Keys to the Game: UCLA

(If the Bears lose, I'm Van Damme palming somebody.)

The Bears are fresh off a rejuvenating win over Utah and head to LA to face a reeling UCLA squad. The Bruins are facing suspensions, constant coaching change speculation, and generally bad play on both sides of the ball.

If the Bears lose this week, it will be either be the result of an utter and complete failure by the coaching staff to prepare the team for the Bruins' best shot or because of a completely lackadaisical effort by the team.

However, the Bears should not lose this game. Could they? Yes, it's feasible as they've notoriously struggled on the road in recent years. But, let me repeat myself, they should not lose this game.

To be honest, I expect UCLA to come out bring their best shot. While the Bruins have been up and down for the past several years, they've done a decent job in showing up after larger losses.

However, something tells me the Bears aren't taking their baby brethren too lightly either, and will be ready to bring the goods.

Or at least, I'm hoping.

Here are the keys to the game.


Disrupt the Option
With UCLA facing a diminished wide receiver corps due to their suspended wide receivers, you can sure as heck bet that they plan on throwing the kitchen sink at the Bears in the running attack. The Bruins were always a run-first pistol offense anyway, so you know their focus on executing this week is already going to be at an all time high.

The Bears have defended well against the rush, but some of their most notorious defensive failures have come against option offenses.

I'm thinking the Bears take their chances with the secondary, and dedicate more players on disrupting the option. Crashes, slants, stunts, blitzes can all mess up the assignments for linemen and blockers, forcing the hesitation to reside on the offensive side of the ball. Gap integrity goes without saying, but the Bears need to focus on making UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince tentative and hesitant in his decisions, thereby decreasing the likelihood that he begins attacking the edges on QB keepers.

If the Bears shut down the run, they win the day on defense. Kevin Prince is not going to beat you through the air. If he does, I will eat a rattlesnake Van Damme style.


Go Up Big Early On
The game plan for the Bears should be a bit different from last week's affair against Utah. In that game, the Bears expected a defensive battle, and had to play it a bit more conservative in the early going. Fortunately, the Bears got some great field position due to some turnovers and defensive stops, and capitalized to gain an early lead.

On Saturday however, the Bears need to come out with all guns firing and ready to punch the Bruins in the mouth.

Like I wrote earlier, I expect the Bruins to be fired up for this one and ready to shake off the negativity surrounding their program. You let the Bruins hang around in the game, and they're only going to get more confident, and bad things happen to the Bears in the Rose Bowl when the Bruins play a chip on their shoulder.

Knocking the Bruins back with a turnover or a long drive can be huge in taking the winds out of their sails. If the Bruins find themselves in another early hole, and down big again for the second straight week, the more impossible it is to rally any unit on the field. Even for a charmer like Slick Rick.

Follow the Formula
Offensively, there is absolutely no reason the Bears can't move the ball against the Bruins. Check out these defensive stats for the Bruins:

- 11th in the conference in total defense (436.1 ypg)
- 11th in the conference in scoring defense (34.4 ppg)
- 12th in the conference in rushing defense (191.86 ypg)
- 7th in the conference in passing defense (244.3 ypg)
- 12th in the conference in opponent 3rd down conversions (55.96%)
- 12th in the conference in opponent red zone conversions (93.55%)

Those are truly awful numbers. I'm not going to even bother breaking down an offensive strategy here.

Look, UCLA has some talented players on defense. There's no real reason they should be playing this poorly. Things don't look any better with their best defensive player FS Tony Dye out with injury and their best pass rusher DT Cassius Marsh suspended.

Just don't turn the ball over. Seriously. As long as the Bears hold on to the football and Maynard reads his defense (at the very least knowing when the Bruins are disguising man and zone coverage), they should be able to move the ball and score.

If anything close to the focused offensive unit that showed up against the Utes shows up in Pasadena on Saturday, the Bears score, and they score plenty enough to win.

Prediction
I swear to Jeebus, if Cal loses to UCLA, I...I don't even know what else to say. I'm even out of Van Damme pictures.

I fully expect the Bears to come out focused and ready to compete. If the defense play fast and smart against UCLA's rushing attack and the Bears avoid turnovers on offense, they should win. Should.

Cal 31 UCLA 17

Oh, and nevermind, I found anther Van Damme pic.