UCLA Bruins Season Preview

Rick Neuheisel is entering his fourth season as UCLA's football coach and is 15-22 with a Pac-10 (Pre-Pac-12) record of just 8-19, which is absolutely abysmal. If the pressure was not high in Los Angeles a summer ago, it will be scorching hot next summer if the Bruins fail to reach a bowl once again in 2011. One bowl appearance in his tenure—The EagleBank Bowl ‘09—is not nearly enough for Bruin fans.

They return nine starters on offense but that has guaranteed nothing but struggles in recent years. The rushing offense was horrid in both ’08 and ’09, as the leading rusher had just 397 and 566 yards respectively.

No Success with Norm

Last year things improved with Jonathan Franklin leading the way with 1,127 yards He returns alongside Derrick Coleman, who is the bruiser to Franklin, the change of pace speedster who can hit the home run ball. They ranked 32nd in the nation in rushing and they should match those numbers this season despite a tough schedule. 

The passing offense on the other hand was atrocious and that was with Norm Chow as their coordinator. Chow was there for three seasons and his Bruins were ranked 73rd, 52nd and 116th. The third year was suppose to be an improved season where the offense finally took stage in their pistol offense with the quarterback making quick reads to determine how far they can go. 

Loaded Talent Everywhere but Quarterback?

Kevin Prince is the expected starter despite missing seven games last year due to an ailing knee. Richard Brehaut started in seven games last season, throwing for six TDs and seven INTs. He completed 56.1 percent of his passes which was much better than Prince’s 44.7 completion percentage. 

The random game of quarterback musical chairs will continue, which is not exactly a good thing for Neuheisel’s stress and more importantly his job status.

The receiving corp is the best it has been in years with the top eight pass catchers returning. Taylor Embree (6’3", 205) and Nelson Rosario (6’5", 218) are back and better than ever.

Rosario has more big play threats in him, though, he lacks the speed to stretch the field. Meanwhile, Embree has a bit more speed and if the two can stay healthy, the passing offense should improve and stay consistent under first year offensive coordinator Mike Johnson (49ers OC past two years). Also, their depth is fairly deep as Randall Carroll, Ricky Marvray, Irish transfer Shaq Evans and tight end Cory Harkey are talented enough to see significant time. 

Joe the Bruins' Defense Looks Improved

The defense has eight starters back and will be led their leading tackler at strong safety Tony Dye.

Dye, at only 5’11, 205 is a hard hitter, but an even more an aware, smart and gutsy player. Sheldon Price is the other solid secondary performer at corner and the Bruins were ranked a decent 53rd against the pass a year ago. However, the run defense was horrid, ranking 108th in the nation.

The front four should be among the most improved in the Pac-12 because they have three solid contributors returning,  headlined by Datone Jones.

The junior is a load at 6’4", 272 pounds and has enough speed on the edge to wreak havoc on Pac-12 passers. Cassius Marsh was a highly recruited kid who is now in his sophomore season. He started four games and had 23 tackles as a true freshman last season.

The LB core should help shore up the run as their number two tackler Sean Westgate returns from a solid junior season. He is undersized at 5’11", 223 pounds but has a nose for the ball and is often in the backfield (four Sacks & seven tackles for loss).

Patrick Larimore is the other starter (MLB) and is their third leading tackler among returnees. He stands large and in charge at 6’3, 253 pounds but lacks the true speed that a Stanford, Oregon, or USC linebacker normally has. He has great instincts like Westgate and they should not struggle too much replacing a guy like former Bruins great Akeem Ayers. 

Drama's Forecast

UCLA has had three consecutive losing seasons in the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) and the schedule does not favor Joe the Bruin. They open in Houston against a solid Cougars team that returns their star QB Case Keenum and a slew of receivers that could be playing on Sunday’s soon.

Then they host a much improved Texas squad before they must travel to Corvallis, Palo Alto, and Tucson (Thursday) within a month.

They could be looking at a showdown against their new rivals in the Utah Utes on the road to determine if they can go bowling. A loss there and it will be imperative to pull off an upset over a Top 20 USC squad in the finale at the Coliseum.

Overall, they have been known as the younger brother of the USC Trojans because they are just 18-27 the past five seasons in the Pac-10, which is third to LAST! If you go back ten years they are a much better 40-45 (still five below .500), which is fifth best.

Still, is this a program that is just aiming to become bowl eligible? If so, that is fairly sad, but at the same time it is true because that is what Bruins nation has averted to. They have no choice but to fight for their lives to avoid the basement and the doldrums of the new Pac-12 in 2011.

Predicted Finish: 5-7, 3-6

Predicted Bowl: None 

Predicted order of finish in Pac12: Fifth in South, 10th in Pac 12