Inconsistency and injuries.
One follows the other, but not usually in that order.
The UCLA football team entered the 2007 season with expectations to compete for the Pac-10 title. But fifth-year coach Karl Dorrell and company immediately dropped the ball the third week in, losing to lowly Utah 44-6. And that was with their full compliment of players.
Since then, redshirt junior quarterback Ben Olson has sat out four games with headaches and a knee injury, while junior running back Kahlil Bell was lost for the season with a knee injury of his own he suffered against Cal on Oct. 20.
But that was after all of the inconsistency.
The Bruins won two Pac-10 games against Washington and Oregon State in September but gave Notre Dame its only victory thus far, in the Rose Bowl no less.
When UCLA proceeded to beat Cal, another program expected to compete for the conference crown, everyone began to question the disparity in performance throughout the season.
As the losing returned and the injuries continued to mount, uncertainty surrounded the program and Dorrell.
Even as a sophomore, wide receiver Terrence Austin has a sense for the program's troubles.
"It's a little frustrating, but it's something we have to cope with," Austin said. "We just have to ride it out.
"We haven't had a Pac-10 championship here since 1998, but we do still have a chance, and we're striving for it."
UCLA (5-4, 4-2 Pac-10) will finish the season opposing the conference's toughest teams in ASU, Oregon and USC. But should the Bruins win out, they would capture a share of the Pac-10 crown.
The inconsistency, though, also precedes detrimental effects.
UCLA is currently without its top two quarterbacks in Olson and Patrick Cowan, and two of its top three running backs in Bell and Christian Ramirez, because of injuries.
UCLA's other top running back, senior Chris Markey, is slowed by foot problems but may play Saturday.
One of the few Bruin standouts who has made it through the season unscathed said the team's fragility doesn't explain the squad's drastic highs and lows.
"Every school has had it the same," senior safety Chris Horton said. "That's why we have guys behind them. You may not have heard of them, but they can make plays."
And this week, UCLA is hoping another young player can step in and soften the loss of veterans. It just so happens, it's at quarterback, UCLA's fourth different starter at the position through nine games.
Austin said he expects a lot from redshirt sophomore Osaar Rasshan, who will match up against ASU's defense in his first career start. The Sun Devils have feasted on other young field generals, including Colorado's Cody Hawkins, Oregon State's Sean Canfield and Washington's Jake Locker.
"He's been eager to get out there," Austin said of his new passer. "He's real confident, and I expect him to lead us right away."
Playing almost the entire second half last week against Arizona after replacing the injured Cowan, Rasshan led the Bruins on three scoring drives, though the team still lost 34-27.
Any experience under center is valuable but especially for Rasshan, who made his debut as a wide receiver in the team's first game of the season against Stanford. He was previously the scout team quarterback for two years before making the position change. But now he's back.
Aside from a healthy core around him, which Rasshan won't have, a strong defense may lessen the pressure.
Asked how he would describe the defense he helps lead, Horton said, "We're fast and we love to play football."
The Bruins have the names to back it up, and fans won't have to fumble through their programs to find out.
Horton is flanked by fellow Thorpe Award candidates senior defensive back Trey Brown and senior safety Dennis Keyes.
The best player on that side of the ball may be senior defensive end and 2006 All-American Bruce Davis, who leads the team with nine and a half sacks.
But even a strong defense can't deflect enough attention to forget about UCLA's inconsistency, which unlike the injuries, contributes to Dorrell's lack of job security.
"We're dealing with a lot of adversity," Austin said. "We just have to focus on what's in front of us, nothing else."
Reach the reporter at andrew.pentis@asu.edu
