Bruins clash with Cardinal in campaign kick off

Aug 29, 2007, 15:31 GMT

Stanford, CA - Pac-10 foes will collide on opening weekend as the Stanford Cardinal hope to score a home upset of the 14th- ranked UCLA Bruins.

Last season, UCLA finished 7-5 overall during the regular season, including 5-4 in league play, good enough for an Emerald Bowl bid against Florida State. The result of that clash was a disappointing 44-27 setback, but head coach Karl Dorrell has reason for optimism considering that 10 starters are back both on offense and on defense. Clearly, experience will not be an excuse but a strength for the club in 2007.

Stanford is under new leadership, as Jim Harbaugh has taken over the reigns of the program and has attempted to instill a swagger from day one. The good news for Harbaugh is that there is nowhere for his team to go but up after a miserable 2006 campaign. The Cardinal won exactly one game a year ago, but there are a number of starters back on both sides of the ball.

UCLA owns a 43-31-3 record in the all-time series with Stanford, including a 31-0 romp over the Cardinal a year ago.

Clearly, inconsistency was the biggest issue for the Bruins' offense last season, but the returning talent is a good reason to expect a change. Taking snaps under center will be junior Ben Olson, who missed eight games last year with a knee injury. In five games, Olson threw for just 822 yards and five scores along with five INTs. Olson will have the top two receivers from a year ago back on the field, as Marcus Everett and Brandon Breazell return for their senior campaigns. The duo was relatively ineffective in 2006, combining for 52 receptions, 839 yards and nine scores. Obviously there is plenty of room for improvement for both. One player who did not disappoint in 2006 was tailback Chris Markey, and he figures to be the focal point of the offense against Stanford. The standout rushed for 1,107 yards a year ago, and although the 5-11 speedster only found the end zone twice, he also recorded 35 catches.

With a wealth of talent and experience back in place, big things are expected from the UCLA defense in 2007. The Bruins went from 113th in total defense in 2005 to 39th in '06, and there is no reason to expect anything but continued improvement. The team's anchor is defensive end Bruce Davis, who recorded 17.5 TFLs and 12.5 sacks a year ago. Brigham Harwell and Kevin Brown are a tenacious tackle duo who helped the Bruins hold opponents to a mere 2.8 ypc. The linebacking corps is just as talented with Christian Taylor leading the way. Taylor collected 83 tackles last year and logged 13.5 TFLs and 4.5 sacks. Taylor along with Aaron Whittington and Reggie Carter form one of the top linebacker groups in the conference. It only gets better for UCLA when talking about the defensive backs as all four starters return. The biggest threat in this terrific unit is strong safety Chris Horton, who led the squad a year ago with 95 tackles. Corners Trey Brown (four INTs) and Rodney Van (nine PBUs) are as good as it gets in the Pac-10.

Stanford ranked near the bottom of the national rankings on both sides of the ball last season, scoring just 10.6 ppg (118th in the nation) while allowing 31.4 ppg (108th nationally). Let's focus on the offense first, a unit that welcomes back seven starters. Quarterback T.C. Ostrander will finally get a chance to start after being a backup his entire career. He will have some solid targets to throw to in Evan Moore and Richard Sherman. Moore is a senior with plenty of experience, but it is the sophomore Sherman who has the big-play ability. The Cardinal backfield has plenty of experienced players, and the hope is that one will shine in this opener and claim the role of featured back. Last season, Stanford averaged a lowly 65.1 ypg on the ground, embarrassing to say the least.

Like the offensive unit, the Stanford defense struggled from start to finish in '06, especially against the run where the team surrendered 210.5 ypg. Eight starters return this season, and Harbaugh is changing the defensive scheme to a 4-3. The front line returns every starter, including the Udofia brothers. Udeme is a solid end, and Ekom is a strong tackle who looks to be the anchor of the line. The linebacking corps comes into the year without its best player from a year ago (Michael Okwo). It will be tough to fill his cleats, but Clinton Snyder has tremendous big-play ability and should be able to be the spark plug in this tilt against the Bruins. Wopamo Osaisai and Tim Sims are back at the cornerback positions, but neither played very well last season and need to improve drastically. Expect both to be tested by the Bruins early on.

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