Cal and UCLA will carry 3-2 overall records and 0-2 Pac-10 marks into a Saturday, Oct. 17, at Pasadena. The 80th meeting between the schools is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PST and will be telecast by ABC. UCLA leads the series 49-29-1, although Cal won last year 41-20.
Coach Jeff Tedford’s Golden Bears are coming off their bye week, which followed losses of 42-3 at No. 13 Oregon and 30-3 to No. 6 Southern Cal. They had been ranked as high a No. 6 in the nation, but are now struggling to stay above the .500 barrier.
Ditto for UCLA, which fell 24-16 to Stanford and 24-10 to Oregon in Pac-10 play. Coach Rick Neuheisel’s Bruins would’ve been well-served to have a bye of their own – to heal up injuries if nothing else. Among those banged up are rushing leader Johnathan Franklin (ankle) and leading tackler Reggie Carter (knee).
Plus, Neuheisel could’ve used some extra time to deal with his team’s offensive woes. UCLA sputtered so badly last Saturday vs. Oregon, that Neuheisel brought in his former third-string quarterback.
UCLA Offense Held Without TD
Freshman Kevin Prince started at QB vs. Oregon after missing the previous two games with a broken jaw, but was benched in the second half. Neuheisel bypassed Kevin Craft – who had started in Prince’s absence – and inserted Richard Brehaut.
The freshman created some spark, but UCLA still managed no offensive touchdowns. Its TD came on an interception by linebacker Akeem Ayers.
There might not be a quarterback controversy yet, but Prince hasn’t been brilliant. He’s 42-for-77 passing for 358 yards in three games, with two TDs and three interceptions. Craft is 35-for-58, 390 yards, one TD, one interception, but struggled vs. Stanford.
Brehaut has displayed a strong arm, going 7-for-12 for 103 yards with one interception. But he’s had trouble sensing the pass rush. Oregon sacked him four times in one quarter.
Bruins Offense Ranks Among Worst in FBS
Franklin (75 rushes, 341 yards, 3 TDs) has been the most effective offensive weapon for UCLA, and the Bruins also have talented backs in Derrick Coleman and Damien Thigpen.
But the rushing offense (112.6 yards per game) still ranks only 101st of 120 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. The Bruins are also 104th in passing offense (170.2) and 114th in total offense (282.8).
The Bruins are barely averaging 20 points per game, and wouldn’t be doing so without kicker Kai Forbath. He’s 8-for-9 on field goal attempts, and his only miss is a 51-yarder. He booted a 52-yarder vs. Oregon.
UCLA receivers Taylor Embree and Terrance Austin have 16 catches apiece, with Embree netting 197 yards and Austin getting 166 and two touchdowns. But the Bruins have just three TD passes all season.
UCLA Defense Toughing It Out
The Bruins had trouble stopping Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, and struggled vs. Oregon’s LaMichael James last week. But the fact is that UCLA is still giving up only 17.2 points and 285.6 yards per game.
Oregon, which played without starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, managed only one offensive touchdown vs. the Bruins. The others came on a kickoff runback and an interception return.
Carter and fellow linebacker Kyle Bosworth share the team lead in tackles with 37, and Carter has 5.5 tackles for losses. Tackle Brian Price leads the team with nine tackles for losses and three sacks, and cornerback Alterraun Verner (30 tackles, 3 interceptions) and Rahim Moore (5 interceptions, 4 pass breakups) head a strong secondary.
Other standouts include tackle Jerzy Siewierski (20 tackles, 2 blocked kicks), Ayers (21 tackles, 2 sacks) and end Korey Bosworth (4 tackles for losses, 4 pass breakups).
Korey and Kyle Bosworth are the twin nephews for former Oklahoma great Brian Bosworth.
Cal Seeks Alternatives on Offense
While UCLA’s had serious problems on just one side of the ball, Cal’s been struggling on both. The offensive troubles do seem more serious, however, as Cal’s been held out of the end zone for consecutive games.
The Bears, who average 30.4 points and 391.6 yards per game, haven’t found a way to make teams pay for keying on running back Jahvid Best. Kevin Riley is 73-for-142 passing for 1,020 yards, with five touchdowns and just one interception. But he was ineffective in the last two games, when he was sacked a total of eight times.
The Bears have utilized a variety of receivers. Marvin Jones has 11 catches for 171 yards and a TD, Verran Tucker’s made 10 catches for 213 yards, and Jeremy Ross and tight end Anthony Miller also have 10 receptions. But Cal wide receivers have made just two touchdown receptions – and none in the past four games
Best, who was shut down by both Oregon and USC, has rushed for 514 yards and eight touchdowns on 85 carries. He also shares the team lead in receptions with 11 – good for 78 yards and one touchdown. Backup running back Shane Vereen has run for four touchdowns and caught a TD pass.
Bears Defense Vulnerable to Run and Pass
The Cal defense had been effective over its first three games, but was vulnerable to Oregon’s running game and a USC passing attack that had been mediocre.
The Golden Bears had been effective rushing the passer, but had only one sack against USC’s Matt Barkley despite 35 passes. In fact, Cal has just one over the past two weeks after posting 14 the three previous weeks.
Cal is giving up 22.6 points and 360.2 points per game. Linebacker Mychal Kendrick leads the team with 46, and linebacker Mike Mohamed has 41, as well as two sacks and two interceptions.
Tyson Alualu paces the defensive line with 26 tackles, 5.5 tackles for losses and 4.5 sacks, and cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson has 24 tackles and five pass breakups. The Bears have also received 24 tackles from DB Brett Johnson and 22 from safety Marcus Ezeff, who had 12 vs. USC.
