THE MATCHUP Position
Comments Advantage
Quarterbacks:
UCLA’s Cory Paus is starting his second game after coming
back from a shoulder injury and is the conference’s
second-highest rated passer. He was good for 309 yards last week,
and will be the main target of an undersized but aggressive OSU
defense.
Jonathan Smith is coming off one of the best games of his life,
passing for 324 yards, including a school-record 97-yard play.
Smith, however, is notoriously inconsistent. He has drastically cut
down on the interceptions this season
DRAW Running backs: Akil
Harris and Jermaine Lewis are listed as co-starters for the Bruins,
but Harris will probably get most of the legwork. He was more
impressive than Lewis last week, who is bothered by a sore ankle.
Both are serviceable, but not at the level of the injured DeShaun
Foster. Ken Simonton is probably the best Beaver running back ever,
and has even popped on some Heisman lists. He’s got great
vision and is more slippery than buttered fish. Wide
receivers: Freddie Mitchell has been telling everybody who
will listen that he’s the best, hardest-working receiver in
the NCAA. Now with his NCAA-leading 123 yards per game, he can
prove it. Mitchell is open virtually every play, and has a 200-yard
receiving game just waiting to come out. Brian Poli-Dixon has been
effective in adding the short routes to his repertoire in the past
weeks. If Paus has time to throw, one of these two will be open.
Oregon State’s base offense features three receivers, and all
are acceptable, but none are quite as dangerous as either Bruin
starter. Offensive line: UCLA and OSU both have
huge offensive lines. Guard Brian Polak weighs in at 318 pounds for
UCLA and Robert Sykes tips the scales at 338 pounds for Oregon
State. Both are plenty experienced, returning almost all of their
starters from last year. The Bruin line has been exceptionally
physical at the Rose Bowl, and is highly motivated after facing the
conference’s best defensive line last week at Cal. The
Beavers are quick and the offensive line has been the main factor
in the effectiveness of Coach Dennis Erickson’s one-back
offense. Defensive line:
UCLA has lost at least two of its top three defensive ends for
this game, and that puts the pass rush at a huge disadvantage.
Kenyon Coleman and Sean Phillips are definitely out, and Rusty
Williams missed practice all week with a sprained ankle. The
interior is still strong with Ken Kocher and Rodney Leisle stuffing
the middle, and Anthony Fletcher is having his best season
yet.
The Beaver line is built on quickness and hitting the holes fast.
UCLA Head Coach Bob Toledo recently said that the Beaver defense
was the fastest in the Pac-10.
Linebackers: Robert Thomas has just been named
as a semi-finalist for the Butkus award, and is probably the best
tackler in the conference. Although not the fastest guy out there,
he is very adept at sniffing out where the play is developing, as
well as causing turnovers. Ryan Nece and Tony White provide
experience and leadership on the outside. The success of the Beaver
linebackers is also based on their quickness and aggressiveness.
They have been vulnerable to traps and misdirections this season.
Defensive backs:
Injuries will again affect the Bruin squad here. Starting
cornerback Jason Bell is still bothered by a hamstring, and backup
safety Jason Stephens has a strained abdominal muscle. Both may
play, but will not play much. This is does not bode well as the
Bruins go up against a team most comfortable running three
wide-receiver sets.
Safeties Marques Anderson and Jason Zdenek must come up big in the
secondary.
Oregon State returns all four of its starters from last season and
is second in the Pac-10 against the pass.
Special teams: Bruin kicker Chris Griffith has
not missed a field goal since his first attempt of the season,
going five for five since then. Punter Nate Fikse is leading the
conference in yardage, ahead of All-American candidates Nick Harris
and Kurt Doerr. The Bruins have avoided disaster, despite spotty
kick coverage, but usually perform better on special teams than
their opponents. Oregon State prides itself on kick returns, and
will likely look to set up some big ones at the Rose Bowl. The
Beavers, however, have as much trouble as UCLA defending returns.
Original Graphic by JACOB LIAO/Daily Bruin Web Adaptation by
AVISHAI SHRAGA/Daily Bruin Senior Staff