AT UCLA, IT'S ALL SYSTEMS GO; SLEEK OFFENSE IS STATE OF THE ART.Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator typically refers to the coach on a football team in the National Football League or College football who is in charge of the offense. This position aids the head coach by designing and scripting plays, delegating work to offensive position coaches during Al Borges Alan Borges (born October 8, 1955 in Salinas, California) is an American college football coach and the current offensive coordinator of the Auburn University football team. circled it on his playsheet at halftime against Arizona. Quarterback Cade McNown Cade McNown (born January 12 1977 in Portland, Oregon) is a quarterback who played in the National Football League. He attended played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles. would fake an option run to the left, draw the defense to him, then pass to an open receiver downfield down·field adv. & adj. Sports To, into, or in the defensive team's end of the field. Adj. 1. downfield - toward or in the defending team's end of the playing field; "he threw to a downfield receiver" . The Bruins would run the play once - from the left hashmark, soon after running a real option play. ``I wanted a big play to break their back,'' Borges said. Borges got his chance after McNown scored on an option run late in the third quarter, giving the Bruins a 31-28 lead. On the second play of UCLA's next possession, the ball was on the left hash. The bait was set. Time for the knockout. McNown took the snap and headed left. Arizona cornerback Chris McAlister Christopher James McAlister or C-Mac (born June 14, 1977 in Pasadena, California) is a cornerback who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. He is a three time Pro Bowler. , sensing another option, abandoned receiver Danny Farmer Danny Farmer, born 1977, is a former National Football League and University of California, Los Angeles wide receiver.[1] In 2000, he was drafted in the fourth round (103) by the Pittsburgh Steelers. and charged to provide run support. Instantly, McNown took three steps back, locked and loaded. Before McAlister could recover, the ball was gone - a perfect strike to Farmer, all alone. The 64-yard touchdown was as decisive as it was instantaneous. And it was so UCLA. Scoring frenzy The No. 2 Bruins have not scored less than 42 points in a game this season and are averaging 48.6 despite McNown's mediocre performance. In 20 years with former coach Terry Donahue Terry Donahue (born June 24, 1944 in Los Angeles, California) is a former college football coach and NFL general manager, and a current football analyst. Player Terry graduated from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. Donahue played defensive line at UCLA. , UCLA never averaged more than 35 points for a season. Bob Toledo Bob Toledo (born March 4, 1946, in San Jose, California) is an American football coach, recently hired as head coach at Tulane University. He is best-known as the thirteenth head coach at UCLA. almost beat that in his first year, smashed it in his second. Is it the players? Is it the system? Well, yes - and yes. ``You could have the greatest system in the world, and if you don't have the players to execute it, it won't work,'' McNown said. ``But you could have great players, and if you don't have the scheme it will be tough.'' Give McNown and Farmer and Skip Hicks Brian "Skip" LaVell Hicks (born October 13, 1974 in Corsicana, Texas) is a former American football running back in the NFL. In his four seasons, Hicks played for the Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans. and Jim McElroy James Charles McElroy, Jr. (born October 4, 1953 in Cotton Plant, Arkansas) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard from Central Michigan University, McElroy played in the National Basketball Association from 1975 to 1982 as a member of the New and Jermaine Lewis Jermaine Lewis (born October 16, 1974 in Lanham, Maryland) is an American football wide receiver in the NFL. A star high school athlete at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, he was a two-time team MVP as a running back while also starring as a sprinter on the track team, setting a different system, and they wouldn't be as productive. Toledo and Borges have installed the scheme they know best and tweaked it to suit their talent, especially McNown. ``Al and I have been using it a long time and we know it,'' Toledo said. ``We know what to run and when to run it and how to make adjustments.'' Officially, it's a high-percentage passing attack (dubbed the West Coast offense) combined with an I-formation running game. It closely resembles the Green Bay Packers' system; Toledo and Packers coach Mike Holmgren are good friends. Unofficially, it's based on balance. Not only run-pass balance but balance within the running game and balance within the passing game. Like the versatile McNown, the Bruins do a lot of things well. That makes it easier to counterpunch against, say, Arizona's McAlister, whose aggressiveness cost him a 64-yard touchdown. ``That play was exactly what we like to do,'' Borges said. ``One play sets up another play which sets up another play. We use the defense's aggressiveness against itself.'' UCLA has dozens of formations and hundreds of plays. Arizona wasn't prepared for the fake option because UCLA hadn't run the fake option this season. In fact, it hadn't run the option. Those plays were specifically designed for Arizona. ``Al and Bob do a great job and I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. that I truly understand it all,'' said Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, who employed Borges for one year (1995) and brings his high-scoring Ducks to the Rose Bowl this weekend. ``But the