Dorrell must win the chess match on Saturday

A quick review of the Pac-10 preseason poll shows you how poor
prognosticators we media folk are about football. Sure, we got the
top two teams right, with USC No. 1 and Cal No. 2, but the guy who
never comes out of his room because he is studying and is already
panicking about finals week could have told you that.

But Oregon No. 3? They lost to Indiana! That’s a
basketball school. Arizona State No. 6? The Sun Devils are the No.
19 team in the nation! And lastly, we come to UCLA, who was picked
eighth in the preseason poll. It’s either benefitting from an
easy early schedule or the media has underestimated these gutty
little Bruins. I’m willing to bet it’s a little of
both.

Aside from Oklahoma State, each of UCLA’s opponents has a
losing record. It was exactly what the doctor ordered for this
young and inexperienced Bruin squad to allow them to grow. To quote
Ned Flanders of “The Simpsons”, this schedule has been
“easier to get into than Arizona State!”

That cupcake schedule takes a sharp turn at this juncture of the
season, as UCLA’s next four opponents and five out of its
final six opponents have winning records. It begins this week with
BCS contender Cal, who, with Arizona State and USC out of the way,
appears to have cleared a pathway to a New Year’s Day bowl
game.

In this first true Pac-10 test of the season, we find coach Karl
Dorrell’s first test of his head coaching career. A chess
match if you will between a great coach in Jeff Tedford and a still
unknown in Dorrell. It’s a chance to put not only the UCLA
name out there, but the Dorrell name out there. Will he win? After
watching Cal outplay USC on both sides of the ball and only failing
on special teams, it’s likely going to be a struggle for UCLA
against this Golden Bears team.

The issues Dorrell has at hand:

1) How to take advantage of the banged-up Cal defensive line.
Arizona threw the first wrinkle in UCLA’s run-offense by
putting eight men in the box, effectively shutting down running
backs Maurice Drew and Manuel White. But unlike last year, when the
coaches kept pounding their running backs into a brick wall, Cable
and Dorrell chose to go over that wall with their aerial attack.
But with Cal missing defensive linemen left and right, its starting
lineup is more like a semi-crumbled brick wall. Look for Dorrell to
try to exploit this weakness and assuage fans who missed watching a
solid run-game last week.

2) How to stop the Cal offensive attack. Talk about balance. The
Bears boast one of the top rushing attacks in the nation with J.J.
Arrington. Then add quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who somehow
completed 23 passes in a row against the vaunted USC defense. I
have my doubts about whether UCLA quarterbacks could complete 23 in
a row playing a game of catch. But make no mistake “”mdash; the
Golden Bears will make their mark on the ground against a UCLA
defensive front that has been about as effective as putting out a
fire with a water pistol. But UCLA can control the blaze by making
sure-handed tackles and maybe moving Spencer Havner back to the
inside linebacker position so he can make those plays. It may not
be exactly what UCLA fans are hoping for, but it still might be
enough to give UCLA the chance to win.

3) Finding a wide receiver to replace Craig Bragg. It looks like
the Bruins’ top receiver is out another week, and you can bet
that Cal will be placing a blanket around tight end Marcedes Lewis.
If Cal does put eight men in the box, expect their outside
cornerbacks to cheat to the inside to cover up the seam for the
running backs and tight ends. This means the “˜X’ wide
receivers should have the deep out patterns available provided Drew
Olson can make the throw. If you don’t understand a word I
just wrote, roughly translated, Olson better be able to throw the
football as UCLA’s quarterback.

Without a balanced offensive attack, we could be watching
UCLA’s first blowout loss of the season. If UCLA can move the
ball and get a few stops, the Bruins might be able to outscore the
Golden Bears. Of course, a lot of that falls on how Dorrell handles
the issues. And that will determine who wins the chess match.

A sold-out Memorial Stadium? Tran won’t be able to
believe his eyes. E-mail him at [email protected].