Bruins’ Oregon Trail will be a trial for football team
UCLA faces No. 1 Oregon tonight in Eugene, Ore. The last time the Bruins defeated a No. 1 team was Jan. 1, 1976 against Ohio State. Both teams are coming off of a bye week.
FOOTBALL
OREGON Today, 6 p.m. Eugene, Ore. ESPN
UCLA takes on No. 1 Oregon on the road in the hostile environment of Autzen stadium.
By Ryan Eshoff
Oct. 21, 2010 1:44 a.m.
The Oregon Trail ““ that historic trek across the country to the Pacific Northwest ““ was by all accounts an exhausting and arduous trek. But it was a journey that, if completed successfully, proved to be enormously fruitful for those who were stalwart enough to see it through to the end.
The task facing UCLA is most definitely a tall one. The Bruins (3-3, 1-2 Pac-10) will travel to Eugene, Ore. tonight to face the newly crowned, top-ranked team in the country. Oregon (6-0, 3-0) has been dominant at worst and untouchable at best thus far in 2010.
“It’s going to be a challenge to deal with them,” UCLA redshirt sophomore linebacker Patrick Larimore said. “I was excited to play them when they were No. 2, but this just adds to it a little bit. It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fun.”
As if matching personnel with one of the nation’s most dynamic rosters wasn’t challenging enough, the Bruins will have to deal with one of the most hostile environments in the land. Let’s just say that if Lewis and Clark had stumbled into Autzen Stadium, they might have turned back.
“It’s an amazing experience,” redshirt senior offensive tackle Micah Kia said. “I would describe it as being so loud it’s quiet. It gets to a point where there is so much noise that you really don’t hear anything at all. It’s almost peaceful. It actually gets like what they call white noise. It’s almost like being shell-shocked.”
Not only is Autzen a compact stadium with fans that are close to the field, those who attend the game are, according to UCLA redshirt junior linebacker Akeem Ayers, “crazy.” Things tend to get unfathomably loud in the tight stadium, especially when quick-strike Oregon starts to string together big plays.
The Bruins are hoping their previous experience in boisterous locales, such as Kansas State and Texas, can limit the effect of the Autzen factor.
“We’ve got things we do have to talk about, in terms of playing in that environment, that kind of raucous environment,” coach Rick Neuheisel said. “We’re excited about the challenge. It’s certainly a place that’s very proud of their program.”
They certainly have reason be to proud at Oregon, where the team ranks first in the country in scoring offense, third in rushing offense and 16th in scoring defense. The Ducks’ closest game this season came at Arizona State, when they defeated the Sun Devils by a mere 42-31 margin. That contest featured Oregon’s lowest point total of the season.
While Oregon boasts a host of weapons on both sides of the football, its primary stars are sophomore quarterback Darron Thomas and sophomore running back LaMichael James, the latter of whom has already rushed for 848 yards, scored nine touchdowns this season, is averaging 7.4 yards per carry and is widely considered a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender. Together, Thomas and James help lead one of the trickiest and most active attacks in the country.
“They’re a fast-tempoed offense with a mobile quarterback that can run and pass the ball, and two great running backs,” Larimore said. “Lot of speed, lot of team speed.”
In last season’s showdown between the two teams at the Rose Bowl, James rushed for 152 yards but was held out of the end zone. Instead, the Ducks broke the Bruins’ backs with a pair of return touchdowns to start the second half. UCLA led 3-0 at the break, but Oregon’s then-freshman running back Kenjon Barner returned the third-quarter kickoff for a touchdown, and on UCLA’s next play, then-redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince threw an interception that was returned for a score.
A sudden and significant deficit is something that plagued UCLA in its loss to Cal, and it’s something that would be lethal against Oregon. Staying close or even building an early lead on the Ducks would allow the Bruins to stick with their running game, which has been their bread-and-butter when things have been going well.
Trying to get ahead of Oregon early may not be the game’s most difficult task; the Ducks trailed Arizona State 24-14 at one point, and were down to Stanford 21-3. It’s a different kind of Oregon Trail, one which the Bruins would hope to maintain better than the Sun Devils or the Cardinal, who went on to lose 52-31.
“Everyone gets the opportunity to do something,” junior wide receiver Taylor Embree said. “When you’re playing one of the top teams in the country on the road, it’s huge if you can make big plays.”
Playing on a Thursday night in front of a national television audience doesn’t seem to faze the Bruins, who have been consistently inconsistent yet have played some of their best football against their most elite competition. It’s been 34 years since UCLA beat an opponent that was No. 1, and the fact that the matchup is even happening seems to excite this bunch.
“It’s not every day you get to play the No. 1 team in the nation,” redshirt senior F-back Christian Ramirez said.
On a rainy Sunday four days before the clash in Eugene. Neuheisel glanced up at a dreary L.A. sky.
“We were blessed with a little Oregon weather, so hopefully it’ll get us ready to play the No. 1 team in the land,” he quipped.
It may take more than a little rain to dampen what appears to be a little tentative confidence rippling through the Bruins.
“If you ain’t nervous, you ain’t ready,” sophomore running back Damien Thigpen said.
“We’re all looking forward to going up there,” freshman F-back Anthony Barr added. “And shocking the world.”
With reports by Eli Smukler, Bruin Sports senior staff.
