bulls to partying in Newport.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 2:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There is a huge internal issue with renovating the Coliseum.

When does a place with so much history and tradition ... become just an old and uncomfortable dump?

Can the Coliseum be saved as a sports venue ... without destroying its value as a sports monument?

Can it be re-made into a place USC wants to play ... but not lose most of what makes the Coliseum the Coliseum?

I guess we will learn the answers to that in the coming months and years.

Does the Coliseum (and Sports Arena, for that matter) need to be razed? I mean, what grand old abandoned stadium still stands ... anywhere?

Tiger Stadium may still be standing, because Detroit hasn't gotten around to razing it. But I'm pretty sure all the other vacated venues from the 20th century have been torn down. A bunch of other old sites have been massively redone, from Soldier Field in Chicago to Lambeau Field in Green Bay. And isn't New York about to blow up Yankee Stadium?

We do know this: The Romans stopped actually putting on events at THEIR Colosseum (Roman spelling) ... and now it's just a place tourists go. They got more than 80-some years of entertainment out of their venue (parts of which are still standing, nearly 2,000 years after it was constructed). But it appears to have been better-built than L.A.'s structure, too. With marble, instead of cement.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 3:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wow. Weirdest announcement by one of L.A.'s Big Two during Rivalry Week in a long time. Like, perhaps ever.

USC released a statement Tuesday saying it is looking at a two-year lease to play its home games in the Rose Bowl, abandoning the Coliseum after 85 seasons.

Not that it's going to happen. USC quitting the National Historic Monument across the street from its campus ... to go play in Pasadena, where UCLA is the major tenant ... seems unnatural and hard to believe.

But USC school officials clearly feel as if this is a good time to put the Coliseum Commission's collective feet to the fire, just days before the biggest event of the year inside the venerable stadium, USC's football game with UCLA. Which also is crazy and nutty because it detracts from the game.

According to the story by L.A. News Group colleague Scott Wolf ...

"USC officials said the temporary move is necessary because the Coliseum has not undergone 'substantive physical upgrades or preventive maintenance' for more than 10 years 'because the Coliseum focused on attracting an NFL team that would renovate the stadium.'

"According to USC, it offered to fund a minimum of $100 million toward the repair, restoration and upgrade of the historic stadium, but the offer was rejected by the Coliseum."

Wolf goes on to quote Coliseum Commission members as denying USC ever had put a dollar figure on the renovation suggestions, and wondering why USC picked the week of the big game to go public with its complaints.

Those are fair observations.

But we also should remember that the Coliseum Commission is the infamous (and unwieldy) crew that has done nearly everything wrong running the property there (in the area known as University Park) for the past 40 years.

In this order, the Coliseum Commission (which also runs the Sports Arena) managed to lose the Lakers and Kings, Rams, UCLA, Raiders and Clippers. What once was THE place for L.A. sports has seen every single team walk away EXCEPT the Trojans. So we should keep in mind that USC isn't dealing with the most adroit crew of negotiators around. In fact, the commission has infuriated and alienated tenant after tenant.

The Coliseum is a wonderful venue in many ways. The history of the place is amazing, and the ambiance of a big-game day still can be grand.

USC has been playing there since October 6, 1923, when it staged a game against Pomona Pitzer.

The 1932 Olympics were based there, and so were the 1984 Olympics. The Rams were a huge draw after World War II. Great track meets were held there, and big high school football games. Even the Dodgers called the Coliseum home, from 1958-1961, despite the place being particularly ill-suited to baseball.

The peristile end is classic, with the Olympic cauldron and "the torsos" ... and anyone old enough to recall the 1984 Olympics remembers Rafer Johnson running up the steps at the east end to light the Olympic torch at opening ceremonies. At the opposite end of the field, the tunnel from locker rooms to field is one of the greatest entry ways in sports. The rush football teams must feel coming out of there and entering the stadium has to be amazing.

