Keys to the Big Games
Week Nine, Oct. 29
UCLA vs. Stanford---college fotball ---
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By John Harris---college fotball ---

a. You’re in Good Hands with Alston…and others – For as good as UCLA QB Drew Olson has been playing, the Bruins will only be as good as the running game, featuring Maurice Jones-Drew, will take them. To stop the Bruin run game, the Stanford linebackers, led by Jon Alston and Kevin Schimmelmann, will have their hands full stopping the star Bruin RB. Schimmelmann is the leading tackler, registering 50 tackles on the year – along with 4 tackles for a loss, for the Cardinal and is one of the best inside backers in the Pac-10. Smart and aggressive, he’s rarely out of position and he’ll have to dominate the game from tackle to tackle. He does have some help, though. Don’t be surprised if Alston isn’t the best linebacker in the Pac-10. His tackle numbers are down, but he leads the Cardinal in sacks with 5 and tackles for a loss with 7, as he’s a blur off the edge when he rushes the passer on passing downs. His quickness and speed are so completely disruptive on the edge that most runners either decide to cut back to the inside or take Alston head on. With Schimmelmann in the middle, neither of those are good options, with the way these two are playing. But, with the size of a strong safety, Alston isn’t big at all and UCLA must attack Alston on the outside to see if the consistent pounding will eventually open up the perimeter running game. Keep an eye on whether the Bruins will use some more draw plays when Alston is lined up at rush end. With his speed, he’ll try to take a high rush, allowing the Bruin tackles to push him by, opening up a huge hole to the outside for Jones-Drew to blast through and pick up big yardage. However, if the Schimmelmann-Alston duo can play off of each other, the Bruin run game will have some tough sledding, that’s for sure. ---college fotball ------college fotball ------college fotball ---

b. The Secret Weapon – Shhh, don’t tell anyone. That kid #9 from UCLA. He’s pretty good. His name is Marcus Everett and he might be the key to an undefeated season for the Bruins. After Junior Taylor tore his knee earlier this season, the Bruins had to have a perimeter threat step up. Anyone at all. Everett didn’t waste any time stepping up as the key guy. He won’t be the number one ace receiver for the Bruins, as that’s TE Marcedes Lewis claim to fame. But, Everett gives QB Drew Olson a consistent threat outside the hashes. With 19 catches in four games, Everett seemingly comes up with big catches time after time. Against a Stanford secondary that is giving up 281 yards per game through the air, the Bruin pass catcher’s role may be increased that much more. The thing about Everett is that Stanford won’t choose to double cover him, as they’ll want to focus on Lewis in the passing game, but Everett can get open against anyone in the league. He won’t put up massive numbers this week, but watch #9 closely, he’ll make a couple of key catches on third down to keep drives alive and could be a great option in the red zone.---college fotball ---
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c. The Harris Factor – After coming to the Farm with all of the promise of the legendary Stanford QBs that came before him, QB Trent Edwards is now starting to flash those skills each and every week. All it took was for QB coaching guru Walt Harris to take over at Stanford. Everywhere Harris has been QBs have gone from struggling nobodies to under the radar All-Conference stars. Bobby Hoying at Ohio State flourished under Harris, when he was OC at OSU. Former Pitt star Rod Rutherford became a consistent, sound decision-making weapon under Harris. And, you can see how much Tyler Palko has missed the teachings of the former Pitt head coach this season. But, it’s Edwards’s turn to blossom under the Stanford coach’s leadership. Thus far this season, he’s done just that. The fourth year player is completing 63% of his passes and has a 5 to 1 TD to interception ratio through six games (10 total TDs and only two picks). Now that Edwards has taken his game to a new level, the Cardinal offense is getting better every week. They’re not a juggernaut by any means, but then again UCLA hasn’t proven that they can consistently shut down decent offenses. The run defense from UCLA has been the thorn in the Bruins side, which makes Edwards presence all that much more important this weekend. The Cardinal doesn’t tear it up on the ground, but if UCLA proves they can’t slow down RB Anthony Kimble and company, then Edwards will have the entire playbook at his disposal. And, that’s exactly what Coach Harris wants.---college fotball ---
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Conclusion – The talk grows louder every week. Undefeateds – UCLA and USC – will meet in the Coliseum at the end of the year. Each and every win, the excitement grows and grows. But, the road hasn’t been good to the Bruins this year, well, okay, it was only one game, but another lackluster three quarter performance like the one that almost tripped them up at Pullman could spell trouble for the Bruins on the Farm. However, this UCLA team seems to have something that others before it didn’t have – heart, passion and a desire to play for one another. Escape this trap game, and the roar will continue to grow in Los Angeles. And, escape, they should. UCLA – 45 vs. Stanford – 35---college fotball ---
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