UCLA Football Midseason Progress Report

We've reached the halfway point of the 2006 UCLA football season, and although the team has left much to be desired in certain aspects of the game, overall the team has achieved its reasonable preseason expectations. No one in their right mind could expect duplicate results of last season's miraculous season, as this team lacks the experience and talent to attain equitable success. There have definitely been bright spots and low spots in the season and it's time to take a look at them all (broken down by position).

Coaching
I don't think I've ever fully understood the importance of coaching until this season. While Coach Karl Dorrell has performed to his usual capacity - excellent team performances, puzzling clock management and decision-making, and decent personnel decisions - the story of the season has been the complete transformation of the defense under new coordinator DeWayne Walker. What once was an absolute sieve has become a fierce, aggressive, attacking machine. Considering the Bruins lost some of their best defenders from last year (Havner, Page, the overrated London, etc.), it's amazing how good they've become. They swarm the ball, tackle, and play with purpose.

Offensive coordinator Tom Svoboda has left much to be desired, though admittedly the personnel has been somewhat difficult to deal with. With no gamebreaking weapons and nagging injuries across the squad, it's been difficult to open up the playcalling to what would utilize the Bruins' talents most effectively.

Offense
Overall, the unit has definitely struggled. Neither quarterback - Ben Olson nor Pat Cowan - has firmly grabbed control of the reins, though both have had difficult challenges. The offense's struggles have centered upon two main struggles - red zone conversions (into touchdowns) and a balanced attack. Too many times (highlighting the Washington game) the Bruins have settled for field goals because of their inability to punch it into the end zone. Likewise, an unbalanced attack of either running or passing success (but not both) has been a microcosm for the entire season. To improve, the offensive line really needs to start controlling the line of scrimmage consistently and allow Cowan to effectively run the playaction that the Bruins desperately need.

QB: Ben Olson started off spectacularly against Utah, setting unreasonable expectations for the big redhead. The truth is that Olson has been extremely inconsistent - he has been unable to make easy throws and doesn't have enough command of the offense to fully open up the playbook and challenge downfield. He has the physical attributes, but with the recent injury, it will take at least an entire summer to really start to realize his potential.

Olson's backup, the capable Pat Cowan, has been thrown into the fire. Personally, I feel Cowan offers more to UCLA right now. While lacking in physical attributes, Cowan is more mobile and knowledgeable offense. He also has some of the improvisational skills and leadership qualities that Olson has yet to show. Unfortunately for Cowan, with Olson's tremendous reputation and the upcoming slate of difficult games, he's unlikely to get a fair assessment from misinformed Bruins fans who focus more on reputation than results.

RB: Admittedly, this position has been a disappointment. Chris Markey, while serviceable and productive, lacks the gamebreaker potential that his predecessor, Maurice Drew, possessed. However, the major disappointment has been Khalil Bell. His downhill running style, which complements Markey's slashing style so well, has been largely ineffective, though much of the blame can be placed upon the offensive line's shoulders. Michael Pitre is definitely an all-conference blocker, and Chane Moline has showed toughness between the tackles that neither Bell nor Markey have displayed.

WR: While it was obvious the Bruins had no true go-to receivers, the receiving corps was expected to be decent enough to cover for quarterback inexperience. Senior Matt Willis and Junior Brandon Breazell have been the only two to play up to their potential; meanwhile, Junior Taylor and particularly Marcus Everett have really struggled to get going. Joe Cowan's injury certainly hasn't helped. All in all, it's been a disappointing campaign for these wideouts.

TE: Logan Paulsen and Ryan Moya (out for the year) have both shown flashes of excellence over the first half of the season. Each has better hands than many of the wide receivers and were favorite targets of Olson. Unfortunately, with injuries to the rest of the depth chart (Hair, Holland - go Tyler!), it's been a makeshift unit with Will Snead seeing time. Yikes.

OL: Again, like the rest of the offense, the offensive linemen have been inconsistent. While the pass blocking has generally been fairly solid (save the Oregon game, where Pat Cowan was constantly blitzed to hell), the run blocking has been very inconsistent. UCLA's best blocker, Shannon Tevaga, hasn't been dominating opponents. The rest of the line - Chris Joseph, Robert Chai, Alexi Lanis and Noah Sutherland - has been unable to generate consistent holes for Markey and Bell. And when Lanis went down in the Oregon game and Brian Abraham was inserted, Cowan saw more turf than the grounds crew.

