A tearful goodbye to the seniors as Bruins win Rose Bowl

PASADENA, CA–The 12-0 Minnesota Golden Gophers brought their 14 game win streak to the Rose Bowl game, and left with a healthy serving of humble pie. 

 There was much trash talking between the aggressive Minnesota defense and many of the UCLA stand-outs.  Trey Brown, senior Offensive Captain, was overheard referring to Minnesota’s star CB as “Prince in helmet…but worse.” 

The seniors stepped up in their final appearance at the Rose Bowl, in what was essentially a home game for the Bruins.  The game was 14-0 at the half, and 42-0 final.  The Bruins ended the season ranked 14 and Coach B was offered, and accepted, a 2 year contract extension. 

Key senior stats:

 Chris Markey, HB, 15 carries, 78 yards, 1 TD, plus a 52 yard punt return TD.

Jimmy Stevens, FB, 9 carries, 47 yards, 1TD.

Trey Brown, WR, 4 receptions, 72 yards, 1 TD.

 They will be missed.  After the game, 2nd Team All-American lineman, J. Ratliff tried to declare for the NFL draft, but was talked into staying. 

Not so cooperative was Jr. lineman Tavarious Newton, who declared for the draft.  Despite much working by Coach B, Tavarious felt the need to sow his oats in the NFL.  Coach Boreale received a letter from former Arizona standout John Lewis stating that the Russian coal mine was hiring.  He passed the word along to Tavarious, who will soon be looking for back-breaking work.

There were some key losses on both sides to the ball to graduation, and I’m sure the entire Treble wishes them well on their journey.

Matt Slater: former Schiavone candidate, turned solid WR

Steven Urrutia:  Takes angry Mexican playing style to NFL.  If he is not drafted by the Raiders, he will open up a car customizing shop on Wilshire Blvd.

Marty Hampton: Defensive Capt.

Gary Tinsley: Jerk Giant, you, and your 38 pancakes and no sacks allowed, will be missed.

PJ Irvin: 33 pancakes in 07

Kevin Brown: 96 ovr, 29 tackles and 9 sacks in 07

Michael Norris: CB with 24 tackles, 6 INT, and 3 FF.

Most of all, the triple whammy of losing Markey (92 ovr), Stevens (94 ovr), and Trey Brown could have devastating effects on the offensive production.

Oregon’s running QB briefly stymies UCLA defense

PASADENA, CA–The Bruins’  defense has gotten stronger with every game, but experienced some first quarter difficulties in defending a running QB.  The 6-4 Ducks were able to run all over the defense during the first quarter, until the defensive coordinator figured out that a QB spy defensive set really helps to contain a running QB.

Another way to contain a running QB is to simply knock him out of the game, which Marty Hampton did here:

Prior to being knocked out, the QB managed to throw 3 INTs.  His replacement also tacked on an INT.  Michael Norris had 2 of those INTs.  The defense did such a good job, that Coach Boreale was able to take out the starters at the half, when the score was 31-0.  The final score was 37-0.  Mario Sanford hit 3 FGs.  As a result of the win, the now 10-1 Bruins moved up to #18 in the Media poll and to #20 in the BCS and Coaches polls.  Although riding a 10-game win-streak, the Bruins can’t seem to shake the hit they took from their opening game loss to Arkansas.  Up next is, for all intents and purposes, the Pac-10 championship against the filthy Trojans of USC.  Stay tuned for a full report.

First two class of 2012 commits

Clint Henry, Anderson, Indiana

#1 CB, 5′11″ 170 lbs

40: 4.20

Awareness: A-

Vertical: 41.6″

Hands: A-

Bench: 215

Squat: 315

Potential: Average

Discipline: Good

Clint is a two sport star at Highland High in Anderson.  His excellent hands make him an excellent receiver, but his height is a limitation at the next level, so he opts to play cornerback more often.  Clint’s family has never fit in in Anderson because they have consistently refused to join the Anderson Church of God.  He cannot wait to embrace California culture and hook up with some legit OC chicks.

