The LB Press Telegram is the first local paper to openly question Karl Dorrell's record. It was bound to happen, but the timing is a little bold - before a home game against an average, inconsistent team that is sure to produce a win for our Bruins and a reprieve for Karl Dorrell from the pressure that has been mounting against him. Undaunted, Bob Keisser wrote a great article openly challenging Dan Guerrero on Karl Dorrell's record (also posted in full here). Quoted in the article are many of the facts of KD's abysmal record that are stated in the petition in Dump Dorrell.

It is the efforts of every loyal Bruin fan that ignited the call for the petition (thanks Emily Y.), to those who wrote the petition (ok, pat on the back) and helped clean it up (BruinsNation and DD posters), and to all those loyal Bruin fans who signed it and emailed it to their friends. We are not done yet obviously.  We need to keep up the pressure and give Dan Guerrero a loud and clear message that we do not accept the mediocrity our program has come to represent, and that we want a change.  If Dan Guerrero wants to invest in the future of UCLA and ALL its programs, including athletic, he needs to increase revenues to his department and the university. strong, exciting football program with an experienced, proven, winning head coach will bring back fans to the Rose Bowl, and revenues to Morgan Center and the university in concessions and merchandise sales, and donations and other interactions with the university.  Revenues must be declining under KD and this impacts every program at UCLA.  Karl Dorrell must be fired this year!  A win today will not change that.  Sign the petition, and get the word out.

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Karl Dorrell has lost this program. It is in a tailspin. Our coach-in-training experiment has officially failed. How can KD look in the eyes of his team and give them the same tired rationalizations that they are “learning” and “growing” and “almost there?” There is no way we are finishing better than 6-6, and we could lose out the rest of the way. At Cal - loss. Against Oregon State - they just beat Southern Cal. At Arizona State - they just beat Washington AT Seattle. Against Southern Cal - Pom Pom Carrol owns Karl Dorrell.

Welcome to The Suck! Expect mediocrity or worse. Expect to be outcoached and outclassed every game. Expect to lose in recruiting. Expect to be an afterthought in our own city. This is The Suck.

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I wake up every morning and can’t believe I’m the head coach here.

That is KD in August … not of 2003, but 2006! We can’t believe it either Karl. We’ve been wondering for a while here at DD about the mindset of KD. With all the “growing” and “learning” going on around the program, it appears that KD is perpetually trapped in the “assistant” mindset, even after 4 years as Head Coach. He had been an assistant for so long, and a lower rung assistant at that, it seems as though he is trying harder than anything to be “an assistant’s coach” - like he is looking for approval from other assistants.

How else can one explain why KD is so concerned with the mental well-being and the “growing process” of Jim Svoboda as OC for example?? Svoboda is a grown man, a veteran of Div 1-AA football. If he couldn’t handle Div 1A then why did KD hire him? If he has to “learn” on the job then why did KD hire him? We are continuously amazed at how KD admits publicly that he doesn’t call plays at all, even in critical situations and the play being called is wrong in his own mind. He doesn’t want to interfere with the assistant’s “growing” and “learning.” Just when does KD the Head Coach take over?

KD also doesn’t act like a head coach on the field. He stands there like a statue, never getting involved, not even when the refs rob us of a big play, or when our QBs get hit with cheap-shots that take them out long after they release the ball. Even in huddles during time outs and at key points in the game, he stands there motionless, outside the huddle, quiet, while his assistants do all the talking.

Similarly, we are amazed at how easy it is for KD to scapegoat and come up with excuses. He threw Ben Olson under the bus after a close game against one of the nation’s worst teams in Rice and blamed the defense for not getting the job done against ND. He rarely takes the blame for the losses, the conservative play calling, the quitting, the playing not to lose, the lack of team focus, the lack of team preparedness, the lack of meaningful wins, the lack of road wins against winning teams, etc. etc. In the end, he always has excuses. A Head Coach at some point takes responsibility. A Head Coach knows that his program reflects on him. For an assistant, the buck stops somewhere else. KD acts like an assistant.

