Breakdowns on defense gave victory away to USC

  Jeff Kmiotek  

If there were only two downs in college football, the Bruins
would have done pretty well against USC. Too bad the rule makers
threw in that devastating third one. There was a familiar scene at
the Rose Bowl on Saturday. UCLA’s defense would force the
Trojans into a third and long, only to let USC pick up the first
down anyway.

“We’ve had trouble on third and long all season like
this. Teams just seem to get it out,” said defensive lineman
Sean Phillips. “Some people would blow assignments, some
people just didn’t hustle, and it all came down to
that.”

It wouldn’t have been surprising if the Trojans just
kneeled on the first two downs to set up a long third down. They
are first in the conference in third-down conversions, while the
Bruins are last in stopping them.

“We needed to execute better in terms of third downs, and
we made some mistakes. USC took advantage of them and that’s
how it panned out,” said safety Jason Zdenek.

The series that told the whole story occurred in the third
quarter with the Bruins ahead 28-21. USC needed 11 yards on third
down, and not only did they get it, they got it easily. Tight end
Antoine Harris ran wide-open down the middle of the field to make a
35-yard reception, making it look like the Bruins had four men on
the field.

“Missed assignments on third down were a big
problem,” said safety Audie Attar. “Sometimes the
linebackers didn’t pick up their man, sometimes the safeties
didn’t bracket good enough with their corners.”

And every time it was a momentum-killer. Later in the drive, the
Trojans were pinned into a third-and-ten once again, and like
clockwork, they converted it into a touchdown. Receiver Keary
Colbert ran into the end zone, completely alone to catch a toss
from Carson Palmer ““ the play looked like two guys playing
catch in a backyard. And this was the same Carson Palmer who got
yanked last week at halftime against lowly Washington State. The
same Carson Palmer who had thrown more interceptions than
touchdowns this season. The same Carson Palmer who had been all
hype and no substance this season. Until, of course, he met the
Bruins.

“I am honestly disappointed. That was a terrible defensive
display. Some of it was individuals, some of it was the technique
of what we were trying to do cover-wise. We didn’t do a good
job,” said head coach Bob Toledo.

The Bruins have now given up 348 points this season, the most in
school history. While the offense hasn’t been perfect and
quarterback Cory Paus likes to take the blame, the defensive
breakdowns, especially on third downs, have been the Bruins’
downfall.

“It’s been a problem for a long time now, stopping
people on third down. It’s been our Achilles heel, and
it’s no different right now,” said defensive lineman
Dave Ball.

“We knew what we had to do but we didn’t execute 100
percent,” said Attar. “Coach told us coming in that
this game is always lost, it’s never won. And basically, we
lost it.”