Football team anticipates chance for win against Oregon

That was it.

No. 25 UCLA (4-1, 1-0 Pac-10) faces No. 7 Oregon (5-0, 1-0
Pac-10) Saturday with a look back to last year’s game that
they could have ““ should have ““ won. Two of the four
teams that are undefeated in Pac-10 play, UCLA and Oregon, look
forward to a game that could set the tone for both team’s
seasons.

The consequences of an October matchup, only the second Pac-10
game for each team, differ from last year’s November 10th
contest that sealed the fates of both teams.

“I just remember that feeling at the end when we lost.
That’s all I remember,” sophomore defensive back Matt
Ware said.

After two consecutive losses, the Bruins, then 6-2, mounted a
valiant effort against the 8-1 Ducks, despite missing tailback
DeShaun Foster whose suspension had been announced that week. Down
21-20, UCLA missed a 50-yard field goal attempt as time
expired.

“Sitting on the bench, all the defensive backs were
holding hands,” Ware added. “We watched the field goal
go up and it didn’t go through. We were like, “˜I
thought we had it. That was it.'”

That was it. Having escaped with a victory, Oregon went on to
win the conference and finish No. 2 in the country. UCLA stumbled
to a sixth-place Pac-10 finish, knowing they were a few “what
ifs” from beating Oregon.

“Most of our (UCLA v. Oregon) games have been like that
for whatever reason,” Oregon head coach Mike Belloti said.
“last year was a tremendous football game. It came down to
one play and I’m not sure we had much to do with
that.”

The champion looks a bit different this year without poster boy
(and current Detroit Lions’ quarterback) Joey Harrington. But
the Ducks are 5-0 in the hands of junior quarterback Jason Fife and
senior tailback Onterrio Smith. Smith, who leads the Pac-10 in
rushing with 122.4 yards per game, is possibly the best running
back in the nation. He faces a Bruin defensive line missing junior
defensive tackle Rodney Leisle (foot surgery) and junior defensive
end Dave Ball (who will miss the first half due to ejection).

“You can probably win this conference with one loss, but
you are probably out of it with two losses. Our goal is not to get
out of it,” Toledo said.

Oregon receivers senior Keenan Howry and junior Samie Parker
will pose a challenge for the young secondary. UCLA’s success
may depend partly on sophomore safety Ben Emanuel’s health
after a neck stinger in last week’s game. Sophomore Jibril
Raymo will start at free safety in his place.

“The Oregon offense has consistently been one of the best
in our league,” said defensive coordinator Phil Snow whose
defense held the Ducks almost 14 points below their scoring average
last season.

For UCLA’s offense, the challenge comes in the form of an
eight-man front that will try to stop redshirt freshman Tyler Ebell
in his first start. Oregon’s defense returns six starters
from last season. The Bruins could exploit the Ducks young corners,
5-foot-9-inch junior Steven Moore, and 5-foot-8-inch true freshman
Aaron Gipson. They should be physically overmatched by senior tight
end Mike Seidman, 6-foot-6-inches and junior receiver Tab Perry,
6-foot-3-inches and Craig Bragg, 6-foot-1-inch.

Coming off a 43-35 win at Oregon State last week, the Bruins
appear to be clicking on offense but gave up some costly
“sudden-change” plays defensively. Oregon is on a
similar high after a 31-14 victory over Arizona following a soft
non-conference schedule including I-AA Portland State.

After a year of wondering “what if,” the Bruins have
a chance to take a win they thought was theirs, and earn respect
with an upset.

“We let a big game slip, and we can’t do that this
year,” said senior linebacker Marcus Reese who was named
Pac-10 defensive player of the week. “That was a painful
loss.”

This is it.