At what point does KD actually take the head coaching job as Head Coach?! KD got the big job too early in his career and is still in over his head. We like KD as an individual, but as a Head Coach there is little positive to mention. Given his performance over the last nearly 4 years, we have to agree with KD: we can’t believe he is the Head Coach here. Dan Guerrero needs to stop making UCLA Football a training ground for wannabe head coaches, that’s what the Utah State’s are for.

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“Seven games into the season and, instead of smoothing over problems, UCLA seems to be adding to the laundry list of predicaments that has prevented it from becoming more explosive on offense.” Robert Kuwada, OC Register

“Everyone’s mind-set was first down, first down, first down,” senior center Robert Chai said. “We ran the exact same play two times in a row just from different directions and didn’t get it done.”

“You think about it, because if you get a first down, the game is over,” offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda said. “You figure if you get a good punt and they go the length of the field, the odds are with you.”

“Our defense could not hold them with a minute and two left with no timeouts … They know that they had to win on their grass and (they) didn’t finish.” Karl Dorrell press conference after the game

Head coach Karl Dorrell throws the blame on his players again. The announcers, the press, and his own players are questioning the play-calling and game management every game since Utah in this disappointing season. After now 6 consecutive games where they have limited to no success on the field with what they are doing, Karl Dorrell and Jim Svoboda continue to play to not lose.

“The odds” Jim??!! How bout getting some stones and TAKING the win from the Irish?! You are not an assistant anymore Karl, you are not in Div 1AA anymore Jim. Football, like life, is not simply numbers and odds. You have got to give your players the chance to win, on the field and in life, by giving them the chance to perform, to excel, to fight for what is right in front of them and not wait for it to be handed to them by “the odds.” In spite of more horrible play-calling and game management, the players played to win and deserved that final opportunity to earn the victory.

Karl and Jim you let down your team, your program, and the UCLA community. We deserve better, the team deserves better. Everyone should know by now that we are getting what we are paying for. It’s time to let Dan Guerrero, Morgan Center, and the administration know that we want change. Get the word out!

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It’s time to start getting the word out to the media, to Morgan Center and to Murphy Hall that we have had enough (all contact information is listed below)! Tell them that you disapprove of the job Karl Dorrell is doing and that it’s time for a new coach. Tell your friends to do the same by using the email link under this post. Here are some reasons to Dump Dorrell that you can put in your messages, but we are sure you have some of your own.

Reasons To Dump Dorrell (updated as of 12/27/06)

1. 1-3 against Southern Cal.
2. No Pac-10 championships.
3. No BCS bowl games.
4. 1-10 on the road against teams with a winning record.
5. Worst starting 3- AND 4- year record of any UCLA football coach since WW2, including Bob Toledo who was fired.
6. Worse winning percentage than Bob Toledo, who was fired.
7. 3-11 against ranked teams.
8. 2-7 against top 10 teams.
9. Only 6 conference wins against teams who finished over .500.
10. 19-14 against Pac-10 teams.
11. 8-17 against teams with a winning record.
12. 10 losses to unranked teams.
13. He has a losing record after October, 6-12.
14. Embarrassing losses to Wyoming, Fresno State, Arizona, Southern Cal.
15. Revolving door for assistant coaches.
16. 80% of Bruins fans polled on Bruinsnation.com disapprove of the job KD is doing.

You can also mention that we are cheap when it comes to paying our coaches, #44 in the nation not including big time powerhouse private schools like Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Miami. And Cal pays nearly double what we pay! We are getting what we pay for, and we are tired of it. Karl Dorrell is a great guy, but bad coach for our program. Tell Dan Guerero to Fire Karl Dorrell.

