2008 UCLA Bruins Season

2008 UCLA Bruin Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 UCLA Bruins

Dec. 6
USC 28 … UCLA 7
C.J. Gable fumbled on USC’s first possession, and UCLA took advantage with WR Dominique Johnson throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kahlil Bell. That would be it for UCLA’s day as USC scored 28 unanswered points with two Mark Sanchez touchdown passes, a 12-yard Joe McKnight dash and two-yard Stafon Johnson run. The Trojan defense held UCLA to seven first downs and just 157 yards of total offense. USC held on to the ball for 36:34 and over 21 minutes in the second half.
Player of the game: USC QB Mark Sanchez completed 18-of-33 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he ran for 24 yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 11-28, 89 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 15-39. Receiving: Terrence Austin, 4-33
USC - Passing: Mark Sanchez, 18-33, 269 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Joe McKnight, 15-99, 1 TD. Receiving: Patrick Turner, 5-81, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... And now UCLA knows what it has to do to improve. The disastrous season has finally come to a close with a horrific offensive performance against USC to close. Everyone is having problems against the Trojans, but after the Arizona State fiasco with four turnovers for touchdowns, it would’ve been nice to have unearthed something that worked. It would’ve taken a miracle, but in a rivalry game like this, stranger things had happened. There’s a lot of work to do, and the program is still light years away from being close to USC, but at least the coaching staff is in place to begin the turnaround.

- 2008 UCLA Preview  
- 2007 UCLA Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 4-8

Sept. 1 Tennessee W 27-24 OT
Sept. 6 OPEN DATE
Sept. 13 at BYU L 59-0
Sept. 20 Arizona L 31-10
Sept. 27 Fresno State L 36-31
Oct. 4 Washington State W 28-3
Oct. 11 at Oregon L 31-24
Oct. 18 Stanford W 23-20
Oct. 25 at California L 41-20
Nov. 1 OPEN DATE
Nov. 8 Oregon State L 34-6
Nov. 15 at Washington W 27-7
Nov. 22 OPEN DATE
Nov. 28 at Arizona State L 34-9
Dec. 6 USC L 28-7

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2007 Record: 6-7

Sept. 1 at Stanford W 45-17
Sept. 8 BYU W 27-17
Sept. 15 at Utah L 44-6
Sept. 22 Washington W 44-31
Sept. 29 at Oregon St W 40-14
Oct. 6 Notre Dame L 20-6
Oct. 20 California W 30-21
Oct. 27 at Wash State L 27-7
Nov. 3 at Arizona L 34-27
Nov. 10 Arizona State L 24-20
Nov. 24 Oregon W 16-0
Dec. 1 at USC L 24-7
Las Vegas Bowl
Dec. 22 BYU L 17-16

Nov. 28
Arizona State 34 … UCLA 9
Arizona State came up with 122 yards of total offense, but it got four defensive touchdowns starting off with a bizarre play. UCLA QB Kevin Craft got hit and lost the ball, but the play appeared to be dead as it seemed like an incomplete pass that bounced to Bruin WR Derrick Coleman. He stopped, the ball got slapped out of his hands, and Paul Unga picked it up for a 17-yard score. Travis Goethel returned a pass for a touchdown, but UCLA was still in it, down eight and driving deep midway through the fourth. Craft floated a pass into the end zone, Troy Nolan tipped it to himself and took it 100 yards for an ASU score. 46 seconds later, Mike Nixon returned an interception for a touchdown. UCLA got its points on three Kai Forbath field goals.
Player of the game: Arizona State LB Morris Wooten made 17 tackles, two sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 24-39, 204 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Derrick Coleman, 3-43. Receiving: Marcus Everett, 8-75
Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 13-26, 101 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Keegan Herring, 13-32. Receiving: Michael Jones, 6-43
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Is Kevin Craft’s lack of improvement more of an indictment on him or the UCLA coaching staff? The Bruin coaches are among the best teachers around, but they’re just not getting through as Craft is still making dumb throw after dumb throw this late into the season. To be fair, against Arizona State, he had to press a little bit with the running game going nowhere, but basics, like not putting enough air under the ball and throwing it to the back pylon on what turned out to be the game-killing 100-yard pick-six from Troy Nolan shows that things aren’t sinking in. For all the problems and all the pain of a losing season, a win over USC could change all of that.

