For the UCLA Bruins, There's Trouble Brewin'

Most football teams believe that November is the month to remember. After all, November is the last month of all-important conference play that usually spits out the contenders for the conference crowns. September, on the other hand, is the month where many teams cruise through non-conference play and are expected to be ready for conference action.

Unfortunately for the UCLA Bruins, September may be the month that they don't want to remember. Facing Tennessee, @ BYU, Arizona, and Fresno State is a tough slate for a team that is healthy. But quarterback Ben Olson re-broke his fifth metatarsal and is projected to return sometime in October after rehabbing from surgery, once again throwing the Bruins' offense into a slightly controlled chaos.

The Bruins would kill to have the fortune of riches its crosstown rival USC has in the quarterback department. While Mark Sanchez is rehabbing from a dislocated kneecap, Pete Carroll is having problems deciding who should be the temporary starting quarterback—Mitch Mustain or Aaron Corp.

Unlike head coach Rick Neuheisel, Carroll's problem is that both Mustain and Corp are so good, it's a toss-up. Neuheisel, on the other hand, has to choose the better of two totally untested quarterbacks to start behind a scary, hair-raising offensive line.

Yesterday's practice had all the tell-tale signs of a Bruins football program teetering on the verge of a meltdown. Khalil Bell, the starting running back, spiked his helmet into the ground after his O-line did a poor job of blocking for him. The running game, as it stands now, is non-existent due to the backs getting stuffed at the line.

How bad was it? Offensive tackle Micah Kia, one of the only returning starters on the line, said, "That wasn't good (expletive)! Two picks! Know your (expletive) assignments!" If Kia was frustrated, imagine how head coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow feel?

During the offseason, three linemen didn't return to this year's team due to injury or academic issues. This offensive line has been completely re-tooled, including a former walk-on who moved to the center position. The heart of the offense, the guy in charge of making blocking assignments, made the team as a walk-on.

Adding to the Bruins' misery is the dire quarterback situation. With no Pat Cowan or Olson available, the Bruins have to rely on Kevin Craft, a JUCO transfer who had only been on campus a few days before being thrust into the spring game's starting position after Cowan and Olson went down with injuries.

Craft ran a spread offense at Mt. San Antonio College, and is used to running the offense in the shotgun formation, but Chow has decided to get him comfortable taking snaps under center before probably installing the shotgun formation. So far, it's a mixed bag, but Craft is progressing.

The question is, will Chow change the offense to a hybrid spread? It has some possibilities. After all, if the O-line can't contain the pass rush—which so far has been the case—perhaps spreading the line out could give Craft an extra second to find an open receiver. Then again, if the linemen can't block one gap assignment, how can they be responsible for two gap assignments in the spread?

The other problem for the Bruins is getting Chris Forcier, the reserve quarterback, up to speed. During the spring game, he had a miserable day, and acknowledged he needed to get into the weight room and bulk up. For sure, he needs to put on weight and get stronger, ostensibly to be able to endure, and survive, the expected pass rush free-for-all from the Volunteers, Cougars, Wildcats, and Bulldogs. That is, if he gets to take any snaps.

The Bruins' woes are obvious—if they can't protect their quarterback in the pocket, the quarterback injuries will mount. They could counter the pass rush with a spread or shotgun formation, but the linemen may not be suitable for the type of speed required to make it feasible.

The advantage the Bruins do have is having Norm Chow mastermind the offense. If anyone can devise a scheme to incorporate all of the offense's strengths and minimize the deficiencies, it is Chow. But Chow can only be as good as his talent, and so far, the talent has shown its inexperience and youth.

Unless something drastic happens in the next two weeks, the Bruins are in trouble. The cards were already in play when the Bruins lost 25 lettermen—17 of them starters—at the beginning of spring practice.

The Bruins still had Cowan and Olson, however, as a veteran duet of quarterbacks who could lead the offense. With both now out, the outlook is grim for September, and early October is looking dicey as well since Olson is projected to miss five games.

Bruins fans should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst—a .500 season may now be a more realistic goal. The very notion of 0-4 in September looks more and more like a reality and losing two more games in the season seems likely.

Then again, a big upset over their crosstown rival may be just the thing to make them forget what looks like a forgettable football season. And look forward to basketball season.