Seperated at Birth?

As a Trojan, choosing sides for the UCLA-Notre Dame game on Saturday I think I felt a little of what Grady Little must have gone through this season when he picked a relief pitcher from the Dodger Bullpen. I didn't particularly like any of my options, and I knew whomever I picked stood an excellent chance of doing something stupid to let me down in the end.

But, cheering for UCLA in the fourth quarter I was continually impressed by their ability to put pressure on Quinn and stifle the Irish offense. I had been equally impressed by Cowan's ability to come off the bench and make big throws against the supposedly much improved (snicker) Notre Dame defense on the road.

So when the UCLA defense forced a punt midway through the fourth quarter and forced the Irish to punt, it felt like UCLA had a good chance to fight its way through the echos and come up with the upset. The Bruins had been averaging almost seven yards per pass attempt, and the Irish we're reeling, so it seemed like the obvious move to run some play action, and have Cowan work the underneath routs the Irish had been giving him all game. All the Bruins needed was one good scoring drive to put the game on ice.

But Karl Dorrell didn't want to mount another scoring drive. He wanted the game to be over right then and there.

UCLA was the unranked team visiting the national powerhouse. UCLA was the team that did not have a national championship, or even a conference victory on the line. UCLA was a team the lead in the fourth quarter with nothing to lose, and a program establishing win to gain. But then in a moment, UCLA ceased to be the hunter, and became the hunted.

UCLA averadged less than one yard per carry on Saturday, but Dorrell ran the ball anyway. Ran it again and again. Terrified of an incomplete pass stopping the clock. Terrified, he would have to play more football. His fear played right into the Irish's hands. UCLA had two possessions the rest of the game. They ran six plays that gained a net seven yards.

On Defense, they went away from the blitz packages that had been effective at forcing Quinn into bad situations the whole game. Instead, they used a prevent defense that allowed for the short passes that Notre Dame's offense thrives on. Begging the Irish to take anything but the endzone on it's last possession, Quinn took everything the Bruins gave him. That was enough.

When Notre Dame Senior Receiver Eddie Vedder caught one of those short passes and stumbled through the Bruin's secondary for the game winning touchdown, you'd have had to have been Dorrel himself to be surprised at the outcome.

UCLA's gameplan had worked for three and a half quarters. Then it was abandoned. By changing gears at the most critical point in the game, Dorrell was assuming his team would fail if he allowed them to continue. He was to afraid to find out if his team was good enough emphatically win game. It was so much easier to find out if the Irish were good enough to steal it.

UCLA's players worked hard and effectively for for 54:30 at Notre Dame Stadium. Dorrell's cowardice stole the last 5:30 from them. And that was all the Irish needed.