Spring Scrimmage

Just got back from the Spring Scrimmage at the Rose Bowl. All in all, it was a really fun time. The defense dominated but the offense looked better than I expected. I came away feeling pretty good about Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier as quarterbacks. Even Rashaan had some memorable moments.


When I rolled into the old Arroyo Seco, the team was just starting the "Bruin Walk". Good timing! It was cool to see the players make their way down to the stadium. The sad part was seeing Pat Cowan and Ben Olson limping along behind the team. One of the fans asked if Pat needed surgery and he said yes. Bummer. Looks like he is officially done. Coach Neuheisel stopped the scrimmage, near the end, and had Ben and Pat take a standing ovation from the crowd. It must be tough for these guys as Seniors.

The scrimmage started out kind of slow. The offense struggled in the first few series. It was ones vs twos, so Craft and the first string had a bit of an easier time. He put together a nice series on his second (or third, I can't remember) time out. Hitting Logan Paulson across the middle for a big gain. He finished that drive with a Theriot touchdown on a draw. Nice to see the FB and TE getting into the mix. Craft hit Ketchum for a TD on a drive that started in the red zone and he also threw one interception. All in all, a pretty solid performance. I think he'll be a serviceable QB.

Forcier and Rashaan had a harder time. Both had fumbles and some missed snaps. Forcier put together a nice drive, starting at mid field, that ended in a Ramierez touchdown run. He had some crisp passes and he has some speed when he's running. It was a no-hit scrimmage for the quarterbacks, so we really couldn't see how well these two would perform when scrambling. Chris also threw a terrible pick early in the scrimmage that was thrown downfield without an offensive blue jersey in sight. It was sort of a mixed bag from him tonight.

Rashaan struggled the most of the three. He had some problems with the snaps, as you might expect from someone who really hasn't played much at the position this spring. But he did have two "wow" passes. One went to Taylor Embree on a long pass to the far side. That kid made a great catch and I see why people talk about him. The other was a scrimmage ending toss to a walk-on (Pearlman, or something, I forget) that was a perfectly placed ball right over the middle for six. The rest of the time he had "happy feet" and he would take off running before he really needed to.

On defense, Brian Price and Reggie Carter both had good nights. The name that really stood out for me was Courtney Viney. He was involved in a lot of plays and I saw him on the field for a big chunk of the game. He picked off a Kevin Craft pass and broke up some others. He reminds me of Trey Brown. He isn't the biggest kid but he's good at keeping position and getting involved in plays that come his way. He might get picked on early this season, but I think he can handle it.

On the injury front, John Hale was on crutches. Guess he got hurt this last week. Craig Sheppard was pulled from the game early when he got hurt on a play and I guess Glen Love also went out late in the scrimmage. We'll see what happened to those guys tomorrow.

Anyways, enjoy the pictures (sorry, they were taken hastily with my cell phone). The announced attendance was 15K. It was a fun atmosphere and they tried to make it feel as close to a real game as possible. The only difference was that I had great seats on the 50 and got in and out of the Rose Bowl in less than 10 minutes. Ah, if only it could be like that during the season.

(Photo credit: CPBruinFan)

Cowan Likely Done

Well, Pat's time as a Bruin could be done. He has damage to his ACL after injuring his leg in practice Thursday. The doctors have to wait for the swelling to go down before they determine if surgery is necessary. If it is then that's basically all she wrote for Cowan. It can take almost a year to recover from that type of injury and with Pat a red-shirt senior, his days in the blue and gold would be over. Ben Olson may need a screw put into his foot. He broke the bone and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks. Which would make him available for Fall camp if his recovery is on track.

It looks like the rebuilding season may start at quarterback as well. If Olson isn't ready to go or if he hurts himself again for a fourth straight season, then Craft or Forcier will be the starter for the season. Boy, Neuheisel and Chow had some foresight in picking up Kevin Craft. I can almost guarantee that he'll be the starter at some point in this 2008 season.

Cowan in the Lead

So, the big news coming out of Spring practice this week is that Patrick Cowan is in the lead for the quarterback spot. The coaching staff says they haven't settled on him as the starter just yet, but actions speak louder than words. Cowan has taken the majority of the reps with the first string in today's scrimmage and Ben Olson has been relegated to the second team.

Norm Chow had an interesting quote this last week. He said that Cowan has the stronger arm of the two leading quarterbacks. That goes against the conventional wisdom that us Bruin fans have known for the last two season... mainly that Olson was the stronger passer.

