Bruin Offense Still Seeking Direction

UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said after Saturday’s 59-24 loss to Oklahoma that he was “strongly encouraged by the direction” the Bruin offense was going in.

UCLA managed 271 yards of total offense against one of the nation’s best defenses, quarterback Drew Olson completed 18 of 34 passes for 144 yards, Craig Bragg caught a career-high 10 passes for 87 yards, and the Bruins rushed for a respectable 127 yards.

But some in the UCLA locker room are not as thrilled with the progress of the new West Coast offense, an attack Dorrell hoped would be similar to that of the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.

“We didn’t get our passing game going, obviously, because we’re not where we need to be,” senior flanker Ryan Smith said. “This isn’t what the Broncos do, that’s for sure. That’s where we need to be. It’s going to take time. I feel that we’re on the verge.”

Smith couldn’t pinpoint one aspect of the Bruin offense that is faltering.

“There’s certain positions here and there, each and every play. We’re just not in sync,” he said. “Today, we had a pretty decent balance, but at same time, what did we have, 200 yards in total offense? That’s not getting it done.”

There is still time to rectify the situation.

“Not that these games don’t matter, but what really matters is the Pac-10 games,” Smith said. “I mean, honestly, the way we’ve come out the last few years, we’ve been 6-0, 3-0, in the top 10 ... that doesn’t mean anything at the end of the season, when we’ve basically just folded. I want to get better each week. We can accomplish that.”

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How satisfying was Oklahoma’s 59-24 victory?

Well, not totally. This is Oklahoma, after all.

Complaints?

Quarterback Jason White threw two interceptions and the special teams gave up a kickoff return for touchdown ... picky, picky, picky.

“We’re close to being perfectionists,” Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops admitted. “We want to do everything right.”

And while those two second-quarter punt returns for touchdown by Antonio Perkins were nice, the downside was that it kept the Oklahoma offense off the field.

“It’s never fun off sitting on the sideline, watching all the time, taking long breaks, but it helped out a bunch,” White said of the punt returns. “But we’re not mad at him at all.”

Added Oklahoma offensive coordinator Chuck Long: “We were returning so many we barely got the ball in the second quarter.”

When UCLA took a 10-7 first-quarter lead, it was the first time Oklahoma had trailed since last Nov. 30, when they lost to Oklahoma State at Stillwater.

The UCLA lead didn’t last long, though, as Oklahoma drove 80 yards in eight plays on its ensuing possession for the go-ahead touchdown.

“We hadn’t been faced with that before,” Long said of the adversity, “and then we took the ball 80 yards.

“I thought we grew up a lot on that drive.”

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Freshman tailback Maurice Drew, who fumbled the only two times he touched the ball in a season-opening loss to Colorado, was a Bruin bright spot, returning a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter and scooping up a fumble and running three yards for a touchdown.... Linebacker Spencer Havner returned an interception 72 yards to set up UCLA’s first touchdown.... Injuries, all not considered serious: tight end Marcedes Lewis (left shoulder sprain), tight end Blane Kezirian (left ankle sprain), fullback Pat Norton (right ankle sprain), defensive lineman Asi Faoa (left ankle sprain) and linebacker Tim Warfield (right ankle sprain).