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UCLA Bruins vs Washington State Cougars Football Preview

This is a test... not of the emergency broadcast system, but of UCLA's status as an ascendant power in college football.

People from coast to coast are wondering if the UCLA renaissance is the genuine article or a temporary fad. Are the Bruins really as good as their 34-12 win over Texas last Saturday in Austin? That's what people around this sport want to know. You have to remember that UCLA gained a 13-3 halftime lead at Texas despite just 62 yards of total offense and only 11 passing yards from mediocre thrower Kevin Prince. It's also vital to stress the fact that UCLA passed for only 26 yards throughout the 22-point trouncing of the same team that reached the BCS National Championship Game last season. The Bruins really didn't do a ton on offense, and that has to be kept in mind as the boys in powder-blues prepare for this Saturday's conference tussle against Washington State.

However, for all of UCLA's acknowledged limitations, perhaps it is the case that this program has turned a corner. UCLA has struck gold with the pistol formation, the read-based rushing attack with a deep setback and shotgun snaps to the quarterback. This style of offense, created at Nevada by Chris Ault but now extending to other programs across the country, has been adopted by UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel to great effect. The Bruins rushed for 265 yards against Texas - that's impressive enough in its own right, but it rates as an absolutely spectacular achievement in light of UCLA's complete inability to throw the ball. You can knock UCLA for being unable to do certain things on offense - which resulted in the 35-0 loss to Stanford in week two, for instance - but against Texas, the Bruins manhandled the Longhorns in the trenches, and on defense as well as offense. UCLA's line play has to be viewed as the cornerstone of the team's turnaround from an 0-2 start. Washington State - by far the worst program in the Pac-10 - will clearly not be able to compete with UCLA at the line of scrimmage... at least not for 60 minutes. No football pundits would disagree with such a line of reasoning.

Where, then, is the intrigue in this game? Washington State just isn't good enough to create a nailbiter, so why the intense focus on UCLA? That's a fair point; Wazzu is not likely to teach America too much more about the current state of the Bruins.

The true source of this game's mystery is simply this: Against an inferior opponent, can Prince establish the passing game and find rhythm he'll need in order to take pressure away from the running game? UCLA can't rely solely on the pistol against the elite teams in the Pac-10. That's why this game needs to shore up that aspect of UCLA's overall offensive portfolio. Will the Bruins get plenty of pass catches from their wideouts? Will they use a change of pace and give other defensive coordinators extra things to think about in the weeks ahead?

We know there won't be drama at the end of the fourth quarter, but what football fans don't know is how well-oiled a machine UCLA's offense will be for the remainder of 2010. Keep your eye on that topic as the Cougars and Bruins tangle in Pasadena.

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By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer