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Friday, December 13, 2002
Coach's Q&A - UCLA head coach Bob Toledo
BCSfootball.com
Bob Toledo is entering his fifth season as UCLA head coach. During Toledo's tenure, the Bruins have won two Pac-10 titles, and after a disappointing season in 1999, he hopes his squad can turn things around and contend for another conference title. He spoke with BCSfootball.com about this Saturday's matchup with No. 3 Alabama (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET).
What led you to choose Alabama as the first test of the season?
Bob Toledo: I have no control over the schedule. I do believe it's exciting to play a team like Alabama. If you want national recognition, you have to play those types of teams, so we are looking forward to the game. I think the thing that's happened is by scheduling Alabama and playing them the first game, and them being such a good opponent, it has gotten the attention of our players and our offseason program, spring practice, and of course in the summer and then fall camp. We're looking forward to having them come out here and playing them on our home turf at the Rose Bowl.
Are you worried about Saturday, after the season you had last year?
|  | | At UCLA, Bob Toledo is 8-6 against non-conference opponents |
Bob Toledo: What worries me most is the opponent. Alabama is ranked third in the nation, and in my opinion, they're the best football team we've played since I've been here.
With USC's win over Penn State Sunday, there's talk about a Pac-10 resurgence. Are you drawing anything from USC's victory? Do you feel the Pac-10 is better as a whole and where do you see the Bruins in that mix?
Bob Toledo: In watching the USC-Penn State game, it made us realize that USC is definitely a contender in this conference. By USC beating Penn State, and hopefully if we play well in the next few games as the rest of our conference does, maybe we can regain some of the respectability our conference has lost in the past year.
Describe your mindset and view of the team through the past few weeks of practice and heading into Alabama.
Bob Toledo: My mindset on our football team right now is that we are a better team than we were a year ago. The only concern I have is that, because of the opponent, it might not show how much better we really are. I believe we're much more experienced, we have a proven quarterback who knows the offense, and we've got good chemistry. We had some off-the-field incidents last year that distracted us, and I think this year there has been a real togetherness on our team.
Was it important to name a starting quarterback as early as you did, especially after having the rotation last year?
Bob Toledo: Cory Paus and Ryan McCann really battled for the quarterback position. Cory had his shoulder operated on at the end of last season and missed most of spring practice. When we came back and we started working out, we said within a week to 10 days we were going to make a decision and we did. We felt at that time Cory Paus showed that he has a better understanding about the offense. He was executing well. We feel good in that Cory is an experienced quarterback, he has a good understanding at what we're trying to do, and we feel that he can carry out the plan.
How much of an impact does the return of both DeShaun Foster and Brian Poli-Dixon have on the offense?
Bob Toledo: When you lose two key players like that, it really takes away a lot of your big-play offense. But they're both extremely healthy at this point, they're both looking forward to the season, and they're playing extremely well at this point. If we can get Brian the ball, I think he can make some plays and if DeShaun can stay healthy and the offensive line can give him some holes, he'll make a lot of yards.
Do you expect Kenyon Coleman to become one of the nation's top defensive linemen this season?
Bob Toledo: I think Kenyon Coleman can be one of the outstanding defensive linemen in the country and a very high draft choice. He's a big, fast, strong guy. I was impressed with the fact that after a bad year last year, he could have come out and gone to the NFL, but he elected to stay so he could get his degree and play his final year for us. Last week, the team picked him as a team captain, so that shows you the respect we have for Kenyon Coleman.
Offensively, Alabama lost a weapon in running back Shaun Alexander. Now, the key to the offense is wide receiver Freddie Milons. Do you think if you shut him down, you win the game?
Bob Toledo: I think one of the keys to the game is, obviously, to hold Milons down. When they have the ball offensively, we know he's going to get the ball. They have good coaches who realize he's a big playmaker, so they will get him the football, whether they hand it to him or throw it to him real quick on screens or get it to him down the field or put him at quarterback to get him the football. The key thing is that we've got to find where he is and we've got to tackle him.
In your opinion, what is Alabama's greatest strength?
Bob Toledo: I think a real concern for us is their defense. We've got to be able to move the ball and score some points and keep the ball away from Alabama because they're so explosive. They have an outstanding front with [Kenny] King, and [Kenny] Smith. Saleem Rasheed was the Defensive Player of the Year, led their team in tackles, and [defensive backs Milo] Lewis and [Reggie] Myles both had five interceptions each. When I look at their defense, they are very active, they run extremely well, and there's a lot of athleticism.
Alabama bought more than 22,000 tickets for this game, and there will be a lot of crimson in the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Does that bother you at all?
Bob Toledo: I think part of that is because our students aren't on campus yet. We don't start school until Sept. 28, so we'll play a few games before that. I think, though, because of the opponent, the hype and the excitement that's in the air, they're expecting about 75,000. I would hope that most of those people would be Bruins fans.
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