UCLA Bruins
Pacific-12 Conference
It has been an odd finish to the Pac-12 season. This is not exactly what the conference brass were hoping for when they added two new teams and began playing a conference championship game. The first Pac-12 Championship Game will go down in history as the one that does not really matter. UCLA, at 6-7 overall, was able to appeal to the NCAA and get into a bowl game due to the weird circumstances of a 6-6 team making the conference championship game, but Rick Neuheisel will not be there. Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will get his first shot at leading the team during the Bruins bowl game.
2011 Record: 6-7, 5-4
Last Bowl Appearance: 2009 EagleBank Bowl vs. Temple (W 30-21)
Big Wins: 10/29 California (31-14), 11/5 Arizona State (29-28)
Bad Losses: 10/20 at Arizona (12-48), 11/12 at Utah (6-31)
Coach: Mike Johnson (0-0 at UCLA, 0-0 overall)
Bowl Record: 0-0 at UCLA, 0-0 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Johnson
Defensive Coordinator: Joe Tresey
Strengths:
There is not much to talk about here besides the resiliency of an often battered Bruin squad. Following a blow-out loss to Texas, UCLA rebounded to beat Oregon State. After getting manhandled by Stanford, the Bruins beat Washington State. Following a very disappointing blow-out at the hands of Arizona, UCLA beat California. It goes on and on like this. The offense has not been all bad, but yet again injuries played a big role on this team. Kevin Prince has done relatively well except for his knack for throwing interceptions. Yet, Richard Brehaut should be back from an injury that sidelined him half way through the season. Brehaut is not an explosive quarterback by any means, but he did throw six touchdowns and no interceptions during the season. With wide receiver Nelson Rosario making big play after big play, the Bruins offense can do some damage. Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman are a solid duo in the backfield. Franklin is the big play rusher, but Coleman can pound them into the end zone.
Weaknesses:
The problem on the defensive side of the ball is a total lack of a consistent pass rush. Few teams in the nation tally fewer sacks per game than the Bruins. They do not get many tackles-for-loss either. When any halfway decent quarterback has that kind of time to throw the ball, the Bruins defense is in big trouble. Pat Larimore is a decent leader from the middle linebacker spot, but there are not a lot of great tacklers on this team. The secondary does have some playmakers, most notably redshirt freshman Tevin McDonald, corner, Sheldon Price and junior, Andrew Abbott. Those guys can break up some passes and pick off a few as well, but they should not have to be involved in the run defense as much as they have been this season.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Johnathan Franklin, RB, 947 yards
Passing: Kevin Prince, QB, 1,627 yards
Receiving: Nelson Rosario, WR, 1,106 yards
Tackles: Pat Larimore, LB, 81
Sacks: Datone Jones, DE, 3.0
Interceptions: Andrew Abbott, CB, 4
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 193.25 (29th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 199.83 (81, 11)
Total Offense: 393.08 (56, 8)
Scoring Offense: 23.17 (88, 10)
Rushing Defense: 178.17 (81, 10)
Pass Defense: 233.75 (68, 3)
Total Defense: 411.92 (84, 8)
Scoring Defense: 30.83 (87, 7)
Turnover Margin: -.17 (74, 8)
Sacks: 1.08 (110, 11)
Sacks Allowed: 1.67 (49, 4)