–

Mario Sampson, Federal Way, Washington

#8 DE, 6′3″ 240 lbs

40: 4.65

Awareness: D+

Vertical: 34.5

Bench: 340

Squat: 520

Potential: Poor

Discipline: Good

Mario is the #8 DE in the nation overall, but he is the #1 DE who is of half-Mexican, half-Black descent.  He is one of the most popular students at Thomas Jefferson High.  A fairly good student, Mario will graduate with a International Baccalaureate diploma.  Upon hearing that Coach Boreale is also an IB diploma holder, Mario was quick to commit to UCLA.  Seeing the defensive dominance and the chicks that Karl Thurmond pulled was a huge factor as well.  UCLA Kicker Mario Sanford is not happy with the similarity of their names, and has mentioned the possibility of re-embracing his traditional family surname.

 After the ASU win, the Bruins have moved up to a #21 BCS and Coaches ranking, and are #20 in the Media poll.  They also received a soft verbal from #1 SS Ramon Green.  The current projection is for the Holiday Bowl against Iowa State, pending the outcome of the upcoming USC game.

ASU girls can’t distract Bruins

PASADENA, CA–The 5-4 Sun Devils were no match for the 8-1 UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl, which is quickly becoming a tough place for visiting teams.  Three major recruits scheduled their official visits during the ASU weekend: #1 SS Ramon Green; #1 CB Clint Henry; and #8 DE Mario Sampson.  The Bruins did not disappoint.

 Once again, the defense was the real motivating force.  They had 5 sacks, two of which were by Andy Keane, shown here:

The offense was remarkably efficient.  Willis Johnson went 9 for 13 for 162 yards and 1TD.  Offensive Captain Trey Brown had 4 receptions for 69 yards and this TD:

Check out that 14 inch vertical!  Trey was not very productive for the rest of the game because he drank a 40 of “OE” as part of his TD celebration.  Karl Thurmond also drank a 40, although he didn’t score a TD all game. 

Jimmy Stevens and Chris Markey have developed into a real “Thunder and Lightning” combo.  Chris had 22 carries for 128 yards rushing and a TD, while Jimmy had 16 carries for 81 yards and 3 TDs.  “Jerk Giant” Gary Tinsley had 9 pancakes during the game, then ate 12 pancakes afterward.  He also shook down the redshirt freshmen for pancake and gas money.

All in all, the Bruins’ performance was enough to cause Clint Henry and Mario Sampson to commit after the game.  Final score 35-0.  Also, Karl Thurmond hooked up with these chicks from Tempe, which caused some drama with Taquisha.

It’s good to be back in Tucson

TUCSON, AZ–Coach Boreale enjoyed being back in Tucson this week; he saw old friends, ate at some favorite restaurants, paid a visit to Grandma and Grandpa Boreale, and coached his Bruins to a 28-10 victory over the 4-4 UA Wildcats.

The ‘Cats heavy CB double team of Trey Brown left freshman wide-out Mike Goss open for some big plays. He finished the day with 3 receptions for 79 yards and 2 TDs, including the one shown below.

Willis Johnson went 11-15 for 226 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, after having gone interception-free for the past three games.

The real story of the game, however, was the defense. The Bruins had 8 sacks in the game, exploiting some mismatches on the line. Andy Keane had another great outing.

The defensive star of the game was Kevin Brown who ended the game with 6 tackles (4 for loss) and 3 sacks! He was named Pac-10 Player of the Week. He is shown in action below.

After the win, the 8-1 Bruins are finally ranked, coming in a #24 in the BCS, Coaches, and Media polls. Inexplicably, the 7-3 Cal Bears, who UCLA beat earlier this season, are ranked #23.

Next week is a big conference game against ASU, with 3 top recruits in attendance.

No respect for Bruins after impressive win

Despite man-handling WSU to go up to a 7-1 record and 2nd place in the Pac-10, UCLA is not ranked in this week’s coaches or BCS poll. The media did throw UCLA a bone and rank them #25.

Coach Boreale suspects that the Coaches Poll anti-UCLA bias stems from last year’s awards banquet, when Coach Boreale ate most of a cake meant to honor Joe Paterno’s lifetime achievement award before the ceremony began. He assures BRFR that he paid a hefty price indeed.

