UCLA stays strong with right attitude

With UCLA on the road, the Bruin faithful can at least turn off
the television if the game gets out of hand.

Playing in Oregon’s sold-out Autzen Stadium where they
hadn’t won since 1997, without star tailback Maurice Drew,
and following a puzzling loss to Washington State, this one had
blowout written all over it for the Bruins.

Then something strange happened.

The Bruins made big plays in key situations, dominated the line
of scrimmage and did not commit any momentum-killing penalties.

They controlled the clock to keep their defense off the field.
They completed high-percentage screen passes and slants. They
played opportunistic defense and depended on strong kicking to win
a close game. This was the formula the Bruins needed to follow all
season, and it worked to perfection on Saturday.

In a game where it would have been so easy to cave in to the
naysayers, particularly after the Ducks’ opening touchdown
drive, the Bruins instead executed their game plan, something UCLA
fans have not been accustomed to seeing in November.

This impressive team effort has got to make you wonder, what
motivates this year’s team?

Is it the possibility of playing in a second-tier bowl game
against a mediocre Mountain West program? Or quieting the critics
who consistently disparage their inconsistent effort? Or how about
playing for themselves?

This year’s team has never given up under any
circumstances. Sure, they have been beaten by costly mistakes and
more talented teams, but they will play hard every week because
they refuse to let each other down.

“(Qualifying for a bowl) is a big deal, but it’s not
so much as just seeing how our team comes together,” safety
Jarrad Page said. “No matter how much we go through,
we’re always going to come back together.”

And that resilient work ethic is what keeps me watching
regardless of how dim the prospects appear.

Like most of you, I smelled the beginning of the end following
Oregon’s first touchdown. The Ducks were only one big play
away from icing the game and essentially UCLA’s season.

Instead, UCLA cornerback Trey Brown intercepted an errant pass
for a 43-yard touchdown return to spark the team to victory.

I was stunned, but then again, we should have known this team
would find a way to surprise us one more time before the season
ended.

They first shocked us with a shutout over Stanford, only to
follow it up with a very disappointing first half in their loss to
Washington State. But they have never backed down or given up on
their season.

I have long thought that a team that plays hard and accepts
moral victories takes on the identity of a loser. Having strong
character means little on the field if you don’t have enough
talent to win.

But the reason this team can finish above .500 is not because of
its talent; It’s because of its relentless attitude.

How many times has Manuel White taken on an extra tackler for
another yard? How often does Spencer Havner tackle someone
else’s man downfield?

This unbending effort is the reason I will watch the
team’s final games. Saturday’s win was not a moral
victory like other road games have become. Dorrell has a penchant
for talking about his team’s improvement and strong
character, even though the results don’t necessarily show
it.

Yet Saturday’s result showed something Dorrell’s
postgame quotes usually don’t. It was a convincing win over a
confident Oregon program by a group of players who didn’t
cave in or listen to the cynics.

All they did was play for themselves, and that formula worked to
perfection.

E-mail Petersen at [email protected].