Nov. 15
UCLA 27 … Washington 7
UCLA had few problems getting by Washington in Rick Neuheisel’s return to Husky Stadium. Derrick Coleman ran for an 11-yard score in the first quarter, but Washington followed it up with a seven-yard scoring run from Brandon Johnson. That would be all the fun the Huskies would have as the Bruins scored 20 unanswered points with Kahlil Bell running for two one-yard scores and Kai Forbath hitting field goals from 49 and 18 yards out. Washington turned it over five times and was held to just 135 yards of total offense.
Player of the game: UCLA RB Kahlil Bell ran 25 times for 97 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Ronnie Fouch, 7-22, 39 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Brandon Johnson, 20-75, 1 TD. Receiving: D’Andre Goodwin, 4-13
UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 13-22, 135 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 25-97, 2 TD. Receiving: Dominique Johnson, 4-33
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... You think Rick Neuheisel wanted this win over Washington? The former Husky head coach who was canned because of the scandal involving an NCAA tournament pool (which later resulted in a lawsuit that Neuheisel won) seemed to be extra involved in a win over the awful Dawgs. The defense shut down the UW passing game and was never threatened after the first quarter, but it didn’t help that QB Kevin Craft isn’t getting any better. He threw three interceptions and is still not quite reading things the right way. He has one game to get sharper, a date at Arizona State, before dealing with the USC defense.

Nov. 8
Oregon 34 … UCLA 6
Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers set the Pac 10 record for most rushing yards by a freshman and scores on five-yard catch and a one-yard run in the rout. The two teams traded field goals in the first quarter, but the Beavers got all the points they’d need on a 18-yard Sammie Stroughter catch in the third. UCLA was held to 237 yards of total offense. The two teams combined for 19 penalties.
Player of the game: Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers ran 31 times for 144 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for eight yards and a score.
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 20-42, 189 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 12-45. Receiving: Taylor Embree, 5-64
Oregon State - Passing: Sean Canfield, 16-22, 222 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacquizz Rodges, 31-144, 1 TD. Receiving: James Rodgers, 6-115
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UCLA should be getting better as the season goes on, but the offense is still sputtering on third downs, there are still too many penalties, and the running game still isn’t working. Injuries and suspensions turned out to be a killer against Oregon State, but the team held up for a half. The lack of offensive production helped the roof to cave in as the game went on, and to get back on the winning track, the D will need more of a break. Kevin Craft has to figure out how to make a third down throw.

Oct. 25
California 41 … UCLA 20
Cal busted open a tight game in the fourth quarter on a flea-flicker for a 53-yard touchdown pass to Nyan Boaten, and just 19 seconds later Michael Mohamed took a Kevin Craft pass 19 yards for a touchdown as part of the 24-point run. Craft threw four interceptions with Marcus Ezeff taking one back 69 yards in the second quarter. The Cal offense got in the act as well with a 34-yard Jahvid Best touchdown run. UCLA’s offense didn’t get into the end zone in the final two minutes on a Dominique Johnson nine-yard catch. The first Bruin touchdown cam on a blocked punt for a score from Glenn Love. UCLA finished with16 rushing yards.
Player of the game: California CB Syd’Quan Thompson made 10 tackles with a tackle for loss and two broken up passes
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 17-25, 206 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Derrick Coleman, 4-6. Receiving: Taylor Embree, 5-90
California - Passing: Kevin Riley, 11-22, 153 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jahvid Best, 17-115, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeremy Ross, 3-44
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UCLA is still going to be a work in progress, especially against the better teams. There wasn’t any running game against Cal, and the four interceptions, with two pick-sixes, and the 10 penalties weren’t a plus. Kevin Craft has to be more consistent and he can’t keep making big mistakes. With USC to finish up, the Bruins have to win their next three games, Oregon State, at Washington and at Arizona State, to go to a bowl.

