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How long until the Rose Bowl P.A. system starts blaring "Hell's Bells" when Kahlil Bell enters the game?
Bruin fans were surprised when the UCLA Depth Chart came out last week, listing Bell and Chris Markey as co-starters at Tailback. But we told you that at the scrimmage, Bell was one tough mo-fo, who could NOT be dragged down by any ONE defender.
Well, now everyone knows why Bell has been elevated. At Stanford Stadium on a sweltering Saturday afternoon, Bell gained more than 10 yards per carry, ending up with 196. And on every carry, he refused to go down on first contact. It now takes a gang tackle to bring him down. He also showed some ability to put some distance between himself and the line of scrimmage: His longest carry was 59 yards.
While Bell's stunning effort captivated the crowd, what REALLY made them happy was the ability of Ben Olson and the Bruins to CLOSE OUT DRIVES.
Last year, the Bruins had to settle for way too many Field Goals. This year, that is not a viable option, and that was exhibited by Kai Forbath missing two of three chip shots on Saturday. But the point quickly became moot, when Olson shook off the first-game rust, and started finding his open targets.
Olson finished 16 for 29 for 286 yards and no Interceptions. He didn't fumble, and he got sacked only once (plus a Grounding call). But it was the 5 TD's that made Olson a Finalist for National Player of the Week honors. Olson hit Pat Cowan for 2, the second covering 77 yards, and Brandon Breazell, Gavin Ketchum, and Dominique Johnson each caught 1 TD a piece.
The Bruin Defense did its part, forcing an early turnover (that was NOT cashed in), and generally frustrated new Coach Jim Harbaugh's game plan.
Reggie Carter led the team with 10 tackles, and was all over the field (in a good way). Trey Brown also stood out, with his wet blanket pass coverage and a strip of the QB, which Bruce Davis recovered. The Defense gave up 331 yards in the air, but a lot of that was while Stanford was down by three scores. If you HAVE to pin blame anyway, give it to the Front Four, not the Secondary. The D-Line did not pressure the Stanford QB -- Only on blitzes were his passes forced.
But obviously, there is nothing to worry about, as Coach Walker is sure to make the proper adjustments before next week. He certainly has all the talent he needs. And if the Offense continues to roll up 624 yards a game, there is SERIOUSLY nothing to worry about.
And speaking of talent, the "new" Spirit Squad debuted on Saturday, and all we can say is "we told you so." Somehow, they managed to withstand the brutal heat and complete lack of shade, and never lost their zeal, even when the game was well in hand. It's a good thing that they aren't PLASTIC like their counterparts from the Dark Side, or they would have melted all over Palo Alto.
And speaking of having things well in hand, below is a 18-pic photo-report from Saturday's blowout, with plenty of Game Action, just in case you don't like Spirit. And if you REALLY don't like our old "kick" shots, then there's a special shot for you (the 16th one down; call it a "tribute," from some tailgating fans before the game).
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