When it comes to the storied UCLA-USC rivalry, UCLA traditionally took basketball and USC football. After all, the Bruins once had the Wizard of Westwood himself coach the team to 10 national titles in 12 years during the 60s and 70s.
USC dominated football during the early 2000s under the Pete Carroll Era. And even of recent years, Bruins basketball coach Ben Howland led the Bruins to 3 consecutive Final Fours from 2006-2008. But after a 14-18 season, it appears that USC has an edge in both football and basketball, even with major recruiting sanctions working against them.
So while Howland struggles to revitalize the success he once had, the Bruins are attempting to revitalize a stagnant football program under the direction of Rick Neuheisel.
The third year has not proved to be the charm for Neuheisel, as the Bruins are off to a 4-5 start and in danger of not becoming bowl eligible. Even Neuheisel’s predecessor, Karl Dorrell, had a successful campaign during his third season. That was in 2004, when the Bruins went 10-2 and won the Sun Bowl, its only ten-win season this decade.
So the Bruins lured offensive guru Norm Chow from USC, where he led a prolific offense to national titles in 2003 and 2004, and coached two Heisman Trophy winners.
But the same success has not carried over to Westwood. The Bruins offense has been anemic for quite some time now, and whether its the assurances from Neuheisel that the team is improving, the patience of Bruin nation is wearing thin.
While Neuheisel not only skates on thin ice, but ice that is quickly melting away under a giant heat lamp, Chow might not be the guru or the Dali Lama of offense he once was thought to be.
The Bruins signed Chow to a two-year extension earlier this summer, making him one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the NCAA. So while Chow makes six-figures, the Bruins have failed to create a potent offense that is worthy of putting itself in a position to win.
The Bruins are currently ranked 100th out of 119 FBS teams in total offense, averaging a measly 20 points a game. Let’s not forget they were shutout at home by Stanford and scored seven points in Apple Valley.
What was Chow’s recipe for success in Trojan land? Well, he did have the talent. UCLA does not boast multiple five-chip recruits that permeated the Trojan roster while Chow was under Carroll.
And while the defense has shown signs of life and improvement, the offense is lagging behind. And this isn’t a turtle race.
Certainly you can argue that UCLA did not and still does not have the recruiting base USC has, but sometimes you watch the game and wonder what Chow was thinking?
The Bruins will be in the red zone. It’s third and 14, basically a third and long situation, and Chow will call a wide receiver tunnel screen, or a half-back draw.
The calls are so conservative even Rush Limbaugh would be sitting back and holding his chest in pain. The calls are beyond conservative. Whether its a lack of confidence at the depleted quarterback position or simply taking advantage of a strong kicker like Kai Forbath, conservatism is the ideology Chow appears to live by in Blue and Gold.
If UCLA wants to make any serious attempt at revitalizing its program, it needs to score points. Field goals don’t cut it in football. It’s about scoring touchdowns.
Defense wins championships, but you can’t live and die by the defense. There are going to be times when you need to play catch-up or need to score points fast. If the Bruins are down the game is pretty much over.
Bruins athletic director Dan Guerrero will have none of Neuheisel’s pleads for patience and time. Time is of the essence in Westwood, and like all prominent athletic programs, anything short of winning is a failure.
Luckily, the Bruins play Washington, Arizona State and rival USC to finish the regular season, all winnable games. But they need two out of three to become bowl eligible, and if they lose all three, you might find that the Neuheisel Era has come to a quick and abrupt end.
Defense wins championships, but field goals don’t win you anything. It’s even questionable to live and die by the three in basketball. You live by seven points in football. This isn’t chess, but a game of checkers, and the next three games will decide what the next move will be for the Bruins program.
100th in total offense? Are you sure this is where champions are made?