Who To Contact - Administration:

UCLA Chancellors Office
Box 951405, Murphy Hall 2147
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1405
Telephone: 310-825-2151
Fax: 310-206-6030
chancellor@conet.ucla.edu

Dr. Peter W. Blackman, Administrative Vice Chancellor
UCLA Admin V Chancellor’s Office
BOX 951405, 2211 Murphy Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1405
Telephone: 310-825-2411
Fax: 310-206-3616
pwblackm@capnet.ucla.edu

Daniel G. Guerrero, Director of Athletics
UCLA Intcol Athletics
BOX 951639, Morgan Center
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1639
Telephone: 310-206-6382
Fax: 310-206-7047
dguerrero@athletics.ucla.edu

Prof. Donald Morrison, Faculty Athletic Representative & William E. Leonhard Chair in Mgmt
UCLA Anderson
BOX 951481, B515 Gold Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1481
Telephone: 310-825-7706; 310-825-0003
donald.morrison@anderson.ucla.edu

Bob Field, Associate Athletic Director UCLA Intcol Ath
UCLA Intcol Athletics
BOX 951639, Morgan Center
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1639
Telephone: 310-206-6580
Fax: 310-206-7047
bfield@athletics.ucla.edu

UCLA Athletic Fund: (310) 206-3302

Sr. Associate Ath. Director - External Relations Ross Bjork, Emporia State ‘95; Assistant Ath. Director - Wooden Athletic Fund Sharon Takeda, UCLA ‘89; Asst. Director (Wooden Athletic Fund) Brian Smith, California ‘88; Asst. Director (Wooden Athletic Fund) Bill Bennett, Nebraska ‘74

Who To Contact - Press:

LA Times: Lonnie White lonnie.white@latimes.com

LA Daily News: Brian Dohn brian.dohn@dailynews.com

OC Register: Robert Kuwada rkuwada@ocregister.com, Steve Bisheff sbisheff@ocregister.com

LB Press Enterprise: Kevin Pearson kpearson@pe.com

LB Press Telegram: Bob Keisser bob.keisser@presstelegram.com, Doug Krikorian doug.krikorian@presstelegram.com

Daily Bruin: Adam de Jong adejong@media.ucla.edu, David Woods dwoods@media.ucla.edu, Bobby Gordon bgordon@media.ucla.edu, David Garcia dgarcia@media.ucla.edu, Gilbert Quinonez gquinonez@media.ucla.edu, Sagar Parikh sparikh@media.ucla.edu, Ben Azar bazar@media.ucla.edu, Jason Lidman jlidman@media.ucla.edu
Espn Radio: Colin Cowherd theherd@espnradio.com

Espn.com: Ivan Maisel ivan.maisel@espn3.com, Bruce Feldman bruce.feldman@espn3.com

Fox Sports Radio: Joe McDonnell joemcd8888@yahoo.com

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Best Team Yet. Take a look around the conference today and not all is what it seems. In addition to our performance, Washington lost at home convincingly to lowly Oregon State, who lit up the Husky defense for 500 yards offense. As we said after Rice for the game at Washington, our game against Oregon State suddenly doesn't look like a gimme. Arizona State put a solid game together today as well and nearly beat Southern Cal at the Coliseum. Sure Southern Cal is beatable this year, but if ASU is coming around finally our game at Sun Devil Stadium no longer looks so easy.

We already mentioned Washington State and their effort against Southern Cal a couple of weeks ago.  Wazzu basically shut down Cal's great offense for nearly 3 quarters today in their loss. With these results, our 'easy' games could derail even a mediocre season. After all, we still have to play Notre Dame away, Cal away, and Southern Cal.  As we all know, if we take 3 of those 5 unlikely come from behind wins last year and make them losses, KD would be 6-7, 6-6, 7-5, and likely 6-6 in his 4 seasons as head coach.  Is this what we signed him up for??  Can someone please tell KD that the way to count to 10 or 11 wins is not 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 … ?! There are no 20 game seasons in college football coach!

