I know we're holding back on offering guys for the 2008 recruiting class, but what's the latest with the 2009 class? There are some great QB's in Cali for 2009 and I'm pretty impressed with Brehaut (Los Osos HS), Nunes (Upland HS), Bridgeford (Mission Viejo HS)and Forcier (Scripps HS). Of course the big fish would have to be Barkley (Mater Dei HS), but I seriously think he's SC's. What's the talk? Are we looking at one or two of these up close, or are we waiting for the season to transpire? What are our chances with Barkley?
In all honestly, the talk of 2009 recruiting is wait, see how many of these kids do as juniors this season, and also see where UCLA stands later in the season. Much of the effort right now is on the field, and getting the team untracked. There is also considerable effort being made to make sure the 2008 class sticks together, because after losses like Utah, you can bet other schools will get in the ears of some players. As far as Barkley and UCLA, I have no idea.

How will ucla deal with being so thin at guard, having essentially no back-up at PG and two untested off-guards in westbrook and roll. More troubling, how will they prevent oj mayo from getting 50 against them? Box and 1?
Well, Westbrook will serve as the backup to Collison, and Josh Shipp likely will see plenty of time at the off-guard spot. I think getting consistent scoring from the off-guard spot is a concern. As far as a box-and-one on Mayo, I don’t see it. Howland does not like zone defenses, or junk defenses. I want to see how Mayo’s game evolves during the season, but I could see Collison drawing that defensive assignment.

Why in the world was our starting offense still on the field when the game was so clearly out of hand. Olson and the OL had clearly broken down and were vulnerable, and it looks like leaving them in may have cost us both players for this Saturday's game (as well as Everett perhaps? Not sure when is injury occured). That last hit Olson took was awful to watch, might be what caused his concussion(?) and was totally unnecessary.
Great question, and one that I cannot get a direct answer to. As far as I can tell, it was to send a message to the offense that basically said, ‘hey, if you’re going to show up and play like this, stay out there and take this beating.’ And so you know, Bruce Davis went down with about eight minutes to play, and Shannon Tevaga and Marcus Everett were each injured in the final five minutes. As for Olson’s concussion, I’m not sure if any one hit did it.

When will Dorrell be forced to explain the logic behind this? Still slinging around passes down 30+ with under 5 minutes to go??
I have no problem with that, but I do think McLeod Bethel-Thompson should have been the one slingin’.
How much of an impact do you think Pitre's absence is concerning our pass blocking?
Not much, because UCLA wasn’t/isn’t using the fullback very much in passing situations. Even in the spring, I noticed a lot of two tight end sets rather than one with a fullback.

Do you think the west coast offense can succeed on a year to year basis in college? I don't because it is a complex offense and the limited practice time in college make it tough to master. Is there any hope for any team to make it work yearin and year out?
I think you answered the question the same why I will. I think four-plus seasons is a long enough sample piece of time.

How has Osaar Rasshan looked in practice? How good are his chances of making a significant impact on this weekend's game?
Rasshan looks good in practice much of the time, but he still drops too many balls for my liking. The coaching staff says there is a good chance he will see significant play against Washington, but I always reserve judgment when it comes to Dorrell playing inexperienced players.