After a 6-0 start to the 2001 season that included victories over Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon State, as well as an impressive 35-13 win over Washington, the UCLA Bruins stumbled down the stretch, losing four of their last five games to close out the campaign.
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| Cory Paus completed only 52.1 percent of his passes in 2001. |
To their credit, the Bruins went toe to toe with Washington State in Pullman, Wash., before falling 20-14. The next week at home against Oregon, they came up one point short in a heartbreaker for Bob Toledo's squad. The carry-over from the two close losses caused a letdown that resulted in a 27-0 defeat to USC. Toledo's team, however, bounced back to end the campaign with a 52-42 victory over Arizona State.
So while they didn't go to a bowl game for the second time in the last three years, the Bruins could take some positives from the 2001 season. They were able to slug it out with a number of quality opponents and defeated three teams that moved on to postseason action.
OFFENSE
What the Bruins need is an injury-free season from senior signal-caller Cory Paus. Until now, Paus' durability has been a major problem, yet he's still among the top five or six all time for the Bruins in several passing categories.
Behind Paus, the Bruins don't have a quarterback in the program who has ever taken a snap from center in a college game. Currently, redshirt freshman John Sciarra is the primary backup, so it's imperative for Toledo and offensive coordinator Kelly Skipper to begin developing a No. 2 QB who can also be Paus' heir apparent and be ready if Paus either struggles for a prolonged period or is out of action with an injury.
With DeShaun Foster moving on to the Carolina Panthers, the Bruins have lost a major chunk of their offensive production. Last season Foster rushed for over 1,100 yards and scored 12 TDs, while averaging an impressive 5.1 yards per carry. The starting running back figures to be junior Akil Harris, who has proven to be a decent yet unspectacular collegiate performer.
In terms of upside, the player to watch is sophomore Manuel White. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder shows excellent quickness for a big back, while also providing the versatility to see some action at fullback alongside Harris. You could also see some contributions at running back coming from a pair of redshirt freshmen, Tyler Ebell and Wendell Mathis.
They do have the potential to field a capable receiving corps with sophomore Craig Bragg and junior Tab Perry. Over the final two games of last season, Bragg hauled in 13 of his 29 receptions. Perry finished with 21 catches, missing action later in the year after suffering fractured ribs against Washington State in early November. Bothered by an ankle injury, Ryan Smith was also not 100 percent the entire way. At full strength, Smith ranks as a solid No. 3 option. Looking to push his way onto the field will be highly regarded freshman Junior Taylor.
Despite the graduation loss of Bryan Fletcher, the Bruins return a dependable and underrated tight end in senior Mike Seidman. With more of an emphasis on getting the ball to the TE this season, Seidman could increase his reception total from 12 last year to around 25-30 catches.
Four starters return up front, highlighted by veteran senior bookend offensive tackles Mike Saffer and Bryce Bohlander. Who will make up for the graduation loss of center Troy Danoff is still up in the air. Sophomore John Ream was expected to fill the void, but he aggravated a previous foot injury in the spring, opening up an opportunity for either redshirt freshman Mike McCloskey or sophomore Paul Mociler.
DEFENSE
Defensively, the Bruins took several key hits to graduation, but the biggest loss was middle linebacker Robert Thomas, a first-round draft choice of the St. Louis Rams. He was the heart and soul of the Bruins' defense, responsible for 111 tackles last season, including 6.5 sacks and an amazing 26 stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Senior Marcus Reese, who split time at outside linebacker with Ryan Nece last season, now has the unenviable task of stepping into Thomas's vacated MLB spot. Junior Brandon Chillar returns as a starter at OLB, but on the other side, there figures to be a three-way battle in August. In the mix are redshirt freshman Spencer Havner, junior-college transfer Patrick Pierre-Louis, and incoming freshman Justin London.
Up front, defensive end Kenyon Coleman and defensive tackles Ken Kocher and Anthony Fletcher have moved on, but the Bruins return their top defensive lineman from a year ago, senior DT Rodney Leisle. Tremendously strong and potentially destructive on a game-to-game basis, Leisle needs help from his teammates in order take away some of the constant double- and triple-teaming.
In the secondary, the Bruins have a rising star in sophomore free safety Matt Ware as well as a battle-tested senior cover man in Ricky Manning Jr. Both Ware and Manning are spending their summers playing minor-league baseball.. Ware is in the Seattle Mariners organization, while Manning is in the Minnesota Twins system.
After working at cornerback last season, the physically gifted Ware will likely open at free safety, provided senior CB Joe Hunter gives them the necessary performance level. Otherwise, Ware could shift back to CB. Manning is a four-year starter as well as a two-time all-Pac-10 first-team selection. There is a three-way battle taking place for the starting strong safety job. That group includes sophomores Ben Emanuel and Jibril Raymo as well as junior Kevin Brant.
OVERVIEW
While the Pac-10 race figures to be fairly wide open, not many observers may view UCLA as a viable contender for the conference championship. After all, they faded down the stretch once again last season, then lost their top performer and only super blue-chipper, Thomas, to graduation.
On paper, the Bruins look like a fragile football team, especially at quarterback. While Paus has had his share of ups and downs, they lack a backup with game experience behind him. So everything revolves around Paus' performance. White could emerge at running back if given the opportunity for full-time duty, but right now he's operating behind Harris and could be given an opportunity at fullback. Bragg and Perry have plenty of ability at receiver, while Seidman could be a top-echelon tight end. The line, led by experienced tackles Saffer and Bohlander, should be solid, provided a capable anchor emerges during fall practice.
Defensively, Leisle is a potential destroyer along the interior, but another quality defensive lineman must come to the forefront. Reese will be watched closely at middle linebacker, where he will try to fill Thomas' void. The Bruins have star power in the secondary with Ware and Manning, but another cover man must step forward to bring everything together.
With so many questions, it's easy to see why the Bruins will be completely overlooked heading into the 2002 campaign. However, they do have talent. And remember, they battled for 60 minutes against some heavyweight opposition a year ago.
One game that will tell a lot about the Bruins takes place Sept. 14, when they play a non-conference battle against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. Then the following week at the Rose Bowl, they host Colorado. UCLA also has a tricky season-opener at home against a well-coached Colorado State squad.