But the place is a crumbling mess, too. All you have to do is walk around to see it.

Ground was broken on the stadium in December of 1921, and it was built at a cost just under $1 million.

Now, 1921 is a long time ago, and the age of the stadium shows. In the crumbling steps and primitive facilities. (The visitors locker room is criminally inadequate.) Even the earthquake retrofits of the 1990s already look old, slipshod and tacky, with reinforcing rods sticking out of semi-recent concrete, etc.

About the only major improvement I've noticed in the 40 years I've been going there, aside from the "new" press box of the early 1990s) ... is an underground parking structure put in 4-5 years ago, a structure that helped ease the venue's historically wretched parking problems.

I wonder if Monday's media event at the Coliseum with the Dodgers, drumming up enthusiasm for an exhibition baseball game to be played in the stadium next March, pushed the USC negotiators over the top. One of those, "stop messing with others and start looking at your main tenant" sort of things.

Which comes with the additional backdrop of the Coliseum's utterly pointless pursuit of an NFL franchise, and counting on that non-existent NFL franchise to make improvements. That also must bug the Trojans.

Just isn't going to happen. No NFL team is going back to that stadium in that neighborhood.

The Coliseum needs new seating and improved access, and perhaps something resembling luxury suites, and tons and tons of renovation inside and out. Just to keep the historical monument from falling down.

(The Rose Bowl's revamp of its locker rooms, which includes a massive new (and spiffy) locker room for the Bruins must rankle the Trojans, too.)

If USC is going to foot most of the bill, it SHOULD get an ability to sublet the stadium to try to recoup some of its outlay.

Basically, USC's complaints almost certainly are legit. The Trojans are by far the most important reason the Coliseum hasn't crumbled into a state resembling that of its namesake in Rome ... and the Trojans have a right to be unhappy about what has NOT happened.

But this seems like the worst week of the year to complain about it. It's either really bad judgment ... or USC people are so exasperated that they are willing to risk the football team's attentiveness to the business of UCLA ... to focus attention on their concerns with the old stadium.

We know this: Everyone at Saturday's game will be looking, with a critical eye, around the stadium and the grounds around it more than they would have without this Rose Bowl threat being raised. That's why the announcement was made, I guess.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 2:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti on Monday told reporters he doesn't like the looks of the trade or free-agent market, and is thinking hard about just keeping the kids.

Which isn't a bad idea. But does like a little feeble compared to the Angels, who have made a big trade and signed perhaps the most attractice free agent out there ... albeit for $90 million for five years. Real money.

Anyway, both the Dodgers' and Angels' big signing has a name pronounced the same was as B-list actress Tori Spelling.

That would be Torii Hunter, for the Angels.

And Joe Torre, for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers are spending way less money, but Joe Torre is 67 years old and won't be playing third base or eating up any innings. He's a manager, and their ability to influence games is pretty limited.

So, if you're waiting for a big signing ... it's already happened. It was Ol' Joe.

Given that the Dodgers spent big on the feeble Juan Pierre ($45 million, five years) and the fragile Jason Schmidt ($47 million, three years) ... it's probably just as well Ned isn't out there throwing around money.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was at a USC football practice last week, and the marching band was practicing just across the street, in the track and field stadium.

OK, so that's where they work. Since the only football field on the campus already is used by the football team.

What surprised me?

You know that particularly insidious riff (think "It's a Small World") the USC band plays ... over and over ... and over and over?

They PRACTICE that "song."

I heard them doing it ... more than once.

It's the "tune" that's NOT "Fight On" or "Conquest." It's the one they play after a nice play or a big hit ... or just to remind people they're at a USC game.

You know the one ... it begins with drums ... and then a lot of brass ... DUM duh duh DUH duh duh DEE duh ...

Cal fans mock it by singing over it. "Its the only song you know ... it is boring and it's slow ... we really wish you'd go ..."

