It’s hard to say we didn’t see this coming. After the 50-0 domination by USC over the Bruins, the head coach’s short lease had run completely out. With his firing final, we can now look over the last four years and examine exactly what happened during the reign of Neuheisel, and the statistics are not pretty. With a 21-28 record over 4 years, highlighted by an 0-4 record against our crosstown rivals and a measley 3-25 record against quality opponents, Neuheisel did not quite live up to the hype the former UCLA quarterback had coming in.

This season itself was a roller coaster of highs, UCLA’s miraculous 29-28 victory over then ranked Arizona State, and massive lows including not only the recent defeat against the Trojans and a 48-12 loss to the lowly Arizona Wildcats. The consistent inconsistency of the Bruins over the season reinforced for many the lack of leadership at UCLA as we saw glimpses of talent and promise only to crushed by shoddy play on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Of course, UCLA has had to deal with injuries to key offensive players like quarterback Richard Brehaut and a flurry of suspensions following the Arizona brawl, but even the oft-injured Kevin Prince showed the ability to run the offense at times. The pistol offense Neuheisel tried to implement the last 2 years showed promise at times, but would look completely ineffective a week later. Maybe there are excuses for Neuheisel, but a school with a reputation for athletic greatness like UCLA demands results and he never produced them. Personally, I think it’s better making a clean cut right now rather than drag the process out over months where the bitter feelings UCLA has towards its football program and more specifically its head coach boil over. Neuheisel will be on the sidelines for the Friday championship game versus Oregon, but even if UCLA pulls the upset the reigns will be handed over to offensive coordinator Mike Johnson for their Rose Bowl appearance or potential bowl game if the event of a loss to the Ducks. After 4 years, we can now close the book on the Neuheisel era and of course the campus is abuzz with rumors on potential matches including Boise State’s Chris Peterson and Houston’s Kevin Sumlin. We will keep a close watch as the details unfold, but I know this Bruin is hoping for a quick pick so we can get to recruiting and move on to a new, hopefully better, era in UCLA football.