Answers, Part V

With the Elite 11 day 1 completed Tom Savage was given rave reviews and Rivals was quoted as saying: "Throws a beautiful deep ball and has excellent May become one the better quarterbacks ever to play at Rutgers. His body is already physically ready to compete in Division I college football." Are you geeked about him? Don't be coy as i know you are such a homer you even attend the ladies games! I'm geeked that Rutgers was able to get such a national kid. Having been a Rutgers fan from birth, I know guys that are supposed to be the next great player sometimes don't pan out. But I love the fact Rutgers got a Philly kid, and a big, strong quarterback at that. ...I don't attend the ladies' games, but I will watch them on the tube when possible. ...(And I confess, I even watched a women's soccer game on the tube last fall.)

last week you ducked the Song Girl (Rutgers V UCLA) question. Come on, can you really compare Jersey Girls to California Girls? Your man card is at stake!As anyone knows from the Jersey Shores to the Golden State coast, there is no way to compare Jersey girls to California girls. Geez, what are you thinking?

I was wondering in general terms how often the team meets with the coaching staff or their individual position coaches during the summer and how much "coaching" goes on off the field since the coaches can't get on the field with the players.
Are there regular film sessions, chalk talks, etc. and are the players then given quizzes about their assignments or playbook. Can you provide any details?
Sometimes they meet several times a week, but it is dependent on the availability of the coaches and the players. The coaches usually take most of July off, but the players speak on the phone with the coaches throughout the month. Everyone is expected to watch film, but I don't believe there are any written tests or anything of that nature. And any time coaches and players talk, you can bet coaching is taking place.

I have a vague recollection of reading here BH's reason for scheduling a few less-than-powerhouse teams at home for non-conference matchups, but did not find it in the archives here. What is Howland's take on the subject?He believes the Pac-10 conference and the few non-conference marquee games UCLA plays are enough to earn a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, so why jeopardize that and perhaps hurt the confidence and the development of the team by loading up on better programs.

You mentioned that Prince, Forcier and Crissman are expected to compete for the third string quarterback spot. Does this mean that Rashaan is no longer even in the mix at quarterback? Has he been participating in the 7 on 7 drills? It will take many, many, many injuries (at least three or four) for Rasshan to even get a sniff of the quarterback position. He has been at 7-on-7s, but does not throw during them. He also is coming off a knee injury and has been experiencing soreness so his availability is in question.

Cade McMown started as a true freshman at quarterback. Do you see any prospect that Prince might actually beat out Olson and Craft for the starting spot, or that the coaching staff may turn to Prince some time during the season if Olson and Craft struggle? I don't see Prince starting immediately, but if Olson and/or Craft have trouble and the season is heading south, I could see Kevin Prince or Nick Crissman getting time at quarterback.

Did UCLA ever have interest in Lance Stephenson? If yes, to what extent? You said it does not look likley that UCLA would land him, is that because he had no interest in UCLA or UCLA had no interest in him? UCLA had interest in Stephenson, but I was told he is not the type of player that would fit well into coach Ben Howland's selfless, defense-oriented system.