UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan attempted to shout the cadence late in Saturday’s game against the then-No. 18 Oregon Ducks.
Except none of his teammates could hear him among the 58,618 strong at Autzen Stadium.
That’s because Cowan, a sophomore making his first career start, had lost his voice earlier in the game.
Regardless, he drew high praise from his coach, despite Oregon claiming the 30-20 victory.
“You can’t really get anybody ready for that until you do it live and in person,” UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said of the Autzen atmosphere. “He played admirably. I was really impressed with what he was able to handle for his first start in an environment like this.”
Cowan completed 16 of 31 passes for 112 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
“I felt I did some good things,” Cowan said. “I also feel there are some things I can improve on. You always feel you can, win or loss.”
Cowan’s biggest mistake of the day came at the beginning of the fourth quarter when he threw short on an out route on third-and-eight and was intercepted by Oregon’s Patrick Chung, which set up a field goal to extend Oregon’s lead to 30-13.
“I tip my hat to Oregon,” Dorrell said. “But I am proud how this team came back and battled.”
Cowan was forced into the starting role this week after former starter Ben Olson suffered a tear of his MCL last week against Arizona and is likely sidelined 4-6 weeks.
Cowan entered that game last week in the first quarter and completed 20 of 29 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
But he figured to face a much stiffer test on the road against the Ducks, and that came true Saturday.
Cowan battled consistent pressure from the Ducks’ defensive line, resulting in two sacks, four quarterback hurries and three scrambles.
Oregon safety J.D. Nelson and defensive end Darius Sanders recorded the Ducks’ sacks.
“We knew they had a great defense going into the game,” Cowan said. “Oregon played really tough.”
“We had the crowd behind us,” Oregon’s leading tackler Blair Phillips said. “Even for a veteran quarterback, it’s tough in this environment. Once we started disguising and the crowd was going, it took a toll on him.”
Dorrell praised Cowan for his decision making – most notably on the off-the-cuff plays Cowan was forced to make to avoid the Oregon pressure.
On UCLA’s first scoring drive, Cowan scrambled for 12 yards for a first down. He then eluded the rush and evaded the pocket before finding wide receiver Junior Taylor for 13 yards and another first down as UCLA eventually cashed in with a field goal.
On a later drive, Cowan was nearly sacked but flipped the ball to tight end Logan Paulsen for eight yards and made nearly the same play to running back Chris Markey for another ten yards to keep another Bruins’ scoring drive alive.
“He made some nice improvisational plays when things were taken away,” Dorrell said. “He was able to find backs and some second and third-read guys. He played well.”
Cowan has another tough road test awaiting when the Bruins travel to Notre Dame next Saturday.
Bring it back
One of the biggest disappointments for Dorrell in Saturday’s loss was penalties – UCLA committed eight total for 91 yards.
“We had some penalties that cost us,” Dorrell said. “That’s the kind of stuff that hurts any type of defense if we give the offense an opportunity.”
UCLA was flagged twice for pass interference penalties on third down that kept two Oregon touchdown drives alive.
“We’ve got to play with a lot more focus, particularly on the road, understanding that you are not going to get calls go your way,” Dorrell said.
UCLA also incurred costly penalties on the offensive side of the ball, including a holding penalty, two false starts, a personal foul, and an illegal motion penalty as well as a roughing the kicker penalty on a punt.
“They’re drive killers,” Cowan said of the penalties. “They might have made a big difference today.”
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Cowan cannot keep up with Oregon’s defense
Daily Emerald
October 15, 2006
Kai-Huei Yau
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