UCLA LOOKING TO GO BIG-TIME WIN OVER OKLAHOMA WOULD BE HUGE BOOST TO PROGRAM.Byline: Brian Dohn 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 coach Karl Dorrell Karl Dorrell (born December 18, 1963 in Alameda, California) is the first black head coach in the history of the UCLA Bruins college football team, a position he took on December 18, 2002. spent the week insisting today's meeting with No. 21 Oklahoma was simply another game, counting the same as Rice or any of the other nine games on the Bruins' schedule. But very few bought into that thought, including his players. They understand the gravity of the matchup at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins want respect. They want acknowledgment of their new attitude. They want national recognition, and to begin turning the mind-set of USC-dominated Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . They want everyone to know this UCLA team is different from the past few. All that is possible with a win over Oklahoma, which still carries the cache of a big-time program despite struggles in its first two games. ``I know they lost to TCU (Transmission Control Unit) A communications control unit controlled by the computer that does not execute internally stored programs. Contrast with front end processor, which executes its own instructions. and had a tough game with Tulsa, but it's still Oklahoma, and it's still on ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , and it's still our chance to show everybody our team is legitimate,'' UCLA strong safety Jarrad Page Jarrad Page (born October 19, 1984) was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 7th round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for UCLA in his collegiate career. Before attending UCLA, Page grew up in San Leandro, California, attending San Leandro High School, where Page was the top said. ``We're not impostors. We're not faking. We really want it this season, and this is our chance to show everybody how we can come out and play.'' A win would be UCLA's most significant since defeating No. 21 Ohio State 13-6 in 2001. ``It's huge,'' Bruins quarterback Drew Olson Drew Olson (born April 6, 1983 in San Francisco, California) is a former starting quarterback for the University of California, Los Angeles football team, where he broke many of UCLA's passing records. said. ``We haven't beaten a big-time opponent in a while; ranked, been a national powerhouse, nationally respected. It can propel us in a great way, and I think we all know that. It's all in our minds. It makes the game that much bigger.'' The farthest Dorrell went all week in acknowledging the importance of this game was to call it a ``measuring-stick type of game,'' but it could turn into a watershed moment for Dorrell's UCLA career despite the Sooners' inexperience. Oklahoma (1-1), which lost to Texas Christian and needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to pull away from Tulsa, has three first-year starters on the defensive line, three more on the offensive line - including converted tight end Chris Chester Christopher Sean Chester (born January 12, 1983) is an American football offensive guard for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Oklahoma. at center - and three more in the secondary. The Sooners also have 24 freshmen or sophomores on their two- deep roster, which is a major reason why the Bruins (2-0) are a touchdown favorite. ``This is very important because Oklahoma is Oklahoma,'' UCLA receiver Junior Taylor said. ``We know they had a tough first couple of weeks, but you know when you play Oklahoma, you're always going to get their best shot. We know that this game has big-time implications because just the fact it is Oklahoma.'' The Sooners have Heisman Trophy Heisman Trophy Annual award given to the outstanding college gridiron football player in the U.S. The trophy was instituted in 1935 by New York City's Downtown Athletic Club and was officially named the following year for the club's first athletic director, the player-coach candidate Adrian Peterson Adrian Peterson may refer to:
Paul Thompson started the opener, but was yanked in favor of redshirt freshman Rhett Bomar. The move didn't pan out. Oklahoma remained one-dimensional as Bomar threw for 42 yards and didn't attempt a pass in the second half against Tulsa. ``We've gotta have this game,'' Bruins linebacker Spencer Havner said. ``I'm not expecting what we saw in the last few weeks. I'm expecting the Oklahoma that played in the national championship three games ago. I'm sure we're going to get a great Oklahoma team, so it's going to be a huge challenge for us. If we can get a win, it would really grab some attention.'' A UCLA win would help in Los Angeles, particularly in recruiting, where USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. has ruled since Dorrell arrived, and also create a stir nationally about a potential resurgence at UCLA. In Dorrell's two-plus seasons, UCLA's brightest moment was a 34-26 win at Oregon last season. The Ducks finished 5-6. Dorrell is 1-7 against ranked teams, with the lone victory being a 46-16 romp over No. 18 Washington, which finished 2003 with a 6-6 mark. More important, the images that resonate from Dorrell's first two seasons of rebuilding were bowl losses to Fresno State and Wyoming, and a defeat of the Sooners could begin to erase those memories. Brian Dohn, (818) 713-3607 brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: (color) Oklahoma tailback Adrian Peterson rushed for 220 yards last week against Tulsa. Getty Images Box: UCLA vs. NO. 21 OKLAHOMA |
|
||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion