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UCLA Bruins @ Texas Longhorns Football Preview

At many times over the past two decades, a meeting of Texas and UCLA would have been guaranteed to be a star-studded affair. However, with the departure to the NFL of many household names, Texas finds itself a “no-name” team for the first time in many years. UCLA, on the other hand, has suffered as a “no-name” program for the better part of a decade. Even in the third year of the rebuilding effort under Coach Rick Neuheisel, the Bruins are seemingly no closer to respectability than the day “Slick Rick” arrived in Westwood. Saturday’s matchup will give both teams a chance to defeat a power-conference opponent and perhaps earn a new name on a national scale.  

It’s been difficult for fans to tune in to Texas football games expecting to see Colt McCoy under center. McCoy, a fixture for four years in Austin, is gone. His replacement, Garrett Gilbert, has performed somewhat admirably (though not at an elite level) in his new role as starter. With the loss of McCoy and wide receiver Jordan Shipley, Texas has sought to become a more balanced offense that keeps the quarterback under center and runs the ball more effectively. The results so far have been mixed. Three games into the 2010 season, Texas finds itself in the middle of the nation’s 120 FBS teams in both rushing and passing offense. The Longhorns are not struggling on defense, however. Currently, the Texas defense is ranked second in total defense and ninth in scoring defense. The Longhorns have the luxury of leaning on their defense as the offense tries to improve.

Switching sides in this assessment of two teams, it’s a mystery to many how a UCLA program sitting in such a talent-rich city in a talent rich state can struggle to succeed in college football. Yet, here UCLA sits at 1-2, with its only win coming over a Houston team that lost both its starting and backup quarterbacks to injuries. Neuheisel came back to his alma mater with a reputation as an offensive wizard. Thus far, there’s been very little magic on offense to talk about for the Bruins. The Bruins rank 118th out of 120 FBS schools in passing offense, stuck at just 100 yards per game. Because the passing game is struggling, it should come as no surprise that the Bruins average just 17 points per game. New offensive coordinator Norm Chow – another fertile offensive mind who was hired by Neuheisel to inject some life into the UCLA passing attack – has not unlocked the secret code that is stifling this program’s upward movement in the Pac-10 Conference.

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Saturday’s matchup features two teams trying to forge new identities and develop new players in key positions. Texas has quality depth across the board, though that depth is mostly untested. UCLA is equally untested but not nearly as talented. In a game when both teams are still trying to feel themselves out offensively, Texas benefits greatly from having an established, stout defense. The Longhorns, playing at home, will simply want to avoid turnovers and force UCLA’s offense to do something special.

That means only one thing: The ball’s in your court, Mr. Neuheisel and Mr. Chow. Let’s see what kind of game plan you’ve prepared against Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

Let the chess match begin in Austin.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer