Bruins Play for Pac-10 Pride at Tennessee

LOS ANGELES -- It's put up or shut up time for the Pac-10 Conference.

With three of the conference's top teams facing difficult games on the road -- highlighted by USC's national showdown at Ohio State - the strength of the Pac-10 will be under the spotlight this weekend.

And arguably, the most important matchup will take place in SEC territory when UCLA second-year coach Rick Neuheisel leads the Bruins into Knoxville to battle Tennessee first-year coach Lane Kiffin and the Volunteers.

Even first-year Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott, who's new to the game when it comes to improving the perception of West Coast football, said,: "Strong out-of-conference matchups capture the public's imagination."

That's why ultra-sensitive Pac-10 supporters look at UCLA's matchup against the Vols as the game to watch because the Bruins have a chance to show that one of the conference's up-and-coming programs can win on the road as an underdog against a nationally hyped SEC opponent.

"It's exciting for us ..." Neuheisel said about playing Tennessee, which crushed Western Kentucky, 63-7, last week. "It's a marquee opponent, playing in a marquee venue. When you dream about being a part of college football as a player or a coach, you dream about being in these types of environments. Our entire football program is honored."

Here's the deal. Tennessee and the Bruins are both led by young coaches determined to lead their rebuilding programs to the head of their respective conferences and both teams are coming off impressive season-opening victories.

"Ever since we played them last year, we've been thinking about Tennessee because we know that they're an SEC team and have one of the strongest programs in the country," UCLA senior wide receiver Terrence Austin said. "Playing those guys period is always a big game. But this year, it's obvious that both programs have a lot to prove."

A year ago, Neuheisel gained his first victory as UCLA coach when the Bruins rallied to defeat the Volunteers, 27-24, in overtime at the Rose Bowl.

Although quarterback Kevin Craft did not play great, he made enough plays to lead UCLA to a non-conference win in an ugly-mistake-filled game that helped lead to the departure of veteran Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer, who was eventually replaced by Kiffin.

Unfortunately for Neuheisel and the Bruins, they did not earn much credit for last season's win over the Volunteers (due in part that the two teams combined to finish 9-15 overall in 2008).

Maybe that's one reason why the Bruins have put so much importance on this game.

"Beating [Tennessee] for the second in a row would let everyone know that the Pac-10 is tough," Austin said. "A lot of people don't give us enough credit. But the Pac-10 is definitely a strong conference. We saw that last year with how everyone competed against each other within the conference.

"Think about it. USC's only loss came against Oregon State and the Pac-10 went 5-0 in bowl games. It would certainly help if we go on and beat Tennessee again. It would give us a little more respect out here."

UCLA, which logged a 33-14 come-from-behind victory over San Diego State in Week 1, will have to deal with a major disadvantage in playing at Neyland Stadium, which is expected to have a crowd of more than 100,000.

While Tennessee and most SEC teams travel well -- nearly half of the Rose Bowl crowd was dressed in orange and white for the Volunteers' game against UCLA last year -- that's normally not the case for Pac-10 programs.

That only adds to the challenge, according to Austin.

"When [Tennessee] came out here, it was impressive," Austin said. "They ... really showed how they feel about their football program. It's not to say that Pac-10 schools do not care, but the way their fans traveled, it showed how serious they are about football and how they look at winning."

Is that the reason why the Pac-10 has a 3-16 road record against SEC teams since 1980?

"I just know that it's not exactly the same for Pac-10 schools," Austin said. "I know a lot of people who want to go to [Tennessee] for the game but will not be able to make the trip. That's why I'm not expecting to see a lot of people in the crowd from our side of town. We expect to see a sea of orange."

UCLA, which had 23 players see first-time action against San Diego State, including eight true freshmen, will be a much different team than the one that faced Tennessee last season.



The Bruins are stronger on defense with several returning starters back from 2008 and offensive coordinator Norm Chow has more weapons to work, starting with redshirt freshman Kevin Prince replacing Craft at quarterback.

Prince, who passed for 176 yards and a touchdown in his first college start last week, told the LA Daily News that he's looking forward to playing in front of Tennessee's hostile crowd.

"[Before this week], the toughest environment I played in was in front of 6,000 people," Prince said about a game he played in as a high school junior.

"I like being on the road. I like the noise and hearing quiet. That's our goal to try to keep them quiet."

A goal that UCLA may find out is a lot easier said than done.