Johnson ready to get Bruins ready for bowl
Forget the long and winding path that it took to get there: UCLA will officially head north for the new year.
The Bruins accepted an invitation to play Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at San Francisco's AT&T Park on Dec. 31.
The bowl will feature two teams with interim head coaches, as UCLA offensive coordinator Mike Johnson takes over for the recently terminated Rick Neuheisel and Illini defensive coordinator Vic Koenningassumes the mantle from Ron Zook.
" I think it's going to be a good matchup; I think it's two teams that have gone down similar paths," Johnson said.
While UCLA's road to the postseason included more highs and lows than S&P 500, Illinois' trajectory has trended downward for the entirety of the second half of the season, a slope that resulted in Zook's dismissal.
After jumping to a 6-0 start, Illinois lost six straight, with losses to then-No. 19 Penn State, then-No. 24 Michigan and then-No. 17 Wisconsin.
The Bruins, meanwhile, limp into the year-ending matchup coming off consecutive losses to top-6 ranked USC and Oregon, defeats that dropped their record to 6-7, with the team becoming the first since North Texas in 2001 to advance to a bowl game at under-.500.
"Everyone to a man, both coaches and players, are determined to get this football program back to where it needs to be," Johnson said. "And this is a stepping stone, one game to get that going in that direction."
UCLA is not in unfamiliar territory with a new head man coming in following a firing, as the Bruins lost to BYU 17-16 in the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl with DeWayne Walker as interim head coach after Karl Dorrell's firing.
Johnson said that he will meet with the players for the first time as head coach on Monday, though the Bruins will take the week off of practice because of finals.
Although it is just his first year in the program, Johnson expects the transition to go smoothly, as it did for Walker, despite the Bruins' loss to the Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl.
"The one thing I think I have with all the players is their respect, and I think from that standpoint, it makes it an easier transition," Johnson said. "I think the players know exactly who I am and they know what I stand for."
The thought just came to me a few minutes ago:
What's the status like on Xavier Sua'Filo?
I remember reading an article a while back stating that he will come back at UCLA, assuming we still have the same coaches. So much for that...
I would think he's on his was to utah
I heard that XSF was back in school enrolled in classes. I doubt he'll pull up roots.
6-8 its gonna be great!
@FIGHTONtoVICTORY
At least these kids are going to a bowl instead of staying home and picking their noses like like yours...
hopefully they get a lifetime supply of Mac&Cheese, theyll be living off that stuff after graduating with their public school education.
Why is the bottom 1% of sc's fanbase spending so much time poisoning this blog? Don't they have a bowl to prepare for? Oh, that's right, they got caught cheating. I guess they're bitter.
OHHHHHHHH GLOWWWWWWWWWWW. 6&8 its gonna be great! Im happy with 10-2:D!!! plus, now i get to watch all of the PAC12 lose their bowl games, it's gonna be a blast! Join with me fellas! 6&8 its gonna be great! 6&8 its gonna be great! 6&8 its gonna be great!
@FIGHTONtoVICTORY
we got into a public school like UCLA because we worked hard instead of paying $50K to get into a university of second choice and buy the diplomat...
yes, im sure it was very difficult getting accepted to University of Cerritos, Los Angeles.
@FIGHTONtoVICTORY
whatever you say... btw, I am married to a trojan (master degree) and she doesn't even mention about where she graduated or have a usc license plate... that please much tell you something...
"that please much tell you something..."
there's that public education hard at work.
I told my wife to type for me .... :)))))
BOOM! Carlos taking a break from his siesta to deliver some zingers! Now Carlos, we need you back out there picking the trees off of the roads.
Gentlemen - if you think this is bad you should come over to Wolf's blog and put up with the antics of a one "Bruin Rob" who did not attend your school. He continually usings vile, vulgar language and apparently is into beastiality, pedophila and other assorted fetishes. He never attended ucla and does more to discredit your school's reputation than anyone person on the planet. Good luck with him...
Apparently these UCLA peeps cant take a joke, obviously his name isnt carlos... And its not discriminatory when I'm 1/4 Hispanic.
oh and I almost forgot...
6-8 it's gonna be great! 6-8 it's gonna be great! 6-8 it's gonna be great!
@FIGHTONtoVICTORY
1/4 spanish? what the rest of the 3/4? neanderthal? ....hahaha... just kidding... yes we can take a joke hopefully you can too.
By the way, this time I typed this myself because my trojan wife is busy making a coffee for me.
BRO reporting that Reeves Nelson has been kicked off the team. Great work Jon! I sure hope you are working on your sources because the last week has really exposed you; unless you plan on regurgitating ESPN reports...
@edd china
..."Good sources are indicating that Reeves Nelson, the volatile junior power forward has been kicked off the team"...
How reliable is "good source"? rumor is just what it is: rumor...I think Jon is just waiting for official source to confirm it.
But IMHO, the way he was acting in the last game, he should be kicked out the team, no matter how important he is to the team.
@PV
Understood, but I think my comment is an accumulation of things. I don't think Jon has provided anything of substance regarding the head coach search (other than stuff that was already reported on ESPN).
Just an observation, so I'll shut up now.
Thanks for the observation.
@EDD CHINA
my apologies if I sounded rude...
Why do trojans feel the need to boast about their spending thousands of dollars more for an inferior education? It must have something to do with perceived inadequacies in other areas.
(That's nearly conclusive evidence that Nestor is a trojan, by the way.)
It must be difficult not only being denied a postseason, but having to endure your pretty little princess of a QB all dressed up and no one wanting to dance with him.
CHEATON nailed it!
"all dressed up and no one wanting to dance with him"
Careful with that analogy! The way things are going, you could be talking about UCLA's search for a football coach.