Oct. 18
UCLA 23 … Stanford 20
Kevin Craft overcame an uneven game with a game-winning seven-yard touchdown pass to Cory Harkey with 10 seconds to play. Craft was sacked seven times, threw an interception and lost a costly early fumble, but he threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Austin in the third quarter and led the way to an 11-play, 87-yard drive in the final few minutes for the win. Kai Forbath added three field goals for the Bruins. Toby Gerhard ran for two short scores for the Cardinal in the first half, but the offense could only come up with two Aaron Zagory field goals the rest of the way.  The two teams combined for 17 penalties.
Player of the game: UCLA QB Kevin Craft completed 23-of-39 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns with an interception
Stat Leaders: Stanford - Passing: Tavita Pritchard, 5-12, 51 yds
Rushing: Toby Gerhart, 27-138, 2 TD. Receiving: Ryan Whalen, 3-34
UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 23-39, 285 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 11-28. Receiving: Terrence Austin, 5-50, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offensive line was awful, Kevin Craft was shaky, and there was no running game, but UCLA found a way to get by Stanford. The defense held when absolutely needed, and Craft came through when he had to. For now, just getting wins is enough, no matter how they look. The aesthetics will have to come later, but first, better play from the offensive line is a must to stay in the hunt for a bowl game.

Oct. 11
Oregon 31 … UCLA 24
Jeremiah Masoli struggled to get the passing game going, but he made up for it with his legs running for 170 yards and a five-yard touchdown. Masoli completed just 5-of-19 passes, but one of them was a 24-yard touchdown throw to Chris Harper for a 14-0 halftime lead. UCLA stayed in the game with short third quarter touchdown runs from Derrick Coleman and Kahlil Bell, but LeGarrette Blount kept the Ducks ahead with a six-yard touchdown run and a brilliant, bruising 69-yard scoring dash with just over two minutes to play. UCLA WR Terrence Austin suffered a scary-looking injury when his head hit the turf, and he was immobilized and taken off the field on a cart, but he had movement and should make a full recovery.
Player of the game: Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli completed 5-of-19 passes for 42 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 24 times for 170 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 27-43, 288 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 14-32, 1 TD. Receiving: Ryan Moya, 6-63
Oregon - Passing: Jeremiah Masoli, 5-19, 42 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jeremiah Masoli, 24-170, 1 TD. Receiving: Chris Harper, 2-25, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UCLA kept on fighting even when Oregon kept coming up with the plays needed to stay ahead. The problem is a running game that’s doing next to nothing, averaging just 1.7 yards per carry against the Ducks. Kahlil Bell isn’t healthy, and while he’s trying, defenses aren’t going to give the Bruins any room to move until Kevin Craft starts to do more. He threw for 288 yards, Oregon’s pass defense is lousy, but unless the drives are going for points, they don’t matter. Next week’s game against a solid Stanford team is a must-win to have any bowl hopes.

Oct. 4
UCLA 28 … Washington State 3
Kevin Craft threw two touchdown passes to Ryan Moya, connecting from 15 and 12 yards out, and Kahlil Bell ran for a one-yard score as UCLA rolled to an easy win. Washington State managed just 177 yards of total offense and got a 47-yard Nico Grasu field goal in the third quarter. That was it. UCLA came up with four sacks and held the Cougar offense to just 26 rushing yards.
Player of the game: UCLA QB Kevin Craft completed 23-of-36 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 23-36, 225 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Derrick Coleman, 6-49. Receiving: Terrence Austin, 7-77
Washington State - Passing: Marshall Lobbestael, 15-31, 151 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 17-50. Receiving: Brandon Gibson, 6-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... This isn’t exactly a juggernaut of an offensive attack, but it’s moving the ball a little bit. After a three-game losing streak, the Bruins needed a confidence booster, and it got it against a horrendous Washington State team. Kevin Craft was solid, if not spectacular, and while the running game didn’t work, there was never any threat of being challenged. The Bruins need to show they can play on the road, with the lone road trip a 59-0 loss to BYU. Next week they go to Oregon.

