Bruins blueprint
Oregon State beat USC and UCLA beat Oregon State, so by the transitive property (were you awake for that one in math class?), UCLA will beat USC on Saturday and deny the Trojans a chance to play for the national championship. Well, Bruins fans can always dream. And if there's any chance of turning the dream into reality, Oregon State football coach Mike Riley is the one to consult.
After all, Riley's team defeated USC 33-31 for the Trojans' only loss this season. Two weeks later, Riley's team lost 25-7 to UCLA. So earlier this week, we spoke to Oregon State's coach, and he discussed the blueprint for beating USC and what UCLA must do if it hopes to pull off the upset.
OVERVIEW
Riley: "The best way to start out when talking about that is it took probably our best game from everybody's vantage point. You're never going to have a perfect game, but we took care of the football. We won the turnover battle, which is probably as big a factor as anything. We had a big play on special teams for a touchdown. The third part of that is we had a good third quarter. A lot of teams have stayed with some very good teams like SC to halftime. And then they come out, get down to business in the third quarter. We actually scored 17 points against them in the third quarter, which I thought coming out of halftime was huge."
How Oregon State did it: The Beavers committed no turnovers while recovering three USC fumbles and intercepting one pass. They scored on a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown, scored the first 17 points of the second half and outscored USC in the third quarter 17-7.
UCLA's challenge: Winning the turnover battle is a realistic goal for the Bruins. This season, they are plus-6 on turnovers. UCLA hasn't been impressive in third quarters. The Bruins have outscored only four of their 11 opponents in the period. Other than the Oregon State game, the Trojans have been outscored in the third quarter only one other time – by Arizona State (14-0) in a 28-21 USC victory.
OFFENSE
Riley: "Balance. Absolutely, balance. I would never want to play a one-dimensional game against USC. So I think a combination of effective runs, including draw plays, and some passing that mixes in some deep shots. If you sit down too low on them all the time those talented DBs just start squatting on you, and then you're in trouble. Now, can (UCLA) mix it up well enough offensively to make plays against them? That'll be the key. They've got to have a mixture, I think, to challenge that defense."
How Oregon State did it: Oregon State ran the ball 35 times and passed the ball 32 times against USC. The Beavers amassed 400 yards in total offense, rushing for 138 yards and passing for 262 yards.
UCLA's challenge: The Bruins have been reasonably balanced on offense. Unfortunately, that means they've been just as mediocre throwing the ball as they have been running it. UCLA ranks an unimpressive 70th nationally in total offense. Not only that, USC's defense is looking better and better. In their past four games, the Trojans shut out Stanford, held Oregon to 10 points, held Cal to nine points and limited Notre Dame to just 10 points in the first half.
DEFENSE
Riley: "The thing that we always think about anybody, especially a team like that, is a mixture of either coverage or pressure. When you do pressure them, the danger is getting matched up against their top receivers. They got some plays on us in the fourth quarter. They got some one-on-one plays on the outside. They just made the plays. Good throw, good catch. So when you do pressure them, you've got to win part of those battles covering those good receivers. One thing UCLA does, they have a good defense with some quality athletes. They're very athletic on the edge of their defense. Those guys are good players and they make a lot of plays. They also scheme it up just enough to cause you some problems. You have to read what they're doing. And you've go to find some spots and they'll jump into two-deep or three-deep and/or zone-blitz."
How Oregon State did it: The Beavers limited USC to 102 yards rushing while jumping out to a 33-10 lead in the third quarter. Sure, they gave up 406 yards passing. But after falling behind, USC had no choice but to pass. And Oregon State did a reasonably good job under the circumstances, sacking USC quarterback John David Booty twice and intercepting him once.
UCLA's challenge: The Bruins have two of the top pass rushers in the country in Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis. Hickman ranks second nationally with 12½ sacks and Davis ranks third with 11½. And under first-year defensive coordinator Dwayne Walker, the Bruins have made dramatic improvement. Sacking Booty is one thing. Stopping USC receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith is another.
AND THE WINNER IS …
Riley: "I think USC's going to win. I got a chance to watch a good bit of that Notre Dame game (a 44-24 USC win). They looked really confident, and they look like they're rolling. I just think that they had that look about them the other night that they're getting ready to play for another national championship."
