Toledo Says Confidence Is a Problem

The Bruins are carrying themselves like a beaten team, Coach Bob Toledo concedes, the first acknowledgment that a season of struggles is finally catching up in ways beyond the scoreboard.

“Right now, I think confidence is a problem,” Toledo said. “Somehow they need some success. Somehow we need to win a game so they can regain some confidence. The offense doesn’t have confidence in the defense, if they can stop [the opponent]. The defense doesn’t have confidence that the offense can move the ball and score. It’s a real confidence problem right now, and I think you can see it as the game goes on.

“We came out [last week against Arizona], we took the ball, we moved down the field, got the field goal blocked, came down, we scored. Then all of the sudden, you felt it starting to slip. You could just see it in their eyes. I haven’t seen that for a while. That’s due to young people, I believe.

“It was the worst I’ve seen it. I played the ‘Rocky’ deal before the game--the eye of the tiger, when the guys says, ‘You gotta get that look back and you gotta regain your confidence.’ I played that as a pregame talk and I showed highlights of the last two years of the Arizona game. I tried whatever I could to get ‘em fired up and get that look back.

“They had it for about a quarter. In the second half was when they really lost it. When [Arizona] went down and scored that first possession, you could really see it start to happen.”

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Making official what had been apparent, Toledo said defensive back Jason Bell and receiver Brian Poli-Dixon will not play again this season and will redshirt.