Chow tried to downplay the fact that Cowan was getting more time with the first string:

"We're not coming off the mountain making a sermon saying 'This is the anointed guy,'" Chow said. "There is no big master plan. Rick and I have been around quarterbacks long enough that we'll know. The quarterbacks know that there is only one ball."

However, Ben seems to know that his chance of being annointed the starter again for this next season is starting to slip away:

"I wouldn't say it's going well," Olson said. "I felt like I did some good things (Thursday), getting the opportunities that I'm given.

"I'm not where I need to be. I don't think anybody is. We're learning the new stuff and it's going to take time. You're out here watching and you're seeing a lot of mistakes."

After today's scrimmage he had these rather stark and honest assesments about how he thinks things are going:

Olson said he was disappointed not to be given a chance to compete.

According to one Inside UCLA reader, Olson looked lost and hesitant during the scrimmage. Meanwhile, Cowan had a couple nice drives and it sounds like he is impressing the new coaching staff.

I have to say, I gave up on Olson last season. He just doesn't have the quick decision making that Cowan does. Sure, he looks impressive off the field, but the dude just doesn't have it when it comes to real game-time situations. He hesitates and double-pumps a lot. Add that to the fact that he is kind of fragile out there on the field. He gets hurt easily and both knees have been banged up. He wasn't very mobile to begin with but now he's just a liability when the ball is in his hands.

I'm glad to see the coaching staff isn't going on reputation alone. Cowan wasn't highly regarded or recruited coming out of high school but he's proven to be the better player. He's a competitor and without Pat's grit and determination, UCLA would never have beaten USC in 2006 nor Washington and California in 2007. He also has a much, much, much better pocket awareness than Ben. He's better at avoiding the pressure and that's going to be a necessary skill with our limited offensive line talent this season.

If this trend continues, I think we could see Olson transfer this summer. I don't think he'd sit on the bench as a senior. That would leave Craft as a pretty good backup. He's done some good things this spring and I can see him developing even further as he learns more of the offense. Ultimately, whatever happens with the QB depth, I think this team will be just fine with the players that remain. Cowan was my first choice anyways and there are some good young players in the pipeline behind him.

Is Anyone the Answer?

last month, I asked if Ben was the right man for the job at quarterback. Things haven't exactly been peaches-and-creme with the big southpaw. When he was replaced by Pat for the Washington game, I asked if Cowan could be the answer. Now that both are banged up, I'm wondering if anyone can fill the breach? With two weeks to prepare for a huge game against #2 California, coaches Dorrell and Norvell will have to see if they can get someone ready to take control of this offense.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson

Mac has been our backup quarterback the entire season. He was behind Olson for the first two games, then behind Pat for the Washington game, and finally back behind Ben for Oregon State and Notre Dame. However, against the Irish, he sure didn't look like a kid the coaches had been preparing to take the reigns for 6 weeks. I'm sure Mac is a better quarterback than what he showed last Saturday. He was obviously, and understandably, nervous and his confidence must have sunk after the first few turnovers. The coaches didn't exactly put him in a good situation either, placing the burden of moving the team on his shoulders.

Of all the backups, Mac is the most experienced. He got thrown in the deep end of the pool, and almost drowned, but you got to figure he'll only getter better from here. He had a pair of decent drives against the Irish and with a better call on that 4th-and-one (like maybe using our short-yardage back Moline!), he could have at least kept the chains moving on a third.

That being said, I don't think this kid has the skills, at this point, to be a real offensive weapon. He made some poor decisions last week as well, so we'll have to see if he can keep his cool under pressure. He can probably manage a game but I wouldn't expect much more.

Osaar Rasshan

Rasshan has been an intriguing figure for the Bruins at quarterback for years now. There always seems to be a small faction of fans on UCLA message boards who think Osaar should be the starting quarterback. That group of fans might finally have their moment in the sun. Rasshan hasn't taken a snap at quarterback for a few months now but Dorrell has said that he'll move Osaar back to quarterback this week. He's been at receiver this season.

Rasshan is an athletic and talented player. His senior season in high school, he had 1,716 yards passing and 860 yards rushing. That was three years ago, but you have to think that Osaar is a much bigger duel-threat quarterback than what we've seen so far this year. The offense hasn't exactly been playing well with Pat and Ben, so putting in a running quarterback sounds like a great alternative. Maybe the coaches can install a simple package that allows Osaar a chance to maximize his athletic strength.

Before you get too excited about Rasshan, let's remember that he was beaten out this summer for the 3rd quarterback slot by Mac. That's right, the guy who threw 4 interceptions and gave up a fumble on Saturday has looked better in practice than Rasshan. It might be the system, but the Bruins will have a hard time switching to a spread-option offense for Osaar. He'll have to find a way to work with the WCO.

