The national championship dreams were dashed upon the field in Manhattan, Kan., and the hopes for a Pac-10 title went out the window with three consecutive losses to Cal, Oregon and Arizona. But the UCLA football team has perhaps just one other avenue for ending the 2010 season in a positive fashion: bowl eligibility.
“We put ourself in a hole and we just got to dig ourself out,” redshirt junior defensive end Nate Chandler said.
Reaching the all-important six-win plateau needed to guarantee a spot in a postseason game seemed a lot more feasible when the Bruins were sitting at 3-2 coming off a string of wins over Houston, Texas and Washington State. At 1-1 in the conference, a shot at the conference championship wasn’t entirely out of the question, even if the Bruins were the darkest of horses.
Crazy what a few weeks can do. With just four games left on the schedule ““ a pair of home tilts sandwiched around two road trips ““ UCLA must return to its winning ways quickly to ensure it has something to practice for in December. After hosting Oregon State, a team they nearly beat in Corvallis, Ore., last season, UCLA hits the road to face Washington and Arizona State before concluding its season against USC at the Rose Bowl.
“Everything’s a must-win,” junior wide receiver Taylor Embree said. “We know we can’t let anyone get away from us. At this point we’re going to take it one game at a time because each game means the season.”
“I feel like we can win out, but we all have to commit,” Chandler added.
If this particular predicament sounds familiar, that’s because it most definitely is. In 2009, the Bruins started out 3-0 before losing five straight conference games. They responded by winning three of their last four and qualifying for the EagleBank Bowl, which they went on to win. To reach that level once again, the Bruins will have to rattle off at least three wins in the year’s penultimate month.
“These last four games are all crucial,” Embree said. “Coach has always said, “˜The games you remember are played in November.'”
Back in Blue
A pair of key starters for the Bruins practiced Tuesday and will likely be available for Saturday’s game against the Beavers.
Junior wide receiver Nelson Rosario is expected back for the first time since the Washington State game Oct. 2, while sophomore cornerback Sheldon Price should see his first action since going down against Cal on Oct. 9.
Another familiar face returned to the UCLA practice field Tuesday; redshirt sophomore quarterback Kevin Prince was walking around on crutches, making his first appearance at a Bruin practice since undergoing season-ending knee surgery more than a week ago.