UCLA's remarkable loss

I cant believe Neuheisel has stuck with this guy this long,he has regressed weekly,and he keeps throwing him out there every week to the detriment of the whole program,I dont care what Dohn says about practice,this guy is terrible,you send the wrong message when you keep sending this guy out there weekly.

u know about this game ..... ... . .. .
i guess i have no comment during this happy, festive, thankful time of the year. i am thankful to have the best beat reporter in the nation covering my beloved school. =D

I think the title for this article should be:

Craft scores 4 touchdowns... for ASU!

and tell your beloved beat writer to stop sugar-coating things. You want facts? Five of the seven losses have been by 20 points or more, in a conference that is really down.

Second, the play-calling was questionable. At some point you have to extend a defense. You can't keep throwing slants and outs. Defenses will eventually start jumping routes and take that away.

Finally, stop blaming Dorrell and Craft. The staff should have played a grind-it-out style against a team that's really struggling. The ucla defense was playing well, so play field position and hope for a big play.

This team has not gotten any better over the course of the year. You can't blame Dorrell for that. You gotta start looking in the mirror.

I can blame Dorrell, since he recruited most of the players on the field this year, and because they were brought up in his joke of a system. Also, I can blame him for the offensive line players we don't have, because the did not red-shirt them properly.

It'll take more than 1 year to clean up years of mistakes...just ask Barak Obama!

Wow that is a very interesting take Anon, I mean Karl
The fact that our current players on the O-Line were supplied to us by your boy Dorrell really has nothing to do with this right? Try to base your take on reality rather than loyalty. So, they really need to extend the defense by throwing the ball deep but they need to grind it out by running the ball? Way to contradict your takes!
Exactly where are you going to find the non-existant time in the pocket or out of the pocket to throw the ball down field. Oh and where are you going to find a receiver that can actually make a clutch catch down field Maybe we should try your other take about grinding-it-out. Oh yea, dont you have to average more than .7 yards per carry to grind-it-out. Incredible takes Anon, you should really try coaching.
Facts are facts and this o-line is flat awful. I dont see 1 guy on the line worth a damn. They suck at run blocking they suck at pass blocking, they flat suck!
Dohn's take on Dorrell's decision to play true freshman olineman several years ago put us n this position right now. Dorrell's mistakes are a big reason we suck on offense and there is no way to overlook it.
However, I have plenty of issues with the handling of the QB position this season. Exactly how horrible does Kraft have to play to get pulled? Bethel-Thompson
was far better than this guy! Is Forcier so horrible that he cant even get a look for a half or something?
This guy can not and will not get the job done PERIOD!
When we were driving down the field for the possible game tying touchdown everyone and their uncle knew where he was going with the ball. I screamed NOOOO!!!!
before he ever threw the ball because he completely telegraphed the pass and it had pick 6 written all over it.SC is going to destroy us, we have nothing to loose, why not start someone else just to surprise them! Hell, lets strap a 2x4 to Cowens leg and roll him out there, he cant do any worse

Here's a breakdown of UCLA's offensive options. It all really comes back to the O-line and how having a poor O-line REALLY limits what you can do offensively:

Run up middle: O-line gets no forward push, can't open holes for backs.

Run outside: Backs not fast enough to get corner.

Throw long: O-line can't protect QB long enough for receivers to get down field. Defenses often get pressure on QB even when only rushing 4, which means they can drop back 7 in coverage.

Throw short: Defenses have 7 people in coverage and know UCLA must throw short because they can't throw long, so they play up. This is just interception heaven for defenses.

Play-action pass: Useless unless you can also run the ball, which UCLA can't do.

Screen-passes (both RB and WR slip): Only works against defenses that blitz frequently, which nobody needs to do because they always get QB pressure with just 4 rushers.

WR-screens: Only works when corners play off the line because of the threat of the deep ball. Since UCLA has no deep threat, corners play up on receivers.

Wildcat: Gimmick. Only works as a "Surprise" addition to an already established offense. Can't have an offense built around it.

Option: Completely relies on an O-line being able to absolutely NOT let a defensive lineman penetrate into the backfield. So...so much for the UCLA Option attack. Also not enough speed/durability in the backfield (Need both a fast QB and RB). Need receivers who can block downfield (UCLA receivers are shrimps).

QB Roll-out: Really UCLA's only weapon. However, other teams know this and have started to scheme accordingly. Hence, it has become less and less effective. Also tough for receivers to get open downfield when defenses have 7 deep in coverage and with a QB who makes poor decisions (ie. running vs throwing). Since Defenses know its coming, they keep a linebacker at home to spy Craft and keep him from running, forcing him to throw to a covered receiver (again, pick city).

Changing the quarterback solves none of the above offensive deficiencies. UCLA flat-out has virtually NO effective offensive options. I don't care who the coach is, you can't build a house without solid materials.

and so what if Forcier throws four interceptions against suc? Kraft would have done it anyway. UCLA would at least have his scrambling ability. I have seen any flea flickers all year, ok maybe one that was snuffed out. ut it is true, the offensive line is screwed up. Only one more game of hell. New QB under center next season.

Now I think the pendulum has completely swung the other way on Craft...I just feel sorry for him now, both the mental and physical abuse he takes. For better or worse, he is the toughest guy on the team the way he responds and never gets injured. One does have to question the coaching staff sending Craft out there time and time again with no chance of success

Good post, Sid.

Everyone knew it was going to be a tough year.

Kraft is tough but he's also lucky to avoid the injuries of Ben and Pat.

Better times are ahead.

Rick just like Obama can screw it up. Can anyone tell me what the heck Rick is trying to do? It looks like he hopes to steal the game at the end, instead of playing to win. His incompetence is growing by the game and making Chow look like an idiot.

CRN is in over his head
Admin is too much to overcome
Chow is semi-retired/mailing it in
Tracy over on Bro needs to get back on her meds

forcier played some non-garbage downs this game... were you guys impressed?

also i dont think it would matter if chown was on the sideline totally into the game calling every play right next to CRN, the o-line just lets guys slip right through. play calling is a nonfactor this season. whats the magical play that they should call that would make the o-line block for atleast 3 seconds?

Great post Sid! I've thought all season that most of our problem has beed the O-line, and you really spelled it out!

Kevin "King of SUC" Craft is still better than Forcier. The first plays from scrimmage for Forcier the last two games were pick and run for a loss of 8. He ain't gonna do any better than Craft. The play calling was terrible. What the bruins have to do is run the ball 50 times a game, play for field position and win 6-3 a la the game against Illinois a few years back. I feel bad for trashing Craft, but this guy is maybe the worst D1 quarterback from the last 4 years.

Slick New Weasel