(first published on KLAC's Bruins Board website --- 9/20/09)
San Diego State? Check. Tennessee on the road? Check. Kansas State? After last night’s 23-9 win in front of 67,311 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, you can put a check next to that one too.
Three and oh for the first time since 2005, and just one win short of last year’s season total of four. Not enough to make a coach happy, but good enough for now. As UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel says, “the real work begins in Pac-10 play in two weeks against Stanford.”
But a 3-0 run through the non-conference slate to start is just the way Neuheisel would have drawn it up. “Obviously this is the spot you want to be in right now,” the UCLA head coach remarked afterwards. “We’re playing with a lot of confidence. But it really doesn’t mean we’ve accomplished much of anything yet—except beaten three pretty good teams.”
Maybe the late start time had something to do with it (kickoff wasn’t till a quarter past seven), but this game had an energetic atmosphere that the Bruins’ season opener against San Diego State lacked two weeks ago. Surely a road win over Tennessee last Saturday in Knoxville had at least a little something to do with a more densely-packed blue in the stands in Pasadena for Kansas State.
70-year-old Bill Snyder is back stalking the sidelines for the Wildcats, but he can’t make tackles or score touchdowns. His mostly inexperienced and now 1-2 Kansas State crew looked unsure of itself from the get-go against a stout UCLA ‘D.”
Senior Kevin Craft was announced as the starting quarterback shortly before kickoff, ending any remaining speculation about who Rick Neuheisel would turn to in placed of injured starter Kevin Prince. Craft set a single-season school record with 20 interceptions thrown in 2008, but looked far more composed under center this time around.
For the Wildcats, star running back Daniel Thomas was limited to 54 yards on 15 carriers. Quarterback Carson Coffman was 20 of 34 for 193 yards, but threw two picks and was sacked six times.
Freshman tailback Jonathan Franklin rushed for a career-best 119 yards on 23 carries and Kai Forbath kicked three field goals without a miss for the Bruins (3-0), who get a bye next weekend before a trip to Stanford and the opening of Pac-10 play on October 3rd.
“Right now, the key is just staying focused,” senior cornerback Alterraun Verner reflected in the locker room, after a two interception performance that brought his season total to three. “Working on the things we need to work on, improving on the little stuff. We have a chance to be a really good team, now it’s up to us to get there.”
-JAB
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