In other news, the award semi-finalists were released this week.

Karl Thurmond: Best TE
Gary Tinsley: Best OL
Cody Carter: Rimington
Mario Sanford: Groza

Cougars more like pussy cats in Bruins win

PULLMAN, WA–After the win over Cal, the 6-1 Bruins were riding high heading into their game against 1-7 Washington State. Coach Boreale warned the team about being over-confident, and they played within themselves to win 52-0.

The game began with a Chris Markey 70 yard TD run that was pulled back for holding. That was seemingly the Bruins’ only mistake all game.

Markey had a 55 yard TD run (shown below) and ended the 1st quarter with over 100 yards rushing.

WSU could not stop the run, so passing was not really needed, although KT and Willis Johnson did hook up for one TD.

The defense was incredibly dominant. This game pitted the #1 defense (UCLA) against the #118 offense (WSU). The 31-0 halftime score was no surprise. Coach Boreale put the 2nd string in at the half and they played like champs.

This hit:

by Andy Keane pretty much summed up the entire game.

Game Stats:
Johnson continued his no INT run.
Markey had 139 yards on 11 carries and 2 TDs in only one half of play.
Freshman Bill Carr had 4 tackles, 1 TFL.

No love for Bruins

Despite beating #20 Cal, the 6-1 Bruins received no poll votes this week. In other news, Karl Thurmond was seen sporting a black band on his right arm during practice. When asked to comment on the change, KT was nonresponsive. BRFR will attempt to find out more from the tight-lipped Thurmond. Stay tuned.

On a recruiting note, three top recruits have accepted official visits to UCLA. They are set to watch the UCLA/ASU game in week 12.

Bruins fight Bears and win.

PASADENA, CA–The 20th ranked Cal Bears (5-2) rolled into town with big egos and a lot of swagger. They left with crushed spirits and a new respect for the Bruins. Coach Boreale knew it was only a matter of time before his young team would start to click; and click they did against a ranked conference opponent.

Coach Boreale knew it would be a long game from the opening kick-off. UCLA received the opening kick, fumbled the return, which was recovered by Cal, who then fumbled, which was recovered by UCLA!

Jimmy Stevens continues to make a name for himself as a TD machine with 10 carries for 60 yards and 2 TDs.

Relatively quiet vato loco Steven Urrutia tried to make his case for the Castillo Scholarship with this QB sack:

Halftime score: 21-10.

The UCLA Defense held Cal fairly well in the first half, but they really turned up the heat in the second. The crowd was also a factor, as it got louder as the game wore on.

Timi Barnes made up for his weak name by scoring a TD on this interception return.

Timi finished the day with 3 tackles, 2 INTs, and 1 TD. He was named Pac-10 Defensive player of the week; UCLA’s first player of the week this season.

By the 4th quarter, the “Over-rated” chants began, and the game was basically over. Final score: 35-10.

Game Stats:
310 yard total offense
Defense snagged 3 INTs (2 by Barnes)
Willis Johnson went 12-14 for 167 yards, 2TDs, and 0 INTs
Stevens had 10 carries for 60 yards and 2 TDs
Thurmond and Slater picked up a TD each.
Patrick Petty had 3 punts for a 48 yard average, with a 52 yard long.

Jocks + Nerds = Ass-whoopin’

PALO ALTO, CA–The Bruins stormed into northern California to take on the 2-4 Stanford Cardinal, and the result was not unexpected. The game started off with Chris Markey breaking a 41 yard run on the first play from scrimmage.

Jimmy Stevens had 3 touchdowns in the first quarter + 10 seconds. Here he is scoring TD #2:

The score was 31-7 at the half. Coach Boreale put the second string in for the fourth quarter, and the final score was 41-7.

GAME NOTES:
403 yards of total offense
Willis Johnson breaks his INT streak by going 9-13 160yds 1TD and 0 INTs
Markey: 14 carries, 137 yds, 1TD
Stevens: 9 carries, 75 yds, 3TDs
Karl Thurmond: 3 rec, 40 yds, 1 TD
Mario Sanford put in a genius grant worthy performance by hitting 2 FGs, one for 43 yards, and saying the F-word 86 times in the game.