The line on USC and UCLA
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No. 9 USC, which will host No. 23 Oregon at the Coliseum, and unranked UCLA, which will host Washington State at the Rose Bowl, will both try to rebound from disappointing losses on Saturday and the key for Pete Carroll (at right) and Rick Neuheisel (at left) will be getting consistent play from their teams in the trenches.
Coach Carroll’s Trojans are coming off a 27-21 loss at Oregon State on Sept. 25 where they were dominated at the line of scrimmage by the Beavers, who had success running the ball and frustrating USC’s offense.
Once again, it comes down to fundamentals for the Trojans, who have too often relied on their talent-level to win.
Against Oregon State, the high pad levels of USC’s linemen coming off the ball cost them. Time after time, the Beavers were better at getting low at the moment of contact and winning one-on-one battles over the Trojans.
That was a major problem for nosetackle Averell Spicer, who was used as a swinging door in the first half by Oregon State and did help himself with ill-advised penalties.
Expect Oregon to follow the Beavers’ gameplan.
Just check out Coach Mike Bellotti’s quote to reporters this week:
‘The one thing Oregon State did was sustain blocks at the line of scrimmage that allowed him to find some holes. Obviously, we’re looking at that as a blueprint for success, but we don’t do some of that blocking scheme and I’m not sure changing at this point is going to help us. But we’re going to try to find some ways to duplicate that.’
It’s a similar storyline for Neuheisel’s Bruins, who suffered a 36-31 home loss to Fresno State last week.
UCLA’s defensive front was unable to control the Bulldogs, who were able to make plays when it counted.
While the Bruins’ offensive line displayed some spunk in leading the way to 234 total rushing yards against Fresno State, UCLA’s defensive front seemed to wear down in the second half as the Bulldogs clinched victory with a 17-play, 85-yard non-scoring drive in the fourth quarter.
Even though Washington State has one of the worst offenses in the Pacific 10 Conference, UCLA coordinator DeWayne Walker’s defense will need a stellar effort up front to help safety Bret Lockett, who has struggled in pass coverage at times this season.
At 1-3 overall and 1-0 in the Pac-10, UCLA may still have a chance to make a run at the conference title, but the young Bruins are really playing for tomorrow where recruiting will hold an important role.
Neuheisel understands this as well as anyone, according to the Orange County Register. And, you can bet one of Neuheisel’s main concerns is getting more quality players to play in the trenches.
-- Lonnie White
Photo at left: Rick Neuheisel keeps his eyes on practice at UCLA. Credit: Alex Gallardo/Los Angeles Times
Photo at right: Pete Carroll during the first half of USC’s 27-21 loss to Oregon State. Credit: Don Ryan / Associated Press