UCLA football: Bruins too often red-faced in the red zone
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UCLA was perfect in the red zone against California on Saturday, percentage-wise. Grading on a curve, the Bruins’ four-for-four effort was average.
On three of those trips, the Bruins settled for Kai Forbath field goals, which helped allow the Bears to put the game out of reach. California scored a touchdown to extend a 21-14 lead to 14 points. UCLA countered with a field goal. The Bears scored another touchdown. The Bruins picked up another field goal and went into halftime trailing, 35-20.
The Bruins have scored 16 out of 19 times they have been in the red-zone, but only six of those scores have been touchdowns. Only New Mexico, with four, has fewer among 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
“Even though I love Kai Forbath, and he’s having a magnificent season, I would prefer to rest him a little bit more,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said.
That preference has not made the transition from drawing board to the field.
There have been near misses, as when wide receiver Nelson Rosario couldn’t handle a pass in the end zone on second down late in the first half against California.
And there has been mismanagement, as when UCLA got to the 20 with 10 seconds in the half and wasted five seconds off the clock before calling timeout.
“You look and see what you are capable of doing,” Neuheisel said. “We all have memories of great red zone offense, things we can throw and patterns that have worked. But then you have to ask individuals who play the positions to execute those particular diagrams.”
Thus far, that has rarely translated into touchdowns. The Bruins have reached the end zone only twice in 10 red zone trips the last three games, all losses.
In other UCLA news:
-- Who is the third best team in the Pacific 10 Conference? Arizona, according to the Bowl Championship Series poll.
The Wildcats, who play UCLA on Saturday, check in at No. 22, behind No. 7 USC and No. 11 Oregon. Apparently, you don’t need to see them to believe in them; in fact not seeing them seems to help.
The BCS bump comes from the computers, as Arizona average ranking is 14th. The Wildcats are not in any people poll. Their point total has them 32nd in the Associated Press, 37th in the Harris Interactive and 40th in the USA Today polls.
--With guard Eddie Williams out at least four weeks with a fractured ankle, senior Nick Ekbatani and freshman Stan Hasiak are expected to share playing time, provided Hasiak recovers from a sprained ankle. He is listed as day-to-day.
--The game against Oregon State on Oct. 31 will be at 1 p.m., with no television scheduled at this time.
-- Chris Foster