Best Team Yet. Coach, your "best team yet" is mediocre. This year can actually turn out to be your worst year yet at 5-7.  You must be the problem. Don't look for scapegoats in the players and the officials. Don't tell us the team is always "learning" and "growing." Take responsibility for your 0-8 road record against winning teams, for your lack of wins in big games, for never beating Southern Cal, for having the worst starting 3 year record of any UCLA coach since WW2, including Bob Toledo who was fired so that you could have the job. If not, at the very least show some friggin emotion next week on national television, especially if your team is being robbed on the field. Show that you are running this team, this program and actually talk into your friggin headphones … fake it if you have to.

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Its no longer morning, we have been busy today.  Much to talk about today, so lets get to it.

1. Hit on Ben Olson — Looks like BO is going to be out 4-6 weeks.  This is unfortunate for Ben as the coaches finally are catching up to his, and the rest of the team’s, talent.  The hit was clearly, on replay, a late hit.  We hope for a speedy recovery Ben!!  This no-call is another Pac-10 officiating blunder, which leads us to point #2;

2. Pac-10 officiating — Pac-10 commish Tom Hansen has got to do something about officiating.  Once again, the Pac-10 is getting negative national press for a blown game-changing call with seconds left in the Southern Cal-Washington game, and the clear no-call late hit that sidelined BO in the Arizona game.  When is Tom Hansen going to step up and take control of this story?  He continues to be behind the 8-ball on officiating in this league and it is damaging our reptuation nationally, which leads us to point #3; 

3.  BCS Gaming — It is shaping up to be yet another year in which the Pac-10 will be slighted out of a second BCS bowl game.  Chances are good that the Pac-10 will have 1 undefeated team and 1 1-loss team, or at least two 1-loss teams.   It certainly is too early to tell, but the SEC is already campaigning for its programs.  LSU is a 2-loss team that is ranked higher than 1-loss Oregon.  Notre Dame, if they lose to Southern Cal, will also be a 2-loss team that currently is ranked higher than both Cal and Oregon, and perhaps deservedly so.  But we have seen this played out many times over the last 10 years, and the Pac-10 is nearly always left out.  Commish Tom Hansen has to start lobbying like the SEC or else we will lose yet again the millions of dollars in purse a second BCS bowl bid would bring to all Pac-10 schools.  With the campaigning that is going on, it is looking like  that second bowl bid will surely go to a 2-loss Notre Dame or SEC team.  Let’g get to work Tom!!

4.  Dorrell Happy Talk — What the heck was KD thinking when he said he looked over to Cowen with a knowing smile as soon as BO went down??!!  This has to be one of the strangest and most inexplicable comments to come from a coach after a key player’s injury.  Why does KD always seem to be on a different page than most people? 

More on KD comments to the press:  anyone hear KD on his weekly interview on AM 570?  He gloated on how well the team has been playing, and said nothing to refute one announcer’s comments that the Bruins “destroyed” the Arizona Mildcats on Saturday.  We don’t know what games they were watching but the Bruins did not “destroy” Arizona.  KD also, as predicted, said this team has “learned” from the past two weeks performances. KD is going to have to explain all this happy talk if he doesn’t come back from Eugene with a win or a strong showing.  KD said this was his “best team yet”, so a win should be doable.

But we know better.  Oregon is going to hit UCLA with one of the nation’s best offenses (even counting the Cal loss), and with one of the nation’s best passing defenses (good luck Svoboda!).  Nestor at Bruinsnation has a great rundown of the matchup.  With our running game stalling against average defenses, yardage isn’t going to come easy at Eugene.  We’ll see if this bravado of KD’s turns into more excuses, player scapegoating, and “growing” and “learning” issues.

5. Beat a Winning Team on the Road! — This is becoming one of KD’s legacies.  KD has yet to beat a winning program on the road! In 4 years! Now that he has his “best team yet” and Oregon showed weaknesses against Cal, we should win this game, and the game at Notre Dame the following week.  No excuses KD, let’s get it done!

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