November 2008 Archives

UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter spoke about the defense not calling the offense out after the latest offensive meltdown.
"We still have to play for each other, regardless of what the offense has done,'' Carter said. "We're not impressive all the time. We make mistakes, too. When we get out on the field, it's all about us, 11 guys fighting. We can't worry about what they've done, or what they're going to do after we get off the field. We just have to focus on getting off the field.''

Here is the football notebook from today's paper, in which Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel talks about the play of quarterback Kevin Craft.
And here is one other thing Neuheisel said about a talk he had with Craft after the game.
"I admire how much he works and prepares, but we have to stop throwing it to the other team,'' Neuheisel said. "It's as simple as that. But, as I said, there are some that are on other people.''

Got defense? Then you've got playing time in Ben Howland's system. But, bigs James Keefe and Alfred Aboya can't play the entire game. Howland wants some of the freshmen to step up on the interior defense.
Here's some thoughts from Howland:
``There's a major dropoff inside defensively after James and Alfred come out,'' Howland said. ``We need Nik to become better on defense and the two big freshmen (J'Mison Morgan and Drew Gordon) to get better defensively.''
``J'mison Morgan his size is a problem for people to match up with; we've got to get him to be more reliable defensively so when he goes in the game it's not a minus. That's something I talked to him about after the game. That's going to determine playing time - guys who go in the game and do a good job defensively and don't hurt your team defense by being in the game.
``I was disappointed in Nikola (Dragovic's) defense. We need Nikola's offense but he's got to be a better defender for us. Last year, he played the 3. He never played the 4 because we had Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute) there. Now, he has to play minutes at the 4 spot, and he's got to continue to improve there because we need him on the other end of the floor.''

UCLA's defense, which held Florida International to three field goals in the first half and just 13 points, was much improved Saturday.
``I thought we did better job staying in front of the ball,'' Ben Howland said. ``Again, we're still in November, and we have a lot of young kids. Jerime Anderson, for example, is getting better when he had his minutes out there staying in front basketball. He only got beat twice tonight ... Mike (Roll) is playing well for us, not only on offense but on defense.''

UCLA lost to Texas 63-61 last year at Pauley Pavilion and travels to Austin to play the Longhorns on Thursday. Saturday's win was a big confidence booster for the Bruins, especially on the defensive end, with such a big game on tap.
``We have a tough task coming up when we play at a top-five team in Texas,'' Ben Howland said. ``We have to continue to get better defensively. We need to have everyone get better defensively because we are going to need all of their contributions.''

Here is my Harris Poll ballot for this week:

Darren Collison said people were panicked after the Michigan loss, thought it's not clear if he meant insiders or outsiders. Jrue Holiday cleared that up.
``I don't think we really panicked,'' Holiday said. ``It was kind of like a stage, at first we were depressed. But then we were motivated to become stronger. We have to play a nonranked team and every team like it's our last game.''

Just got off a phone call with football coach Rick Neuheisel, who said he had no plans of changing quarterbacks for the USC game, but wouldn't definitively say that was going to be the case.
Also, he said starting right guard Nick Ekbatani will have an MRI on an injured knee, but Neuheisel said he expected Ekbatani to be ready for USC on Dec. 6.

Jrue Holiday sat on the bench most of the second half since the game was well in control. He made all eight of his shots and scored 20 points. He also had four rebounds and two assists. More later. No. 13 UCLA improves to 4-1 and next plays No. 6 Texas Thursday in Austin. Walkon Spencer Soo scored a 3-pointer at the buzzer, and his Bruins teammates went crazy.

The game isn't over, officially anyway, but Jrue Holiday already has a career-high 20 points and has made all eight of his shots. UCLA leads 58-15 with 14:55 left. Holiday's previous career high was 13 against Michigan.

This is a real yawner. The Bruins are dominating FIU, and this is a defensive performance they've needed. Seven of FIU's 13 points have come at the free-throw line and UCLA has held them to 3 of 19 first half field goals. Jrue Holiday had 15 first-half points. He made all six of his shots, including an open 3-pointer from the left wing at the first-half buzzer.

In case you're still reeling from UCLA's football loss to Arizona State, there's always basketball. The Bruins went on a 14-0 run against Florida International to build a 28-5 lead. Florida International scored a pair of free throws to end the drought with 8:14 left. UCLA leads 28-7.

The theme after the game was how the defense will not point fingers at the offense for what has taken place this season.
"We're going to stick by our offense no matter what," Bruins cornerback Michael Norris said. "We're not the type of team that is going to be divided when one has a good day and the other doesn't. We're sticking together. We hang out with each other. We talk about stuff. We're friends. There's no way we're going to leave them out to dry and talk about us doing well and them doing bad. It's not like that."

UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter said after Arizona State's fourth defensive touchdown, which came with nine minutes left, he gathered the defense and told them the Bruins had a chance to give up the fewest yards since the Bruins allowed 42 to Arkansas in the 1989 Cotton Bowl.
"After the last Arizona State score, I just got the whole defense up and told them, win, lose or draw ...I thought we could break this record," UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter said. "I think we achieved our goal. Win, lose or draw, I think we achieved our goal. Win, lose or draw, the defense played hard."
Indeed, UCLA did it, allowing 122 to the Sun Devils.

Here is what UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said about each of the the turnovers, beginning the crazy play in which everyone stopped on the field after a fumble before Arizona State picked it up and jogged into the end zone.
"The first one, our players felt like they heard a whistle, which is why they stopped," Neuheisel said. "(Running back) Derrick Coleman even had the ball in his hands for a brief time and then just laid it on the ground because all the players on the field were stopped."
As for QB Kevin Craft's three interceptions?
"The (first pick) was an ill-advised throw into coverage that got tipped and taken back for a touchdown," Neuheisel said. "The (second) one was just an unfortunate slight underthrow on a corner route that I thought we had a chance to hit and then hopefully get the two-point conversion and tie the game. But it was slightly underthrown the guy returned it for a back-breaking touchdowns."

UCLA's offensive players were asked what they say to the defense after the season they've had, culminating with the disastrous Arizona State loss.
"There's really nothing you can say to the defense," receiver Terrence Austin said. "You just have to keep telling the defense that we're going to try and hold out part and for them to keep doing what they're doing. We've got to keep telling the offense to keep doing what they're doing and not to get down because of what we're doing on the other side."

ESPN Classic is running a week of UCLA vs. USC football games. Here is the lineup, courtesy of UCLA and ESPN:

UCLA's loss was stunning on many levels, but Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson may have summed up the Bruins' offense the best in talking about the Sun Devils' four defensive touchdowns.
"I've never seen anything like it in my many years of coaching," Erickson said. "I've never seen four defensive touchdowns scored on a defense and such total control of the game. It's unbelievable."
It was not as if Erickson was shocked his defense held UCLA in check, though.
"Obviously, UCLA hasn't moved the ball up and down the field on anybody," he said. "But to do that, it was a special night."

Here are some game notes and stats, courtesy of Arizona State:

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said the Bruins' defense played "valiantly" after it allowed 122 total yards in the loss to Arizona State.
"They kept Arizona State's offense in check, and really were terrific,'' Neuheisel said."I don't know if I've been around a game where the four touchdowns scored by the opponent were all off turnovers."

UCLA's offense experienced plenty of embarrassing moments this season, but nothing quite like what took place Friday at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State tied an NCAA record with four defensive touchdowns, and despite UCLA's defense allowing only 122 yards of offense, the Bruins were blown out.
Want hope for the offensive line next season? Here it is.

UCLA's offense yielded four TDs -- yes, three INTs returned for a TD and a fumble for a TD -- and lost 34-9 despite giving up on 122 yards of offense to Arizona State.

UCLA's offense has accounted for 20 points. Unfortunately, 14 of the points were scored by Arizona State's defense and the Sun Devils lead 14-6 at the half.

In walking in from the parking lot, a bunch of ticket scalpers were standing on a street corner trying to sell tickets.
"Man, this is awful," said one guy. "No action at all. The worst I can remember."
A pair of 4-6 teams playing the day after Thanksgiving could do that to you.

Greetings from Sun Devil Stadium. The chat will begin at 6:30 p.m. and I will have other updates, as needed, but for now here is the 12th and final set of answers today:

Here is the 11th set of answers:

Here is the 10th set:

Here is the ninth set of answers:

Here is the eighth set of answers:

Here is the seventh set:

Here is the sixth set:

Here is the preview I wrote for today's game, which UCLA must win in order to remain bowl eligible. Also, here is the notebook that accompanied it.
As for a prediction, I chose Arizona State 20, UCLA 16.

Here is the fifth set:

Folks, I will have 12 sets of answers today. Don't forget there will be an in-game chat, which I will start at 6:30 p.m. PST.
Now, here is the fourth set of answers:

Here is the third set:

Here is the second set:

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. Mine was great, and thanks for all the well wishes for me and my family. Now, onto business.
I know I've deleted at least five questions already that exceeded the 50-word limit. (I'm amazed how many people still don't get it when I say I will not answer that are longer.)
I'm not sure how many sets of answers today, but I'm thinking at least 12. Not a a crazy amount, I think because of the holiday, but a substantial number anyway.
Now, here is the first set:

Billy Sanders, a tight end from Idaho and commit to Miami, said he will officially visit UCLA the weekend of Jan. 9. There was talk of Sanders visiting UCLA next weekend for the USC game next weekend, but he told me he would visit when the Bruins hold their big recruiting weekend for committed players in early January.

UCLA will have to balance between putting pressure on Rudy Carpenter (Westlake High) and not being overexposed in the secondary in case it can't get to Carpenter. Here's what defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said is the most challenging thing for his defense.
``His mobility,'' Walker said. ``He can move around the pocket a little bit. Just moving around and being able to see downfield. He scrambles more or less. He's capable of running, but I think he wants to throw the ball. It's always tough trying to cage up a mobile quarterback.''

UCLA's E.J. Woods has performed well at safety while on scout team, but there is a prevailing thought in the program he will be moved to linebacker in the coming years.
"Yeah, I could see that happening," Woods said. "Nobody said anything to me about it, but I know it's possible."

Happy Thanksgiving!
Here's the 10-question Q&A with Korey Bosworth....and as always, a bonus.

Brigham Harwell will miss Thanksgiving with his family, but he'll enjoy spending it with his UCLA teammates and coaches.
``I've been here for five years, and I've been with these guys all that time,'' Harwell said. ``I'd rather be with my family, but this is my second family. It will be fun, and I can call home. There better be food left when I get home.''

