FB tidbits
Just got off a phone call with football coach Rick Neuheisel, who said he had no plans of changing quarterbacks for the USC game, but wouldn't definitively say that was going to be the case.
Also, he said starting right guard Nick Ekbatani will have an MRI on an injured knee, but Neuheisel said he expected Ekbatani to be ready for USC on Dec. 6.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Why change now? I'm sure Forcier will get is usual three plays or so but I expect $c's D to take out Craft.
So the coaches should just throw the playbooks away and ignore all the players that practice hard. They should start whoever the "fans" want b/c even if we lose 100-0, the "fans" will be happy that we at least let Forcier start against USC.
Wow!
Slick New Weasel
There was a nice article in the LA Times about how gutty Craft was last game and has been all season. Let him finish out the year.
I am not thoroughly impressed by suc's offense. The UCLA defense can definately disrupt them. Here's the plan, run the ball the entire game. Yeah UCLA have no running game. So what? Use all the running backs we have and if some reason they feel like passing the ball it should be no more than 10 yards at a time. We will be able to muster up 2 FG's and HOPEFULLY the defense or special teams can create some TD's. That's the best chance UCLA has to win this game.
Craft gets the crap kicked out of him all season long, and you want to deprive him of a chance to start at home against USC? The kid has earned the spot. Can you imagine how recruiters would use this against Neuheisel in recruiting top players later this year? Football is a battle, it's about loyalty and teamwork. To throw somebody else into the ring at this point would signal the team that it's a lost cause, that there's no hope. Besides, with that offensive line, nobody has time to throw the football. Who knows, maybe Craft pulls a rabbit out of his hat and becomes a legend?
Craft has earned and deserves the right to start against usc. that kid has taken alot of hits and keeps getting up, even in pain he still plays. i have so much respect for a person like him.
Old School - well said. Thanks.
About changing QB's. Obviously the staff believes that Forcier would turnover the ball for 5 or 6 touchdowns instead of the 4 that Craft gave up! Should have been 5 on the forward fumble that Craft had at the goal line.
The only comment I have is that during the game, after a horrific play, sometimes it's good to have your QB sit out for a series or two. Give him some perspective on what he is doing wrong and to regroup. Most of the time athletes try to hard to make up for their mistakes. Also the rest of the team naturally loses faith.
Put Forcier in for one or two series and he may get lucky and break off a couple of big scrambles and 1 completion to get a touch, i.e. Cowan vs SC.
Then put Craft back in after he regroups. I don't think it will hurt anything.
Craft should have been pulled after game three, no need to pull him now. The SC defense will take care of that on their own.