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Fans at the Rose Bowl should be asking for Rick Neuheisel’s head on a platter. While they are at it, also demand for Norm Chow’s head, arms and legs.

With one of the greatest college coordinators of all time and an offensive-minded head coach on staff, there is no excuse for scoring a meager three offensive points over two games.

Here is what Neuheisel told us in the media room, deep inside the Rose Bowl, after UCLA lost to Arizona, 31-10, on Saturday afternoon: 

“This is demoralizing.We have some problems, and we need to address them. But there are no quick fixes.”

Just one week removed from its 59-0 drubbing at the hands of BYU, the Bruins came to Pasadena hoping for redemption. They left the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon as the worst excuse of a college football team. I'd say "demoralizing" doesn;t quite cut it.

“I don’t know when we are going to turn the corner,” Neuheisel added. “But you have to be driving the car in order to make that turn. We are definitely driving.”

Well, after defeating Tennessee three weeks ago, the Bruins took an exit and never got back on the freeway.

Besides, since when is it okay to drive when your car has major problems?

Sometimes, you have to stop the car, take it to the shop and make repairs before you can start the ignition and begin to press the gas again.

Here is where the UCLA automobile as taken the team: After Arizona scored first on a 41-yard field goal in the first quarter, the Bruins were outscored 62-0 since beating Tennessee it its home opener.

In two losses, UCLA looked like a high school varsity team with a roster filled with freshmen and sophomores trying to play Division I college football.

Where was the offense? Isn’t Chow supposed to be this big offensive guru? 

How does the Bruins offense manage to put up three points in two weeks?

After UCLA beat Tennessee, 27-24, in Week 1, it appeared the Bruins would have a solid 2008 season. 

Even the AP pollsters caught wind from Pasadena, ranking UCLA at 23 heading in Week 2, a bye-week for the Bruins.

Since, UCLA was outscored 90-10.

After losing to BYU, 59-0, last week, UCLA returned to Pasadena to face Arizona – a team no one believed would compete for the PAC-10 crown.
 
When UCLA’s defense forced Nic Grigsby to fumble on third down at the Arizona two yard line and right end Korey Bosworth recovered the loose ball in the end zone, it looked as if the Bruins quickly rebounded from last week’s debacle.

The scoring drought finally ended. It was the first time UCLA scored since Sept. 1. 

Perhaps UCLA really did put its horrific performance against BYU to sleep.

Or did they? 

Not only did UCLA manage to score three points since the fumble, they failed to stop a Wildcat team that was not so easy to tame.

Coming into the game, Arizona had converted all 17 of its red zone possessions this season. That streak extended to 18 before UCLA stopped the Wildcats on attempt no. 19. 

This was an Arizona team that scored outscored its opponents 111-16 in its first two wins, and barely lost to New Mexico last week.

The outlook proved bleaker than UCLA expected. 

While 65,434 showed up to help the Bruins recover from its loss in Provo, many of those fans were looking for the exits after Xavier Smith scored a touchdown with 6:48 remaining in the game, giving Arizona a 31-10 lead.

In two games, the UCLA’s offense was outscored 90-3. Perhaps they should feel so bad – with its 41-0 victory over Wyoming on Saturday, BYU outscored its last two opponents 103-0. 

“I’m optimistic,” Neuheisel said in the post game news conference. “There is light at the end of the tunnel.”

If you are a Bruin student, alum, or just a fan, those words are not so reassuring, especially when UCLA punted the ball an astonishing 11 times Saturday. 

No college football team who flirts with the Top 25 should ever be outscored 90-10 over two games. It is even worst when seven of those points came on a loose ball is just waiting to be pounded on in the end zone.

Now 1-2, the Bruins face a tough Fresno State next week, and then face a middle-of-the-pack Washington State team.

The Bruins could be 2-4 heading into the final stretch – definitely not a record anyone expected UCLA to have – not even the most pessimistic of fans.

Of course, no one person is at fault. As much as they may want to, Neuheisel and Chow can't play quarterback or tight end. There is only so much Kevin Craft can do. The defense is doing all it can to keep the team in the game.

But c'mon, 3 offensive points in two games? Rhetorically speaking, how often do Division I teams  with significant bowl game experience manage to produce only one field goal in two games?

"The other team's defense deserves credit," Neuheisel tried to explain about his team's inability to catch that big pass when they needed to. "But some of those plays should be made."

Neuheisel and Chow need to get their boys to make those plays on a consistent basis. When the only time you score a touchdown is by pouncing on a loose ball in the end zone, you need to drive straight to the mechanic. In this case, the mechanics are Neuheisel and Chow. They better do what they can to get this Bruin offense going. Otherwise, it is only a matter of town before boosters and students pounce on them and ask them to drive directly to the unemployment line.