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Hope everyone has a great day, spending it with people you want to spend it with.
Here is a story I did on UCLA safety E.J. Woods, and some of the challenges he's experienced in life.
Also, I didn't use it in the story, but I asked Woods what he did while he waited around until 8 p.m. or so for a ride home from school.
"Sometimes homework, sometimes lifted weights, sometimes nothing. Just sit there and chill and listen to my ipod," Woods said. "I think one of the reasons I worked as hard as I did is my counselor, when I first got there ...she saw my transcripts, and she said, 'Where do you want to go?' I said, 'UCLA.' She said, 'Oh, there's no way you're going to go there.' I started chuckling because I've basically been committed since I was a sophomore.''

Here's the full post-practice interview with Rick Neuheisel on Wednesday.

Rick Neuheisel had a chance to respond to Tom Craft's critical comments about the treatment of his son, Kevin Craft, in today's article that ran in the Daily News. And when he was asked about the performance of Craft the last two weeks, he took the opportunity to respond again and had an interesting comment wondering ``where we'd be without him.''

``I'm a big fan of Kevin,'' Neuheisel said. ``Much has been said about my antics on the sideline. I wonder where we'd be without him. He's been terrific in terms of not making excuses. He's taken a lot of hits and keeps getting up. He's a very resilient kid and very tough-minded. I hope good things for him. If he keeps working at it, there's no reason to think he's not going to improve.''

As for the last two weeks?
``I like the way he practiced, we'll have to wait and see how it turns out in the game. There's no reason for him not to go out and play really efficiently.''

UCLA finished practice Wednesday without any injuries of note and will travel tomorrow to Arizona. Rick Neuheisel said he still hasn't decided whether he's taking offensive lineman Brandon Bennett or Sonny Tevaga on the traveling team. He is meeting with the team right now, so he's likely to make that decision after the meeting. UCLA will spend Thanksgiving together, which is nothing new to Neuheisel, whose Colorado teams spent the holiday together the day before the rivarly game against Nebraska.

There were some sparks flying, literally, when a member of the football staff was working with the circuits in order to get power to the shack adjacent to the football field. Neuheisel, never one to miss a punch line, took the opportunity to yell to his team that they needed to get fired up.
I'll have an update after practice.

This is from UCLA:
The UCLA team and football family will be having a Thanksgiving Dinner at the team hotel on Thursday night. The centerpieces from that dinner include canned and packaged goods for a Thanksgving dinner, as well as a $20 gift card to purchase a turkey.
The centerpieces are being donated from the UCLA Football Family to a shelter in the Phoenix area - UMOM New Day Centers. The shelter has a program called Next Step Housing - for families that were homeless and living in the shelter. Those families were moved from the shelter and given housing while they rebuild their lives.
The centerpieces will allow 40 families to enjoy a free holiday dinner.

One thing I'm hearing on the head coaching job front is Wyoming and New Mexico both are interested in hiring a coach with an offensive background, which would make it difficult for UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker to get either spot.
However, a few of my sources said Walker will be in the mix at San Diego State, if he wants to be, and also will be involved with the opening at Utah State.

You folks know the drill. Send in the questions (50 words or less) by 8 a.m. Friday, and the results will appear throughout the day.
Because of UCLA's game with Arizona State at 6:40 p.m. PST, I will make sure all answers are posted by 6 p.m. Also, I may start with a few segments of answers Thursday night if the volume of questions are high.
Finally, I will host an in-game chat for the football game, with the chat beginning at 6:30 p.m. PST. Happy Thanksgiving. Jill Painter will be out at practice today and have updates, and I will have a few things on turkey day.
(By the way, Jill also has an awesome Q&A with Korey Bosworth that will be posted Thursday.)

Here is the men's basketball notebook that was in today's paper. Also, the audio of coach Ben Howland's press conference is below.
High speed
Howland high speed 1125.wav
Dialup
Howlandialup 1125.mp3

It was not be a good thing for coaches to be on UCLA's schedule next season, especially if you're from another conference. UCLA's first three 2009 opponents -- San Diego State, Tennessee and Kansas State -- all fired their coaches.
Also, Washington fired Tyrone Willingham, meaning 33 percent of the teams on UCLA's 2009 schedule will have a new coach. And, hey, the season is still two games from being over.

Here is a story staff writer Doug Padilla wrote on UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft, and how his father, Tom, the former head coach at San Diego State, views the situation.
Also, here is the notebook I wrote, and the possibility backup quarterback Chris Forcier could play this week against Arizona State.

I spoke to injured UCLA offensive lineman Darius Savage, who underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his ankle. He said he believed he would be ready for spring football practice, but the injury will keep him from participating in the shotput and the discus during the winter season.
Savage said he would participate in the track and field in the spring, but balance it with football.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said Micah Kia would start at left guard against Arizona State, although Scott Glicksberg also will play.
Also, offensive coordinator Norm Chow told me backup quarterback Chris Forcier has had a good two weeks of practice. Forcier could be a factor this week.

I'll have more on this later, but a theme from the players during today's media session was UCLA may be better off running motion offense rather than called plays.
Several of them -- Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and Darren Collison -- said the Bruins worked on it almost exclusively in Monday's practice, and they could be more effective in it than running traditional, called plays from the sideline.

UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland met with the media today and said everyone, aside from assorted bumps and bruises, is healthy.
Howland said Darren Collison needs to shoot more because he is UCLA's best shooter, added power forward James Keefe (1 of 12) worked on his free throw shooting after practice and the defense (45 percent from the field) and turnovers (59 in four games) are his biggest concerns.
Every time the team turned the ball over, they had to run.
"There has to be accountability," Howland said.

One of the fun things about dealing with UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel is his ability to add color to even a mundane question. So when someone asked him about playing on a Friday rather than the traditional Saturday, here is what he said:
"Yeah, it is different. I mean when Friday morning rolls around you won't have game day, it will be soap operas."

Here is his post-practice audio from Monday:
High speed
Neuheisel high speed 1124 practice.wav
Dialup
Neuheisel dialup 1124 practice.mp3

Compton College defensive tackle Branden Warner was at practice Monday night, and I had a chance to speak with him. He committed to UCLA two weeks ago, but it is contingent on him earning his A.A. before enrolling at UCLA.
Meanwhile, he visited Washington State and had a great time. And while there is talk of him possible going to Washington State, I was told he will be at UCLA, provided he completes his necessary coursework to gain admittance.

UCLA's offensive line has been a source of poor play much of the season, but imagine if Chris Joseph and Brian Abraham, starters last season, were back this season. It could have happened if not for some curious decisions about not red-shirting players in the past.
Also, here is the notebook I wrote for today's paper, which, if you are into dreaming, includes UCLA's possible bowl destinations.

Here's a few injury updates from UCLA men's basketball.
Freshman guard Malcolm Lee sprained his right ankle and junior forward Nikola Dragovic suffered a left knee contusion in practice, but both should practice later this week and are expected to play Saturday against Florida International.
Also, senior center Alfred Aboya (left hand) completed 100 percent of today's practice with full contact.

UCLA dropped nine spots to No. 13 in the Associated Press men's basketball poll after losing to Michigan and beating Southern Illinois last week. The Bruins fell seven spots, to No. 11, in the coaches poll.
Here are the polls:

Here is audio from UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel's press conference today:
High speed
Neuheisel high speed 1124.wav
Dialup
Neuheisel dialup 1124.mp3

An MRI on hoopster Alfred Aboya's left wrist was negative. The senior center is expected to play in UCLA's next game, which is Saturday against Florida International.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel had his weekly press conference, and the biggest news was safety Rahim Moore sprained his ankle during Saturday's closed practice. However, Neuheisel said he expected Moore to play against Arizona State.
A couple other injury updates:
DE/LB Chinonso Anyanwu (Crohn's disease) is expected to miss the rest of the season.
LT Sean Sheller (knee) is doing well with his rehab and should be ready for spring practice. He is up to 280 pounds.
DT Darius Savage (Achilles surgery) should be back by February, and he is expected to continue his track and field career as well as football.

UCLA receiver Terrence Austin met with the media today and said he's heard Friday's game at Arizona State referred to as the "Survivor Bowl." The loser will be eliminated from bowl consideration, while the winner will need to win against their rival (UCLA vs. USC or ASU vs. Arizona) to be eligible.

With the football game on Friday at Arizona State, everything is moved up a day this week. Therefore, send in some questions today for the Pick a Player segment. This week's player will be defensive end Korey Bosworth.

Here is my Associated Press men's basketball ballot for this week:

I was traveling Sunday from the east coast so I didn't get this email out there, but former UCLA offensive lineman Chris Joseph was named a Rhodes Scholar. Here is the release from UCLA:

With coaches being fired, I'm hearing UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker will be on the list of several schools. From talking to sources, San Diego State and Wyoming are interested in Walker, and I hear he would be interested in talking to those schools.
However, I think it is too early to gauge the interest level from those schools in Walker.

Got tickets for the USC-UCLA game at the Rose Bowl on Dec. 6? According to stubhub.com's listing for tickets that have been sold on their Web site, some have sold for just $55 but the average sold price is still $176.

Here is my Harris Poll ballot this week:

Remember Marcus Everett? The senior wide receiver has been a nonfactor for the Bruins. He's caught four passes over the last four games since returning from a dislocated right toe injury in the Tennessee game, which caused him to miss five games.
``I want to do whatever it takes to help the team win,'' Everett said. ``I wish I was involved a little more. Whatever the coaches feel the best thing to do is, we'll go with that.''

Here is a story I wrote for today's paper in which UCLA point guard Darren Collison talks about experiencing a similar feeling when the Bruins went 1-1 on their trip to New York.

When UCLA hosted Stanford last month, the prevailing thought was the Cardinal needed to win to get a bowl. It turned out to be true as Stanford was beaten 37-16 by Cal to finish 5-7 and miss going to a bowl game.
Now the Pac-10 will have, at most, six bowl-eligible teams despite seven bowl tie-ins. And that number can shrink to five since UCLA (at Arizona State, vs. USC) and Arizona State (vs. UCLA, at Arizona) must win their final two games to get there.
USC, Oregon State, Oregon, Cal and Arizona are bowl eligible.
Washington, Washington State and Stanford are not bowl eligible.

Senior Marcus Everett still isn't 100 percent, but he said he's close. Everett has four catches in the last four games and only five this season, although he missed five games with the dislocated right big toe injury. He's still doing treatment on the toe. Everett made his first start last week since the opener.
``The toe is a big part of your running and cutting and every move that you make,'' Everett said. ``It's still a little painful, but i'm getting better every week. I feel I'm getting close to 100 percent. By the next game I'll be about 100 percent.''
Everett is still doing treatment and undergoing massage in an effort to get the scar tissue out.

UCLA received a commitment from Mt. Sac offensive lineman Eddie Williams, but he needs to earn his Associate of Arts degree in order to gain admittance to UCLA.
Williams said he went on an unofficial trip to UCLA last week and informed Rick Neuheisel of his commitment to UCLA. He said he'll need to take four or five classes this semester and one in the summer, he said.
``We chatted about what I needed to do to get into UCLA,'' Williams said. ``I have to really set my mind to it and accept the challenge.''

Thanks for all the queries again this week. Just want to say how pleased I was about so few hypothetical situations, especially in regards to recruiting. Also, I probably deleted 10 questions because of the length of the question.
Now, here is the 18th and final set of answers:

Here's the football notebook I wrote for today's paper about Aundre Dean and how he's learned to deal with his limited role during his freshman season. Dean was contemplating his options earlier this season but said his trip home to Texas after the second bye week helped him look at things differently.

Folks, here is the 17th set of answers in a continuation of Friday's Q&A. I will have one more answer segment later today:

Here is the game story I wrote about UCLA's win against Southern Illinois, as well as the accompanying notebook. Also, here is an Alfred Aboya quote from the statement released by UCLA in which Aboya explains he actually hurt his left hand the night before against Michigan.
"I hurt it last night (against Michigan) after a charge and then again tonight when I drew that last charge (came in the second half at the 3:38 mark by Nick Evans),'' Aboya said. "I just came back from the hospital and the CT scan and X-Rays were both negative. On Monday, I'll go get an MRI on my wrist (left), just to double check. But I think I'll be fine. We have tomorrow and Sunday off, so for me, I think that is enough time to heal. My body heals up pretty quickly."

I will have more news tonight if it breaks, and I will finish the Q&A Saturday. But for now,hHere is the 16th and final set of answers for the night:

Here is the 15th set:

Here is the 14th set:

Set No. 13 has arrived:

Here is the 12th set:

A second x-ray on UCLA center Alfred Aboya's left hand was negative, as was a CT-scan. He will have a precautionary MRI Sunday or Monday in Los Angeles.

Here is the 11th installment of answers:

X-rays on UCLA center Alfred Aboya's left hand were inconclusive, and he is now being taken for a CT-scan.

Just got a call that Mt. SAC offensive lineman Eddie Williams committed to UCLA, but it is contingent on him getting his classwork in order. From what I was told, Williams has a lot of work to do to get admitted.
Jill Painter will have more on this later.

UCLA center Alfred Aboya just left for the hospital to have his left hand x-rayed.
"I just want to know now,'' Bruins coach Ben Howland said. "I can't stand not to know."

I will have some postgame stuff shortly, but in the meantime here is the 10th set of answers:

UCLA beat Southern Illinois 77-60 behind Alfred Aboya's career-high 22 points. But Aboya watched the final 3:38 with ice on his left wrist. He was injured while taking a charge.
I will have an update later, but for now, what did everyone thing of the game?

Here is the ninth set of answers:

UCLA senior center Alfred Aboya has a career-high 18 points and the Bruins are pulling away, leading 62-50 with seven minutes to play.

UCLA is tied 48-48 with Southern Illinois with 10:30 to play.

Here is the eighth set of answers:

UCLA leads Southern Illinois 35-33 at the half. Darren Collison (9 points) and Alfred Aboya (8 points) lead UCLA in scoring.

Here is the seventh set of answers:

Here is the sixth set of answers:

Here is the fifth set of answers:

Want to know how the Pauley Pavilion project is structured? Below is what UCLA gave the UC Regents for approval this week to continue with the project:

Here is the fourth set:

Here is the third set:

Here is the second set:

I'm thinking there will be at least 16 parts today. Also, for those who usually don't check out the chat, maybe today will be a good day for it since UCLA tips off hoops at 2 p.m. (L.A. time) against Southern Illinois in the consolation game of the Coaches vs, Cancer classic.
Now, onto the first set of answers:

Here is the story about UCLA losing to Michigan, and a notebook that includes an update on Pauley Pavilion and a likely two-game series with Kansas the next two years.
Also, here is audio of coach Ben Howland's press conference after the loss.
High speed
Howland post Michigan high speed.wav
Dailup
Howland post Michigan dialup.mp3

UCLA freshman center J'mison Morgan did not play against Michigan, and I asked UCLA coach Ben Howland about it.
"It's a hard game for both of those freshman big guys (Drew Gordon being the other) to match up against them defensively because they're so out on the perimeter,'' Howland said. "(Morgan) is a center used to playing around the basket, so I think it would be very difficult for J'mison.''
Gordon played minutes, all in the first half. In fact, frosh guard Jerime Anderson played only four minutes, all in the first half, and frosh wing Malcolm Lee played six minutes, two in the second half.

UCLA coach Ben Howland said the Bruins did not attack Michigan's 1-3-1 zone very well, the free throw shooting (5 of 11) was poor and he was disappointed in allowing the Wolverines to shoot 62 percent from the field in the second half.
I didn't get much time to talk to players afterward because they were whisked away to the bus in the middle of the postgame interview session. Howland said they had to get some rest for an early practice since UCLA plays at 5 p.m. locally (2 p.m. in Los Angeles) Friday.

Korey Bosworth (back) returned to practice today, as did Cory Harkey, Sean Westgate and Chase Moline. Jake Dean and Justin Mann were involved in a little skirmish. Brian Price didn't practice Thursday, but Rick Neuheisel said he could've but they were holding him out for precautionary measures. It's a bye week, but UCLA still piped in crowd noise. Micah Kia again did well at guard, and Neuheisel said it's a position where he could flourish. UCLA will have seven coaches out on the road recruiting tomorrow during high school playoffs, but Neuheisel won't have use of the helicopter, so he won't be able to get to as many games as he would've liked. There are games at 3, 5, 7:30 p.m., so he could conceivably still get to three games.

Tackle Micah Kia may have found a home at left guard, though no one can ever really get too comfortable in any position on this offensive line with the constant changes. In the wake of Darius Savage's season-ending ankle surgery, Kia and Sonny Tevaga are working out at left guard to spell Scott Glicksberg, who has been working there with the first unit all week. Rick Neuheisel said Wednesday that he was watching Kia briefly and thought he did well.
``It's not surprising because (Kia's) got a tackle body,'' Nick Ekbatani said. ``He did a good job. He has quick feet. He reacts really quick. That's the biggest thing at guard. You have to react really quick. Maybe he found his natural position.''

I'm hearing UCLA has received the binding national letter of intent from Grant High of Portland forward Mike Moser, which means coach Ben Howland can talk about him after tonight's game.

Here's the link to Jill Painter's football notebook from Wednesday's practice.

In today's notebook, I wrote that Rick Neuheisel said he briefly attended a gathering in Washington Friday night in his honor. Some of his friends from California, Washington and even Maryland came to celebrate his return to college football. Asked what the reception was like, Neuheisel said laughing: ``They were all my friends. That was the easy part.''

Here's your questions and answers for Nick Ekbatani:

UCLA freshman hoops guard Malcolm Lee was a McDonald's all-American, so coming off the bench and averaging 14 minutes in the first two games isn't what he is used. Or, what many of his classmates are used to. The only freshman starting is guard Jrue Holiday.
"We've got three seniors, upperclassmen on this team, so basically we've go to play our roles," Lee said. "Just step up and come in and be like the Energizer Bunny and get the game going more and continue that spree, or sometimes put it back up if the seniors are having an off night."
Also, I'll set up an in-game chat tonight, which will begin a 6:20 p.m.

Here is a story I wrote about UCLA senior Alfred Aboya, his family's health issues, and why it was so difficult for him to decide whether to return for a fourth season or play professionally.
Here is a comment from Aboya, which was not in the story, about how his father is doing in controlling his high blood pressure, and the challenges of doing so in Cameroon.
"Cameroon, the food that we eat, it's got a lot of salt in it,'' Aboya said. "The big thing with him was to change his diet. Food with no salt really has no flavor, and food like that makes it really hard for him to keep up with the diet.''

Also, below is the story I wrote on UCLA's latest commit, Grant High of Portland's Mike Moser, who signed his letter of intent. For some reason, it was not online.

Los Alamitos receiver Paul Richardson, a junior, gave a non-binding commitment to play at UCLA. He is in the 2010 class.

Here is the announcement, courtesy of Oregonlive.com, on Grant High of Portland's Mike Moser choosing UCLA for his basketball future.

Korey Bosworth wasn't even sure how badly he was hurt when his back was stepped on/jumped on during practice. He wasn't happy immediately after it happened but when a reporter asked him who it was, he just smiled and said he'd have a few words with his teammate.
``I didn't want to move when I first got hurt. I didn't want to aggravate anything,'' Bosworth said. ``It was one of those things, `I hope this doesn't happen. This isn't real.' It ended up being OK, and I'm glad. I'm thankful.''
Bosworth sustained a lower back contusion and is expected to return to practice tomorrow.

Grant High of Portland forward Mike Moser said he actually made the decision to go to UCLA on Tuesday, but waited until today to make his announcement.
"(Tuesday) woke up feeling it, and I went to bed thinking that and woke up thinking that,'' Moser said.
He was originally committed to Arizona, but pulled back his pledge after Lute Olson retired.

Mike Moser just announced he is going to UCLA.

Still waiting to hear on Grant High of Portland's Mike Moser to decide where he is heading to school to continue his hoops career.

There was a scary moment at practice when Korey Bosworth didn't get up after a collision and sustained a lower back contusion but, he's expected to return to practice today. He got stepped on, too. He stayed down because he felt a sharp pain and got the wind knocked out of him. Trainers held him out the rest of practice. He was walking fine after practice. Micah Kia was working at guard today and Rick Neuheisel thought he played well there from what he saw. The two scout teams played each other near the end of practice. Chinonso Anyanwu, who has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, was undergoing more tests Wednesday. Steve Sloan and Patrick Larimore missed practice because of a math placement test. Cory Harkey missed practice with strep throat. Darius Savage was at practice with his left ankle in a cast and was on crutches after having successful ankle surgery. He's expected to miss 6-8 weeks before he gets back to the offseason program. Brian Price didn't practice today either but is still expected to play next week.

Just to update you, there will be more blog maintenance tomorrow morning from 8-10 a.m. or so. Keep in mind this could take longer than the scheduled time as well. Thanks for your patience the other day and in advance of tomorrow.

Folks, it's Q&A time. Send in questions by 8 a.m. Friday, and I will post the answers throughout the day. Again, since some folks can't seem to grasp this concept, if the questions are more than 50 words, I am deleting them. They get too convoluted when they are so long.
Also, I'm back east with UCLA's basketball team, and will have a live chat during both games. Jill Painter will be covering football for the rest of the week.

Here is something else offensive lineman Sonny Tevaga said about his return to the team after coach Rick Neuheisel's forced separation last week.
"I have to be positive," Tevaga said. "Coach Neuheisel says to be relentlessly positive, so I just got to do that every day."
I asked Tevaga if he thought his future was at UCLA.
"Yeah, because I'm a Bruin,'' he said. "This is where I wanted to go since I was little, and nothing is going to change that. I'm always going to be a Bruin. I've always wanted to go here, I'm here, and I'm going to take advantage of that opportunity and I'm not going to let it go to waste."

In talking to UCLA QB Ben Olson, he admitted his best hope to play against for the Bruins was if they qualified for a bowl game. He wouldn't say he was done playing during the regular season, and is holding out hope for a recovery in time for USC, but he acknowledged that was unlikely.
However, he is hoping his football career is not over. He said he is confident that, if healthy, he will get some workouts or NFL teams.

Here is the story I wrote on UCLA DE/LB Chinonso Anyanwu, and his learning he has Crohn's disease. He said he plans on continuing to play, or at least trying to, but one thing that he has to be taken into consideration is the weight loss he experienced, and if he can gain the weight back.
Also, here is the notebook I wrote, which includes a possible end to QB Ben Olson's career the reason why Sonny Tevaga was put on "a leave of absence" by Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel, and Tevaga saying he learned his lesson.

UCLA DE/LB Chinonso Anyanwu was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and could miss the rest of the season. I have more on this is Wednesday's paper.

Ryan Taylor, an offensive lineman from Tyler (Tex.) Junior College, is scheduled to visit UCLA the weekend of Dec. 13.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said his meeting with offensive lineman Sonny Tevaga was productive, and Tevaga said he took the weekend to prioritize his life and realized football was important and he wants to remain with the Bruins.
He practiced Tuesday, and said he has no plans of transferring after the season.
Scott Glicksberg worked out at left guard in place of injured Darius Savage (ankle surgery).
Also, DT Brian Price (hamstring), LB Sean Westgate (hip) and DT Chase Moline (back) each sat out practice. However, all are expected to play when UCLA returns to action Nov. 28 against Arizona State.

UCLA QB Ben Olson said a CT-scan of his foot showed the break in his fifth metatarsal is not yet completely healing, which likely will end an hope he will come back this season. It means his UCLA career is likely over. I will have more on it in Wednesday's paper.

Just got off the phone with the mom of Grant High of Portland (Ore.) forward Mike Moser, and she said he will announce his decision Wednesday at 6 p.m. While I'm hearing it is between USC and UCLA, his mother, Jeanie, said "I know those are two he's thinking about, but there may be another one."

UCLA power forward Nikola Dragovic's case for alleged misdemeanor battery has bee set for a hearing next month, according to Los Angeles city attorney's office spokesman Frank Mateljan.
Mateljan said he did not yet know of the hearing date, and added from the hearing the city attorney's office could either file charges or not file charges.
"We reserve the right to come back and file if we so chose to,'' he said.
The hearing allows for the attorneys from both sides to meet and argue the merits of their case.

Because of the blog problems the last 24 hours, I was unable to post audio of men's basketball coach Ben Howland's press conference Monday. Now that the problems appear to be resolved, here it is
(By the way, here is the hoops notebook I wrote for today's paper)
High speed
Howland high speed 1117.wav
Dialup
Howland dialup 1117.mp3

Seems as if the blog problem is fixed, so I can finally get this out. UCLA offensive lineman Sonny Tevaga will be back at practice with UCLA today.
Tevaga and coach Rick Neuheisel met today to discuss Tevaga's status. He missed last week's game at Washington because of commitment issues, Neuheisel said.

One thing I'm hearing on the junior college recruiting front is UCLA is looking at Mt. SAC offensive lineman Eddie Williams, and the Bruins are very interested in him. He is originally from Damien High in Kalihi, Hawaii.

Folks, we are still having blog problems. The best thing I can tell you is the check the front page of the Daily News sports on the web and see the blog entries on the right. That seems to be updating quicker than when you just go to the blog's home page.
As for a player for this week's light-hitting Q&A, offensive lineman Nick Ekbatani will be this week's subject.
Also, if you post a comment, it may not appear immediately, but I am getting it. So send in ONE question you would like to have answered, and I will pick 10 of them.

Here is today's notebook, which is heavy on recruiting, including the names of some out-of-staters who are expected to visit UCLA the weekend of the Dec. 6 USC game.
Also, if the Bruins happen to win their final two games and get bowl eligible, they could windup up anywhere from the Emerald Bowl to the Hawaii Bowl to the Pointsettia Bowl.

UCLA will host a recruiting weekend for some of out-of-state prospects the weekend of the USC game. Among those scheduled to come in are Notre Dame commit Tyler Stockton (DT), Miami commit Billy Sanders (TE), Utah commit Siosaia Tuipulotu (DT) and Ohio State commit James Jackson (WR). I have more on it in Tuesday's paper.

Folks, sorry for the infrequent posts today. We have experiencing problems with the blog, and getting posts to show up. I am told the situation is almost remedied.

UCLA coach Ben Howland talked about freshman guard Jrue Holiday's defense during the first two games of the season.
"He's seeing how importance his stance is, to be down low and not having the center of gravity so high and not getting knocked off balance, and not reaching and gambling,'' Howland said. "As soon as you reach and miss, Jerime (Anderson) is finding this out now, guys go by you. It breaks down your defense when you can't stay in front of the ball.''

UCLA PG Darren Collison was named the Pac-10 player of the week after averaging 17.5 points per game against Prairie View A&M and Miami, Ohio.

UCLA's game Thursday against Michigan in the Coaches vs. Cancer semifinal at Madison Square Garden will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. PST.
Bruins coach Ben Howland said one of the challenges of this tournament is getting his team ready to play an unknown opponent the next day. It is compounded by playing five freshmen, and will be a factor when the Bruins play Friday, against either Southern Illinois or Duke.
As for UCLA freshman guard Jrue Holiday's struggles in the first two games, Holwand said "he's learning. It's early.''

My understanding is UCLA will take advantage of the bye and go out to watch high school playoff games Friday as one of the evaluation days during the season.

Here is my report card from UCLA's 27-7 win against Washington:

A couple of things I wanted to let folks know.
1. UCLA football is off this week, and will practice Tuesday-Thursday, Saturday.
2. I will be traveling to New York for hoops Wednesday, so Jill Painter will cover football through the weekend.
3. No football press conference today, but hoops coach Ben Howland has a basketball presser today.
4. In trying to make this a one-stop shop for all UCLA needs, I will be adding links to other UCLA blogs and websites. If you know of one that you believe is worthy, and offers insight to UCLA athletics, email me the link at brian.dohn@dailynews.com. I will check it out and post it, providing it is acceptable.

Here is the notebook I wrote for today's paper, which updates on QB Kevin Craft's progress and on the offensive line situation because of the injury to LG Darius Savage.
Two other things I thought were worth mentioning:
The 135 yards UCLA's defense allowed were the fewest since the Bruins yielded 42 in the 1989 Cotton Bowl against Arkansas.
Remembering many of these players are still kids, when I talked to Savage after the game, he said he needed to call his mom because she left him a few voice mails during game because she was concerned about his injury.

Here is my Associated Press men's basketball poll, which remains unchanged from my preseason picks:

UCLA QB Kevin Craft has thrown 16 interceptions compared to seven touchdowns this season. He also has nine interceptions and no touchdowns in UCLA's last three games.
"Sometimes he gets going so fast he just locks in (on a receiver)...and unfortunately, so does the defense,'' UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "They just lock in and it's created so many bounced balls in the air that creates turnovers.''

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel will meet with offensive lineman Sonny Tevaga on Tuesday to determine whether or not he will be re-instated after being given the weekend to evaluate his "commitment" to football.
Also, Neuheisel said QB Ben Olson met with a foot specialist Friday, but he did not yet know what the results of the meeting were.

Just got done talking to UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel and he said one of the problems with QB Kevin Craft and the interceptions was making pre-determined decisions where he was going to throw the football.
He said the defense played tremendous, the offensive line did a good job blocking and the running backs did well cutting back to create bigger runs.
Injury-wise, left guard Darius Savage will undergo surgery Monday to repair torn ligaments in his ankle and not be ready for offseason conditioning until February. The only other injury was to DT Brian Price, who strained a hamstring, but he would be ready for Arizona State on Nov. 28.

Defensive tackle Brigham Harwell talked about UCLA's motivation for the rest of the season.
"We have a lot to play for,'' He said. "We have players that need to play for next year and get experience. Bowl game hope is still alive, and we're still fighting for a bowl game. That's the ultimate goal, but we're trying to take it one game at a time. We're focusing on Arizona State right now."

UCLA senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said it was a big win for many reasons.
"It's been a while, and doing it on the road," Harwell said. "Even though Washington was 0-9, they were the best 0-9 team I've seen on film. I saw it all week. We knew we had to have a great game for coach (Rick) Neuheisel and the whole program.
"We did a great job of holding them to under 140 yards on offense, and create turnovers. We create turnovers and it's good for our team."

Much was made of UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's return to Washington. Yes, it was a place he spent four seasons, albeit the last time he coached there was 2002. He said it was emotional heading back to Husky Stadium.
"I hope we can talk about the Bruins and the Huskies from here on, and forget about the messy ending,'' Neuheisel said. "I know it's not going to go away completely because it was a controversial time, but it will be exciting for me when the stories are about the players."

Washington QB Ronnie Fouch was 7 of 22 for 39 yards and two INTs. He was also sacked three times and fumbled once.
"We would have liked to get a few more sacks, but, hey," Bruins defensive end Korey Bosworth said. "The turnovers were huge. We had nothing to lose, so we were head-hunting, trying to get the ball out and create fumbles or interceptions to get the ball back in our offense's hands."

The first 17 teams remained the same from last week, but here is my Harris Poll ballot for this week:

UCLA ended a six-game road losing streak, and won for just the fourth time in 20 games away from the Rose Bowl, which was pleasing to coach Rick Neuheisel.
"It was huge," he said. "You can't be a good football team if you can't win on the road, but you have to start somewhere and you have to win somewhere. And for those of us that have been around, (they) know that Husky Stadium is a formidable place."

