Two-QB system...sorta?
HOUSTON -
UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel vowed to use a two-quarterback system in the Bruins' season opener at Houston on Saturday afternoon.
Here's guessing he didn't expect to do it this way.
Junior quarterback Kevin Prince suffered a concussion on a jarring, flipping tackle by D.J. Hayden early in the second quarter, staying motionless on the sidelines for several minutes while being tended to and giving way to junior Richard Brehaut perhaps earlier than expected.
"I blacked out," Prince said. "I just remember I flipped and the next thing I remember I'm on the bench. I don't know where I landed."
He landed where he so often has during an injury-plagued UCLA career: on the sidelines.
He was visibly upset after the hit, which he tried to avoid by running out of bounds, and was stoic after the game. Finally fully healthy after missing seven games last season as a sophomore (and three as a freshman), and building confidence after a back-and-forth fall battle with Brehaut, Prince hoped to last more than one quarter.
"It's very frustrating," Prince said. "Going through camp, being able to participate the whole time, then to play one quarter and be done with it that quick."
Prince was playing well to that point, completing 3-of-3 attempts for 58 yards and coming off a scoring drive that cut the Houston lead to 10-7. In came Brehaut, who completed 17-of-26 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns while adding 87 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Brehaut received praise from Neuheisel, who lauded his decision making, but criticism for a late-game communications miscue, as he had trouble reading the calls from the UCLA sidelines which led to a miscalled play and a burned timeout.
"There were a couple miscommunications when we got to the 20 that we need to fix," Neuheisel said. "Richard didn't see the signal and it wasn't as smooth as it needs to be. He confused it. He didn't get the right signal."
Check out more notes after the jump...
A forgettable debut
Embattled redshirt freshman kicker Kip Smith was shaken following the game after missing a field goal and having an extra point blocked in a four-point loss. After the missed field goal, Smith knelt on the sidelines and massaged his temples; after the game he quickly exited the field, staring up at the scoreboard and whispering an expletive. After meeting with his parents, Smith was quiet in a post-game press conference with reporters, but seemed resolved at the end of the session."
"We're a team - it's a long season, and I can't hang my head too low," said Smith, who is hoping to hold on to the position he inherited from UCLA legend Kai Forbath. "They'll need me next week."
Bumps and Bruises
Senior linebacker Glenn Love dislocated his left shoulder and his return is unknown. ... Senior linebacker Sean Westgate suffered a bad bruise on his right arm that required a special wrap, but he shouldn't miss time.
News and Notes
UCLA junior running back Johnathan Franklin finished with 128 yards rushing on 16 carries, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the eighth time. ... Junior tight end Joseph Fauria's 110 receiving yards were 100 more than his previous career high. ... Senior wide receiver Taylor Embree moved into 10th place in school history in receptions after catching five passes. ... Houston's Tyron Carrier became the Cougars' all-time leader in all-purpose yards (5,941). ... Carrier also had a reception in his 40th straight game, leading the nation. ... Houston quarterback Case Keenum's 310 yards marked the 26th time in his career he's gone over the three-century mark. ... The game temperature of 92 degrees tied for the second-hottest home game in Houston history.
It's clear Prince can't keep himself out of position to get injured. Brehaut made some nice passes, but his option reads were horrible. I'd like to see Hundley but he probably can't make the throws yet. I'd like to see the 2 qb system, but with Hundley and Brehaut. You can't keep Hundley on the bench for 2 years, so let's get him some experience. I think it's clear, anyhow, that neither Prince nor Brehaut will take us to the promise land.
Disagree vehemently on the option reads. Even Brehaut, who doesn't exactly have jets, was getting a bunch of yards. The offense was good save some stupid penalties (can't complain about 554 yards). The D and kicking...not so much.
I don't like Neuheisel throwing his quarterback under thebus on the forced timeout at the end of the game. Take ownership coach! It is your job to ensure that communications are solid. That is not the first time UCLA has had to call a timeout due to his inability to get plays in smoothly.
Neuheisel needs to answer why they ran the ball most plays on the seven minute drive with nine minutes left in the game down by two scores. He better not blame his quarterback for THAT!
Also, when is he going to realize that Brehaut is the better quarterback. He is a true gamer. How about the play where he picks the ball off the turf and throws a completion on the run with a defender in his face. He managed a very good game.
Defense and coaches lost this one. Time for Neuheisel to drop the coach-speak and get real.
Jon, you were right about the beast that Love had become this summer. I don't know if anyone else actually delivered a blow AND THEN WRAPPED HIS MAN UP like Love, who then gets injured on the play. Sadly, Larimore & Westgate looked so slow out there. And if we don't learn to jam receivers to gain a little respect out there, most Pac-12 teams will spread us and torch us like this every time out.
I've come to trust your reporting, and believe it to be accurate as for a pulse out there in practice & scrimmages.
But the actual execution of this team on game day was horrific.
And that falls squarely on CRN.
Anyone who wants to see true-freshman Hundley play this year does not want to see UCLA win. Our defense lost this game today, not Brehaut, who was darn good. Brehaut gives us the best chance to win. If our defenders wrapped up their men, we win.
The game was lost in the last 3 minutes of the 1st half. It seemed liked the team, both defense and offense, relaxed after scoring to make it 17-14. As well as the offense played, they let the team down by going 3 and out after Houston scored on the long run. If they could have moved the ball it may have prevented Houston getting the ball back with time to score again. Our defense was probably shell shocked and was definitely winded at the time and could have used some help from the offense at that point.
At some point, it becomes obvious that this is a cultural problem. From top to bottom, UCLA thinks it is USC when it is really Washington State. Guys take teams lightly year in and year out -- coaches and players. This program has not been consistently any good since there were only 5 or 6 real programs in the Pac-10.
The last 3 minutes are on RN, yes, but he is symptomatic of the problem.
Dear Bruins, you, at some point, have to become hungry. Nobody respects you, nor should they. You have lots of stars by your names in media guides and recruiting recaps. If you care about winning in college then you will simply have to try as hard as the guys at Boise State.
Man, do I love watching BSU. If BSU can be as good as they are, imagine how good a team as talented as the Bruins could be with that type of focus and purpose? It will never happen until the entire wound that is UCLA football is cauterized. We'll bounce around from 4 to 9 or 10 wins depending on seniority and luck.
This was another season limiting, completely unnecessary loss. Just like last year's opener.
UCLA Head nailed it 10,000%. There's no reason in the world we shouldn't be as competitive as BSU. They win games because they go out and WIN GAMES.
They don't accept 1/2 efforts. Stupid mistakes. Checking out for 3 minutes before half time (I'm sorry, but HOW MANY TIMES has that happened to UCLA teams???) They don't play O and not play D, or vice versa. They just go after it, stay after it, and win.
UCLA accepts being OK. Playing hard and coming close. Trying our best. Losing, but not getting blown out (usually). Is that on coaching? Is that why BSU beats Georgia IN Georgia, ande we leave Houston with promises to do better next time? Dunno.
I'm tired of wathing this. I really am.
Jon,
What was the extent of Prince's injury? was it just a concussion? Will he be ready to play next week?
This is almost exactly what I expected from this first game, excepting Prince's injury. The UCLA offense scored once more than I expected, but our D is not as bad as some are saying, sans some correctable poor tackling, cuz Keenum is the real deal. With Kai, we tie this game, and maybe win in OT. Without a foolish turnover (what else is new?), we win this one. Now look for UCLA to run off 5 or 6 in a row on the way to an 8-9 win season. The sky isn't falling. Would rather win conference games than this tough one going against a very legit pro QB.
Anon153: Appreciate the Go UCLA! spirit, but sadly, it is worse than that.
Not U of Miami worse, but worse indeed.
To think 8-9 wins is not being realistic right now.
San Jose St. proves nothing next week. No real assessment can be made until the battle w/the real Texas team is done in 2 weeks.
Brehaut had a better QB rating than Keenum (176 to 148).
It all comes down to this: UCLA poorly scouted Houston. UCLA's defense prepared for a much more vertical passing game, and then Houston just started to dink and dunk it down the field. Every time UCLA brought the blitz, Keenum easily hit his outlet receiver.
By the time UCLA made an adjustment to the scheme, it was too late, UCLA was just in too deep of a hole. ULCA didnt get nearly enough push from it's front 4 and nobody in the Secondary made any big plays (big hits, INT's, etc.)
On the bright side, UCLA won't have to face Keenum again this season, and the UCLA offense looked dominant frequently...although Rosario still had a few costly drops.
hahahhahaa....Bruin fans already crying. Love it!
Congrats on your two point win over Minnesota at home. I'm sure you're happy that you almost lost to a freshman QB, after not being able to score against the worst team in the Big Ten in the second half.
I'd rather lose by four on the road to a Heisman candidate on a good team, than put on a pathetic showing against a terrible team at home. Once again, congrats.
How effective was UCLA and its quarterback, when it mattered, on offense?
Here's my quarterback rating.
On Third Down:
Houston: eight for thirteen.
UCLA: five for twelve
First of all, I'm sorry to see Kevin Prince injured yet again. Not that I'm surprised but I do feel badly for him.
As I've been saying on this blog for a long time, Richard Brehaut is a very capable quarterback and was deserving of the number one designation. Well, he performed extremely well in the Houston game: all aspects.
The coaches on D were unprepared and didn't prepare our defense for the hurry up offense that Houston threw at us. Our players missed too many tackles and were painfully out of position much of the time.
Kip Smith needs to see a sports psychologist if he hasn't already. He was one of the most highly recruited kickers out of his and now he can't hit the broad side of the barn. I have to believe it's mental at this point.
Neuheisel showed absolutely no class by throwing Brehaut under the bus regarding his statements about burning a time out and missing a signal at the end of the game. Ummm, Rick, that's not what lost the game. Poor coaching lost the game. The D looked lost. And Kip will need therapy.
Meanwhile, please don't look for Prince to return again. It pains me to see him with all these injuries. Brehaut looked very very good out there as did Fauria.
Hopefully, we improve. If not, I want to get rid of CRN.