Football Preview: Chemistry Lesson

While vacationing in Hawaii this summer, perhaps UCLA Head Coach
Bob Toledo put down Patton (which inspired him to rally the troops
during last year’s slide) and picked up Mao’s Little
Red Book.

Last year at this time all the talk was about 23 superstar
seniors and aspirations to greatness. This year, it’s all
about the communal whole.

“Our goals are team unity and to win the upcoming
game,” Toledo said. He decided to pick the goals himself this
year, rather than let the players vote as in years past. In an
attempt to develop team chemistry, Toledo moved fall camp from the
UCLA campus to Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

“It’s a great chance to bond, to develop that
camaraderie, that family atmosphere. Sometimes there there can be
distractions. By getting them away from their cars, their
apartments, and their girlfriends, we can get closer
together.”

Toledo did not rule out off-field bonding activities and said he
would have nightly team meetings and wanted to show the players
some video clips, but would not go into further detail. As for the
players, they foresaw male bonding in slumber parties and rap
sessions.

“Most humbly, I would say I am the best rapper on the
team,” said sophomore strong safety Jibril Raymo. He
acknowledged, however, that incoming freshman wide receiver Idris
Moss impressed teammates with his 2Pac rendition.

When asked about their goals for the season, they all toed the
party line.

“Team unity,” senior left tackle Bryce Bohlander
said.

“Team unity,” senior punter Nate Fikse said.

“Team unity and to win the upcoming game,” senior
cornerback Ricky Manning, Jr. said.

Well, perhaps not everyone has read Toledo’s Book.

“We all have the same goal. To win the national
championship,” said one player who preferred to remain
anonymous after being reminded that the consensus goal was team
unity and to win the upcoming game ““ and only the upcoming
game.

He may not need his own copy of Toledo’s Book since Big
Brother will be watching out. Toledo has formed an advisory council
of players who teammates can go to with problems, or who can police
their teammates when they see trouble brewing.

“You talk about chemistry and attitude; two of the
problems that we had off the field affected this football team
(last year),” Toledo said. “When you had as many
seniors as we had and as many good football players as we had who
are going to go onto all-star games and professional football, they
start focusing on the future and forget about now.

“If there is one thing I failed to do it was to get them
back (after the loss to Stanford).”

The advisory council consists of seven seniors ““ Manning,
Fikse, tackle Mike Saffer, defensive end Rusty Williams,
quarterback Cory Paus, wide receiver Ryan Smith, linebacker Marcus
Reese, tight end Mike Seidman ““ along with sophomore tailback
Manuel White and a freshman who Toledo has not yet chosen.

Halfway through camp, the biggest problem the advisory council
had dealt with was an over-abundance of Gatorade and a comparative
dearth of water. But given last year’s events, its role could
be more serious.

“This advisory council is really the leadership of our
football team because there are no team captains, just game
captains,” Toledo said.

Whether the advisory council can help develop elusive chemistry
remains to be seen.

“It means more when your teammates pick you. I’ve
never been on a team without team captains. But I believe in his
(Toledo’s) coaching style,” Williams said. “I
don’t need to be the guy who does the coin toss to be a
leader.”

And Paus does not need to be the starting quarterback to be a
leader either. Although Toledo refuses to name a starting
quarterback until the week of the season opener, he has given every
hint it will be Paus.

“Cory has no greater backer than me. I’m very proud
of the way he’s handled himself,” Toledo said.

Paus’ two DUI offenses and an inconsistent year on the
field, where he threw as many interceptions as touchdowns (8) and
was seventh in the Pac-10 in pass efficiency, shook the faith of
his coach and fans. But the team has expressed full support of the
only quarterback on the roster with game experience. Paus knows
that.

“I’m the man in charge of the offense,” Paus
said. “No, that is not hard for me to say. I know where I
stand.”

UCLA will need perfect chemistry and a consistent quarterback
given that it plays the second-toughest schedule in the country,
according to Sports Illustrated.

Although the Bruins had the best defense in the Pac-10 last year
and will be guided again by defensive coordinator Phil Snow, they
lost six defenders to the NFL: defensive linemen Kenyon Coleman,
Ken Kocher and Anthony Fletcher, linebackers Rob Thomas and Ryan
Nece, and safety Marques Anderson.

Offensively, the team finished seventh in the Pac-10, generating
388 yards per game. They lose one of the best rushers in school
history in DeShaun Foster.

Yet they have that magic Pac-10 champion ingredient: a senior
quarterback, as well as an experienced offensive line and a
talented group of receivers, tight ends and backs.

Looking at special teams, the Bruins return both punter Nate
Fikse and kicker Chris Griffith.

UCLA is picked to finish sixth in the Pac-10 this year and is
quick to remind people that last time it was picked to finish sixth
it went to the Rose Bowl. To repeat that feat, however, UCLA will
need good chemistry ““ and good luck.

“We were 7-4. That is not a good year,” Toledo said.
“A lot of people would love to be 7-4 but we did not go about
it the right way.”