--TB Derrick Coleman had his first career start because Kahlil Bell was being disciplined for being late to a meeting, and Coleman became the 20th Bruin to make his first career start this season.
--UCLA scored a touchdown on its first drive of the game, marking the first time it did that this season.
--P Aaron Perez set a UCLA record for punts in a career. He has 270, breaking Nate Fiske's record.
--PK Kai Forbath made a 49-yard FG, his ninth straight successful FG attempt.

UCLA's 27-7 win at Washington kept UCLA alive for a bowl bid, although the Bruins need to win at Arizona State and USC. Also, Bruins tailback Kahlil Bell didn't start because of a discipline issue, and UCLA also lost starting left guard Darius Savage for the season to a torn ligament in his ankle.

UCLA starting left guard Darius Savage tore ligaments in his left ankle and will undergo season-ending surgery. Scott Glicksberg is the leading candidate to replace Savage.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said tailback Kahlil Bell was held out of the first offensive series as discipline for being late to a meeting earlier in the day.
The mood in the locker room was of relief of ending a six-game road losing streak, and Neuheisel said it was emotional to come back to Washington and coach there are his messy divorce from the school.
The offensive line was pleased in allowing the offense to hold the ball for nearly 37 minutes, and the defense thought Washington was off balance all night. The Huskies had 135 yards of total offense.

UCLA took a 27-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter and bowl hopes remain alive. The Bruins needs to beat Arizona State and USC to get to a bowl. Any thoughts?

After a fumble recovery by defensive end Korey Bosworth, UCLA took a 14-7 lead as Khalil Bell ran four straight times for 31 yards, capping the drive with a 1-yard plunge with 11:57 left in the first half.

Washington returned an interception to UCLA's 11 and scored two plays later on Brandon Johnson's 7-yard run to tie it 7-7 with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.
Also, UCLA left guard Darius Savage just left the field on a cart to have his ankle/knee examined.

UCLA took the opening the kickoff 80 yards on 12 plays and leads 7-0. But starting left guard Darius Savage was just helped from the field with a knee or ankle injury.

Weather is always a question when a team heads to the Pacific Northwest, but tonight's forecast calls for a mild, dry night. Temperatures are expected in the mid to high 40s at kickoff with only a 10 percent chance of rain.

I'll start it off. I picked UCLA to win 18-11 in today's paper.

Here is an interesting promotion UCLA is running during women's basketball home games:

Folks, thanks for all the questions. Here is the final set, and remember, there will be a live chat that begins at 7 p.m. I will be on it live, from Husky Stadium. Here is the 18th set of answers:

I spent some time on Washington's campus Friday talking to folks about the Montlake return of UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, and here is the notebook I wrote for today's paper.
I also talked to Andrew Preston, a 22-year-old who worked in one of the stores next to campus, and he said he was recruited by Neuheisel out of high school.
"I think he should get cheers and not jeers," said Preston, who played at Shorewood High. "You hear different reactions about his return, but I haven't heard that much about him because (students) here don't know him."
Also, here is the preview capsule that ran in today's paper:

Here is the 17th set:

The answers continue. There will be three sets of them posted today, and here is set No. 16 (overall):

This is a button I was given by an employee at the University of Washington bookstore.

I will have more answers Saturday, as well as some other info. Also, I will host a chat during the Washington vs. UCLA game, with it beginning at 7:05 p.m. If anything else happens tonight, I will post it. Now, here is the final set of answers for tonight:

Here is the 14th installment:

Just got word UCLA QB Ben Olson did not make the trip to Seattle. Neither did reserve offensive lineman Brandon Bennett.

Here is my favorite number, lucky 13:

Here is the 12th set:

No sign of Captain Phil or Sig, but lunch was wonderful.

Now, onto the 11th set:

So everyone knows, I will host a chat during Saturday's football game. It will begin at 7 p.m. Now, here is the 10th set:

Here is grouping IX:

Welcome to the 8th set:

Here is the seventh set:

Greetings from Seattle. I will be lunching at the spot After the Catch was filmed, and I am on the lookout for Captain Phil.
(If Captain Phil's webmaster is reading this, tell Phil I said hello).
Now, onto the next set of answers:

It was message board fodder and I received some inquiries about College of the Canyons offensive tackle Shawn Johnson committing to UCLA. I reported yesterday my sources said that was not the case, and Johnson told me as much during a phone interview.
"UCLA is my best offer so far,'' Johnson said. "They're definitely on the top of my list, and I would go there because they're in the city of L.A. and it's close to home."
Johnson said he also has offers from Iowa State, Florida International and Idaho State.
"I have to finish some more school work first,'' Johnson said. "I have to take care of all my classes first, and that should be sometime in the spring."
I am also told Johnson is considered a long shot to finish up his work and get into UCLA.

Here is the fifth grouping:

Here is the fourth group:

Here is the third installment:

Here is the second set:

Morning, folks. Lots of questions this week again, but I'm not sure how many sets of answers today. I'm thinking of at least 15 with a few segments spilling over to Saturday. Also, I will have an update later today on football recruiting.
Now, onto the first set of answers:

Here is the story on UCLA's close win against Miami, Ohio, as well as an early hoops notebook that ran in some papers, and focuses on Jrue Holiday's future.
Also, here is the audio of UCLA coach Ben Howland after the game
High speed
Howland on Miami high speed.wav

Dialup
Howland on Miami.mp3

UCLA survived Miami, Ohio, 64-59, in the second round of Coaches vs. Cancer classic and will play Michigan Thursday in New York in the semifinals.

UCLA guard Jrue Holiday has been on the bench much of the half with two fouls, and the Bruins lead Miami 29-27 at the half. Michael Roll, Darren Collison and Josh Shipp each lead UCLA with six points.

UCLA offensive guard Sonny Tevaga will not be with the team this weekend after coach Rick Neuheisel asked Tevaga to take a weekend leave from the team to make sure he was still committed to football.
"It's not disciplinary, but there are some things going on in his life that is detracting from what he needs to do to become a committed football player," Neuheisel said.
Neuheisel said he will meet with the Tevaga after the weekend to discuss his future.

This is from UCLA:
UCLA alumnus Maurice Jones-Drew has been nominated for a berth in the upcoming Pro Bowl. Jones-Drew is second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns with nine.
Bruin fans can visit the Pro Bowl page on NFL.com and vote for Maurice, who is having an outstanding third season in the NFL.Remember, fans can vote for Jones-Drew as a running back and a kickoff returner.
Here is the link.

Q&A with Taylor Embree. These are 11 of your questions (including a bonus question) for the freshman receiver.

I was told by sources that College of the Canyons offensive tackle Shawn Johnson will not know until the summer whether he will be able to enroll at UCLA. But if he does his required work, UCLA is his top choice as of now. Again, though, it is a long ways from happening.

Here is the story I wrote for today's paper about UCLA's win against Prairie View A&M, as well as a story about basketball signing day (which includes a Mike Moser update).
Also, here is the audio of coach Ben Howland after the win:
High speed
Howland PVAM high speed.wav
Dialup
Howland PVAM dialup.mp3

I know there are some reports about offensive tackle Shawn Johnson of College of the Canyons committing to UCLA, but it isn't cut and dry. Johnson does want to attend UCLA, but a source told me "it is a long ways from happening" because work still needs to be done off the field.
A plan is in place and Johnson knows what he has to do to get to UCLA, and if that work is done there will be a scholarship for him.

Asked if Aundre Dean would get some carries this week, Rick Neuheisel said: ``Those are questions I hate to answer,'' Neuheisel said. ``I'd love to say yeah, but if it doesn't happen I make the Deans wonder what the heck is going on. We just have to play it by ear. I'd love to have everybody get carries, but that just hasn't been our kind of season. To suggest that will change this week is the wrong mindset. Hopefully, we'll get everybody an opportunity but to predict it would be the wrong thing to do.''

Asked if he was healthy, Neuheisel said: `` I still think he's a little nicked, but I'm not the expert in that category.''

UCLA coach Ben Howland said power forward Nikola Dragovic would be available for Thursday's game against Miami, Ohio. He added wing Josh Shipp tweaked his right ankle during Tuesday's practice, which was part of the reason Shipp played only 10 minutes in the second half.
As for the game, players bemoaned the 24 turnovers, but said the defensive intensity was what they hoped it would be.

UCLA target Mike Moser, a wing out of Grant High or Portland, told me tonight UCLA, USC and Oregon were his top three choices, and it was "50-50" he would decide on a school before the early signing period ends Nov. 19.
He added he will visit USC and Oregon State this weekend, Both will be official visits, with the USC trip being Friday and Saturday with the Oregon State trip to follow.
I have more on Moser in Thursday's paper.

PG Darren Collison had 19 points to lead UCLA to an 82-58 win against Prairie View A&M in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament. The Bruins play Miami, Ohio, in the second round Thursday.
Any thoughts?

After a slow start, UCLA leads Prairie View A&M 38-19 at the half. The Bruins' starters spent a good deal of the first half on the bench while the freshmen played.

Just talked to Mike Moser's mom, and she said her son, a wing at Grant High of Portland, will decide in the next week on a school. But before doing so, he will take a visit to Oregon State this weekend.
She said he is torn on a decision.

Rick Neuheisel addressed playing a winless team in the Huskies and how he'll approach it with his team.
``We'll talk about the game. I don't know I'd call it dangerous. These teams are both fighting for the future. I think we have to have the right mindset. We can't certainly go in there thinking they're going to lay down because that won't be the case. This is going to be a very physical, tough-nosed game. I have great respect with that program. They're going to play with a great deal of pride. They've been right there a number of games. They should've been in overtime with BYU, a team we got beat by 59-0. If that doesn't have our team understand what the mindset is in this game ...''

Miami, Ohio, defeated Weber State 70-66, meaning the winner of the UCLA-Prairie View A&M game will face Miami Thursday for a chance to go to New York for the semifinals of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament.
Also, as I reported earlier , power forward Nikola Dragovic, is in street clothes and will not play.

WR Nelson Rosario (ankle) practiced and will play Saturday.

Ben Olson didn't take any snaps today and will travel to Seattle, but Rick Neuheisel said ``I wouldn't think he'd play.''

Micah Reed will probably start at center. He took snaps there with the first unit but will split time there with Jake Dean.

I'm hearing UCLA power forward Nikola Dragovic will not play tonight against Prairie View A&M as part of the disciplinary process for his arrest last week.

UCLA's four players signed their expected binding national letters of intent to play men's basketball in 2009-10. Here is the release from UCLA:

Send in some questions by 8 a.m. Friday, and I will post the answers during the day. Again, keep the questions to 50 words or less or they will not get answered.