Anyway, I'm watching football practice, and here comes that roll of drums and the brass blaring, from just across the street, and I'm thinking, "Haven't they played that thing about 1,000 times at the Coliseum already this year?"

And I said to a USC official next to me, "They need to PRACTICE that thing?"

And he said, wearily, "All the time ... ALL the time ..."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ricky Williams is the running back out of Texas who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft a few years back ... and subsequently failed drug tests repeatedly, left his team (the Dolphins), was suspended for 18 months ... but now is back, with the Dolphins.

He played in that Mud Bowl game at Pittsburgh on Monday night, carrying the ball six times for 15 yards before he got hurt.

Which makes us wonder why R.Jay Soward, the onetime Jacksonville Jaguars receiver from Rialto and Fontana High School (and USC) can't get reinstated. Or, at least, hasn't yet.

R.Jay's issues, alcohol-related, from what we understand, were marginal compared to those of Williams. But the NFL has dragged its feet on reinstating him. Allegedly, Soward's appeal is before commissioner Roger Goodell, and should be ruled on ... soon?

A little difficult to imagine R.Jay could actually get back into an NFL game, after so many years away from the league. His one and only season was in 2000. But he did have three seasons (2004-06) in Canada after that and, who knows, he would just like a chance to go to someone's camp and see what happens.

At the least, he would like to be taken off the suspended list.

R.Jay this fall worked as an assistant coach at Arroyo Valley High School. I saw him in the USC locker room this season, with some of Arroyo's top kids, and he seemed very happy to be back in the USC fold.

I saw him again at the Arroyo Valley playoffs game game on Friday, a game Colony won handily, 30-7. He said, "Sorry about the show," meaning the game, which had been, yeah, pretty ugly.

Anyway, if eternal doper Ricky Williams can get back ... why not R.Jay?

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 6:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, OK, anywhere else in the world that headline would read, "Beckham scores before 80,000 in Sydney," but Landon Donovan is a Redlands guy, and he can play a little ... and he scored, too.

But it wasn't Landon or the rest of the mere-mortal Galaxy teammates who drove the stampede to the turnstiles in Sydney, it was Becks, Mr. Global Soccer.

And everyone went home happy, after the exhibition, because Beckham scored on one of his bend-it-like-me free kicks.

Read more about it here from the Sydney Morning Herald. They even have a photo of Becks' free kick headed over the keeper's head.

Game ended in the middle of the night, our time.

Next, Becks & the Lads move on over to New Zealand, where another sellout crowd no doubt awaits.

Too bad the Galaxy apparently is more than a little rusty ... because I think the club normally would beat these Aussie and Kiwi pro teams.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Landon Donovan, the Galaxy's star forward from Redlands, is with the club in, of all places, Sydney, Australia.

It's part of a two-game Galaxy tour of the antipodes .. with a match at Wellington, New Zealand coming up on Saturday.

Anyway, the Sydney game will have 80,000 people at it ... to see David Beckham, of course. Nobody in Australia knows anyone else on the Galaxy, including Landon. Kickoff is Tuesday night there ... which is 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning here.

You can read some Galaxy/Beckham coverage in the Sydney Morning Herald by clicking here.

Landon isn't keen on travel, generally. He's done scads of it, and it doesn't amuse him.

This trip, however, he doesn't mind, he told me via e-mail.

"I will enjoy going to Australia, believe it or not. In reality, these off-season trips are all better because we actually get to go out and do things. Most of the time we have to sit in the hotel and wait for the game and then leave the next day. The trips I least look forward to are the ones to Central America. The entire trip becomes a nightmare from the minute you step on the plane. It's always very hot, the hotels are a crapshoot, you never know about the food and then the gameday experience is miserable. Let's just say that by the end of the trip, I can't WAIT to get home! That being said, there's nothing better than going to one of those countries and beaten them on their soil!"

Landon has to wait till next year to experience anew the pleasures of a qualifier in Central America. For now, we trust he is enjoying this trip. The plane rides aside.