Chris Forcier

C-Force is another intriguing option at quarterback. He is a lot like Rasshan, in that he is a multi-dimensional offensive weapon who is athletic and fast running the ball. He is expected to red-shirt this season, so he would really need to show something special in practice for the coaches to put him in at quarterback for Cal.

Chris racked up 2,382 yards and threw 31 touchdown passes as a Senior in high school last year. He is quick on the ground and put in a 4.4 forty time in one combine. He hasn't looked that good passing the ball, however, in practices this summer. He has some problems with the mechanics of his throw and it would be ideal for him to work those things out before getting thrown into a D-1 college football game.

What to Do?

I guess we'll see if Ben is able to play after his MRI today. If he is a no-go then maybe Pat could be ready. He'll be in limited workouts this week and I have a feeling that he won't be available against the Bears. I think the coaches are going to have to seriously consider which of the players above will be given the nod in two weeks.

Maybe the coaches could go with a two quarterback system against Cal? Florida used Tim Tebow at times last season, and he was very effective with his running ability. If the Bruins mix in Rasshan with a simplified spread-like package then that could cause the California defense some problems. They would have no footage on that offense and the element of surprise could give the Bruin offense a fighting chance in this game. Mac could be used to help manage the game and we rely on Markey, Bell, and Moline to really carry the offense. The emphasis on running the ball could even give Mac some easy opportunities to mix in a few passes in safe situations.

I can't say I'm all too excited about any of the above players taking the starting spot. There is very little experience in this group and even a best-case scenario may not be enough to beat a high-flying Bear offense. Our defense has played very well lately, but it will take a herculean effort against California to keep the Bruins in that game. I guess we'll have our answer soon enough.

Is Pat Cowan the Answer?

Well, since I asked this question about Ben Olson two weeks ago, I thought it only fair to try and answer the same question about Pat Cowan. When I wrote that article about Ben, I didn't think Pat would be available to play for a while. As it turns out, he's not only going to play this Saturday but he is the starting quarterback. So, is Pat the right man for the job?

Unfortunately, I don't think we'll get the answer this weekend. Pat has just recently returned to full practices after a month of recovering from a groin injury. While the coaches have publicly expressed confidence that Cowan is ready to go, you have to believe that he'll be slowed by the injury. Since Pat's main strength is his scrambling ability, he likely won't be as effective at running as he was last season. That being said, Cowan does bring some different and potentially beneficial skills to the position for the Bruins.

The biggest change that Cowan brings is that he can move (even if he isn't 100%). He's no Vince Young, but he does force opponents to take his running threat seriously. Nobody is worried about Ben running and teams can drop lots of defenders back into coverage on obvious passing downs.

Another difference that Pat posses is that he throws well on the run. With the O-line stinking it up, a mobile QB can buy some extra time. Ben's accuracy declines dramatically on the move, or at least that's the impression I've gotten this year. If Pat gets on the move then the defense has to respect his running ability and that can allow a receiver to get open if the line backers key on Cowan.

The final thing I like about Cowan is that he has a level head. Pressure doesn't seem to effect him and he stays calm in difficult situations. That makes him a gamer in my book and the fruits of his cool demeanor was that big win over USC last season. When Olson gets rattled, he starts trying to force passes and that gets him into trouble.

Not everything is peachy keen with Pat. His accuracy when passing is worse than Ben. He doesn't have the same arm strength or touch as Olson and the chances of him turning into a big time quarterback aren't very likely. Cowan also doesn't have any better grasp on this offense then any of the other quarterbacks and that has lead to stalled drives and scoring droughts in the past.

I wouldn't expect a lot from Pat in this game. His injury probably will limit how well he can play. If he can just manage the game, limit turnovers, and keep a few drives alive then that's about the most we can expect. It will really fall on the rest of the team to make the plays that earn UCLA a victory this week.

With Ben cleared to return to practice, he will likely take back the starting position next week. Unless Pat puts together a spectacular performance (which isn't likely), I don't see Dorrell replacing the southpaw. It would be good to see Pat get healthy and back in shape in case he is needed later in the season. With the kind of protection the line has been providing this season, he might get called upon sooner rather than later.

(photo credit: Ghetty Images)

Pat Cowan to Start Against Washington

Just a quick note. Pat will be staring against the Huskies this week. Let's hope that change can spark a little life and energy into this team and give the offense a new dimension with his scrambling, throw-on-the-go style. I also hope Ben recovers from his headaches this week and is ready to play in case we need him.