Defense
The real joy in this season has been watching the defense beat up on mediocre opponents. I say that half jokingly, but the truth is that there is a definite difference in watching this unit. They swarm the ball, they attack constantly and never give up on a play. While they were picked apart early by the spread offense and mobile QB's (Oregon, Washington), they've made adjustments and generated tremendous stability. Beyond this, the unit has even made big plays of its own (interceptions, fumbles, TDs), and become a weapon.

DL: The biggest weakness of last year's team has become this season's greatest strength. Justin Hickman has been arguably the team's MVP, with surprising speed - he's UCLA's most NFL-ready player (save Justin Medlock). However, the biggest surprise of the entire team has to be Bruce Davis, the undersized defensive end whose relentless pursuit and nonstop motor have terrorized opposing quarterbacks. His speed and pursuit best embody DC Walker's philosophy better than anyone else. Meanwhile, anchor Kevin Brown and the rest of the gang - Kenneth Lombard, Nikola Dragovic, Brigham Harwell - have kept opposing ground attacks under control (except for Oregon).

This unit is definitely the biggest strength of this year's team. They are undersized, but quick and pursue the ball nonstop. Walker's aggressive philosophy has transformed this squad into a mean, ball-hawking machine.

LB: Losing the top three linebackers is never easy, but Christian Taylor's leadership, grit, and determination have helped this unit grow quickly. The heart and soul of the defense, Taylor has enabled Aaron Whittington and Reggie Carter assimilate quickly. The linebackers are terribly undersized (Taylor at a modest 220, the others around the same or a little less), but fit Walker's scheme extremely well. They pursue and cover well, chase the ball and wrap up effectively. Taylor's effect on the entire defense as a whole cannot be underestimated; his return to the field in the Oregon unit helped settle down a defense that had been burned repeatedly on its first few drives. His awareness and football instincts make up for his lack of physicality.

DB: Trey Brown has been the ultimate shutdown corner this season. When I remarked "they don't throw at Trey anymore," and Trent Edwards decided it'd be a good idea to test #23, Trey came up with a huge pick. In addition to shutting down the opposition's best receiver, he hits harder than some of the LB's and has delivered a few of the season's most bone-rattling hits. He's everywhere.

Rodney Van has had tackling problems (Washington) that look to have been rectified, but the real intriguing development of the unit has been Alterraun Verner (Verner the Burner or ATV). While he definitely has the inconsistencies of a 17-year old and gambles a bit too much for my liking, he also has jumped two hitch routes for two TD's, and has a flare for the big play that no other defender has on this unit. He's even been tackling well, and made the loss of Michael Norris much more tolerable. In a few more years, he could easily turn into UCLA's version of Cal All-conference Daymeion Hughes (just watch - I felt very strongly about Hughes as a freshman and look where he is now).

Dennis Keyes and Chris Horton have each been solid, if unspectacular in the safety position. Neither is suited to be a free safety - both are pure hitters that chase the ball well, but cannot defend the passing game particularly well. Still, they've definitely become a more integral part of the defense than last season's Larry Kerr-guided version.

Special Teams
The special teams unit has its standouts - Justin Medlock - and its underachievers - the punt return game. Medlock has been outstanding in the field goal game, giving the Bruins its most consistent form of offense. His kickoffs, however, haven't quite been as strong as last season. Punter Aaron Perez has improved from horrible to merely mediocre. Special teams coverage has even taken on some of the defense's attitude, getting after return men.

Returning the ball has been a bit of a problem for UCLA fans accustomed to MJD's huge returns. Fumbling issues have plagued Terrence Austin, Marcus Everett, and Chris Markey. Jeremy McGee has yet to break any huge returns, and plainly, with the offense struggling, the Bruins need as much as they can get from the return game.

Conclusions
In conclusion, the UCLA Bruins have underachieved in some aspects (offensively) and been surprisingly good in others (defensively). I think the most important aspect to remember with this team is that it is extremely young and will improve with time. They will undergo some significant tests (starting with Oregon last week and extending to @Notre Dame, Wash. St, @Cal, and eventually USC). If UCLA can win at either ND or Cal, it has to be considered a decent season. Those two games are extremely difficult.

Anyway, it is important to be patient with this squad. Both Cowan and Olson are young and will only get better with time. It's also necessary to maintain an objective eye on this squad - there are very few established reputations, and we should bestow praise upon performance, not expectations and hype.

Likewise, UCLA fans have been patient with Dorrell despite several mediocre seasons, and many will undoubtedly call for his head after this one. While I feel Dorrell is as bad a clock manager as I've ever seen, and may lack some of the visible fire that a certain crosstown douchebag rival of a coach may have, Dorrell simply does things his own way. Given the circumstances of this year's team, he has met expectations of this season. If he doesn't improve, then we can talk.