Having Fun...

I have to say, even though UCLA made its fair share of mistakes on Saturday, it was fun watching that crazy shoot out finish. The prior 6 quarters of football ( 2nd half of BYU and the entire Utah game) were just down right painful to watch. This week we had running touchdowns, passing touchdowns, a kick return for a TD, a punt return for a TD (that was called back.. aggh!), and a pick-6. Plus two trick plays in one game! Be still my beating heart!

Saturday also saw another page added to the mythology of Pat Cowan. With only one week of practice under his belt, he cobbled together a gutsy effort. His finaly numbers ( 17-30 (56%), 1 TD, 1 INT, 147 yards passing, 10 yards rushing ) don't tell the story of timely competitions and opportune scrambles that kept alive crucial drives. Pat didn't complete a lot of passes but he completed passes when the team needed them. Just when it looks like we might have a viable option to Ben, Pat tears his MCL and will more than likely miss a lot of games this year (the MRI today will give the definitive word).

Welcome back Chris Markey! Where have you been the last three weeks? Markey's 198 yards and 1 TD were sorely needed, especially with the quarterback depth getting scary thin. I was also glad to see Bell get the starting nod. His final numbers were not as impressive ( 109 yards and 1 TD) but he is emerging as the work horse back for this team. If the offensive line can continue to provide them holes then this two-headed monster could really emerge as a force.

Like a swig of Pepto Bismo, the victory yesterday makes you feel at least a little bit better about the program right now. But, at the same time, you know that the underlying problem could rear its ugly head again. The 10 penalties did their best to kill Bruin drives and keep the Huskies in the game. The play calling and game plan were great in my opinion, but it makes you scratch your head and wonder why we didn't bring that cram-it-down-your-throat style last week against a Utah squad vulnerable against the run. This team seems to show up some weeks and not others and the roller coaster ride called UCLA football doesn't look like it is going to end anytime soon.

If they didn't have all those mistakes then the Bruins could have really dominated that game. Pretty impressive considering that Washington is turning out to be a very good team. Jake Locker is the real deal and it is scary to think that kid is only a freshman. I think, at the end of the season, we'll look back at this as a tough, solid win. Up next we have Oregon State and a game, on paper anyways, that is absolutely winnable. UCLA has been near perfect at home the last 2+ season (14-1) but awful when playing outside the Rose Bowl ( 6-8). The game is up in Corvallis this year and I can't say I'm confident that we'll win. We'll just have to strap-in, pull down the safety bar and enjoy the ride.