Crimson Tide Was Set Up

Exhibiting uncharacteristic caution, reputed high rollers Bob Toledo and Phil Snow cleaned house, cashed in and cleared out before Alabama checked its pockets.

Toledo, the UCLA coach, and Snow, the Bruin defensive coordinator, love to gamble. Toledo likes trick plays and long bombs. Snow likes blitzes and stunts.

But key to the Bruins’ 20-17, season-opening victory over the Crimson Tide on Saturday were Toledo’s patience and Snow’s restraint.

Toledo’s play-calling early seemed unimaginative--one DeShaun Foster run after another--and Alabama built a 10-0 lead. But the focus on Foster opened up plays that resulted in UCLA’s first touchdown with 8:30 left in the half.

The Bruins began the drive at their 36-yard line after a 16-yard punt return by Craig Bragg. After Foster was stopped for a four-yard loss, Cory Paus hit Tab Perry on a play-action pass for a 16-yard gain.

Next, Bragg, a redshirt freshman, took a reverse 23 yards to the Alabama 30. Five plays later, Toledo took Alabama by surprise again, sending fullback Ed Ieremia-Stansbury up the middle 10 yards for the touchdown. Bruin fullbacks had five carries all last season.

“Our plan was to run early to set up the passes and reverses,” Foster said. “It worked pretty well.”

Meanwhile, Snow was busy barking out adjustments. Alabama did not announce its starting quarterback until game time, forcing UCLA to prepare for both drop-back passer Andrew Zow and Tyler Watts, an elusive runner adept at the option.

Watts started and the Bruins had to temper their pass rush and play under control to contain the slippery quarterback’s scrambles and option runs. Watts had 69 yards and tailback Ahmaad Galloway had 76, but UCLA gave up only 159 rushing yards in 46 attempts and no play longer than 15 yards.

“We were ready for just about anything they threw at us,” said linebacker Ryan Nece, who had a team-high nine tackles.

Alabama scored its touchdowns on two long passes resulting from broken plays. The Crimson Tide outgained UCLA, 458 yards to 291, but the Bruins did not allow a point for more than 40 minutes--from early in the second quarter until 2:13 remained.

So despite poor passing by Paus, two dropped passes by top receiver Brian Poli-Dixon and the intimidating environment created by about 80,000 red-clad Alabama fans in the crowd of 83,818 (UCLA supporters bought 3,500 tickets), the Bruins won only their second road game since 1998.

Seem like a long time?

Consider that Alabama is mourning only the team’s second season-opening loss in Tuscaloosa. No eyewitnesses remain from the first--a 4-0 victory by Birmingham Agricultural College in 1893.

Alabama has dropped a handful of home openers played in Birmingham, including a 42-21 loss to USC in 1970. But when Crimson Tide coaches are uneasy about an opponent, they choose to play on campus at Bryant-Denny Stadium, an imposing facility adjacent to stately brick fraternity and sorority houses.

It took 108 years for opposing coaches to come up with a winning formula.

Toledo and Snow figured it out. All it took was a little patience, a little restraint.