In Reply to: +1 posted by TheHappyBurgermeister on September 05, 2026 at 23:26:20
You know, i read the game previews on both BRO and Bruin247. They picked UCLA in a close and rather lower scoring game. Two things stood out to me:
1) Score - they figured to be able to run the ball especially inside and we we figured to run well around the ends given questions about their DEs and with both teams having strong QBs and good receiving corps, it just didn't feel like it would be a very low scoring game.
2) The analysts gave UCA the edge based on the coaching. It seemed like a stretch, but it seemed to me that it turned out that coaching was indeed the difference in the game.
Cal has this huge OL - 300 pounders all along - and our interior DL was a big question mark for us. But two things - in the first half, a number of Cal's play calls, in key situations, just didn't make sense to me. Rather than establish their running game, they would call pass plays in running situations and sometimes visa versa. They were just off. They did get that corrected in the second half somewhat until we got that lead at 31-24 and we took over,
More important, I think, when Cal looked to be dominating us after that first big drive of theirs, our experienced coaches righted the ship right away. When the had that late quick drive for a score late in the half and were doing well in the third quarter, the staff did it again. And when we were ascendant after that score to 31-24, they couldn't find an answer. Even with Nico out with his ankle and Madden in, when we were clearly going to run the ball, they had no answer.
Coaching.