Bruin Performance Against Oklahoma Rated TBD

Now winless in its last seven football games, UCLA could be a sequel in the making:

“Die Harder.”

Saturday’s season opener was a real eye-opener, even for UCLA’s coaches. The 34-14 loss to Oklahoma left quarterback coach Homer Smith, like everybody else at the Rose Bowl, uncertain who UCLA’s quarterback is.

Asked if Jim Bonds would start again next week, Smith shrugged and said:

“I’m not saying that.”

Had Bret Johnson stayed and played instead of bootlegging to Michigan State, he would have been put to work against Oklahoma no later than the third quarter, and possibly would be starting next week’s game against Stanford.

So far, the obvious difference between last year’s team and this year’s team is that this year’s team changes quarterbacks faster.

Like, by the play.

Smith, a quality quarterback coach in search of a quality quarterback, played Bonds in the first half, Tommy Maddox in the second half and Bert Emanuel on third down.

On fourth down, he let the punter punt.

In his return engagement after two years at Alabama, the offensive coordinator ended up on the defensive. He couldn’t even bring himself to specifically evaluate his quarterbacks’ performance.

“I’m still thinking of what I did wrong,” Smith said.

He blamed himself for not knowing how to attack Oklahoma’s defense.

“They were just dead-set on not letting us roll to the outside,” Smith said. “I wish we hadn’t tried it as many times as we did, frankly. That’s my fault.”

Not that UCLA’s defensive preparation was much better. This unit was not at all prepared to contain the Sooners when they rolled to the outside.

Said UCLA strong safety Matt Darby: “We couldn’t stop them sometimes, and the main thing was their speed. Our second team (in practice) couldn’t simulate their speed. We were a step slow against Oklahoma all day.”

And UCLA’s special-teams unit needn’t take any bows, either.

On the official flip card published before the game, one position on UCLA’s side--punt return--was listed as “TBD.” This stood for “To Be Determined”--and now we understand why.

Watching the way UCLA handled punts Saturday, all we can say is that for next week this position still needs to be determined.

It was the offense that was most painful to watch, though--for Smith, for Terry Donahue, for everybody who bled blue.

Four first downs by rushing. Twenty-eight yards net rushing. Four passes intercepted. Three footballs fumbled. Ugh.

The passing game got no passing grade from Princeton graduate Smith, who, to quote Homer, said the quarterbacks “just couldn’t airify the ball.”

If that means pumping air into it, they could. If that means passing it into a teammate’s hands, they couldn’t.

And what happened when the Bruins got close to the enemy goal line? Foul-ups happened. One play was nullified because they had too many men on the line of scrimmage.

Then there was the problem of getting guys onto the field.

Smith pulled a trick from his hat in which one quarterback, Emanuel, relieved another quarterback, Maddox, on third down. This was a device designed to make use of Emanuel’s ability to run with the football.

Only what it turned out to be was to show Emanuel’s ability to run from tacklers. Once he even went backward nine yards.

“That was my fault, too,” Smith insisted. “I didn’t have the unit on the field soon enough. I hadn’t tested it in a combat situation. Everybody was watching the shot clock. We wanted to get his (Emanuel’s) legs into the game, but we weren’t organized. That cost us.”

An exasperating day, yes?

“Yes, an exasperating day,” Smith said.

For his quarterbacks, too.

“Obviously, what a big disappointment the whole thing was,” said Bonds, whose appointment as starting quarterback was what got Bret Johnson digging out his old Big Ten recruiting brochures.

Bonds looked good for a while but had trouble guiding the ball into the end zone. That’s why it came as no shock when the coaches went to the bullpen.

“When your starting quarterback goes out there and the offense sputters, you expect a change,” Bonds said. “That’s the way the game works. With Tommy and I here, it’s probably going to end up like that all year.”

Maddox looked a little smoother than Bonds, but did so against a defense of Oklahoma second-stringers or starters wilted from the heat.

“I made some mistakes, but also did some positive things to build on,” Maddox said. “The team in general did the same thing.”

So . . . quarterback, quarterback, who’s got the quarterback?

Paging Mr. Bret Johnson, white courtesy telephone. Mr. Johnson, please?

Naw, no reason to panic yet.

Bonds hardly expects to forfeit his job after 2 1/2 quarters, but said: “I haven’t really thought about it. Just have to let the coaches decide. You know, play it by ear.”

What says the quarterback coach?

“We will be very much better immediately,” Smith said. “That is my comment on the matter. Overall, we will be a better offensive football team. We will be very much better right away. That’s my promise. We are going to be immediately better.”

To be determined.