If I can find that the Galaxy match is being televised anywhere ... I'll do another blog item on it.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Coach Anthony Rice's Colony Titans are 10-2 and top-seeded in the CIF-SS Central Division playoffs -- which they won a year ago.

But he says he and his staff approach every game feeling as if they are underdogs. Including Saturday's 7:30 p.m. matchup at Moreno Valley.

"It seems like all the papers pick against us," Rice said tonight. "We know not everybody wants us to win.

"And we always get every team's best shot, because we won it last year. We always feel like underdogs."

For underdogs, the Titans have done quite well. They are 10-2, after going 12-2 last year.

In an era of high-octane, multiple-receiver passing teams, Colony and Moreno Valley could bring back pleasant memories of simpler times, when they collide on Saturday.

Colony's base offense is the I-formation. Moreno Valley lines up in the even more venerable power-I -- with two fullbacks complementing the tailback.

"They're a pretty good team, well-disciplined," Rice said of Moreno Valley. "They do some good things. They come right at you in the power-I, then they do a lot of play-action. They've got a very nice tight end.

"We've just got to be ready to play."

Colony returned eight starters from its 2006 championship team, including quarterback Jeff Ginolfi, who has thrown for 1,825 yards and 17 touchdowns on 62 percent passing accuracy. "It makes a huge difference," Rice said of having a veteran quarterback. "He's a leader."

Another key returning player is tailback Daniel Simmons, a cornerback for the 2006 team who has run for 1,442 yards and 16 touchdowns on 189 carries.

Colony's surge into the semifinals isn't a surprise -- the Titans wouldn't be top-seeded -- but they are succeeding without the three versatile skill players who were the heart of last year's team -- Omar Bolden (now a starting cornerback at Arizona State), Maurice Shaw (a starting corner at Idaho) and Chris Givens (a corner at Boise State).

"It's a group that kind of relied on those guys last year," Rice said. "We weren't getting the blowouts early.

"This team is doing a good job now. In the beginning, it wasn't a comparison (to last year's team), because we were trying to find our identity. They found they've got to be resilient and they have to work harder than last year. A lot of teams are coming after them. Every game is a championship game ...

"It's a collective effort. We were coaching em' up last year, but we're working harder this year."

Simmons was Bolden's backup at tailback a year ago. "He's a different type of runner," Rice said. "He's not as fast as Omar but he has great vision and keeps his legs moving."

He said Simmons is recruitable, probably at cornerback. He had two interceptions in the Titans' 30-7 romp over Arroyo Valley last Friday.

Other key players include Elon Wyatt, the team's leading receiver (with 40 catches for 631 yards and three TDs), receiver Bobby Wagner (31 catches, 497 yards, nine TDs), linebacker/fullback Kyle Stefan and defensive end Jose Chairez.

Jonathan Norton is Moreno Valley's main man, with 814 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. The Vikings run the ball about 70 percent of the time.

Rice isn't taking them lightly. In fact, his team is the underdog, he reminds.

"If we don't play hard and play smart, it will be a long night for us."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Having a Bruich-coached team in the CIF semifinals is nothing new, in these parts.

But, always before, it was Dick Bruich teams. First at Fontana, then at Kaiser.

His teams made semifinal appearances in 1979, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992 and 1996 (at Fontana); 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 (at Kaiser). The 1987, 1989, 2002 and 2003 teams won CIF titles.

This time, it's a Kurt Bruich team in the Final Four of its division, Redlands East Valley's Wildcats.

Kurt, Dick's son, has REV up to 12-0 and facing Corona Santiago in the Inland Division semifinals on Friday, probably at Yucaipa High School with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

REV and Bruich are riding a gifted senior class. "They were undefeated as freshmen, lost one game as sophomores (in the CIF quarters), four games last year and none this year," Kurt Bruich said of his senior core. "They don't lose much. I think they expect to win every time out."

