UCLA and Washington try to keep bowl hopes alive
November, 3, 2009
Nov 3
2:03
PM ET
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
UCLA and Washington are both 3-5 overall and need a win when they square off Saturday in the Rose Bowl to keep long-shot bowl hopes alive, but they appear to be arriving at the game from different angles.
The Huskies went 0-12 last year. That first-year coach Steve Sarkisian has them even thinking about a bowl game suggests a team that seems to be on the uptick.
UCLA went 4-8 last year, Rick Neuheisel's first as the Bruins head coach. UCLA started the season 3-0 with wins over Tennessee and Kansas State, teams that presently are surging in less competitive conferences. That encouraging start has spawned some frustrated feelings among the fan base during an 0-5 faceplant once the rugged Pac-10 schedule began.
Sarkisian is still enjoying his honeymoon. Neuheisel's appears over.
"We found out in the month of October that when we don't play our best, nothing good is going to happen," Neuheisel said.
Moreover, there have been issues at quarterback, where Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow have seemed to be at loggerheads.
While Washington is coming off a bye -- "refreshed" and "energized," said Sarkisian -- UCLA is coming off another what-might-have-been game at Oregon State.
So, it would seem, the Huskies might have more pep in their step on Saturday.
"The kids are very upbeat," Sarkisian said. "I think they realize they've got a great opportunity ahead of them this week, and really the final four games of the season."
And yet.
The Huskies are only a miraculous -- and controversial -- deflected pass against Arizona away from also having lost five in a row (they also are only a few officials' boneheaded calls and a few plays from being 5-3, but that's not the point here).
And, despite the nattering about player and coach dissension in Westwood, the Bruins mounted a stout fourth-quarter comeback at Oregon State that indicated there's still some fight left in them.
"Obviously, the team has been in a dry spell, but the effort is continuing to be there," Neuheisel said. "Sometimes when you're in the skid we're in you can see kids throwing in the towel. Nothing can be further from the truth."
While feelings about Neuheisel range widely -- just ask a Washington fan -- one thing can't be argued: His teams are resilient.
In five-plus seasons at Washington and UCLA, he has orchestrated 19 fourth-quarter comeback victories. As Washington's coach, he was 10-4 in November games, with three victories over top-10 teams.
What's more, it appears Kevin Prince has resolved the quarterback controversy the old fashioned way: By playing well.
Prince, though he still ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency, completed 22 of 34 for 323 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions at Oregon State, and he saved his best work for the fourth quarter, when he brought the Bruins back from a 19-3 deficit.
"I thought [Prince] in particular settled down, and kind of found himself, in terms of his rhythm, his poise, his ability to stand in there and make throws down the field," Neuheisel said.
As for the Huskies, it appears concerns about quarterback Jake Locker's health -- he missed bye week practices with a thigh bruise -- might be overstated. The guess is Locker will play Saturday. The Huskies chances depend on that happening.
What can't be overstated is Washington's lack of recent success vs. UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The Huskies haven't won there since 1995 and are riding a six-game losing streak on the road vs. the Bruins.
The Huskies, in fact, have lost 10 in a row on the road and haven't won a road game since Nov. 3 of 2007 at Stanford.
It's worth noting that both teams have played tough schedules. Neither has played a team that presently has a losing record.
That will change Saturday for both.
Both teams have four games left. Both teams have games against Washington State, which odds are good they should beat. And both teams face tough tests in their other two remaining games, though the Bruins probably will be favored at home against Arizona State on Nov. 21.
So winning on Saturday would legitimize bowl hopes. And losing would almost surely end them.
Of course, Neuheisel isn't looking too far head. The Huskies coming to town doesn't even provoke many emotions from his turbulent tenure in Seattle -- "That's gone by the wayside," he said.
It means one thing.
"We try again for that elusive, first Pac-10 victory," he said.
UCLA and Washington are both 3-5 overall and need a win when they square off Saturday in the Rose Bowl to keep long-shot bowl hopes alive, but they appear to be arriving at the game from different angles.
The Huskies went 0-12 last year. That first-year coach Steve Sarkisian has them even thinking about a bowl game suggests a team that seems to be on the uptick.
 | |
| Jeff Gross/Getty Images | |
| UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's Bruins will be fighting for their bowl life against Washington on Saturday. |
Sarkisian is still enjoying his honeymoon. Neuheisel's appears over.
"We found out in the month of October that when we don't play our best, nothing good is going to happen," Neuheisel said.
Moreover, there have been issues at quarterback, where Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow have seemed to be at loggerheads.
While Washington is coming off a bye -- "refreshed" and "energized," said Sarkisian -- UCLA is coming off another what-might-have-been game at Oregon State.
So, it would seem, the Huskies might have more pep in their step on Saturday.
"The kids are very upbeat," Sarkisian said. "I think they realize they've got a great opportunity ahead of them this week, and really the final four games of the season."
And yet.
The Huskies are only a miraculous -- and controversial -- deflected pass against Arizona away from also having lost five in a row (they also are only a few officials' boneheaded calls and a few plays from being 5-3, but that's not the point here).
And, despite the nattering about player and coach dissension in Westwood, the Bruins mounted a stout fourth-quarter comeback at Oregon State that indicated there's still some fight left in them.
"Obviously, the team has been in a dry spell, but the effort is continuing to be there," Neuheisel said. "Sometimes when you're in the skid we're in you can see kids throwing in the towel. Nothing can be further from the truth."
While feelings about Neuheisel range widely -- just ask a Washington fan -- one thing can't be argued: His teams are resilient.
In five-plus seasons at Washington and UCLA, he has orchestrated 19 fourth-quarter comeback victories. As Washington's coach, he was 10-4 in November games, with three victories over top-10 teams.
What's more, it appears Kevin Prince has resolved the quarterback controversy the old fashioned way: By playing well.
Prince, though he still ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency, completed 22 of 34 for 323 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions at Oregon State, and he saved his best work for the fourth quarter, when he brought the Bruins back from a 19-3 deficit.
"I thought [Prince] in particular settled down, and kind of found himself, in terms of his rhythm, his poise, his ability to stand in there and make throws down the field," Neuheisel said.
As for the Huskies, it appears concerns about quarterback Jake Locker's health -- he missed bye week practices with a thigh bruise -- might be overstated. The guess is Locker will play Saturday. The Huskies chances depend on that happening.
What can't be overstated is Washington's lack of recent success vs. UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The Huskies haven't won there since 1995 and are riding a six-game losing streak on the road vs. the Bruins.
The Huskies, in fact, have lost 10 in a row on the road and haven't won a road game since Nov. 3 of 2007 at Stanford.
It's worth noting that both teams have played tough schedules. Neither has played a team that presently has a losing record.
That will change Saturday for both.
Both teams have four games left. Both teams have games against Washington State, which odds are good they should beat. And both teams face tough tests in their other two remaining games, though the Bruins probably will be favored at home against Arizona State on Nov. 21.
So winning on Saturday would legitimize bowl hopes. And losing would almost surely end them.
Of course, Neuheisel isn't looking too far head. The Huskies coming to town doesn't even provoke many emotions from his turbulent tenure in Seattle -- "That's gone by the wayside," he said.
It means one thing.
"We try again for that elusive, first Pac-10 victory," he said.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
PAC-10 SCOREBOARD
Saturday, 11/21
Final Arizona State 13 UCLA 23 Final 19 Oregon State 42 Washington State 10 Final 25 California 34 17 Stanford 28 Final/2OT 11 Oregon 44 Arizona 41
