Answers, Part VII

Guess who's back? Back again? Bell is back, tell a friend. Brian, would you say Bell has reached pre-injury form?
Hey, Shady. But is this the real Slim Shady? ...Bell looks better than I remember him being during his pre-injury days. The question is whether he can handle the pounding of a season.

Do you know if the football team will continue to run out onto the field from the SE tunnel like they did last year? Was the change really due to the remodeled locker rooms or was it due to Coach Dorrell's laziness?
They will run out of that tunnel again because the locker room moved, and it is under that corner of the stadium now. And when you're going to take a shot at Dorrell, please try to make it funny and make sense.

I always find it embarrasing that the UCLA marching band never gets it's act together until about the mid-way point in the season. Being that the Tenn game is one of the biggest non-SC nationally televised game we've played in years, any chance we'll get more than the basketball pep band out there?
No, because UCLA isn't in school until the end of September. So if the band isn't on campus, the band won't be performing. Such is life as a quarter school.

Why does UCLA have such a bad time with injuries? It seems like every year we suffer more than our fair share of injuries. Is this normal? Do other teams have as many problems?
Florida has lost five guys since July to ACL injuries, so it is not only at UCLA. Also, I think the injuries aren't out of the oridinary.

Can Olson get a medical redshirt this year?
Nope. He already red-shirted, and it was not due to injury. He also has not missed one full season because of injury, which is what is needed for a medical red-shirt. Additionally, he plans on being back this season, and a medical red-shirt is available only if a player tries and cannot get back from an injury.

You mentioned that freshman Jeff Baca was participating with the second team offensive line at recent practices. How has he looked? Is he still likely to redshirt absent a slew of injuries to other offensive linemen?
He's looked ok. Nothing eye-popping, but at least you can see talent for the future. I'm not sure if he will red-shirt. I know UCLA would prefer it, but with the way offensive linemen are dropping off, it may not be possible.

Have you seen anyone in the 3s or 4s that have a shot to make the 2-deep at some point this season?
Too many to name because it is still so early in the season, and positions are getting sorted out.

Is DT Chase Moline healthy and ready to go? How many DT's will play this year beyond Price, Harwell, and Siewerski?
Moline is healthy and ready to play, although he did miss practice the other day because of illness. I think others will play in the middle, but the primary guys will be the four you just mentioned.

Will our running game(with freshman depth) and D Walker defense scheme keep us in most games?
No. I don't think the running game will not be a big factor. I think the short passing game will be a bigger factor. As far as freshmen depth at running back, they still need someone to open a hole at the line of scrimmage.

Can we win 7-9 game this season if either of our QB's can manage the game and not make too many rookie mistakes? SC won the last 2 years with a serviceable average QB (Booty), running back depth and great defense.
USC also NFL-caliber offensive linemen, which UCLA does not possess. I don't see UCLA winning 7-9 games with its depth issues and the tough schedule. If UCLA wins nine games, Neuheisel should be coach of the year.