REV never before has been out this late, but the Wildcats aren't exactly Cinderella. Not with Chris Polk at tailback.

Corona Santiago is 7-4 and lost to Norco, the team REV just rolled over, 38-7, in the quarterfinals.

"The more i watch them, i can't believe they lost four games," Bruich said tonight while looking at film of the Santiago Sharks. "They're really athletic.

"The last three weeks they started running this kind of 'fly-ish' offense. Mostly, they're getting the ball more to Anthony Dye. He's for real. He's committed to UCLA as a DB."

The fly offense involves lots of sophisticated faking and deception and usually is run by teams with marginal speed who need trickery to get yards. Santiago, however, doesn't have marginal skill, Bruich said.

Dye leads the Sharks in tackle from his safety position, and is the team's No. 2 rusher. But he is gaining, in prominence, on Santiago's other speed back, B.J. Iverson, who has 1,100 rushing yards.

REV was impressive its first eight weeks. The Wildcats defeated serious non-league competition in Riverside North, Compton Dominguez and Colton -- all of whom have made the semis in their respective divisions (Eastern, Western, Central).

Next came five Citrus Belt League blowouts against overmatched competition, including three successive shutouts (over Yucaipa, Fontana and Rialto).

Then came a narrow, 28-27 victory over previously unbeaten Miller, a game in which REV had trouble handling the Rebels' spread offense, followed by a 34-14 victory over crosstown rival Redlands and then a 60-53 shootout over Murrieta Valley in which the REV defense was awful.

Then REV shut down Norco, giving up an early touchdown ... but nothing else.

"Nothing changed," Bruich said of his defense's scheme or personnel. "Sometimes we get in bad modes, and we made some adjustments. Basically, our defense started listening a little more to coaching and playing assignment football. Sometimes when you're playing and shutting out people ... guys were doing their own things."

Kurt Bruich has coached in a semifinal game before, when he was running the Cerritos program, his stop before taking over the downtrodden (1-48 all-time) REV program in 2002. He played in a couple of semifinals too, in 1986 and 1987, when he was playing receiver and safety for his dad at Fontana. The 1986 team lost but the 1987 won and the Steelers finished 14-0 -- winning the Big Five (large schools) title at Anaheim Stadium.

Chris Polk, the tailback who verbally committed to USC, has been REV's biggest weapon. He has 2,159 yards on 178 carries, an average of 12.1 per carry, and has scored 28 rushing touchdowns. Dylan Cruz is a versatile fullback/tight end, and Tyler Shreve, only a sophomore, has been steady at quarterback.

Of Polk, Bruich said, "He's been phenomenal. He's doing what we asked and what we expected. It's nice to have a guy do everything you expect."

Bruich stressed the speed of Santiago's Dye and Iverson, but said he wouldn't say his team will be at a disadvantage, in overall speed.

If REV survives this test it gets the winner of Chaparral vs. top-seeded Corona Santiago for the Inland Division CIF title, at the Home Depot Center in Carson. And the Wildcats would have an outside shot at the state D1 title game, a week later.

But first things first: A Santiago team that is better than its 7-4 record indicates. Its defeats: 17-7 to Servite, 17-7 to Chaparral, 28-21 to Norco and 69-7 to Corona Centennial -- the game that prompted Santiago to change its offense.

Oh, and the four teams Santiago lost to? Three are still playing, Chaparral and Centennial in the Inland semis, Servite in the Pac-5 glamour-division semis.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Harold Strauss is one of the good guys. He fosters a sense of family in his Colton High School football team, and he can coach more than a little, and he's done it this year after suffering a heart attack back in February.

Colton swamped Rancho Verde 39-22 on Friday to advance to the CIF-SS semifinals for the first time since 1981, when the Yellowjackets reached the large-schools title game.

