UCLA 33 - SD State 14

I was most impressed by the fact that we called passing plays for Kevin Prince off the bat - two naked bootlegs to the left no less. And I was even more impressed how he executed them with confidence and precision. Prince does not look like a redshirt freshmen at all - he looks mature beyond his years on and off the field. No deer in the headlights look. Of course we haven't played Tennessee in Knoxville yet, but I do think he'll be alright. I also think his 2 picks were not the worrysome kind of mistakes that resulted from panic, but ones that are easily fixable through more practice at reading defenses.

It was encouraging that our first 2 touchdowns this year were on the ground by different players. Hopefully this means we are developing a stable of young RBs that we can rely on for the next few years. In fact, it is clear that we are very young at many positions, including the OL, who acquitted themselves fairly well, albeit against a weak SD state team.

But even against a pathetic opponent, our offense did seem to be much improved and much more balanced from last year. It does get much more difficult from here on, but I'm holding out hope for a 7 win season. 6 wins for bowl eligibility is okay too.

This upcoming game at Tennessee looks like be a great opportunity for our team to grow. Its one of those games that we can expect mistakes but hopefully they're the kind that we can learn from, not the kind that only serve to deflate and embarrass us. And a win would be awesome.