8) The Bruins are one of the youngest teams in D-1. They're talented, but nearly every starter is a freshman or sophomore, including Patrick Cowan who replaced the injured Ben Olsen at QB. He's another SoCal young gun from St. John Bosco HS and he's 6'5". He can actually run better than Olsen and has looked pretty good so far. They have only 6 seniors on the roster. UCLA has an improved defense from last season and more talent overall than last year, but their lack of experience has been killing them. They keep making mistakes and doing the stupid things that too young teams do. Let's hope they take a few lumps and apply their learning after they leave South Bend. BTW- most of the (Trojan hating) locals hate this game. They're used to rooting for BOTH Notre Dame and UCLA and they wish this game hadn't been scheduled.... ...........JO'Co
UCLA/ND <r>JO'CO,<br/> <br/> From what I have seen and heard the UCLA defense seems to be ahead of the offense at this point. The Irish should be able to put more points on the board and come out with the win at SB but you just gotta hope that young QB of theirs doesn't have a banner day or we will be in for a long afternoon. <br/> <br/> I was originally hopeing for a bright sunny day with a temp of about 66 degrees on gameday...but even though I'll actually be at the game, I'm now hopeing for a chilly-rainy day to welcome the boys from SOCAL. <E>8)</E></r>
Well, fellas, it looks like I won't be able to join you this year. It's a bummer because I live so close. Although I don't have tickets, I was going to drive to my lake cottage on Friday (a little more than an hour from SB). then drive over to join you for the Friday night festivities, after which I would drive back to the lake the same night. When I told my wife of my plan, she reminded me that we are committed (plans made last summer) to my #2 grandson's 8th birthday family party on Saturday in Indy. I had completely forgotten. Needless to say, we will be going south to Indy, which precludes my traveling north to South Bend. :cry: I'll be there in spirit, and I trust you will use the Skybox voodoo on UCLA to bring home a victory. Terry, be sure and bring your cool rainsuit just in case.
8) Brotherly love throughout Bruins' roster Posted: Oct.13, 2006, 10:51 pm EDT By John Walters NBCSports.com SOUTH BEND -- Notre Dame plays UCLA Saturday, the first meeting between the two schools in 42 years. Here's a primer to whet your appetite. Q: Like with Ashley and Mary-Kate, I always have trouble distinguishing between Ben and Drew Olson. Which one is the Bruin quarterback now? A: Neither. It's Patrick Cowan. Ben Olson beat out Cowan in training camp, but suffered a medial collateral ligament tear vs. Arizona on Saturday. He will not have surgery, but will miss four to six weeks. Drew Olson was the Bruin quarterback last season. He finished fifth in Division I-A in passing efficiency, but was cut by the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason. Jeff Gross/Getty Images Ben Olson will not be in the huddle when UCLA plays Notre Dame. Q: So who's this Cowan kid? Name sounds familiar. A: Like Ben Olson, Cowan is a redshirt sophomore. The difference is that Cowan is 20 and Olson, who served a five-year Mormon mission in Canada, is 23. Cowan's dad, Timothy, played quarterback at Washington from 1980-82 and also a few seasons in the Canadian Football League. Cowan's older brother, Joe, is the Bruins' leading returning receiver from a year ago (35 catches). He tore his posterior cruciate ligament in training camp and has yet to play this season. But he should be back in time for the Bruins' visit to South Bend. Q: That's cool. Two brothers on the same team. Where else would you see that? A: Why, in Westwood. UCLA's roster is its own fraternity row. The Cowans are just one of four sets of Bruin brothers. There's the Tevaga brothers, Shannon and Sonny. Both are offensive linemen. Shannon earned All Pac-10 Honorable Mention at offensive guard a year ago. You also have the Bosworth brothers, Korey and Kyle, who are twins. Both Bosworths play linebacker, like their uncle, Brian Bosworth, once did at Oklahoma. Then there's the Moline brothers: Chad, Chane and Chase, -- not to be confused with the Molina brothers -- from the idyllic seaside town of San Juan Capistrano, Calif. UCLA's Moline is almost as deep as its O-line (rim shot, please). Q: If UCLA is an acronym, how come only the "U" on the helmets is upper-case? A: Good question. I dunno. Q: Has UCLA played Notre Dame in my lifetime? A: Not unless you're 42 years old. The Irish and the Bruins last played in 1964, in South Bend. Notre Dame won 24-0. Their only previous meeting occurred in '63, also in South Bend and also an Irish victory (27-12). In fact, the only two teams Notre Dame defeated in '63 were USC and UCLA on consecutive weekends. Q: Who is the George Gipp of UCLA football? A: Jackie Robinson. He also played baseball, and basketball, and ran track for the Bruins. Q: Actor Mark Harmon played quarterback at UCLA. Six degrees of Mark Harmon: GO! A: Harmon starred in the highly underrated 1988 drama Stealing Home. His best friend in the film, Appleby ("Be my friend!"), was played by Harold Ramis. Harold Ramis wrote Animal House (we are forever in his debt). Animal House was Kevin Bacon's first movie (he played Chip Diller). Two degrees. NEXT! Q: Should the Irish be concerned? A: Uh-huh. The Bruins, before Saturday's 30-20 loss to Oregon, had the nation's No. 2 rush defense. The school with the country's top rush defense is Michigan. Remember them? By the way, two of the Bruins' top defensive linemen have dads who were major college linemen. Defensive end Bruce Davis is the son of former Oakland/Los Angeles Raider offensive tackle Bruce Davis, who owns two Super Bowl rings. The Bruins' other defensive end, Justin Hickman, is third in Division I-A in sacks and the son of former USC offensive lineman Donnie Hickman, who was a teammate of NBC's own Pat Haden. Q: Heather Locklear graduated from UCLA. What does Notre Dame have to say to that? A: We're not worthy.