The great thing about success is that no matter where it comes from, there’s always something we can learn from it to apply in our own lives.
Why?
Because it’s all connected.
The 2012 UCLA-Nebraska football game that was played was one of the most exciting college football games I’ve seen in years.
The first half was back and forth full of offense and then after the half, it settled down until a monster play sparked the momentum in favor of UCLA and the rest was history.
But let’s go back to the beginning of the game.
If you watched the game, it was easy to see UCLA was more excited to play. Nebraska looked flat. They didn’t look like they had much energy.
That’s the first thing we can learn. No matter what you’re doing, you need energy, you need that enthusiasm but not only that, it has to be FOCUSED. It’s no use if it’s dissipated all over the place. The Bruins focused that energy well into their offense and defense.
The second thing to learn is the importance of ADJUSTMENTS. UCLA made great defensive adjustments at the half and put Nebraska on ice with only 100 yards and 6 points (UCLA shut out Rice last week after the half).
What’s working? What’s not? What needs to be fixed? How? What needs to be done differently?
Most people don’t want to do this in their lives for some reason. They avoid the whole issue. They don’t want to face the fact that things aren’t working so they sweep it under the rug.
Bring it out. Take a look at it. A hard look. Tweak it. See what needs to be done differently and go on and do it.
Stop taking it so personally. Just because it’s not working doesn’t mean you’re dumb. It just means something needs to be changed. It’s a mechanical thing.
(On a brief side note, adjustments usually focus on changing things BUT if something’s working, just keep on doing it until it doesn’t.)
The third thing to learn from the game is the play to win mentality. UCLA went for a fake field goal early in the second half and while it wasn’t successful, it sent a nice message that they weren’t playing it safe.
This was more evident near the end of the game, when UCLA was only leading by 2, near the end zone, on 3rd down. A “safe” team would’ve ran the ball up the middle to center it and let the kicker kick a field goal to hopefully be up by 5 and bank on the fact that the other team won’t score a touchdown.
But UCLA went for a swing pass in the backfield to the running back that worked all night (remember keep doing what works) and scored a touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach as it became a two possession game with very little time remaining.
So 3 things we can learn – be enthusiastic (but make sure to focus that energy), don’t be afraid to take a hard look at what’s not working and make adjustments (plus keep doing what’s working), and finally, play to win, not to play not to lose as there’s a huge difference in mentality between the two.
One more honorable mention is this:
Create a big play to get momentum on your side.
In the second half, both teams made good adjustments on defense and it was one of those games where you knew, you JUST KNEW, you could feel it in your bones, that whichever team would make a big play, would get that spark which would put momentum on their side.
That spark for UCLA was the defensive end getting a safety on Nebraska’s quarterback, plus an interception of Nebraska’s quarterback too.
Those plays changed the whole game.
Create those big plays for yourself too.
If you’re slogging along, juggling multiple projects, focus all your energy and FINISH one of them fast. Feed off that success and ride that wave of momentum.
Now on a bigger scale, the success of this game was built on a lot of things. The hiring of a great coach who made the decision to hire the best staff, the change in culture to toughness, discipline, and accountability with the team buying in, going away for fall camp to bring the team closer together and to toughen up in 100+ degree heat, going harder in practice than in games, focusing on only the next team, focusing on getting better each week, learning from mistakes, – this is all great stuff on a bigger picture level that has contributed to UCLA’s great start to the season.
BUT one big question still remains that needs to be answered.
Can they keep it up?
UCLA, as well as other teams, are notorious for flopping. For not being consistent. For getting complacent. Thinking they can relax after taking down a high profile team. The next team they play is Houston and if you look at their record, it ain’t pretty. On paper, it should be an easy match up with the Bruins winning but it’s easy to fall into that trap.
If UCLA can come out the same way they did this past Saturday, clean up their mistakes, dominate the game, look even better, then we will know they’re on the verge of something great.
You have to be consistent or else it’s all for nothing.
We’ll see what happens this Saturday.
But for now, great things we can learn from the game to apply in our own lives.
