This morning, I’m going to start things off with the postgame interviews from last night. The postgame interviews are courtesy of UCLA Athletics. Coach Chesney was up first and he was followed by defensive back Mason Rivera and Scott Taylor before the interviews wrapped up with Landon Ellis and Ty Dieffenbach. They concluded with Ben Bolch of the California Post giving Ty Dieffenbach a homework assignment.
Of everything Bob Chesney said after last night’s game, the one thing which stood out the most might have been his response to a question about how he has instilled a belief in his players that they can win every time they take the field.
“You’ve got to believe it yourself, ultimately. I think that’s the most important thing,” Chesney said. “I believe in these guys. I told [the media] back in the spring that there’s fibers of a really high-level football team that exists within this program, and we just need to put it all together and test it in fire, and let them go out there and compete, and that’s just the way this program works.”
Chesney continued, “There's so much competition that goes on in a day-to-day basis that they could build their confidence and then a little more success and then build more confidence which leads to more success.
“When they end up with a failure, it’s never fatal or final. It’s a chance to refine them, not define them. Those things are all things I just know that they live on a day-to-day basis out here. So even though it may look like ‘Uh-oh, this game could be in jeopardy a little bit’, they still believe because they’ve been in competitive situations so much.”
One of the pivotal plays of the game was the fourth down stop the defense got. Initially, it was ruled to be a first down, but it was overturned by replay review. Scott Taylor discussed the play during his interview.
“I’d say that I wasn’t aware that we had stopped him. We had the defense getting ready to go back out there with a play being called. So it was obviously nice for the change of news, but I think that play comes down to mentality,” Taylor said. “We know they’re running the ball. They know that we know. So, it just comes down to who is going to get knocked back. And [it was] great tackle by Sammy [Omosigho] and company.”
Like Dieffenbach, Mason Rivera transferred from Cal Poly. He discussed Ty Dieffenbach’s performance last night. “Yeah, he has confidence. I think that a lot of people said it throughout the week,” Rivera said. “He was ready for this moment, and the second half at Oregon, same thing.”
“He’s just a good ballplayer. He’s a gamer, for sure, and he is ready to go,” he continued. “I think that a lot of people are pretty happy with what he did today. I think it’s going to continue going forward.
“I saw it all last year when I played with him. He has the ability to throw it anywhere on the field, and he can tuck it and run,” he added. “So, he’s a good football player, and we trust him as our leader and our quarterback.”
Speaking of Dieffenbach, his journey to UCLA is reminiscent of John Barnes. Like Barnes, Dieffenbach is a Southern California guy who has played at multiple schools before landing in Westwood. In Dieffenbach’s case, he spent two seasons at Pitt, but he didn’t play in a game for the Panthers. So, he transferred to Cal Poly last year where he eventually earned the job as the Mustangs’ starting quarterback. In high school, he had been recruited by Dean Kennedy when Chesney and Kennedy were at Holy Cross. When he entered the portal last year, Kennedy reached out and he joined the Bruins.
Of course, Barnes is now a Bruin legend. In 1992, Barnes transferred from UC Santa Barbara, another Central Coast university, which had made the decision to shut down their football program. UCSB had been Barnes’ fourth school in five years. After showing up to meet with offensive coordinator Homer Smith in a jacket and tie, Smith made Barnes do dropbacks in his dress shoes. UCLA didn’t offer Barnes a scholarship, but allowed him to walk-on.
The 1992 season was a tough year for Bruin quarterbacks. Wayne Cook, Rob Walker and Ryan Fien all got hurt, and Barnes was called on to become the starter.
But it was that season’s game against Southern Cal which made Barnes a Bruin legend. The Bruins trailed 31-17 as the fourth quarter began. First, he found J.J. Stokes for a 29-yard touchdown to pull within seven with 12:49 left. Then, he found him again for 59 yards to tie the game with 7:06 to go. With 3:08 to play, he found Stokes a third time, this time for 90 yards.
The Trojans managed to score a touchdown with 41 seconds to go, but when they tried to win the game by going for two, Bruin linebacker Nkosi Littleton deflected a pass from Brad Johnson to deny the conversion and seal the improbable victory.
