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Friday, December 13, 2002
No. 3 Alabama at UCLA
By Will Weiss
BCSfootball.com
It was eight months ago that the Alabama Crimson Tide lost a 35-34 heartbreaker to Michigan in the FedEx Orange Bowl. Once again, the No. 3 team in the country has its sights set on a return trip to Miami, but not for the sake of playing another bowl game in Florida -- Alabama is seeking its 13th national title. The Tide, ranked in the preseason top-three for the first time since 1993, consider themselves legitimate national championship contenders, despite losing All-Americans Shaun Alexander and Chris Samuels.
Bob Toledo's UCLA squad has plans of its own. His Bruins look to rebound from a disappointing 4-7 season and regain the momentum the '97 and '98 teams built with 10-win seasons. Upwards of 90,000 fans are expected to see these two teams square off in a non-conference matchup at the Rose Bowl on Saturday (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).
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ABC analyst Tim Brant:
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Alabama's got some things they have to be concerned with, having lost Kindal Moorehead, who is All-SEC. They lost Cornelius Griffin, who was a star defensive tackle last year, and they have some problems there. Although the secondary comes back with a lot of experience, there are some issues there as well.
UCLA's defense was berated last year. The Bruins really couldn't tackle very well, and they gave up a lot of points. That has really been their stumbling block the past couple of years. When you look at this ball game, though, they have their hands full. You've got Freddie Milons coming in, and Milons is as good as anybody in the country. He reminds me a lot of Peter Warrick at Florida State. You're going to see him at wide receiver, at quarterback, in the backfield, and you'll see him in motion. He is really dangerous. This will be a big test for UCLA.
Offensively, UCLA has a lot of players at the skill positions, as they always have. What Toledo's squad lacked last year was a quarterback, but Cory Paus had a great spring and a great fall camp, so he has a lot of confidence right now. If he can get some early success and build that confidence as the game goes along, UCLA should be in good shape on offense.
UCLA comes back after an aberration last year, but with a lot of the guys who were on the team that won 20 in a row. Alabama comes in thinking UCLA is still weak, but UCLA's team may surprise the Tide. It's going to be a close ball game.
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When Alabama has the ball:
Simply put: Get the ball to Freddie Milons. The junior split end is one of the most talented and versatile players in college football. His MVP performance in the SEC Championship Game shot him up the ladder on the Heisman watch. It will be difficult for UCLA to keep track of him, not only because of his skill, but since he can line up almost anywhere.
The quarterback position is Andrew Zow's job to lose. The junior signal-caller will get more opportunities to show off his arm this season, and should improve upon his 1999 totals of 1,799 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. Sophomore Tyler Watts will back him up once again. He appeared in 10 games last season, starting against Southern Miss and LSU when Zow was injured, and won them both. Watts will see playing time, but only if Zow falters.
No offensive line can replace the loss of Outland Trophy winner Chris Samuels. The standout tackle did not allow a sack or a quarterback pressure in '99. However, the line returns four starters from last year's "Pancake Posse", which averages 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, and is the backbone of Alabama's offense.
The question mark is the running game. At tailback, replacing all-time leading rusher Shaun Alexander is a tall order. After a year of being Alexander's understudy, Shaun Bohanon will start at tailback on Saturday. He appeared in every game last season, rushing for 342 yards and two touchdowns, and sat out the spring to work on his academics. The Tide feature some depth at tailback with Santonio Beard, Ahmaad Galloway and Brandon Miree, so much so that earlier in the week Mike DuBose said there isn't a clear-cut No. 1 running back yet, but Bohanon is the best so far. A strong showing from "Bo" could shore up issues there.
Fullback Marvin Brown is out because of academics, but the coaching staff feels comfortable with Dustin McClintock in the backfield.
When looking at UCLA's defense, Lombardi Award candidate Kenyon Coleman immediately comes to mind. The 6-foot-6, 278-pound end is an imposing figure at the line of scrimmage. Rusty Williams, who recorded eight sacks a year ago, starts at the other end. Redshirt freshman Rodney Leisle will start at tackle in place of Ken Kocher, who suffered a high ankle sprain recently and may not play, and true junior Anthony Fletcher will make his first career start.
Like Alabama, UCLA possesses athletic linebackers in Ryan Nece, Tony White and Robert Thomas, but the greatest responsibility will be on the Bruins' secondary, who might have their toughest assignment of the year in containing Milons.
When UCLA has the ball:
With big-play threats DeShaun Foster and Brian Poli-Dixon back from injuries, the UCLA offense has the potential to return to its 1998 form. At quarterback, let's face it, Cory Paus is not Cade McNown, but he has settled in after shoulder surgery. Confident after nine starts last year and a sold camp, Paus is ready to lead this team. Now that he has a healthy supporting cast, his job is a bit easier.
UCLA will try to get Foster involved early, and the offensive line will have a tough task against 'Bama's front seven. The intangible here is experience -- the Bruins return all five starters from a year ago, including Oscar Cabrera, who will start despite suffering a mild ankle sprain last week. Cabrera's presence on the line is crucial to the Bruins' success.
|  | | Alabama's defense ranked ninth in the country last year. |
The Bruins have other offensive weapons as well. They are deep at wide receiver, with Freddie Mitchell positioned for a breakthrough season after catching 38 passes last season. Also look for 6-foot-3 true freshman Tab Perry to get into the mix.
Where UCLA could exploit Alabama is at tight end. Senior Gabe Crecion will be an integral part of the offense, both in receiving and blocking. Backup Bryan Fletcher has fully recovered from an ankle injury that nagged him last season, and third-string Mike Seidman will see a significant amount of playing time as well.
As the Bruins' defense has a tough job with Milons, the offense must find a way to move the ball on the Tide's defense. Alabama's vaunted unit returns nine defensive starters, including the entire secondary. Its defense thrives on strength, speed and agility, but perhaps the greatest asset is depth. Defensive end Kindal Moorehead will miss the entire season due to a torn achilles tendon, but replacing him on the D-line won't be a problem -- either Jarret Johnson, Leslie Williams or Kelvis White will fill his position.
UCLA Bob Toledo is well aware of Alabama's defensive package.
"When I look at their defense, they are very active, they run extremely well, there's a lot of athleticism," Toledo said. "They've got an outstanding front with King and Smith, Rasheed was the defensive player of the year, and [Reggie] Myles and [Milo] Lewis had five interceptions each. We've got to move the ball on them and make first downs."
Saturday marks the first regular season meeting between these two teams. Alabama must recover from a short practice week and geographical issues. But, Alabama is bringing the 12th man to Pasadena -- Tide fans bought 22,000 tickets, and expect to have more in the seats come Saturday. The 'Bama contingent will be a factor, so it will be important for the Bruins to score early, not only to reduce the effect of the Tide fans, but also to give them confidence against such a favored juggernaut.
Will Weiss is the assistant editor of BCSfootball.com
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Freddie Milons goes 77 yards on the keeper for the score.