Sept. 27
Fresno State 36 … UCLA 31
Fresno State moved the ball without a problem, but it had a hard time shaking the plucky Bruins. Ryan Mathews ran for a 49-yard touchdown, and he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass. Special teams played a huge role for both sides. Marlon Moore opened up the scoring with a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown for an early Bulldog lead, but UCLA’s Terrence Austin went ballistic with 44 yards in punt returns, 206 yards on kickoff returns, 19 yards receiving and 29 yards rushing for a school-record 298 yards of total offense. The Bruins stayed alive with a blocked extra point return for two points by Bret Lockett and a 20-yard Chane Moline touchdown, but couldn’t get any closer as the Bulldogs recovered a fumble and ground out the final 8:55 with a 16-play drive.
Player of the game: Fresno State RB Ryan Mathews ran 21 times for 166 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Stat Leaders: Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater, 21-30, 236 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ryan Mathews, 21-166, 1 TD. Receiving: Chastin West, 5-69, 1 TD
UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 11-20, 150 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Derrick Coleman, 10-86. Receiving: Ryan Moya, 3-52
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UCLA might have stayed with Fresno State using smoke and mirrors, but a fact is a fact: the Bruins lost to yet another non-BCS conference team. The running game worked better than it did over the first few games and Kevin Craft was mistake-free. The effort is there and the coaches are doing what they can, but this Bruin team has a long way to go. A bowl game is still possible, but there’s little margin for error. Next week’s game against Washington State is for the season.

Sept. 20
Arizona 31 … UCLA 10
Willie Tuitama threw two touchdown passes to tight end Rob Gronkowski from 22 and four yards out, and Nic Grigsby and Xavier Smith each ran for short scores in the surprisingly easy win for Arizona. The UCLA offense was held to 196 yards and just 11 first downs, with the only Bruin touchdown coming on a one-yard Korey Bosworth fumble return for a touchdown. Arizona converted 7-of-16 third down plays, while UCLA converted just 4-of-17 chances.
Player of the game: Arizona QB Willie Tuitama completed 16-of-29 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arizona - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 16-29, 222 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Nicholas Grigsby, 20-59, 1 TD. Receiving: Delashaun Dean, 5-35
UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 15-31, 81 yds
Rushing: Chane Moline, 11-72. Receiving: Terrence Austin, 5-36
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... UCLA’s offense needs options and it needs to get healthy. Not having top RB Kahlil Bell hurts, Chane Moline isn’t strong enough to carry the running game, while Kevin Craft didn’t do enough throwing the ball down the field to loosen up the Arizona defense. Craft averaged a horrendous 2.6 yards per pass. Until the offense comes around, the defense has to be a rock. Against Fresno State next week, the offensive line needs to get the running game moving.