I know folks asked during the weekly Q&A segments why TB Raymond Carter isn't involved in the offense. Here is what UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said about it.
"There just aren't a lot of carries right now," Neuheisel said. "If you had 40 carries, you can go with three backs. We haven't been able to have the luxury of having those kinds of carries so it is harder to get three guys into the game."

Compton College defensive tackle Braden Warner, who committed to UCLA on Tuesday night, said he would still visit Washington State "because I'm a man of my word" and he previously told the staff he would visit.
However, Warner said UCLA is the place for him.
"They were one of the top five schools in my major (education)," Warner said. "They've been looking at me for the past month, and I've been checking on them. I was ready to go. I knew I could go in an play right away, so I was ready to go."

Here is the football notebook I wrote for today's paper, which includes updates on QB Ben Olson and UCLA's latest commit.
Also, here is what coach Rick Neuheisel said after a lackluster offensive practice:
"It was a hard working practice, but way too many mistakes especially on the offensive side,'' he said. "So we have to do a lot of cleanup if we are going to play a good game this Saturday. I can't explain why, but hopefully we will get it corrected."
In light of Saturday's offensive problems, is it frustrating to have a bad practice?
"Yeah, it is frustrating," he said. "You put new things into a plan and you try to get yourself off to a good start. You would like just a little bit more focus, and hopefully we will get a much better focus tomorrow."

Here is the story I wrote about UCLA coach Ben Howland, and what he says is his most pressing concern (rebounding) entering the season, which begins tonight against Prairie View A&M.
And here's something else Howland had to say about the rebounding:
"When you have a guy like Kevin (Love) and Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute), who are very, very good rebounders, it was a little easier. It's going to be very important for Josh (Shipp) to rebound like he did as a freshman, for Darren (Collison) to get in there and get four rebounds a game, for Jrue Holiday, who already is a very good rebounder, to get in there and rebound, and everybody who comes in on the perimeter to rebound."

In watching practice and talking with QB Ben Olson afterward, I get the sense there is a chance (albeit small) that he is available for Washington.
"I think coach Chow will do a good job of putting me in situations that he thinks I can handle at this point, physically,'' he said.
I wrote more about it in Wednesday's paper.

Here is what Keith Miller, an assistant coach at Southwest LA College and a mentor to Compton College defensive tackle Branden Warner, said UCLA's newest commit is agile and quick. Warner is originally from Atlanta.
"He's a guy that competes with the defensive backs in drills because he is so quick," Miller said. "He's got good footwork and change of direction. Those are the kind of athletes we don't usually see out here on the West Coast. He's one of those Southeast defensive tackles that has unreal athleticism and agility to go along with his play-making ability."

UCLA just got a commitment from JUCO DT Brandon Warner. I will have more in a bit.

Wednesday is signing day for basketball, and UCLA will sign Sylmar High wing Tyler Honeycutt,Windward center Anthony Stover, power forward Brendan Lane of Rocklin High and power forward Reeves Nelson of Modesto Christian High.
Also, the Bruins open the season Wednesday at 7 p.m. and I will have a live chat open for the game. The chat will begin at 6:45 p.m.

I asked UCLA's sports information department if UCLA coach Ben Howland had a decision about whether power forward Nikola Dragovic would play against Prairie View A&M on Wednesday, and was told there was no new information.

UCLA just finished practice, and among the developments was Micah Reed playing center with the first unit and QB Ben Olson taking reps with the second team.
Also, WR Nelson Rosario (ankle) aggravated his injury, and his status for Washington is in jeopardy.

I talked to UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland earlier this season about wing Josh Shipp's need to drive to the basket rather than settling for jump shots.
"He's making a concerted effort to get to the rim more,'' Howland said. "Josh got to the foul line less than three times a game last year. I'd like to see Josh get to the foul line six times a game this year because he's going to be one of our leading shot-attempt guys, for sure.

This week's light-hitting Q&A will be with freshman receiver Taylor Embree. Send in ONE question you would like asked, and I will pick 10 of them and post his answers Thursday.

Here is the audio from UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel's Tuesday press conference:
High speed
Neuheisel high speed 1110.wav
Dialup
Neuheisel dialup 1110.mp3

Here is audio of UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland talking about the upcoming season during his press conference Monday.
High speed, part I
Howland part I.wav
High speed, part II
Howland part II.wav

Dialup
Howland 1110 dialup.mp3

Here is an update on UCLA power forward Nikola Dragovic, and also a story I wrote for today's paper on UCLA point guard Darren Collison still being at UCLA, and how he thinks about the NBA every day.
In making his decision, Collison talked to former teammates who play in the NBA.
"I talked to Ryan Hollins, and he said, 'The NBA is ready for you.' '' Collison said. "My draft status was I was anywhere between late lottery to the end of the first round. A lot of NBA teams liked what they saw. They liked my quickness, and going to the Final Four three straight years helped. They knew what I was about.''

UCLA men's basketball player Nikola Dragovic's case (alleged misdemeanor battery) was received by the city attorney's office, but a decision on whether to file charges was not yet made, according to city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said the young players have motivation to build something for future seasons, but the seniors need to buy into the final three games for another reason.
"The hard part is for the guys who have only three games left, or guaranteed three games left, to stay motivated," he said. "But as I told them, we all signed on here to be UCLA Bruins, and I'm not phasing you out. You're still in there. Be the guys that put the shovel in the ground right now in building this thing, and you could be in that turning point game and remember it.''

UCLA men's basketball coach Ben Howland said this should be his best outside shooting team, which should bode well when the Bruins face teams playing zones.
He said health-wise the team is in good shape, with no real injury concerns.
He added that UCLA's ability to rebound is a major concern, and that it will have to be done by committee on the defensive end.

UCLA coach Ben Howland said Nikola Dragovic, who was arrested Friday, will be disciplined, and the discipline will be handled internally and he will not comment on it publicly.
"Some of it has been decided," Howland said. "I'm still getting more information, too."
He didn't say whether Dragovic will be available for Wednesday's opener against Prairie View A&M.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said WR Nelson Rosario (ankle) should be back this week after missing last week's game and DE Reggie Stokes (knee) should play more after being limited against Oregon State.
Neuheisel also said eight freshmen (true and red-shirt) started against Oregon State, and 22 have played this season.
"That's way more than you like," Neuheisel said.
Neuheisel added that Micah Reed could return to center this week "and spell" Jake Dean. Reed had been playing guard.

From UCLA:

UCLA football head coach Rick Neuheisel and women's basketball head coach Nikki Caldwell will be interviewed live on Fox Sports Net's Lexus Gauntlet Show tonight beginning at 9:00 pm.
This week's show will air live from UCLA's Bruin Plaza (located right outside the entrance to Ackerman Student Union). The UCLA Alumni Band will be in attendance to provide entertainment between segments. Fans and students are encouraged to attend the show. Domino's Pizza will be giving away their New Oven Baked Sandwiches to fans in attendance on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Lexus Gauntlet Show airs live every Monday from 9:00-10:00 pm on FSN Prime Ticket.

Get ready to read about Rick Neuheisel's return to Washington this week, and the re-hashing of what transpired there a few years back.
So Sunday I asked Neuheisel about it, and here is what he said:
"I have truthfully not thought about it for a long time," Neuheisel said. "Now that it is here, I'm forced to think about it and I'm excited about having a chance to play again, but I want, as much as possible, for the focus to be on the game and to be on the kids that are playing in the game.
"What happened between Washington and I is water under the bridge. It has come and gone and hopefully both sides learn lessons and I think both sides and certainly both programs are pointing to the future and I think it is just better to leave it at that."

Feel free to grade the Bruins off Saturday's 34-6 loss to Oregon State. Here are my grades:

Here is the notebook I wrote for today's paper about UCLA's motivation for the rest of the season.
Also, there are football and basketball press conferences today, so I will have updates from there.

I'll have more on this in Monday's paper, but UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel spoke about his staff scouring the junior colleges for offensive linemen. I asked him if he was confident a few players could be found that are of the caliber UCLA desires, and can also get into UCLA, he said he wouldn't go that far.

Here are some stats, courtesy of UCLA:

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said a few minutes ago the problem that continues two exist with the Bruins' offense is consistency, and that although some good things take place in games, it is offset by the inability to do it time and time again.
The offensive line remains the issue, and he said the players grade out well on knowing assignments in the game, but the execution of those assignments is not going nearly as well.

UCLA's receivers have performed well this season, but if the offensive line cannot block, and if the quarterback is missing reads or throwing poor passes, what can the receivers do?
"There's not you can do, I guess," receiver Terrence Austin said. "The only thing we can do is continue to do what we're supposed to do; run our routes and stuff and make sure we're open, so when (quarterback) Kevin (Craft) does have a chance, or he does make the right decisions, that everything is A-OK.''

UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said he does not expect his defensive players to point the finger at the offense as the reason for this season's woes.
"That's one thing we're not going to tolerate,'' Walker said. "We're not going to point fingers. It's not like we're the '85 Bears, either. We've got to keep worrying about ourselves, too. That's something we have to keep harping on.
"Is it frustrating? Sure, but we're here to teach. It's football, we'll go back and watch the tape again and try to clean up some of our own mistakes."

Lack of execution wasn't a a big theme for UCLA's offense after the game. Instead, some players talked about Oregon State's defense, and its talent.
"They're a good team up front, their linebackers do a good job. They really run to the ball," Bruins QB Kevin Craft said. "They've got some really good corners. They're a good team. Like I said, they're really good up front, and you could see that in our game plan. We tried to hit them quick, with some quick passing and some quick runs. You could see what we were up against."

The message from UCLA's coaching staff after the loss was a bowl game is still possible, although the Bruins would need to win their final three games (at Washington, at Arizona State and home against USC). Is that possible for a 3-6 team that is 4-11 in its last 15 games?
"Anything is possible,'' Bruins defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. "My true junior year (2006), nobody thought we could win three straight and we won, and beat 'SC. We didn't have the best team, but we finished games out. Yes, we can do it. We have to keep fighting."

Grant High of Portland (Ore.) forward Mike Moser wraps up his official visit to UCLA today. I received a few queries about whether he committed (folks cited a report that said he did), and I checked with my sources and was told that report was inaccurate.
In fact, I'm hearing he told folks during his visit he still wants to make other official visits, and he is hoping to wait until the spring to decide on a college.

Here is my Harris Poll ballot this week:

Here is the link to view the photos from UCLA's loss to Oregon State.

Here is the game story from the 34-6 loss to Oregon State, a notebook in which the coaching staff basically says QB Kevin Craft is the only starting option at Washington on Saturday, and a sidebar about the defense and offense trying to remain unified.
By the way, staffer Jill Painter talked to backup quarterback Chris Forcier after the game, and reported his only disappointment was not playing better in the limited junk-minutes he got at the end of the game.

