and it fell apart... baby
Fernando
up the gridiron in another conference loss is the theme song from the
Bourne trilogy. For those unfamiliar with the action-packed movies
starring Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, the chorus of the song played as
the credits roll is very simple. “Oh, baby….oh, baby….it fell apart…
it fell apart….oh, baby….oh, baby…it fell apart…it fell apart…”
It has indeed fallen apart for Golden Boy Rick Neuheisel, whose team
has lost four straight conference games, just about all of them
decided by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. Against Arizona
last Saturday, quarterback Kevin Prince took three steps back, looking
dazed and confused throughout the first half. Senior Kevin Craft
fared no better during the second half, and even freshman Richard
Brehaut was called on for mop-up duty, and also to see if he could
possibly get something going. The Bruin defense forced five
turnovers, turning one into a score, but the offense could only turn
them into two field goals. They also failed to sustain any drives,
resulting in the Wildcats getting more snaps and rolling up big
numbers just as everyone else had (Cal, Oregon, Stanford) before them.
Pacific 10
Team Conf. W-L Overall W-L
Oregon 4-0 6-1
Southern Cal. 3-1 6-1
Arizona 3-1 5-2
Stanford 4-2 5-3
California 2-2 5-2
Arizona St. 2-2 4-3
Oregon St. 2-2 4-3
Washington 2-3 3-5
UCLA 0-4 3-4
Washington St. 0-5 1-6
A look at the standings shows that the schedule may have something to
do with our current record, as our four conference opponents are a
combined 20-8, and 13-5 in conference. Also, there are only three
teams in the Pac Ten with sub .500 records, so maybe we’re not as bad
as advertised. Of course, if we lose two or three more, there will be
question that we do, indeed, honestly and truly reek.
After enduring a season of Kevin Craft, Bruin fans couldn’t wait to
get a new man under center; now we’ve found that the alternative is
not necessarily better just because it’s someone different. It’s like
someone who hated his Ford Pinto and traded it in for a Yugo. It is
up to offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who had beautiful mind at USC,
only to become clueless upon his arrival in Westwood; either that or
the caliber of our recruits is a notch or two below our opposition.
With every poor performance, 2010 becomes even more urgent. Coach
Neuheisel is still being given a free pass for ’09, but should the
Bruins fail to make a bowl next year, the alumni may begin looking to
greener pastures.
In 1992, sophomore Wayne Cook was tabbed as the Bruins’ #1 signal
caller; he lasted all of one game before a knee injury sidelined him
for the year. The Bruins inserted Rob Walker behind center, and he
managed victories over BYU and San Diego State before dropping five
straight conference games. Ryan Fein and senior transfer John Barnes
were given opportunities out of desperation, and even though Barnes
blew his first shot, he redeemed himself later in leading the Bruins
to three straight wins at the end of the schedule, including an
improbable 38-37 triumph over ‘SC. (It helped that a sophomore
receiver named J.J. Stokes happened to have his breakout game that
evening.) So the Bruin sandwiched two three-game winning streaks
around a miserable stretch of five losses that year. Could it happen
again? Doubtful, especially with Saturday’s contest at Oregon State.
The Beavers have been better than the Bruins for most of this decade,
and in this conference, middle of the Pac means “better than UCLA.”
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
For those of us who also take an interest in the conference race as a
whole, the Hallowe’en matchup between USC and Oregon is the biggest
game of the season to this point, with the winner becoming the odds on
favorite to wear the crown of conference champion. Arizona only has
one loss, but must still face both the Beavers and Trojans. Should
the ‘Cats survive November without stumbling to face a similar one-
loss Trojan squad, the Arizona – ‘SC game on December 5 becomes the
decisive conference contest. If Oregon takes down Troy, however, the
Ducks v. Wildcats matchup in Tucson suddenly becomes the hot ticket.