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 Friday, December 13, 2002
UCLA looks for a turnaround
By Terry Bowden
Special to BCSfootball.com
Bowden's Weekly Chat Show
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After posting a 10-13 record the past two seasons, UCLA fans are ready for better days. Head coach Bob Toledo could use a change in the weather himself. In fact, if things don't improve this season, the storms of discontent could settle squarely over his professional head. In other words, it's time to win.
|  | | DeShaun Foster rushed for 1037 yards and 12 TDs last season. |
I know it is beginning to sound like a broken record, but the problem with UCLA, like a lot of other struggling teams, is that the Bruins haven't played very good defense. Even in those years when the Bruins were very good, their defenses were bad.
Maybe that is why they have hired their fourth defensive coordinator in five years. Phil Snow plans on playing a more aggressive, penetrating style of defense that had a good amount of success during his seven years running Arizona State's defense. Hopefully it will do the trick at UCLA. Great defense is about stopping the run and not giving up the big pass play. With stud defensive end Kenyon Coleman back to 100 percent after a knee injury, the odds of getting this accomplished is definitely improved.
Offensively, things weren't that bad last season except in the running game, where they ranked 100th nationally. Still, the Bruins averaged 29.4 points per game and that should be good enough to win most of the time. With Corey Paus back at quarterback, DeShaun Foster back at running back and a healthy Brian Poli-Dixon heading up the wideouts, UCLA has enough fire power to win against everybody on its schedule.
However, it's that schedule that should have every Bruin fan worried. UCLA plays Alabama, Oregon State and USC on the road as well as games against Ohio State, Washington and Oregon at the Rose Bowl. If the Bruins were to win all five of their other games and just get a split in their big six, I'd take the eight wins and say it was a heck of a year.
To Bob Toledo, I guess that would be a forecast of mostly sunny weather.
Neuheisel to build around his QBs
Everybody in Seattle is wondering who will be next year's replacement for Washington quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo. Cody Pickett and Taylor Barton have been neck and neck all spring fighting for the job.
|  | | Marques Tuiasosopo was drafted in the second-round of the NFL Draft by Oakland. |
However, the question for next year is much more complicated than simply which one will replace Tui. The bigger question may be how will head coach Rick Neuheisel adjust the offense to match the particular talents of these two new signal callers.
Nothing fascinated me more the last two years than to watch Neuheisel mold the offensive scheme around the unique talents of Tuiasosopo. The combination of the option and play-action pass brought out the best in his quarterback. Nothing showed this more than in the Rose Bowl when the Washington offense kept Drew Brees on the bench most of the second half with numerous time-consuming drives.
So don't get too caught up on which QB Neuheisel uses next year. More importantly, pay attention to how his signal caller is utilized.
Ducks should challenge for Pac-10 title
People have been asking me if the Oregon Ducks will start next season ranked in the top five. Although Oregon has the kind of team coming back that could end up in the top five, the only team from Oregon that has a chance of starting that high resides in Corvallis.
Last season, the Beavers closed out the season with a victory over Oregon and a slightly more impressive bowl victory to finish 11-1. After losing the Civil War, the Ducks closed out with an impressive win over Texas in the Holiday Bowl to close out 10-2.
However, head coach Mike Bellotti has plenty of reason to feel that his Oregon football team will capture the state championship en route to a BCS game. Quarterback Joey Harrington leads a star-studded offense that will be one of the most explosive in the country.
The defense, which lost seven starters from last year's squad, made great strides in the spring and fans couldn't help but like the way they swarmed around the ball in last Saturday's spring finale in which they held the backup offense to five first downs and 122 total yards. The biggest holes to fill will be in the kicking game, as one of the nation's best special teams units must replace its punter, placekicker and coordinator.
If the Ducks get by Wisconsin in the season opener at home, be ready to watch them climb up the charts.
USC should make strong return in 2001
I am going to go out on a limb here and pick Southern Cal as the turnaround team in the Pac-10 next season. That does not mean they will take home the conference title but they will see the most improvement in the league.
|  | | Carson Palmer heads into his junior year with 26 career TD passes. |
I still can't say I understand why the Trojans ended up hiring Pete Carroll as their new man. There is nothing in his resume that suggests he has the requisite experience to be a successful collegiate head coach. But he has done one thing that shows he just might be the man for the job. He hired Norm Chow as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After a long career at pass happy BYU, and then after the miraculous job he did last year with freshman Phillip Rivers at North Carolina State, he is considered the guru of QB coaches - bar none.
So why is this going to be the Holy Grail for USC? Because of a guy named Carson Palmer. Palmer, one of the most talented quarterbacks ever recruited at Troy, has performed somewhat pathetic of late, but will become like putty in the hands of Chow. Look for him to make a complete turnaround on the field next year and, with a little help from WR Kareem Kelly and TB Sultan McCullough, look for USC to do the same.
Building a Beaver dynasty
Perceptions are hard to change but when it comes to Oregon State, there just isn't any other choice. Two years ago, I wouldn't have bet on the Beavers even getting to a bowl game which they hadn't done in 34 years. Now, in year 3 AD (after Dennis), and they just may be the favorite to win the Pac-10 and, though it's still hard to imagine, a contender for the national championship. With Heisman candidate Ken Simonton back at tailback, Jonathan Smith returning at quarterback, and the defense loaded for Bear(s) -- and Ducks and Huskies, etc. -- things could get pretty exciting in Corvallis. The biggest question mark for Dennis Erickson is at wide receiver, where he must replace his top three wideouts.
Price is right in Pullman
With nine returning starters on offense and 10 on defense at Washington State, coach Mike Price may finally see his program turn the corner next year. Last year's 4-7 record included three disheartening overtime loses which has got to be some kind of NCAA record. The biggest question mark going into spring practice is who will be the starting quarterback -- Jason Gesser or Matt Kegel. That decision may fall into the hands of Mike Price's new QB coach, son Aaron Price, who replaced last year's QB coach, son Eric Price. Sounds like a Bowden thing to me.
Messing with a good formula
John Swafford is trying to take margin of victory out of the BCS equation. Fuhgetaboudit. Nothing he does is going to satisfy those that want a playoff. Nothing shows the difference between a dominant team and a good team like margin of victory. At the most, there could be a cutoff, at 21 points or so, after which the margin of victory would not be factored in. Besides, you have to be a coach to understand the feeling on the sideline that no lead is ever good enough. I was watching ESPN Classic the other night and they showed the 1984 game between Miami and Maryland. The Hurricanes were up by 31 points at halftime and ended up losing the game. Besides, there's an old saying that you can't legislate morality. If a coach tacks on a few more points at the end of a game that he already has won it's still a ridiculous thing to do just like it always was.
Terry Bowden was the head coach at Auburn from 1993-98. He is ABC's college football studio analyst and writes a daily notebook for BCSfootball.com.
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