Here is the transcript of what UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel had to say after Saturday's 34-6 loss to Oregon State:
opening statement
"Congratulations to Oregon State. That's a good football team. I'm proud of our effort. I think our guys went out there and played very spirited football, especially for the first 30 minutes. The field position got us in the third quarter, and we weren't able to turn it back. We let our defense out there with too many short fields. At the end of the day, we were just not able to sustain the line of scrimmage. We are just not able to generate consistent play there, where you can dictate running and passing. Unfortunately, we compound things with untimely turnovers and it just gets away from us. That's very demoralizing for a defense playing as hard as it is. We're going to hang together and try and rise up and play a better football game next week against Washington."

In talking to players, the message coming out of the locker room is that work will be done by the seniors to make sure there is no division between the offense and the defense.
They are also still holding onto hope of winning the final three games of the season and getting to a bowl. And, yes, each person knew USC was still on the schedule.
As for the QBs, I asked Rick Neuheisel what is keeping Chris Forcier from getting meaningful snaps, and he bluntly said Forcier doesn't have a firm enough grasp on the offense.

UCLA flans started to flee for the exits with about 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Oregon State beat UCLA 34-6. The Bruins have just three games left and must win all three in order to become bowl eligible.
What are your thoughts?

UCLA hung in there for a while, but if you're a team that can't put the ball in the end zone, you're not going to win a lot of games. Greg Laybourn intercepted a Kevin Craft pass and returned it 53 yards to the 16 and a penalty gave the Beavers the ball at the 8. Oregon State scored when Sean Canfield rolled out and hit a wide open Jacquizz Rodgers for a 5-yard touchdown.
Oregon State leads 24-6 with 9:35 left.

Oregon State has scored two consecutive touchdowns, and UCLA's offense just picked up its first third down of the game, midway through the third quarter. And Chris Forcier is warming up on the sideline. Not sure if he started warming up right after Kevin Craft threw up a jump ball on first-and-10 to start the drive or not.

Oregon State scored, though it didn't have much work to do. Terrence Austin let an Oregon State punt go - even though it wasn't inside the 10 - and Oregon STate downed it at the 6. Kahlil Bell was dropped for a 4-yard loss and Kevin Craft threw two incomplete passes. After an Aaron Perez punt, the Beavers drove 21 yards in two plays. Sean Canfield connected with Sammie Stroughter for an 18-yard touchdown reception.
Oregon State leads 10-3 early in the third quarter.

UCLA forced two turnovers when Oregon State was in the red zone. Neither team could get in the end zone.
Your thoughts on the first half?

UCLA's Kevin Craft fumbled on a scramble, giving Oregon State the ball at UCLA's 4-yard line. But a few seconds after Rick Neuheisel finished another one of his arm-waving rants with Craft on the sideline, OSU QB Sean Canfield fumbled and Rahim Moore recovered. The recovery was huge for UCLA as Oregon State needed only a 4-yard drive to score.

Rick Neuheisel believed Kahlil Bell would be one player to benefit the most from the bye week. Bell already has five carries for 40 yards (an 8-yards per carry average), including one run for 24 yards.

Today's pre-game featured a flyover of four jets by the Air Force, today's game sponsor.

A representative of the Sun Bowl is in attendance. Of course, it is to see Oregon State, but it's the first bowl rep to visit the Rose Bowl this season.

I'll talk to UCLA hoops recruit Mike Moser, a forward from Grant High of Portland, in the next 48 hours, but I don't think it is considered a good sign that Nikola Dragovic was arrested while Moser was on an official visit.
I'm not saying it will make a huge impact on Moser's decision, but he is deciding between Washington, Oregon and UCLA, and only the Bruins are far from home.

In talking to a few sources, here are some of the names I'm hearing are expected to go to today's Oregon State vs. UCLA game.

Here is the lone set of answers for the day. Thanks again for all the questions:

Here is the game preview I wrote for today's paper, in which UCLA DT Brigham Harwell says it is a "do-or-die" game, as well as the notebook.
Also, I picked Oregon State to win 24-16, and here is the capsule that was in today's paper:

Nikola Dragovic was released early this morning after yesterday's arrest on suspicion of misdemeanor battery on a person he co-habitated with, according to the LAPD. He has a scheduled court date for Dec. 4. UCLA's basketball team has a game at Texas that day. The court date could be delayed by the district attorney's office or by a lawyer. Also, this matter could be resolved by then.
Also, here is the story on Dragovic's arrest that was in today's paper.

Nikola Dragovic was released at 12:16 a.m. this morning, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Web site. Dragovic was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of misdemeanor battery on a person he co-habitated with, according to a spokesperson for the LAPD.

Here's the article that's running in today's paper and on the Web site.

Before I say night-night folks, remember there will be more answers Saturday, and there will be an in-game chat that will remain a fixture until folks start abusing it with poor language.
Here is the final set of answers for tonight:

``I found out about 6,'' Ben Howland said. ``He called me in the office. (He was arrested) for misdemeanor allegations of battery spousal or domestic violence. He and his girlfriend, Sofia (Larsson), live together and they're going through a breakup of that relationship. It's been unfortunate. I speak very highly of Sofia. She's a great kid. Nikola's a great kid.''
As for whether there will be punishment, Howland said:
``I'll wait for all the facts. I don't know all the facts, per se.''

Darren Collison had a team-high 14 points, and Michael Roll and Jrue Holiday had 11 points. James Keefe had eight rebounds.

Here is the 16th set:

Here is the story I just wrote for online. Will update as soon as I have more information.

UCLA forward Nikola Dragovic was arrested Friday afternoon on suspicion of battery on a person he co-habitated with, said April Harding, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Dragovic, 20, was not at UCLA's exhibition basketball game against Biola, and Harding believed that he was still in jail and had not posted $20,000 bail.
``He was arrested at 4:20 p.m. today in the 3,200 block of Overland,'' Harding said. ``He ended a relationship with his ex-girlfriend, and he went back to the apartment to retrieve his belongings. They were thrown on the front porch and an argument erupted. He became angry and pushed her down to the floor.''
A spokesman for UCLA said coach Ben Howland would address the arrest after the game.
``We haven't had a chance to look at the facts,'' said Marc Dellins, associate athletic director for sports information. ``We just found out about an hour ago, so until we have all the information, we can't make any decisions.''
Jill.painter@dailynews.com

Here is the XV-th set:

Nikola Dragovic was arrested today.
This is from the City News Service. Will have more later.

A forward for the UCLA basketball team
was arrested today after a
fight with his former live-in girlfriend in the Palms area, police
said.
Nikola Dragovic, 20, was taken into custody around 4:20 p.m. in the
3200 block of Overland
Avenue, said April Harding of the Los Angeles Police Department.
"Apparently they'd broken up, and he went back to the apartment to
pick up his things," Harding
said. "His belongings were thrown out on the porch. He and the
ex-girlfriend began to argue. He
got mad and pushed her down.'
Dragovic was booked on suspicion of battery and was being held in
lieu of $20,000 bail.
In the 2007-2008 season, Dragovic appeared in 25 games, but never
started. He played 230
minutes, averaging 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.2
blocks and 0.1 steals per game.

Here is the 14th set:

Here is the 13th set:

Here is the 12th installment:

Here is the 11th set:

Before I get to the 10th set, can someone please answer one of my questions?
Is Captain Phil out on the Bering Sea? Or did he have to take the King Crab season off?
Now, onto the 10th set:

Here is No. IX:

Here is the eighth set:

Not a big surprise, but I'm hearing Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao (shoulder) will not play Saturday. It means lefty Sean Canfield will get the start.

Here is the seventh set:
(By the way VB, we are still friends. I hope you are watching my Scarlet Knights when you roll into the Rose Bowl lot tomorrow morning at 7 a.m.)

There will be 17 sets of answers today, plus a few more on Saturday. Also, Jill Painter will have updates from the basketball exhibition game tonight, and there will be a live chat during Saturday's football game here on the blog.
Now, here is the sixth set of answers:

UCLA senior point guard Darren Collison was named one of the top 50 candidates for the Wooden Award. Here is the release:

Here is the fifth set:

Here is the notebook I wrote for today's paper.
Also, I deleted a bunch of comments today that I found unnecessary on a UCLA blog. If you want to argue politics, go do it on a political blog. If it keeps up, the comments portion of the blog will be turned off.

Here is the fourth installment:

Here is the third set:

Here is the second part:

Before I get to the first set of answers, just wanted to let everyone know I will open a chat room for the football game against Oregon State. It will open at 2:45 p.m.
I'm not sure how many sets of answers yet, but there will be a lot. So, onto the first group:

Here is UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's post-practice meeting with the media:
High speed
Neuheisel high speed 1106.wav
Dialup
Neuheisel dialup 1106.mp3

Here's a few things from UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel following today's practice:
WR Nelson Rosario (ankle) will not play, DEs Reggie Stokes (knee) and Chase Moline (back) will be available. Also, safety Tony Dye (ankle) practiced and will play.

Here is a story I wrote today on UCLA walk-on Justin Mann, and what he goes through to be a part of the team.
Also, here is the notebook Jill Painter wrote from practice.

Here are the answers to your questions for the Q&A with UCLA RB Kahlil Bell:

As Oregon State's run game goes, so do the wins and losses. In Oregon State's five wins, the Beavers have 211 carries for 1,055 yards. In the three losses, the Beavers have 92 carries for just 270 yards. Beaver running back Jacquizz Rodgers is on pace to break Ken Simonton's 1998 freshman record of 1,028 yards. At this pace, Rodgers could surpass 1,400 yards.
``(Stopping the run) is huge,'' Rick Neuheisel said. ``They've pinned their hopes on a young guy that has answered all their questions of him. He's a terrific player. Obviously, if you can slow him down, you can put a little more pressure on their throwing game. Their ability to throw has been well-documented. I think if we can take away the running game to some extent, limit the running game, I don't know that we can take it away, if we can limit it we increase our chances. No question.''

There will be another Nell and John Wooden Court...at Indiana State, where Wooden coached for two years.
This is from the Associated Press:

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Indiana State University will name
the floor at the school's basketball arena
for Hall of Fame coach John Wooden and his late wife, Nellie.
The floor of the Hulman Center will be named the Nellie and John
Wooden Court at a ceremony before the Sycamores
exhibition game against Albion on Saturday.
Wooden coached Indiana State, when it was known as Indiana Teachers
College, for two seasons before leaving in
1949 for UCLA, where he led the Bruins to 10 national
championships.
Wooden, who turned 98 last month, will provide a taped message, then
members of his 1947 and 1948 teams will
unveil new logos on the court.
In addition to being the basketball coach at Indiana State, Wooden
was also baseball coach and athletic director
from 1946-48. He was 44-15 in two years as basketball coach.

