Break up the Bruins!!! Universities located in Texas should avoid UCLA on their schedule. For the second time in as many weeks, an underdog UCLA team upset a major university from the state of Texas and top 25 school. Maybe the Bruins should leave the Pac 10 and join the Big 12.

Congratulations to UCLA on scoring the biggest upset of the weekend. How they won with a quarterback passing for an out of this world 27yards is inconceivable. As Troy Aikman said during his NFL telecast Sunday, “those kinds of numbers would make me transfer back to Oklahoma”. Obviously UCLA attacked with a superb running game highlighted by Jonathan Franklin’s 118 yards and backup Derrick Coleman’s 94. Each scored a touchdown as well.

Therein lies the problem. UCLA will have to get production out of the passing game when teams with outstanding front sevens stack the line and prevent the running game from being effective. Longhorns QB threw for 264 yards while the running game contributed with 85.

Not to make excuses for the Bruins, but had the Longhorns been able to hold onto the football (4 fumbles), UCLA would not have been in the game.  Turnovers were big as always and Texas shot themselves in the foot by giving the Bruins great field position or losing the pigskin when close to the opponents end zone.

Hats of UCLA, you seem to have righted the ship and with Pac 10 play continuing with Washington State at the Rose Bowl, its full steam ahead into the grueling part of your schedule.

Bruin fans, I hate to sound like a broken record, but be concerned. Be very, very concerned. For the second week in a row, UCLA takes on a top 25 team with a potential first round pick at quarterback. Case Keenum is a monster. He has lead the Cougars to a 2-0 start and is the triggerman for the most potent offense in the entire NCAA (61 points per game). He has already thrown for over 550 yards and 5 touchdowns in two games. However, the Cougars are no longer just a passing team. Enter running back Bryce Beal and company. Beal has single handedly has rushed for 243 yards and 5 scores on 24 carries, while his back up Michael Hayes has added 95 yards and 4 more touchdowns. Bruin defenders are having nightmares already.

After saying that the quarterback position was once again up for grabs, Rick Neuheisal later rescinded his statement and once again selected Kevin Prince to be his sacrificial lamb. Surprisingly, at a majority of schools, fans would be calling for the coach’s head after such a horrible start. UCLA fans, however are showing patience. I can already see the Bruins potentially losing this contest, especially if they cannot keep up with the high scoring Cougs and then falling at Texas. Will the fans remain calm if this happens?

UCLA needs to control the clock and use their running game. It has been the lone bright spot on offense, and by doing this, it limits the number of opportunities Houston has to score. The Bruins are 102nd in the nation in points allowed (33.0 ppg) and is 115th in points scored (11.0). Both numbers spell trouble.

This will be a key showcase game for Keenum in his quest for the Heisman and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is allowed to put up video game type numbers against a porous defense. Houston wins, big!

Sorry Bruin fans.

It seems like ages since the Oregon State Beavers last took the field. A close, hard fought battle against Texas Christian dropped the Beavers to 0-1 and out of the top 25. OSU returns this week and plays their second of three non-conference games against the Louisville Cardinals. This is the sandwich game between the Texas Christian contest and the upcoming game against #3 Boise State.

It will be interesting to watch how quarterback Ryan Katz performs in only his second game of what looks to be a promising career. His poise during the Texas Christian game was commendable and his ability to make every throw gives the Beavers a weapon similar to Derek Anderson when he was under center. The running game should be able to excel against the Cardinals. Jacquizz Rodgers began his season rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown, decent numbers, but not the kind that we have come to expect from the 5 foot 7 dynamo. Look for him to have a monster game. His brother, James, also scored a touchdown and had 75 receiving yards, but was limited in his ability to challenge the defense on the fly sweep, a bread and butter play in the Oregon State playbook.