Sept. 13
BYU 59 ... UCLA 0
It was total and complete domination as Max Hall threw seven touchdown passes, including five in the second quarter. Dennis Pitta (10 and two yards), Austin Collie (two and 37 yards), and Harvey Unga (15 and 6 yards) each caught two touchdown passes and Michael Reed caught the seventh. The Cougars also got a 24-yard Mitch Payne field goal and a 13-yard Wayne Latu scoring run. UCLA managed just 239 yards of total offense and was held to nine yards rushing. The Cougars converted 13-of-17 third down chances and hung on to the ball for 37:36.
Player of the game: BYU QB Max Hall completed 30-of-41 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 23-39, 230 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chase Moline, 7-12 Receiving: Terrence Austin, 8-88
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 27-35, 271 yds, 7 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 17-71. Receiving: Austin Collie, 10-110, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The floodgates were opened and they couldn't be shut. UCLA doesn't have the firepower to keep up with an offense like BYU's once it starts rolling, and the team did nothing to slow things down once they got out of hand. The biggest problem is that nothing went right. There wasn't anything from the passing game, the running game was non-existent, and the defense went bye-bye early on. It's only one game. UCLA has to regroup and not get too down, or else the high-octane attack of Arizona will come up with a repeat performance of Provo.

Sept. 1
UCLA 27 ... Tennessee 24 OT
A wild finish ended when Tennessee PK Daniel Lincoln missed a 34-yard field goal in overtime after UCLA's Kai Forbath nailed a 42-yards on the Bruins' possession. Both offenses struggled through most of the game with UCLA getting its first touchdown on a blocked punt for a touchdown from Sean Westgate, while Tennessee picked off Kevin Craft four times with Nevin McKenzie returning a pick 61 yards for a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the first half. And then the quarterbacks got hot in the final eight minutes with UCLA marching 70 yards in nine plays with Ryan Moya catching a three-yard touchdown pass for a three-point UCLA lead with 27 seconds to play. But Tennessee would come back with Daniel Lincoln nailing a 47-yard field goal to force overtime.
Player of the game: UCLA QB Kevin Craft completed 25 of 43 passes for 269 yards and a touchdown with four interceptions
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 19-41, 189 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 13-96. Receiving: Gerald Jones, 4-40
UCLA - Passing: Kevin Craft, 25-43, 269 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Raymond Carter, 15-14, 1 TD. Receiving: Ryan Moya, 7-6,5, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The key will be to keep the emotion of the win over Tennessee and carry it into the key date with BYU two weeks later. The team needs to get healthy, but too many key players are going down. The other big issue is the running game, which was non-existent against the Volunteers. This is going to be a work in progress, and although this was a big win that'll get the fan base and the program fired up, there will be plenty of ups and downs with so many injuries and so many holes.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Rahim Moore DB 6-2, 185 Los Angeles, CA (Dorsey)
SuperPrep All-American. Scout.com first-team All-American. EA Sports third-team All-American. Rated No. 4 defensive back nationally by SuperPrep. SuperPrep Far West Defensive Player of the Year. Ranked No. 4 player in his region (California/Hawaii/Nevada) by SuperPrep. Earned five stars from Scout.com. Ranked No. 2 nationally and No. 1 in the West and in California at safety by Scout.com. Rated No. 4 player in California by Scout.com. Ranked No. 32 player nationally by Scout.com. PrepStar Dream Team selection. Rated No. 33 prospect nationally by PrepStar. Ranked No. 9 safety by ESPN. L.A. Times All-Star team at defensive back. Played in Army All-Star Game. Helped Dorsey reach City Section semifinals. Can play cornerback or safety. Made 112 tackles, six interceptions, 10 deflections and three fumble recoveries as a senior. Also played receiver, making 15 catches for 339 yards and six touchdowns. As a junior, recorded 100 tackles and seven interceptions. Made 89 tackles and eight interceptions in 2005.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Kevin Craft, QB 6-4 220 Valley Center, CA
Named first-team All-America/California and State Offensive Player of the Year by JC Athletic Bureau - California Community College Football Coaches Assn. Named California Region IV Offensive Player of the Year by JC Athletic Bureau. Earned five stars from Scout.com, one of just five quarterbacks, high school or junior college, with that rating. Rated No. 1 junior college quarterback nationally by Scout.com. Craft has two seasons of eligibility remaining. In 2007, he completed 313 for 511 passes (61.3%) for 4,231 yards, 44 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Led his team to a 10-3 record.

