Since it’s already Tuesday and UCLA’s 45-17 victory over lowly Stanford feels like an eternity ago, we won’t give you any game recap of what was an encouraging, but ultimately difficult to gauge performance. Instead, we’ll stick to observations about the team’s first action and what it means for the next few weeks.

It’s never easy to start the season with a conference road game, even if the opponent is the consensus worst team in the conference. And Stanford has historically given the Bruins some trouble, like two years ago when the Cardinal led undefeated UCLA by 21 points in the fourth quarter at the Farm, only to see Drew Olson stage a furious comeback win. So any victory is a good one, and the convincing nature of this win should give the Bruins some confidence heading into next week’s game against BYU.

Obviously, the million dollar question has been whether the offense can actually put enough points on the board this year to make UCLA a legitimate contender. With a defense that should keep the team in every game, it was up to new offensive coordinator Jay Norvell to develop a scheme that enabled QB Ben Olson and company to move the ball, especially in the red zone where they were horrible last year. For one week, at least, the Bruins offense was highly productive, racking up 624 yards and 45 points, which were better numbers than any game last year, admittedly against a porous Stanford defense. But what was more encouraging than the raw numbers was the way in which UCLA accumulated those statistics.

One of the things Norvell sought to change with this year’s offense was to get the ball outside to the wide receivers. Running back Chris Markey led the team in receptions a year ago, and the Bruin passing game was generally station-to-station; very few yards after catch, and very few opportunities for the primary playmakers to make plays in the open field. In Saturday’s game, the Bruins ran several slip screens and bubble screens which not only got the ball to receivers on the move, but also neutralized some of the aggressive Stanford pass rush. It was slip screens that produced Joe Cowan’s 78-yard touchdown catch and run, as well as Brandon Breazell’s 15-yard touchdown. The Bruins also used fade routes with frequent success, allowing their taller receivers to make a play on the ball against Stanford’s smaller cornerbacks. It was refreshing to see Bruin wideouts with eleven catches and backs with only two. Hopefully, Norvell will open up the offense even more in the coming weeks.

Another notable adjustment was the more liberal use of the shotgun, particularly on third down. Last season, Olson took a number of sacks because he wasn’t able to read defenses quickly enough and work through his progressions (and wasn’t mobile enough to avoid the pass rush). By utilizing shotgun, Olson was able to see the field better and had a little extra time to unload the ball. Norvell’s playcalling also seemed to reduce the number of reads that Olson had to make, thereby taking some of the decision making out of the quarterback’s hands. So while Olson wasn’t super accurate, especially in the first half, he didn’t make any critical errors that crippled the offense. Any time you have a 5 TD/0 int day, you’ve done your job.

The Bruin running game was very impressive with 338 yards. In particular, Kahlil Bell, who was MIA last year, ran like a man possessed, rarely going down after first contact, and hitting the holes decisively to the tune of 195 yards. Even though starter Markey did not seem particularly explosive, having two backs that can be effective could be a boon for the team down the road. Even recently-converted safety Christian Ramirez looked like a contributor, showing some explosiveness during a late-game scoring drive. The team found repeated success running behind Micah Kia and Shannon Tevaga on the left side, utilizing a single-back, double tight end set which we didn’t see much of last year, probably the result of the injury to fullback Michael Pitre. There was nothing fancy about the way they ran it – simple offtackle and smash plays – but Stanford couldn’t stop it. It certainly won’t be this easy all year, but if the o-line is generally able to control the line of scrimmage, it will wear down opposing defenses and open up big-play opportunities in the passing game like the third-quarter flea-flicker to Breazell. Last season, the running game was not consistent enough to make this a credible threat.

If the offense was a pleasant surprise, the defense was a bit of a disappointment. With Stanford bringing in an entirely new coaching staff, led by Jim Harbaugh, the defense was at a disadvantage with little game film to study. Nevertheless, giving up 331 passing yards to an offense that barely averaged ten points a game last year did not live up to expectations. In particular, it was three big plays that accounted for close to half of those yards, one on a blown coverage by Alterraun Verner that resulted in a 70-yard stop and go touchdown reception, and two on poor tackling on underneath routes that led to long gains. Certainly, this will be an area of focus during practice this week.

DeWayne Walker stuck to his aggressive playcalling, bringing blitzes which forced the game’s only turnover (Trey Brown’s first quarter strip and sack of TC Ostrander on a corner blitz), but in general, the pass rush did not generate much pressure, including preseason all-Pac 10 DE Bruce Davis. While the pass coverage was generally strong, especially Brown at left corner, against teams like Cal and USC with significantly better wideouts, the Bruins front seven will need to make more plays so that top QBs can’t pick apart the secondary. That being said, the d-line was strong against the run, giving up only 52 yards, pretty much forcing Stanford to rely exclusively on the passing game.

New placekicker Kai Forbath got off to a rocky start, missing a 28-yard field goal in the first series, and later a 42-yard effort as well, but did manage to kick a 39-yarder through the uprights. The Bruins were spoiled by the reliability of All-American Justin Medlock, but Forbath’s struggles could actually be a blessing in disguise. I always felt that the offensive playcalling got super conservative in the red zone last year under Jim Svoboda in part because three points were in the bag. Forbath’s inconsistency, while clearly not a benefit to the team in the long run, may force Karl Dorrell to show some balls and actually go for it on fourth down for a change, or at the very least, be more aggressive in trying to score touchdowns. Forbath did show plenty of leg, so I feel confident that as he matures over the course of the season (and the next three years), he’ll be solid.

All in all, Bruin fans should be hopeful about what they saw in week one. This week’s home opener against BYU, who had a surprisingly easy time against Arizona, should provide a much better barometer as to how improved the Bruins truly are. But overall, a solid, though not dominant performance, and a 28-point win is a step in the right direction. It certainly could have been worse – just ask Michigan.

AP photos by Paul Sakuma