Reviewing ‘The Drive’: Episode 4

Unlike most shows, “The Drive” is unique to review in that the viewer knows pretty much what to expect. Besides the first episode, which focused solely on the team’s fall camp in San Bernardino, all episodes are centered around the previous week’s game, with an accompanying feature piece.

This means that the quality of each episode ends up being largely dependent on how well the show captures the “plotlines,” for lack of a better term, that the audience is anticipating.

It comes as no surprise that this week’s feature piece spotlights one of the Bruins’ resident Texan players – redshirt junior center Jake Brendel.

We first see some clips of the Plano, Texas native driving around on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle and some clips of Brendel’s first days on campus in 2011. While those are interesting moments that give you some insight into Brendel’s personal life, the piece is particularly strong when he actually hits the football field.

The co-offensive captain is clearly the leader of the offensive line, and these clips evidence that. We see Brendel coaching redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kenny Lacy on his handwork and footwork, and later instructing freshman guard NaJee Toran on what to do on a play when the offense sees a particular look from a defense.

One of the best parts of the piece is when Brendel tells redshirt junior defensive lineman Kevin McReynolds how to attack an opposing center when the ball is snapped, showing him where to place his hands, before adding, “Don’t do it on me or I will throat punch you.” That’s exactly what you want out of an offensive lineman.

I was pleased that the show captures what the center, and the offensive line for that matter, does at the line prior to the play. It’s one of the most important and intricate parts of football and it’s usually completely overlooked by the casual fan. It’s the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff die-hard football fans will enjoy and casual fans will learn from.

Texas game coverage

While I appreciate the intention of devoting time to Texas, the show fails to offer anything substantive or insightful about the Longhorns. A lot happens during the week before a game, and if the show is to devote time to an opposing team, it needs to give the audience a compelling reason. It doesn’t this time, as the show fails to capture what makes Texas unique, merely showing the team conducting generic football drills.

You know how I wrote earlier in the review that “The Drive” is largely judged on how well it delivers on the “plotlines” the audience is expecting to see covered? Well, for this week’s game it really couldn’t have been more clear what the show needed to address: Hundley’s injury and Jerry Neuheisel’s clutch performance.

The fourth episode directly addresses both.

On the play Hundley got injured, “The Drive” shows Mora wisely advising his quarterback to go down and stay on the field, allowing for an injury timeout to take place. This clip reminds the audience of a heads-up play by Mora that allowed Neuheisel to get some practice throws and snaps in before entering the game for the first time.

One of the disappointments from the show’s coverage of the games so far has been the lack of context on some plays. For example, the fourth-and-8 play late in the first half, when Texas quarterback Tyrone Swoopes found receiver John Harris for a first down inside the UCLA 10-yard line, is hardly given due emphasis in this episode. The momentum Texas gained from that play is lost in what “The Drive” shows.

At the onset of the second half, we see Brendel demonstrate his leadership and football IQ when he tells redshirt sophomore running back Paul Perkins where to run once Brendel seals off his block on a particular play.

“If you just hit it off the play-side of that one-tech, you’re gone,” the redshirt junior center said to Perkins.

The show then cuts to Perkins taking the opening handoff of the second half up the middle, exactly where Brendel told him to, and sprinting up the field for 58 yards. “The Drive” does a good job of showing how this game-changing play came about, while also appropriately emphasizing how much momentum UCLA gained with it.

But again, I think the show needs to do a better job contextualizing plays. At times, the game footage feels rushed, as evidenced by the truncated highlights of the UCLA defense’s enormous three-and-out following redshirt senior running back Jordon James’ fumble late in the fourth quarter. The sequence of plays happens so quickly that no drama or tension is built. When showing a big moment like that series of downs, I’d like for the show to slow down and really capture what was at stake.

That being said, “The Drive” does spend the appropriate amount of time capturing sophomore linebacker Cameron Judge’s devastating block on a Texas player, which sprung junior cornerback Ishmael Adams’ for his game-changing 45-yard punt return. It is a crushing hit, and one worth the three different angles the show gives us.

Best moments from from end of the game

• Adams telling Neuheisel before the Bruins’ final drive: “Hey, I believe in you, baby. I believe in you.”

• Mora saying “We got it, we got it” well before Neuheisel even throws the ball to junior receiver Jordan Payton for the go-ahead touchdown

• Rick Neuheisel erupting in the Pac-12 Networks’ studio greenroom after watching his son throw the touchdown pass

• Mora being the first person to lift Jerry Neuheisel up in celebration, as the rest of the UCLA team joined in, chanting “Jerry” in the process

• Jerry Neuheisel taking in the moment in the locker room as teammates again chant his name

Final verdict

The Brendel piece is informative and enjoyable. However, the game footage feels rushed at times, though it did have a lot to cover. The show delivers some cool sideline moments and, more importantly, properly captures Jerry Neuheisel’s finest hour.

Episode 4 grade: 4/5

– Jordan Lee