Here’s a relatively short YouTube video about Barnes’ performance in that game.
Of course, the entire game is also available on YouTube.
Dieffenbach spoke about what it means for him to play at UCLA. He said, “Obviously, growing up here, you want to go play for UCLA. you don't want to play for USC where I'm from.”
Taking that into consideration, Ben Bolch asked Dieffenbach last night if he knew who Barnes is. Considering that Barnes played for UCLA almost 15 years before Dieffenbach was born, it wasn’t overly surprising that he replied, “I don't. I don't know. Who's that?” Bolch suggested he look up and learn about Barnes.
I expect that he’ll be asked if he’s had a chance to learn about Barnes at his next interview. Maybe someone from Agoura Hills will pass this article along to Ty.
I’m going to suggest right now that UCLA should make Barnes the honorary captain for the Southern Cal game this year.
Even with that comparison being made, the quote of the night came from Landon Ellis. He had a message for all Bruin fans who still may not have bought into this team. Ellis said:
Jump on. Come on, man. Chesney train. I think the progress that we’ve made from January when we all arrived to now is just out of this world. I think it’d be really hard to go back into history and find teams that have turned around this fast. So, if you’re not all the way in, I don’t know what you’re doing, but I would get on it.
You heard the man. Get on it!
Your next chance to hop on the Chesney train will be this coming Saturday when the Bruins meet the Michigan State Spartans at the Rose Bowl at 12:30 pm PT. The game will be broadcast on CBS, but if you’re in Southern California, buy some tickets this week and bring the family and tailgate beforehand. Tickets start at just $32. It’s been a long time since Bruin football has been this much fun.
Go Bruins!!!
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[Meant respectfully but humorously] I see youse guys have wised up to the archive of memories and brought back some of them in this post. Now, as the older images of Bruin greatness fade away, you'll accord your tribal elders the admiration we deserve!*
Seriously, you cannot know the joy it brings to these old bones to see you all live through a miracle season that -- so far --- Coach Chez** has built for us. Moreover, I rattle on about my unabashed love and respect for Tommy Prothro and the excitement he brought*** but I must tell you that he was at UCLA until the vagaries of the AAWU and Pac-8 and the lack of consistency in college ball and growing a crop of athletes only to have them graduate in 2-3 years caused him to leave.
"[The 1970 season where UCLA beat the Toe Jams, 45-20] This would end up being Prothro's final game at UCLA. Prothro was frustrated by bizarre officiating at critical moments, numerous last minute narrow losses, and losing out of the Rose Bowl by the conference vote in 1966. Prothro also decried the Pac-8 rule that only allowed the conference champion to go to a bowl game; he witnessed many lower ranked inferior teams (often ones he defeated during the season) go to bowl games while his Bruins stayed home. After George Allen was fired by the Los Angeles Rams, Prothro accepted that job."
However, as one who has witnessed stuff a lot of younger TMB members only can read about, I gotta tell you that you're living the dream! Over the course of 11 months, all the tragedies and grief wrought by the incompetent boobs and morons, has been wiped away! Further, in less than three months, the ignoramuses in the national collegiate commentariat have been bludgeoned awake by Coach Chez's successes. Go out to YouTube and watch these semi-sentient paramecea blink at the blinding light issuing forth from the hills of Westwood and stammered their belated recognition of a team that was 3-9 less than a year ago.
All that said, as you all know, this is rock solid and in place from the Chancellor down to the coaches of the newly revived AD/CEO. Don;t believe me (or Joe and Dimitri)? Watch this..
https://youtu.be/y2O5nMyzYVY?si=IpX_QYNfnFtQ9IeH
It's real, Bruins, and it's here t stay! So sop it up while you can. You need to start making your memories now!
*Meant hyper-sarcastically!
**Whom, in the privacy of my den, I refer to as "Coach Chez de light"!
***Remember the immortal banner the day of the 20-16 Beban bombs: "69% or football fans prefer Prothro-tactics to Trojans!"