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Sure there were some discouraging aspects to UCLA's 27-17 streak-busting victory over BYU, but the negatives are being over-analyzed to death. Therefore, we prefer to fixate on the positive. The most positive part of the afternoon was the Pre-game Rally. The Girls (and Guys) that we told you about finally made their Home Debut, and they did nothing to knock themselves out of their position as #1 in all of the National Polls.
And did you notice that they ADJUSTED THEIR ROUTINE, apparently IN RESPONSE to YOUR feedback? They mingled more with the crowd before the game, they took photos in different Tailgate areas, and they spent some extra time on the Press Box side of the Rose Bowl.
And we whole-heartedly believe that it is not humanly possible to look at yesterday and today's Photo-Reports without realizing that the UCLA Cheerleaders continue to reign supreme in beauty, timing, and agility.
We didn't want to thoroughly embarass the BYU Cheerleaders by showing you photographic evidence, but you CAN'T BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE. We're not REALLY talking about looks, now, as several of the Cougar Girls were quite cute, But when it came to gymnastic ability, synchronization, concentration, and attentiveness to game developments, it was almost sad. Again, we don't REALLY want to be mean, because they were totally trying their little hearts out. Also, they were NOT intimidated or put off by our camera in the front row, right in front of them. However, after watching them fall out of failed pyramids, and attempt kick lines where everyone was kicking to the beat of a different drummer, we have to remember that in this regard, BRUIN FANS ARE SPOILED ROTTEN, by the best group in the land.
Until they see squads that aren't as talented, people just don't appreciate the Bruins' perfect timing, which comes from intense practice like that of Olympic Synchronized Swimmers. If we get any hate mail from Provo, we might just have to share some of the shots that will make sure that you'll never take the talent of the Bruins' Spirit Squad for granted ever again.
Now back to Football for a minute. One of the complaints about the Bruins on Saturday was their conservative Offense. We'd like to remind everyone that against a team with a vendetta against Ben Olson, and with no viable Back-up on the bench, A CONSERVATIVE GAMEPLAN WAS WISE. The Bruins couldn't afford to let another Arizona cheap shot ruin the whole year, so very few deep drop, long pass patterns were called.
If you think concern about Ben's health was unwarranted, then you weren't paying attention as about a half-dozen Bruins left the field with injuries on Saturday.
Another complaint is with the Defensive Secondary. They are giving up an exorbitant amount of yards through the air, but there is a reason for that as well. The fact is that the Bruin Defense STOPS THE RUN FIRST. This approach has led to big leads in both games, and has thus allowed for lots of passing yards while the opposing team is playing catch-up against a Defense that is protecting a lead.
Your immediate reaction is that Prevent Defense Prevents Winning, and that they should never take a "protecting the lead," non-gambling approach. But this defies years of Football logic. Just like Offenses tend to run more with a lead, Defenses tend to gamble less with a lead as well.
The fact is that the Bruins have more talent in their Secondary than possibly anyone in the Country, and they are being Coached by a Defensive Wizard who is sure to make the necessary adjustments as the season progresses. Now that the season is in full swing, Defensive Coordinator Dwayne Walker will have more game video to analyze, and the Bruins will be ready for each team's patterns and tendencies. Keyes, Horton, Verner, and Brown are not going to get beat as much as their Weekly opponents will, unless Ben Olson has another lackluster performance.
And that's the last thing we're going to discuss today. Everyone is ON Ben, for his weak showing on Saturday. Well, there is definitely some reason to doubt the folks who just threw in the towel on Ben's potential for excellence. Some people are even calling for the return of Pat Cowan to the starting line-up (as soon as he recuperates).
We don't buy this doom and gloom scenario for Ben. First of all, can't someone just have an off-day? With all the pressure of going against the team that he abandoned, there was good reason for Ben to be a little tentative. But even while having a subpar (that's a stupid, back-assward term, being generally used incorrectly) performance, he was still able to WILL the Bruins to victory. The last drive was a courageous exhibition of daring playcalling and gutsy execution under duress. We were shocked that they threw at all in that situation. Hopefully, the fact that it worked will keep Karl Dorrell from nixing that same plan in the future.
And finally, in Olson's defense, there were several dropped passes and mis-run routes, as well as the missed P.I. call that resulted in his only INT. And speaking of INT's, have you noticed that when Olson misses, he misses AWAY from the Defender, JUST LIKE TROY AIKMAN? Any similarity to Aikman is a good thing (until the sc game).
Well, that's enough in the way of logical explanations. If the Bruins don't win in Utah, we might not have one for that.
Below are 15 more photos from Saturday. Please enjoy them responsibly, and perhaps arrange for a Designated Clicker to hold your mouse for you.
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