Good News, Bad Knee — Rosen honored with National Player of the Week Award in his very first game, but UCLA’s leading tackler Eddie Vanderdoes injures his knee and is lost for the season
For the first time in 10 years, a Bruin has won the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week Award. Not since Quarterback Drew Olson in 2005 has a UCLA player gotten that honor, until Saturday, when True Freshman QB Josh Rosen ended that drought, in his college debut.
Rosen made National Headlines with his stellar performance, causing some experts to re-evaluate their preseason predictions, suddenly adding UCLA to their prognostications for the 4-team Playoff. Now that people know that Rosen is for real, they feel like Jim Mora can deliver a Top 4 finish.
But a few hours after Rosen’s honor and the new lofty predictions were published and broadcast, those Great Expectations came into some question, as UCLA’s All-American caliber Defensive Lineman Eddie Vanderdoes was ruled out for the rest of the year with a torn ACL in his knee.
Vanderdoes led the Bruins with 8 tackles on Saturday, before his knee locked up. The injury may or may not have to do with the TD celebration where he hoisted fellow D-Lineman Kenny Clark into the air following Clark’s Touchdown reception. You can see my photo of that celebration in the photo array I posted here yesterday. I didn’t know at the time that that photo was capturing a tragic moment.
Vanderdoes was such a huge force in the D-Line, that even though the Bruins have a couple of good choices to replace him, it is still a monumental loss, and could mean that opponents will now be able to run up the middle on the Bruins, and that would open up everything else for opposing Offenses. What a blow to Bruin fans. Just hours after I posted about the Rosen-inspired unbridled OPTIMISM sweeping Westwood. Let’s just hope that this season’s losses of Ishmael Adams and Eddie Vanderdoes mark the end of the carnage.
Now here are 78 more photos from Saturday, including game photos, Virginia Cheerleader photos, and lots of UCLA Spirit Squad photos, with many more of the Bruin Cheerleaders still to come later this week.
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- Honorary UCLA Captain DeShaun Foster.
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- Josh Rosen right before his first game.
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- Josh Rosen DURING his first game. No jitters, apparently.
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- Rosen completes a short pass.
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- The Virginia QB sandwiched by Bruins.
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- Paul Perkins finds a seam.
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- Rosen finds an open Receiver in a gap between defenders.
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- Virginia needs to commit Pass Interference to stop Rosen’s Air Attack.
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- UCLA blocking gave the Running Bakcs room to run.
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- Perkins finds more room to run.
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- Mazzone’s schemes create one-on-one match-ups that the Bruins’ one can win.
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- This Touchdown-saving tackle forced another Cavalier Field Goal.
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- Swarming Defense leads to lots of gang tackles.
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- Virginia completes this pass in front of Moreau, but in general, did not have many big plays.
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- Marcus Rios and others come close to blocking this Field Goal.
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- Anyone else find this a tad creepy?
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- Kiana seems to enjoy the t-shirt toss.
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- Kiana, with hair flying.
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- Jessica doing a chin-up on Christina’s leg.
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- Sheree.
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- Jessica.
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- Courtney and Rachael.
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- Rachael.
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- Rachael.
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- Rachael.
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- Alayna.
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- Alayna.
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- McKenna.
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- Christina.
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- Courtney.
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- Courtney.
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- Courtney.
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- Courtney.
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- Josslyn.
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- Courtney and Josslyn.
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- Josslyn and Courtney.
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- Josslyn and Courtney.
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- Courtney and Lona.
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- Josslyn and Lona.
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- Lona.
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- Lona.
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- Lona.
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- Lona.
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- Lona and Sophie.
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- Julia and Dana.
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- Carley.
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- Carley.
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- Carley.
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- Kelly.
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- Kate.
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- Katy.
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- Jane.
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- Chandler.