Colton was winless in the second round under Strauss, going 0-4. But the Jackets finally got over the quarterfinal hump and now travel to meet Moreno Valley in the Central Division semis at 7 p.m. Friday at a site (perhaps Citrus Hill HS) to be determined today.

Said Strauss: "It's going real well. We've worked harder this year than we ever have. This time of year it's good just to be playing. We made the second round five out of six years, and we're real pleased to be playing.

"It was a long drought, and this team is jelling at the right time. A good chemistry going. Before, we seemed to be tired or worn out or injured when we got to this part of the season."

This isn't Colton's most talented team. That would be the 2005 squad, which boasted future D1 college players Allen Bradford and Shareece Wright, who are at USC, and Jimmy Smith, who started at cornerback for Colorado last Saturday and had a 34-yard interception return for TD that put the Buffaloes ahead of Nebraska in what eventually became a blowout victory.

"This team, the chemistry, it's as good or better than ever," Strauss said. "They've overachieved. I said some things would have to happen for us to be where we are, and they have."

One of those things was the growth of quarterback Nick Vasquez, who was 7-for-8 passing Friday, with a touchdown. For a time, Colton coaches thought they might have to move Dan Sorensen to QB, but Vasquez has established himself, allowing the burlier Sorensen to concentrate on playing tight end and safety.

The Jackets also have a nice collection of skill people, including wingbacks Travell Washington (who scored six touchdowns Friday) and Nick Reyes and fullback D.J. Stallion.

Colton looked a bit battered by halftime last Friday, but Strauss tonight said his key guys should be ready for Canyon Springs.

Stallion suffered a shoulder bruise in a frightening, head-first landing on a two-point conversion try. "The kid hit him right on the knee and broke his face mask. (Stallion) was lucky. His whole body was as straight as an arrow when he came down and landed on his chin. When he came down, we don't know how he didn't hurt his neck. But he should be OK."

Nick Reyes strained a hamstring but is expected to play, and UCLA-bound defensive end Damien Holmes played on a bad ankle. "He didn't practice all week and was maybe 60 percent," Strauss said. "He's working on it, and we hope he will be better by Friday."

Strauss said some alumni -- including Bradford and Wright and linemen Mario Perez and John Villalba (from D2 Minnesota Christian) helped buck up his current players on the sideline. Bradford, in particular, was "all over the kids with injuries," Strauss said. "He was in their ear, not letting them sit down. You could hear the SC attitude coming out of him. It was kinda fun."

Asked whether this will be his final season, Strauss said he hasn't decided ... but conceded some of his players think it will be. "We'll see," he said. "A couple of kids have maintained that's one of the things they're playing for. `We gotta get a ring, to send you out right.' And I said I'm not going anywhere.

"It's going real well," he said of his health issues. "We've worked harder this year than we ever have. End of October, I checked in and everything is going good. I'm a little tired, but this time of year it's good just to be playing."

Canyon Springs was blasted by Rancho Verde earlier this season, but Strauss said his team won't underestimate the Cougars because they were the team that eliminated Colton in the quarters last year.

"Our kids are excited about playing them," he said. "We didn't play a good game last year. We feel like we played the strongest team in the league (last Friday), but Canyon Springs was missing some people (when it played Rancho Verde). It's now a matter of making sure we don't have a let-up, and keeping it going."

If Colton reaches the Central title game, Strauss expects a reunion on the sidelines.

"Allen and Shareece said if we get to the final, they'll be there, no matter what."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UCLA really was fairly obnoxious about this. Sure, take pleasure in defeating your arch-rival, but the Bruins beat this into the ground. Even now you can walk around Westwood and see signs and bumper stickers with "13-9" on them.

Which was the final score of their game with USC. Bruins win, 13-9, knocking the Trojans out of the BCS title game.

I wonder if some UCLA alum somewhere had twins, over the past year, and named them "Thirteen" and "Nine." Maybe as middle names?

Wouldn't put it past them.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

OK, he didn't play well. Especially Saturday, when he was 0-for-7 with an interception, four sacks and minus-6 yards rushing.

