Go to the mobile version of this Web site.

Login | Contact Us | Site Map | Paid archives | Electronic edition | Subscription Questions | Extras

BROOKS: UCLA's big man on campus

By B.G. Brooks, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 4, 2008 at 2:46 p.m.

Text size  
New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel had a successful debut at his alma mater as the Bruins beat Tennessee in overtime in a nationally televised game at the Rose Bowl.

New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel had a successful debut at his alma mater as the Bruins beat Tennessee in overtime in a nationally televised game at the Rose Bowl.

Lineup

GAMES TO WATCH

* Miami at No. 5 Florida, 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN).

The Gators and Hurricanes haven't played since the 2004 Peach Bowl, but that doesn't mean the in-state intensity has dropped. Florida expects dynamic Percy Harvin, above, to debut, while Miami fans are eager to see quarterback Robert Marve, who eclipsed many of Gators quarterback Tim Tebow's high school records.

* No. 16 Texas Tech at Nevada, 7 p.m. Saturday.

Red Raiders quarterback Graham Harrell passed for 536 yards against Eastern Washington in a 49-24 win. Nevada's offense figures to test Texas Tech's allegedly improved defense.

* No. 15 Brigham Young at Washington, 1 p.m., Saturday (FSN).

If the Cougars are to live up to expectations and become this season's BCS party crashers, they need to dispose of the struggling Huskies. Shouldn't be a problem if quarterback Max Hall (486 passing yards, touchdown in opener) stays hot.

* Stanford at No. 15 Arizona State, 8 p.m. Saturday.

The Cardinal raised hopes by beating Oregon State 36-28. Stanford got a strong pass rush last season against Arizona State (six sacks) but still lost 41-3.

DON'T TREAD ON ME

Nebraska's run defense was stepped on often last season. But in a 47-24 opening win against Western Michigan, the Cornhuskers, who play San Jose State on Saturday, allowed 8 rushing yards. Their rushing totals allowed in the last seven games in 2007:

Colorado 277 yards

Kansas State 108 yards

Kansas 218 yards

Texas 364 yards

Texas A&M 359 yards

Oklahoma State 317 yards

Missouri 195 yards

Gently, next time

About the only harm done to the Texas Longhorns in Saturday's opening rout of Florida Atlantic was self-inflicted. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, right, was sporting a nasty scratch on the side of his face, the result of yanking his headset off in frustration. He couldn't have been too frustrated; the Longhorns won 52-10.

More College Sports

More stories »

With Southern California already entrenched in its role as a college football monster, UCLA needed to answer with a monster hire last winter in replacing Karl Dorrell.

Enter Rick Neuheisel, whose "baggage" fortunately wasn't a deterrent for the Bruins administration. He was (and is) the right guy to go cool on cool with USC's Pete Carroll, and quite possibly restore UCLA football.

The Neu Era in Westwood began smashingly Monday night, with the Bruins overtaking then-No. 18 Tennessee 27-24 in overtime. There's a lot of season left, but being on national television (ESPN), it was the kind of win Neuheisel can carry into recruits' living rooms come December.

"Well, I certainly hope so," he said. "It was a great time slot to be playing in. There were no other games, it was the first weekend of college football and everybody was excited to be watching it, regardless of who you actually pull for. Monday night is kind of a symbolic night for football."

Local footnote: UCLA freshman receiver Taylor Embree is the son of former Colorado and UCLA assistant Jon Embree, now with the Kansas City Chiefs. As a kid, Taylor showed up at UCLA practices wearing a "Baby Shaq" T-shirt. Only Taylor's pronunciation was "Boby Shaq." Neuheisel still calls Taylor "Boby," and he refers to the anecdote as part of the "circle of life."

Watch these feet

After the opening weekend, frantic fans of Missouri and Ohio State were keeping an eye on the feet of Jeremy Maclin and Chris "Beanie" Wells.

After thinking he had broken his left foot in the No. 6 Tigers' 52-42 win against Illinois, Maclin was relieved when X-rays instead revealed a strained ligament. He's expected to play Saturday against Southeast Missouri.

Wells injured his right foot in the third quarter of the No. 3 Buckeyes' 42-0 rout of Youngstown State, but Ohio State coach Jim Tressel wasn't forthcoming about details early in the week of the injury or if Wells could play against Ohio on Saturday (he won't).

To Buckeyes Nation, which is praying Wells is capable of playing at No. 1 USC next week, Tressel said, "Tell them to worry more about Gustav and Rita and those kinds of things. 'Beanie's going to be fine."

But who's counting?

Although coach Joe Paterno says he isn't into the numbers, Penn State's 66-10 whipping of Coastal Carolina gave him 373 career victories - tying him with Florida State's Bobby Bowden.

"Who cares?" sniffed JoePa before the rout. "When they bury me, are they going to put on my gravestone 'You're one win ahead of Bobby Bowden?'

"That's good for you guys (media). You need something to write about, obviously. Bobby Bowden has been a great credit to our game, everywhere he's coached. If he comes out with more wins than I do when we're both out of it, I'm glad it's he."

No. 19 Penn State should be tested a bit more this week, playing Oregon State.

Humble beginnings

Alums and boosters at Texas A&M and Michigan are hoping for better second acts by coaches Mike Sherman and Rich Rodriguez.

In their debuts, Sherman's Aggies lost 18-14 to Arkansas State, while Rodriguez's Wolverines were beaten 25-23 by Utah.

Atonement Weekend puts Texas A&M on the road against New Mexico, while Michigan stays at home against Miami (Ohio).

Sherman said he was "not disappointed in the effort, just the results. . . . It was a great night, a great crowd. We wanted to give them a chance to see us perform well; we didn't do that."

Rodriguez's focus is on getting his offense up and running; Michigan ran 25 times for 36 yards.

Stating the obvious, he said, "For us to have a chance to win games, we've got to run the ball better than we did last weekend."

Ty-ing up loose ends

Washington coach Ty Willingham appears on a collision course with unemployment.

These numbers don't lie: Last weekend's 44-10 loss at No. 18 Oregon dropped the Huskies to 11-26 overall, 6-21 in the Pacific-10 Conference and 1-9 against other Northwest teams in Willingham's tenure.

Plus, Washington's 2-10 mark in its past 12 games is the second worst in school history, trailing only a 1-10 record in 2004 and a loss to open the next season.

If the U-dub administration has patience, it will be because of this: Willingham took 10 true freshmen and 14 redshirt freshmen on the Oregon trip. Still, it was the Huskies' fifth consecutive loss to the Ducks, the longest streak in the series' 108-year history.

And times don't get easier; No. 15 Brigham Young visits UW on Saturday, followed by No. 4 Oklahoma on Sept. 13.

Last and short

* Arizona State believed it was set. A new $8.4 million practice bubble was in place to keep the Sun Devils cool in the late-summer heat. Then, on Aug. 28, a fierce storm shredded the bubble's roof, inflicting $1 million in damages. The bubble won't be available all season.

* USC All-America linebacker Rey Maualuga said he was motivated by Virginia fans before the now-No. 1 Trojans' 52-7 rout in Charlottesville. Said Maualuga: "A few remarks got me going. They were calling my tattoos hieroglyphics."

* Alabama's 34-10 handling of then-No. 9 Clemson made Crimson Tide fans even more delirious than usual. Irascible 'Bama coach Nick Saban, though, had a message for the masses: "What our players need to understand, what our fans need to understand, what everybody needs to understand - it's one game. It's one game. All right?"