by Ross Coleman - Contributing Editor
November 5, 2009 23:07
So last week Kevin Prince took offense to the fact that I thought he should be benched and had his best game of the season. In the end, however, the defense let down the offense and the Bruins come away with loss number five in a row.
Yes it was great to see the offense move the ball and see Kevin Prince toss the ball around and find success, but that needs to continue. Prince needs to keep up with his new found "gunslinger" mentality. After the game against Oregon State, sophomore wide receiver Taylor Embree (who had his first receiving touchdown of his UCLA career) said that it was good to see Prince finally trusting his receivers. I agree. Wide receiver has by far the most talent of any unit on the team and if Prince would only trust his guys to come down with the ball, it would make his life easier.
It's hard to believe that Embree had his first receiving touchdown as a Bruins in his 19th game as a Bruin. He missed last year against Washington, but that was the only game he didn't see action. Over that time Embree has almost 1,000 yards receiving and only one touchdown. That needs to change. Since the start of the Neuheisel/Chow era on offense Bruin wide outs have just six touchdown catches. Now the Bruins as a team only have 14 touchdown passes over that time, but with less than half of those by wide outs, that is a problem. Terrence Austin is the only receiver with more than one touchdown catch. He has three. And one of those catches was by Dominique Johnson who is no longer playing for the Bruins.
This week the Bruins have a battered Washington team coming to Pasadena. If the Bruins have any heart they should win this game. Not only is it homecoming, but the Bruins are also wearing throw back uniforms to commemorate the time of Gary Beban. I am also hoping that by going to the game I will be personally changing the course of the season. It would be nice to bookend this loosing streak. I was there for the start of it at Stanford and I would love to be there for the end of it.
It looks like Washington quarterback Jake Locker will play this week in Pasadena despite a deep thigh bruise. This is both good and bad for the Bruins. Good that he will be hobbled, bad because he is the only way Washington keeps this game close.
In the end, I think Locker doesn't last the entire game. I think he gets knocked out as some point by Brian Price or Akeem Ayers. I think the Bruins force a few turnovers and the offense does to Washington what the USC offense couldn't. I think the Bruins win this one 34-17.
But I have been wrong about this team before...