Louisville, comes in with a record of 1-1, having suffered a loss in their opening game against Kentucky and winning last weekend against Eastern Kentucky. The Cards average 19.5 points per game and give up 18. Louisville is a very balanced team on offense. Running back Bilal Powell is averaging 122.5 yards per game and has scored three touchdowns thus far. This does not bode well for Oregon State, which allowed the Horned Frogs to run for 278 yards in their game.

The Beavers need to focus and control the line of scrimmage to open holes for Rodgers and allow Katz to have time to look for his receivers downfield. Defensively, avoid the costly penalty and play fundamentally sound defense – tackling especially. If the Beavers can accomplish this they will even their record to 1-1 overall and have momentum heading into next week’s contest with Boise State.

Wow! First off, I’d like to congratulate Head Coach Pete Carroll on his victory Sunday. Honestly, I doubted that he would be successful, especially so soon. It is just one game, however, did anyone truly predict such a dominating effort by Seattle?

Many will say that the 49ers gave the game away, especially with the play of Quarterback Alex Smith. San Fran got off to an early 6 to 0 lead and it seemed as if the Seahawks would struggle as predicted. Then Matt Hasselbeck played like the Hasselbeck of a few years ago.

San Francisco controlled the clock ran more plays and had more yards of total offense. However, the X-Factor as always was Alex Smith. His two interceptions, one of which that was returned  by Marcus Trufant for a touchdown, was vintage Smith. The Seahawks did an exceptional job holding the Niners rushing attack to a paltry 49 yards on 19 carries. Many believed that if Seattle was going to be effective, they had to contain Frank Gore and company.

Offensively, Hasselbeck did a great job spreading the ball around completing passes to eight different receivers. Mike Williams seemed to be the quarterback’s best friend as he was the target of the majority of Hasselbeck’s throws. We may see the development of the Mike Williams many predicted when he entered the draft as a first round pick of the Detroit Lions. The rushing game was balanced and was led by Justin Forsett and his 43 yards.

Seattle sits in a tie for first place with the Arizona Cardinals…who would have predicted that! Seahawks fans have a tough, never give up squad that definitely has the ability to make a run in the weak NFC West. For those that doubted Pete Carroll and whether his rah-rah style would work in the pros, this win is a step in the right direction. The Seahawks look to improve to 2-0 next week when they travel to Denver’s Invesco Field to take on the Broncos.

This Saturday, the UCLA Bruins open Pac-10 play against the always tough Stanford Cardinal. A week has passed since the Kansas State game and the Bruins are on the verge of starting the year 0-2. Last week, UCLA had trouble stopping Wildcat running back Daniel Thomas. This week, they must contend against the possible first pick of the next NFL draft, quarterback Andrew Luck.

Stanford defeated Sacramento State last week 52 to 17. While not in the same league as Kansas State, both Sacramento State and UCLA put up similar stats against their opponents. Both teams allowed 213 + rushing yards and had trouble tackling. Combined with Luck’s 316 yards passing and 4 touchdowns and Stanford proved to be a better balanced team than Kansas State. How do the Bruins stop this?

The Cardinal rushing game features a three headed attack, especially since the departure of All-American running back Toby Gerhart. Individually, the Stanford backs put up moderate stats, but it is the ability to always bring in a fresh runner that wears down their opponents.

Stanford has been considered a darkhorse in the Pac-10 Championship race. Coach Jim Harbaugh will make sure that his team is prepared. With a week of practice, let’s hope that UCLA is as well.

In the end, it will be too much of Andrew Luck and a strong rushing attack as the Cardinal will leave Pasadena in victory, and leave the UCLA Bruins scratching their heads as they fall to 0-2.

Seattle Seahawks fans – the 2010 season has finally arrived, and I must say should be very interesting. Head Coach Pete Carroll has officially put his stamp on this young club, especially with the recent release of standout wide receiver T.J. Housmanzadeh. I question this decision as Housh was a proven threat and someone that the opposition had to game plan against.

Sunday, Seattle takes on the San Francisco 49ers, the preseason favorite to win the NFC West. The Seahawks offensive line has undergone an overhaul and this will prove to be the key that determines the success of the offense.  First round pick Russell Okung begins his career having to protect Matt Hasselbeck  from the always dangerous Justin Smith at defensive end. The line should be able to allow the Seattle running game to flourish, so long as 49er middle linebacker Patrick Willis is taken into account.

The defense is young and aggressive, but prone to mental miscues. The Niners feature a balanced attack and running back Frank Gore has had a history of using the Seahawks as his personal highlight reel. Combined with tight end Vernon Davis and wideout Michael Crabtree, Seattle must play smart and not try to make the highlight reel play. I look forward to seeing how Marcus Trufant, Earl Thomas, Lawyer Milloy, Kelly Jennings and company do against the offense. If they can fluster quarterback Alex Smith, the Seahawks can win. Penalties, poor tackling and coverage will be the questions that must be answered. Also, if the line can create problems for the 49er offensive line that features two rookie starters, the Seahawks should be able to give their offense extra chances to produce points.

I see the game ending with a 49er win (28-14). The Carroll era begins with a loss, which seems what management wants. Seattle seems destined to go the way of the Lions and Rams…The countdown to the first pick begins Sunday!

UCLA fans, I would be concerned. Coach Rick Neuheisel stated that he would not be happy this season unless the Bruins won at least 8 games. After the performance Saturday against Kansas State, he should be thrilled with six.

This just in…Daniel Thomas just broke another long run and scored a touchdown!! All jokes aside, if the Bruins cannot stop the run, 2010 will be very long for UCLA. Thomas is one of the nation’s premier running backs and after Saturday, a legit Heisman Trophy candidate. 28 carries for 234 yards and 2 scores. K-State wore down the defense and this will serve as a blueprint for teams with explosive rushing attacks, Oregon, Oregon State and USC for example. The scary part was that UCLA knew the run was coming and still couldn’t stop it. Wildcat quarterback Chase Coffman threw for 66 yards on 11 completions. That is pathetic.

Not to be outdone, the Bruins receivers dropped easy passes from Kevin Prince that could have sustained drives and kept the tired defense off of the field. While the UCLA rushing game came away with an impressive 193 yards, turnovers and penalties proved costly. I will say the first score that came from the Kevin Prince rollout was a perfect call and showed what the Pistol Offense should look like. Bravo.

UCLA rallied and had a chance to win, but it was too much Thomas for them to handle. Akeem Ayers and Rahim Moore need help defensively. Its time for the rest of the D to step up, especially with Stanford in town next weekend for the start of Pac-10 play. If UCLA struggles against the run vs the Cardinal like they did on Saturday, watch out.

Saturday’s game at Cowboys Stadium was a spectacular sight. Beaver fans, although Oregon State came up just a bit short, there were a lot of positives that can be taken from game one of the season.

Before I continue, I would like to congratulate Andy Dalton on becoming TCU’s all-time winning-est quarterback. If you saw the game, Dalton was cool, calm and collected and is a threat with both his arm and legs. I would not be surprised to see Dalton in New York City as a Heisman Finalist, especially if the Horned Frogs run the table and earn a BCS game selection.

Speaking of quarterbacks, I was very impressed with Beaver Quarterback Ryan Katz. He showed poise in his first career start and his ability to make all the throws will be integral to OSU’s success for years to come. His laser beam touchdown throws to both James Rodgers and Jordan Bishop in the first half were things of beauty. While I loved the fact that Katz did not throw an interception, his 9 of 25 stat line must improve for the team to become successful. That will come with time.

I am not quite sold on the Wild Beaver formation, or the set in which both Rodgers brothers line up in the I formation. However, they may prove to be deadly to the opposition, so I will reserve judgement on those. The reason, I am not quite sold has to do with the inability of the Beavers to run against the TCU defense. It was evident that Texas Christian was prepared to stop the run at all cost and did so effectively. While Jacquizz Rodgers did find the endzone late in the game, he was held to 75 yards on 18 carries. In fact, the entire Oregon State rushing game managed 73 total yards on 25 carries. This must be improved as it is the Beavers bread and butter and also opens up the playbook for the young quarterback. Again, kudos to TCU.

Defensively, Oregon State had trouble stopping the run.  TCU ran 54 times for 278 yards and when combined with Dalton’s 175 yards through the air, it was easy to see why the Horned Frogs almost doubled the time of possession of their opponents (39:23 to 20:37) This as well as untimely penalties have to be resolved if the Beavers are to make a run at a Pac-10 championship.

Oregon State drops to (0-1) on the season but enjoys a bye week before hosting Louisville at Reser Stadium. I still believe that this game served as an important test and the Beavers will definitely learn from their mistakes. OSU fans, don’t worry. Many questions were answered and things that needed to be worked on are not major. Look for the Beavers to rebound in a major way come September 18.

Many people believe that Monday night’s Boise State – Virginia Tech showdown to rate as the weekend’s best game. I beg to differ. Saturday, September4, the palace that Jerry Jones built plays host to the Texas Christian – Oregon State showdown. Both teams have BCS bowl aspirations. Both teams replace key players (Oregon State looks to replace QB Sean Canfield while TCU hopes to replace first round pick Jerry Hughes and second rounder Daryl Washington.)

Each team features a dark horse candidate for the coveted Heisman Trophy: TCU is led by QB Andy Dalton, who is looking to become the winning-est signal caller in Horned Frog history with a victory, while the Beavers feature Jacquizz Rodgers, the 5-7 dynamo at running back.  The winner of this game will make a strong statement as to why they should be considered an elite program this season. While this is a signature game for Texas Christian, Oregon State will later have to battle Boise State, yet another team looking to steal a BCS bid from the big conferences.

Although OSU is breaking in a new quarterback, the play of both Jacquizz as well as his brother, James (Wide receiver extrordinare) should make things easier. The key will be stopping Linebacker Tank Carder, the heat seeking tackling machine for TCU. While TCU will hold a home field advantage (although it is considered a “Neutral Site”, I believe the Beavers will come away with a hard fought victory.

Now that we have seen the first preseason game under the new Pete Carroll regime, a 20-18 win vs the Tennessee Titans, let’s review some interesting developments.
1) Charlie Whitehurst is a great fit for the new system. While I know most of his work came against the backups, Whitehurst seemed to have a better command of the team. During Matt Hasselbeck’s quarter of action, he was 4 of 10 for 26 yards and the offense sputtered. Meanwhile, Whitehurst was 14 of 22 for 214 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. Hasselbeck guided the offense to a field goal. Whitehurst was responsible for 17 points. If he continues his strong play, Whitehurst could push the veteran for the starting spot.
2) The pass rush is atrocious! Vince Young had a field day as he was not pressured and completed 5 of his 6 passes for 78 yards. His lone mistake was when Seahawk corner Josh Wilson made an impressive play thwarting a potential Titan scoring drive. In fact, until he scrambled, there wasn’t a single grass stain on his uniform. Unless Chris Clemons and company do a better job, even a defensive backfield made of All-Pros would eventually be picked apart.
3) The offensive line needs to gel, and soon. Hasselbeck was constantly under pressure and had to get rid of the ball before he was set. Also, the run game was ineffective due to the relentless Titan pressure. Unless this unit improves, it will be a long season for the offense.
While Seattle ended up victorious, I am not sure that Tennessee would not have won convincingly. Vince Young’s effectiveness and the fact that Chris Johnson only carried the ball five times (once for a touchdown) created problems for the Seahawks. Pete Carroll, congratulations on your first victory, but unless these changes are made, it may be one of only a handful for you in 2010.