Postgame Arizona - What now?

Are the coaches finally listening? Jim Svoboda is saying they ran the plays they intended to run regardless of the QB.  If this is true, we are seeing some “growth” and “learning” by the coaches.  Finally, perhaps after much criticism, Svoboda called pass plays on first downs.  He finally ran some play action.  He finally took some shots downfield and at the end zone.  These are all good signs.  It’s unfortunate that we didn’t get to see Ben Olson run these plays due to the injury.  So Cowen looked good running those plays.

It’s also unfortunate that we could not get anything going on the ground.  Arizona shut down our rushing game, so that put pressure on the passing game to deliver.  Fortunatley, we did enough.  The problem remains that we are executing poorly against poor defenses.  2 touchdowns is all we had to show for our newfound offensive boldness.  Check that, we weren’t exactly bold.  We could have gone for it on 4th down deep in Arizona territory late in the game, but we played it safe again, playing not to lose, instead of going for the win.

So what now?  What can we expect out of our team this Saturday against Oregon given what we know?  We will find out what this team is made of, if they have “learned” from our esteemed coaches, and if they have “grown” after the first 5 games. 

Oregon is one of the top offenses in the nation.  Read what Nestor at Bruinsnation has to say about Oregon’s game. Although, Cal shut them down, they are still formidable.  This week DC DeWayne Walker will earn his keep and his efforts can finally be measured.  He wanted the defense to shut down Arizona.  They did with 220+ yards against, but Arizona were about to score a second touchdown, were it not for a mistake by their QB, to make the game close late.  Not exactly an A grade against a horrible offense.  So against Oregon we will see if Walker truly has transformed this defense.

The way this season plays out the rest of the way will depend highly on the outcome of the Oregon game.  Win at Eugene and we at DumpDorrell.com will have to give credit to the coaching staff.   Win at Eugene and we can expect the team to rise to play anyone, and win 8 to 10 games, and even beat Southern Cal.   Lose in a close game, it may be a morale booster, but it will be tough to meet minimum expectations.  Lose big, and you will see much of Bruin Nation begin to question the direction of the program, not just us.  Lose big, and the Bruins will end the season horribly like every other Dorrell year.  More later.

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