whole key is balance. . . . To this point, yes, they're the toughest team we've prepared for.'' Run to set up the pass Toledo honed his system as the offensive coordinator at Oregon, Texas A&M and UCLA (1994-95). He replaced Donahue on Jan. 4, 1996, and hired Borges a week later. During the ensuing months, they evaluated personnel and rewrote the playbook. For all the trick plays, funky formations and downfield passes, Toledo, at heart, is a proponent of power football - of knocking the defense off its feet with a dominant running game. Everything the Bruins do is based on their ability to run effectively. They were third in the Pac-10 in rushing last year` (166.7 yards per game) and they're second this year (213.3). The Bruins run outside and they run inside. They use guard movement for traps and sweeps. They run draws to exploit hard-charging defensive linemen. Several rudimentary plays - off tackle, for instance - are in the game plan each week. Others are added or subtracted based on the opponent. The Bruins dusted off the option last week because they felt it would counteract Arizona's overzealous defenders. They might not use it again for a month. An effective running game creates the opportunity for UCLA's most dangerous weapon: its play-action passing attack. Play-action passes look like runs, so they force linebackers and safeties to step toward the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for . But instead of handing off, McNown shifts into passing mode. The safeties are in poor position to defend, leaving Farmer and Brian Poli-Dixon - or Jim McElroy last year - in that most coveted cov·et v. cov·et·ed, cov·et·ing, cov·ets v.tr. 1. To feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's). See Synonyms at envy. 2. To wish for longingly. See Synonyms at desire. situation: one-on-one with the cornerbacks. When McNown completes 40- and 50-yard passes, they are most likely the result of play action. ``As a defensive coordinator, the three things you don't like to see are a commitment to the run, a great play-action game and a good screen team,'' said Bob Field, a UCLA defensive coach for 19 years. ``You have to be so worried about the play-action game because Cade does it so well. It's a weapon within itself.'' Complex system The Bruins call three plays at once, and a system of checks enables McNown to change the play at the line of scrimmage. If he calls a right sweep in the huddle, then gets to the line and sees the defense overloaded to that side, he can check to a left sweep or change the play altogether. The complexity makes it difficult to defend and difficult to learn. McNown struggled as a sophomore in 1996 (12 touchdowns, 16 interceptions) because he didn't know all the plays and their variations. Last year, after an offseason of practice and film study, he knew where each receiver was supposed to be and he l`ed the nation in passing. ``We went through the same growing pains grow·ing pains pl.n. Pains in the limbs and joints of children or adolescents, frequently occurring at night and often attributed to rapid growth but arising from various unrelated causes. that USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. is going through now,'' Borges said, referring to the new system installed by Trojans coach Paul Hackett. ``Cade had it the toughest. I felt bad for him. It's like he had two freshman years.'' Designed for McNown Because of McNown's mobility, the Bruins use misdirection MISDIRECTION, practice. An error made by a judge in charging the jury in a special case. 2. Such misdirection is either in relation to matters of law or matters of fact. 3.-1. plays (rollouts and bootlegs) to keep the defense guessing. They'll throw quick slants and screens within minutes of each other to upset a pass rusher's timing, much like a pitcher with a good fastball and changeup. They'll run different plays from the same formation. They have a drop-back attack designed for long yardage yard·age 1 n. 1. An amount or length measured in yards. 2. Cloth sold by the yard. Noun 1. and a quick-hitting attack - short passes to the backs and tight ends - designed to move six or eight yards at a time. Borges calls it an ``amoeba amoeba: see ameba. amoeba One-celled protozoan that can form temporary extensions of cytoplasm (pseudopodia) in order to move about. Some amoebas are found on the bottom of freshwater streams and ponds. offense.'' But by any name, it's perfectly suited for McNown, exploiting his mobility and accuracy while hiding his weaknesses. Shorter quarterbacks sometimes have difficulty seeing over linemen, so the Bruins use rollouts to give the 6-foot-1 McNown unobstructed passing lanes. He lacks a rocket arm, so the Bruins don't run the 15-yard sideline patterns that require Brett Favre-like slingshots. ``The mobility and escapability of McNown creates a quandary for the defense,'' Bellotti said. ``What do you take away? You can't overload, because they have too many weapons. . . . ``They have a quarterback-oriented system. They maximize the strengths of their quarterback, do what he does best. The fact that they have won so many games reflects not just the offense but their ability to utilize Cade's strengths.'' OREGON at UCLA Saturday 12:30 p.m. Ch. 7 / 1150 AM TURNING IT UP The Bruins have dramatically increased scoring and yardage since Bob Toledo replaced Terry Donahue as head coach in 1996. Year Avg. pts Avg. yrds 1994 21.7 399.5 199528.2 398.9 1996 30.0 386.4 1997 39.8 429.6 1998 48.6 485.3 CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box PHOTO (1--Color) Quarterback Cade McNown (2) The UCLA offense is designed with quarterback Cade McNown in mind, using his elusiveness. John Lazar/Daily News BOX: TURNING IT UP (see text) |
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