Jeff Locke P/PK 6-1, 185 Glendale, AZ (Mountain Ridge)
Parade All-American. EA Sports first-team All-American. Scout.com first-team All-American. Ranked No. 1 kicker by ESPN. PrepStar All-American. SuperPrep All-American. Ranked No. 5 player in Arizona by SuperPrep. Selected for Under Armour All-America Game. Earned four stars from Scout.com. Ranked No. 1 nationally at punter by Scout.com. Rated No. 11 player in Arizona by Scout.com. As a senior, he made 11 field goals, including a long of 63 yards, did not miss a PAT and put 87 percent (47 of 54) of his kick-offs into the end zone as a junior. He also averaged 43.3 yards per punt - with a long of 71 yards - and has a superb hang time. As a junior, he made all seven of his field goals and averaged 43 yards per punt.

Rest of the Class

Jeff Baca	OL	6-4, 280	Mission Viejo, CA
Connor Bradford	OL	6-5, 270	Palmdale, CA
Donovan Carter	LB	6-1, 227	Lake Balboa, CA
Derrick Coleman	RB	6-0, 218	Fullerton, CA
Nick Crissman	QB	6-3, 193	Huntington Beach, CA
Aundre Dean	RB	6-1, 210	Katy, TX
Anthony Dye	DB	5-11, 185	Corona, CA
Johnathan Franklin	ATH	5-10, 181	Los Angeles, CA
Cory Harkey	TE	6-4, 240	Chino Hills, CA
Aaron Hester	DB	6-0, 180	Compton, CA
Damien Holmes	DE	6-3, 250	Colton, CA
Jerry Johnson	WR	6-3, 187	Venice, CA
Datone Jones	DE	6-5, 250	Compton, CA
Milton Knox	RB	5-9, 200	Lake Balboa, CA
Patrick Larimore	LB	6-3, 230	Newhall, CA
Jeff Locke	P/PK	6-1, 185	Glendale, AZ
Rahim Moore	DB	6-2, 185	Los Angeles, CA
Antwon Moutra	WR	6-3, 187	Culver City, CA
Kevin Prince	QB	6-2, 185	Encino, CA
Nelson Rosario	WR	6-4, 202	Oceanside, CA
Sean Westgate	LB	5-11, 205	Oak Park, CA
E.J. Woods	DB	6-1, 205	Culver City, CA

2007 Recap

Recap: With 20 starters back from a team that beat USC a year ago, the Bruins 6-7 mark qualified them as one of the biggest underachievers of the year, costing Karl Dorrell his job.  Although injuries to quarterbacks certainly played a part in UCLA’s disappointing results, the program often missed its mark even when either Ben Olson or Patrick Cowan was healthy.  The Bruins did finish over .500 in Pac-10 play, feasting on the bottom of the league, and catching Oregon State and Oregon at opportune times in the season.         

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Brandon Breazell

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Bruce Davis

Biggest Surprise: Very little made sense around Westwood this season.  On Oct. 20, the Bruins rebounded from an inexcusable loss to Notre Dame to hand No. 10 Cal its second straight loss.  UCLA got a big day from RB Kahlil Bell and a 76-yard pick six from CB Alterraun Verner as the Bears drove for the win that qualified as the play of the year for the Bruins.    

Biggest Disappointment: On national television, UCLA had the indignity of becoming Notre Dame’s first victim on Oct. 6.  In an utterly hideous performance that began the Bruins’ headaches at quarterback, they managed just 140 yards and two field goals, committing more turnovers than points scored with freshman walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson calling signals.

Looking Ahead: It’s the dawn of a new day at UCLA, as former quarterback and assistant Rick Neuheisel replaces Dorrell.  Although he’s had success at this level before, he’s also inheriting a roster that’ll be missing a ton of last year’s regulars.  If Neuheisel can get Olson to finally max out his potential, he’ll be off to a nice start in his return to the Pac-10.