But UCLA's coaches did little or nothing to help Osaar Rasshan, the redshirt sophomore out of Pomona Garey, succeed in his brief time at quarterback.

Rasshan is a very mobile guy with limited passing skills.

What he absolutely is NOT is a pocket-passer, and that's all the Bruins allowed him to be today. They asked him to throw "touch" passes downfield into tight coverage ... and that is not his thing. Not at all. That he was 0-for-7 with that one long-ball interception ... well, we could have seen that coming if we knew what he was going to be asked to do.

They allowed him to make a direct run all of one time -- and he gained 11 yards for a first down.

Not once did they roll him out, giving him a run/pass option. Not once did they put him in the shotgun and run some sort of spread offense option stuff.

And remember, Rasshan took over as the No. 1 Qb back at Arizona, when he came on in the second half for Patrick Cowan and led the Bruins to 10 late points.

He played the whole game against Arizona State, and wasn't awful in a 24-20 loss, considering it was his first start. He had one damaging interception late, but had coach Karl Dorrell allowed ace kicker Kai Forbath to try two different 53-yard field goals ... and had Forbath made one ... the Bruins would have needed only a field goal, late, instead of asking Rasshan to make a TD play.

Anyway, Rasshan was benched at halftime, Ben Olson came in, his knee held up ... and now Rasshan is buried. Again. Just like he was a month ago.

Dorrell talked about Patrick Cowan perhaps being back from his punctured lung/concussion next week for the USc game, so even if Olson's knee gives out, the Bruins' other fragile QB will be available.

No, Rasshan's numbers were not good. But UCLA did nothing to use him in a way in which he might have been able to succeed.

I'm thinking Rasshan will never take another snap as a UCLA quarterback. I assume he goes back to receiver, next year. He is too good an athlete not to have on the field. That is, if he sticks with the program, which he will ... even if the program has done so little for him.

Anyway, I think I may have been the only reporter to talk to Osaar, after the game. (He was dressed and out of the locker room before reporters were allowed in.)

He said he was a bit surprised at halftime when offensive coordinator Jay Norvell told him he was being benched in favor of veteran Ben Olson, who had been out with a knee injury.

"They said they wanted to change up the timing of the offense," Rasshan said.

And how would the sophomore QB-turned-receiver-turned-QB out of Pomona Garey evaluate his performance in his second start? "I felt I played well," Rasshan said.

Said Norvell: "Osaar struggled. We were trying to get him some momentum early and we had some deeper balls. Osaar's gotta be ready for us. I told him when we made the change at half, 'be ready,' because he may have had to go back in in the second half and he's going to have to play for us again this year.

"He's done a good job of playing for us, and leading and competing. We just felt like we needed a little bit of a spark, some punch in the passing game."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This was a game that will look a lot better 10 years from now than it does right now.

When we look back on it, it will be ...

1. A UCLA upset of ninth-ranked Oregon.

2. A home shutout, UCLA's first shutout of the Ducks since 1979.

3. The Bruins' sixth victory, making them bowl-eligible.

For right now, though? It was UCLA not stinking up the joint quite as badly as did the Ducks

UCLA's scoring "drives" covered minus-4, 15, 6 and 31 yards. The first three were set up by Oregon turnovers, basically unforced by UCLA ... and the final, the game's only touchdown, came after a short punt, a 19-yard return and a 31-yard "march" against a disspirited Oregon defense.

In point of fact, it was a heinously ugly game. Two teams trying to outdo each other in offensive incompetence, and the Ducks winning. And, thus, losing.

There are scads of negative stats around this game, but this is my favorite: The five quarterbacks who played were a collective 15-of-56 for 169 passing yards with five interceptions and no touchdowns.

And this one: Oregon averaged 1.9 yards per play ... in 78 plays.

Anyone who saw this knows it was an awful game. A beat-up UCLA tea