Dorrell’s 22 should steal the show in Las Vegas

I’m not too much of a gambling man, although I do believe
Texas Hold ‘Em is a true sport because it’s televised
on ESPN. I would have said that Karl Dorrell’s emotionless
glare for most of the season made him the greatest bluffer in the
world.

But while many of you may be overlooking Wyoming, I’d be
willing to bet that Dorrell isn’t expecting any kind of poker
face to help get his team past the Cowboys from up north.

In all honesty, I’m not exactly thrilled about this
matchup, especially given that an Insight Bowl berth would have
been Dorrell’s revenge opportunity against Notre Dame for
firing close friend Ty Willingham. UCLA is not exactly heading
toward a climatic finish in the Las Vegas Bowl, going from facing
No. 1 USC and nearly eking out a win to facing a 6-5 Wyoming team
in the season’s finale.

How bad is it?

Collegefootballnews.com ranks it as the second-worst bowl
matchup, even worse than the potential classic in the Silicon
Valley, Northern Illinois versus Troy.

I don’t even know where Troy is.

But that much aside, given the demeanor and type of team UCLA
has grown to become, odds are that the Bruins won’t overlook
their bowl matchup, like they did a year ago in the Silicon Valley
loss to Fresno State. In the context of the entire season, this
team has grown, matured and, yes, united in the face of doubters
and naysayers.

They came into the season picked to finish a quiet eighth in the
Pac-10. But they made some noise, finished fifth and nearly pulled
off the upset of the year.

They came into the season with a brand-new defensive line, as
well as an offense that was among the nation’s worst last
year. But the defense has more than been adequate for the new
high-octane offense.

They entered games like Stanford and Oregon with low
expectations. But they promptly shut out the Cardinal and upset
Oregon to become bowl-eligible.

It’s like the last scene in “Ocean’s
11,” when they’re all standing around the Bellagio
fountain, and the camera pans across each of the faces of the
actors, not necessarily thinking about the money, but about what it
took as a team to get the job done.

Dorrell’s 22 could easily do the same. You’d pan
from Junior Taylor, who made huge strides against USC, to Marcedes
Lewis, quickly becoming a top redzone option, to Spencer Havner,
who has always had a nose for the big play.

You could pan from Dorrell to defensive coordinator Larry Kerr
to offensive coordinator Tom Cable, and reflect on the big strides
they’ve made as a coaching staff this season. It’s a
far cry from the aura that surrounded the program entering the
Silicon Valley Classic a year ago.

But if UCLA is upset by the Cowboys, those naysayers will be
back in full force. Recruiting will be more difficult than ever.
And any national respect gained from the last two games against
Oregon and USC will be lost.

Here’s a case of “what happens in Vegas, gets known
everywhere.”

Wyoming is thrilled to be in the Las Vegas Bowl. This was a team
that was expected to win maybe three games at the beginning of the
year, and doubled that total. Like UCLA, they have something to
prove and are trying to gain some national respect. It’s a
team and fan base that is excited about its first bowl game in 11
years. With UNLV in their conference, the Cowboys know the rules
about playing football games in Vegas: football first, Cirque du
Soleil later.

If UCLA comes fully prepared and focused, the question might not
even be whether UCLA wins or loses, but rather whether the Bruins
cover the spread. UCLA is currently favored by 12 points, and
considering the nature and heart of this team, I do like UCLA to
cover that spread.

But hey, like I said, I’m not too much of a gambling
man.

Let Bruce know your favorite gambling movie at
[email protected].