Neuheisel is sticking by the Pistol offense, which he and offensive coordinator Norm Chow installed in the spring after the Bruins struggled in the running game the past two seasons.

The UCLA rushing attack has improved – the Bruins are averaging 172.5 yards per game, 51th in the country, after ranking 88th last season – but it has not translated into points, as the team ranks 115th out of 120 in scoring offense at 11 points per game.

“Why were struggling is not because of the Pistol,” Neuheisel said in his Monday press conference. “It has nothing to do with the Pistol. Has to do that were not throwing and catching. We’ve had ill-timed procedure penalties. Ricky Marvray’s two penalties are both first downs inside the 15-yard line. We’ve just got to eliminate stupid mistakes.”