Coaches Emphasize Toughness

Two full practices into preparation for the Las Vegas Bowl, UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell and his staff have made it clear that the Bruins are using their postseason workouts as a chance to build attitude. Practices have been shorter but the pace has been faster -- by design.

“There’s a thin line between being a tough football team and a team that’s not, and a lot of that has to do with tempo,” tight end Keith Carter said. “You want to be fast and quick to the ball. Always on the move and hustling. That’s something that [the coaches have] definitely been striving for.”

The offense has been dictating the pace. The Bruins are averaging 419 yards, 26th best in the nation, but realize they have plenty of room to grow in Dorrell’s West Coast attack.

“I like where we’re at and with a lot of what we’ve been able to do this year,” offensive coordinator Tom Cable said, “but, have there been times when I’ve been disappointed? Absolutely. It’s always like that.

“We didn’t run the ball well against USC; we’ve turned the ball over too many times; the decision-making in terms of throwing the football. Those kind of things we have to address.”

Instead of waiting until spring football, UCLA’s coaches have been getting their message across that mistakes and plays poorly executed in practices are no longer acceptable.

“We have to start now, rather than wait,” Cable said. “Each one of those issues showed its ugly head somewhere down the line this season.”