Here's the information on Friday's Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club breakfast:

Friday Nov 7 -- 7 am
Olympic Collection
11301 W Olympic (at Sawtelle)
Coach Todd Howard -- defensive line coach
Coach Bob Palcic -- offensive line coach
Key UCLA football players attending:
Michael Norris, CB
Derrick Coleman, RB
Rahim Moore, DB
UCLA cheerleaders
Cost: $28 (buffet breakfast, parking, and program)
For reservations, call Claudia Hart @ 310-348-UCLA or
email at claudia4UCLA@yahoo.com

Kahlil Bell has looked good in practice and maybe has benefited the most from the bye week.
``I'm feeling a lot better than I have in a long while,'' Bell said. ``Before Game 1, I was feeling pretty good, but I got injured in the first game. Hopefully, I'll continue to stay healthy and get better every week.''
Look for the player Q&A with Bell here tomorrow.

DB Tony Dye hurt his foot yesterday and didn't practice Wednesday. Rick Neuheisel said he hoped he would be back by Saturday's game. RB Craig Sheppard tweaked his hamstring yesterday and is questionable or doubtful, but Sheppard hasn't played in a game this year. WR Rosario Nelson(ankle) was downgraded to doubtful. Defensive line coach Todd Howard will have surgery for a ruptured Achilles Tendon on Monday. He's expected to return to practice on Tuesday.
Also, The Oregonian reported on its blog that Beavers quarterbback Lyle Moevao didn't practice Wednesday. He told the paper he didn't expect to start Saturday. Sean Canfield has practiced with Oregon State's first team this week.

Former UCLA safety Chris Horton, who's on a bye week with the Redskins, is at today's practice. He's in Los Angeles this week and can hardly stop smiling (and he has good reason). Horton was a seventh-round draft pick this year but has earned rave reviews in his work as safety with the Redskins, and earned the NFC's defensive player of the week award in September.
While he was on the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, former UCLA teammate Bruce Davis was jawing at him.
``He was on the sideline running his mouth a lot,'' Horton said laughing. ``I was out there lining up to try and play defense, and I can hear him screaming my name. I'm like, `shut up.' ''
Horton will be at the UCLA-Oregon State game on Saturday.

UCLA players say there is no division between the offense and defense, but there is constructive chit-chat.
"There's been some times where guys are chewing each other out, but it's only been for the better,'' Bruins receiver Terrence Austin said.

Folks, most of you know the rules. Keep the questions under 50 words (or I will not answer them) and get them in by 8 a.m. Friday, and I will provide the answers throughout the day.

Silverado High of Las Vegas defensive end Keenan Graham said the idea of helping rebuild a program played into his decision to commit to UCLA.
"I want to be part of building the program up to what it's supposed to be. That appealed to me,'' Graham said. "That's the kind of guy I am. People wondered about me going to Silverado, but then we built something there and went undefeated my junior year. USC has a great program and it was tough for me to tell them no, but I had to do what's best for me."
One other thing about the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Graham is he is open to playing linebacker if he cannot add weight.
"If it comes down to that, I wouldn't have a problem with it in the end," Graham said. "They recruited me as a defensive end and that's what I want to play, but I could see playing linebacker."

In speaking with UCLA's newest commit, defensive end Keenan Graham from Las Vegas Silverado High, he said his intention was the tell Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel about it during an official visit this weekend for the game against Oregon State.
However, his high school coach spilled the beans to the Las Vegas Sun on Monday afternoon, so Graham also decided to speak about it.
"My high school season ended early, so I thought it was time to get it over with,'' Graham said. "I enjoyed the recruiting process, but felt UCLA was the best place for me. I like the coaching staff and loved it when I took (an unofficial) visit there. I think it's a great mix with the coaching staff and the academics."

Here is the notebook I wrote on UCLA suspending OLs Micah Reed and Scott Glicksberg and defensive tackle Jess Ward for Saturday's game against Oregon State for failing drug tests.
It is not a decision made by Rick Neuheisel, but rather the athletic department's policy. According to UCLA's student-athlete handbook, the decision is not left to the coach. It is a department policy.
Also, a suspension means this is the third time a player failed a drug test. A fourth failure means the player will no longer be eligible to play, and his/her scholarship will not be renewed.
Below is UCLA's guidelines for drug testing:

DT Jess Ward and OLs Micah Reed and Scott Glicksberg were suspended one game each for failed drug tests, according to my sources.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was thrilled with practice.
"It may be our best practice in a good long while,'' Neuheisel said. "I'm very, very pleased with the way they came back. I was hoping for this, and we got it."
QB Ben Olson (broken foot) took some reps with the scout team offense in his first action since preseason.
Neuheisel downgraded WR Nelson Rosario to "questionable to doubtful" because of an ankle injury. LT Jeff Baca (hamstring) and DE Chase Moline (back) practiced and should play against Oregon State.
DE Chinonso Anyanwu, who was hospitalized then released with a stomach ailment over the weekend, underwent more tests to determine the cause of his illness.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel announced after practice that backup offensive linemen Micah Reed and Scott Glicksberg and backup defensive tackle Jess Ward were suspended for Saturday's game for a violation of athletic department policy.
They are one-game suspensions and they will be eligible to play Nov. 15 at Washington.

I'm told UCLA coach Ben Howland went to see Grant High of Portland (Ore.) small forward Mike Moser today.

Just got word Grant High of Portland (Ore.) small forward Mike Moser will officially visit UCLA this weekend, meaning he will be in attendance for the Bruins' exhibition game against Biola on Friday at Pauley Pavilion.

This week's selection for the light-hitting Q&A is tailback Kahlil Bell. Send in ONE question and I will chose 10 to ask him, and post the segment Thursday.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said this morning quarterback Ben Olson will be in uniform for Saturday's game against Oregon State, but don't read anything into that. Olson isn't expected to play. In fact, Neuheisel was asked about whether Olson is still a few weeks away from a possible return.
"That's my feeling," he said.
As for Kevin Craft, he was asked if the bye week allowed UCLA to get a better grasp on the quarterback situation.
"I think it solidified how we feel about the quarterback position,'' Neuheisel said.
It means Craft remains the starter and Chris Forcier the backup.

An MRI showed Oregon State starting quarterback Lyle Moevao has a strained muscle in his right (throwing) shoulder, according to an MRI.
"He should get better each day," said Oregon State coach Mike Riley, according to the Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard. "Lyle has good mobility in the shoulder."
As for Moevao's availability for the Bruins, Riley said, "We'll see how he is."

As you can imagine, there's plenty of things Ben Howland wants to address from the exhibition game in which the Bruins allowed 58 points.
Howland has separate film sessions just for the freshmen, and these sessions are in the morning before class.

All five freshmen were on the court at once for No. 4 UCLA near the end of Monday's game, and that was on purpose. Jrue Holiday said Ben Howland told them he was going to play them all at the same time at some point of the game.

Ben Howland purposely left J'mison Morgan in for the last 10 minutes without a sub.
``J'mison in the first half came in gave us a good lift and had a big block,'' Ben Howland said. ``I played him partly to get him conditioning the last 10 mintues without coming out. He pushed himself. That will be something he'll continue to work at. He had nine rebounds in 18 minutes. I'm very excited to see those nine rebounds.''

Darren Collison talked to the five freshman before UCLA's exhibition game last night, and here's why he did it.
``I want to make them feel as comfortable as possible,'' Collison said. ``I didn't want them to think this was their freshman debut or college debut. I wanted to make them feel as comfortable as possible. I told them, `Let's do the same thing we did during the summer.' When we played with each other in the summer, we were side by side and playing real well. They loved how we were playing together. A player like Jrue and some of the freshmen, it's hard to tell these guys a lot of stuff, because they get it already.''

Alfred Aboya picked up two fouls inside the first three minutes of Monday's exhibition game.
Aboya is one of the hardest-working players Ben Howland has ever coached, but that intensity has always led to foul trouble.
``Oh man, that has to stop,'' Darren Collison said. ``BoBo looked a little winded out there. He was playing more than usual. We need (Aboya) with how hard he plays. If he's in the ballgame, a lot of good things will happen. We need him to stay out of foul trouble. He understands, he's a senior. I'm pretty sure that will kill him tonight.''

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel spoke to the media Monday. Here is the audio:
High speed
Neuheisel 1103 high speed.wav

Dialup
Neuheisel 1103 dialup.mp3

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel told me after today's press conference Darius Savage would start at left guard against Oregon State. Savage started five straight games but was behind Micah Reed the last two games.

Here's a few comments from Ben Howland on UCLA's exhibition victory. More tomorrow morning.

Overall, I was happy that we got out of that game healthy. Last year, we lost Darren (Collison) to a knee injury in the first game.

I was excited for Nikola (Dragovic, who made 4 of 6 3-pointers). He worked hard on his body and you can tell he's in better shape. Jrue Holiday had a good game as well, nearly putting up a triple double. I thought Josh Shipp also played very well, with 20 points in 19 minutes.

We have lots of things to work on, like executing on offense. On defense, we need to work on hedging and switching assignments. It just takes experience. We'll watch a lot of film, especially the freshmen.

J'mison Morgan was a big lift in the first half. He had a huge block that sparked our defense. I forced him to push himself by playing all of the last ten minutes. Jrue had a complete game; played good defense, looked for open teammates and attacked the basket. He will draw a lot of fouls hanging in the air and taking hits.

The Bruins beat the NAIA school in a big way. Josh Shipp scored a game-high 20 points. More from the interview room later.

Of course, UCLA's five freshmen are stealing the show since it's the first time fans have seen them play but let's not forget about Josh Shipp, who's scored 20 points on 7 of 8 shots from the field midway through the second half.

Lorenzo Mata-Real is here at the UCLA game. During the first half, he was walking via crutches along press row courtside and he was getting applauded by each section. He had the hood of his sweatshirt covering his baseball cap, but everyone still knew it was him. Mata-Real is playing professional basketball in Mexico but he broke his right leg and is back.

Jrue Holiday has six points, four assists, four steals and two rebounds in 12 minutes of the first half. Holiday is human, however, as he missed both free throws after on an intentional foul after he stole the ball from Cal Baptist's Omar Krayem. Krayem fouled him to prevent the breakaway. UCLA 41, Cal Baptist 17 at halftime.

J'Mison Morgan had a good series, in which he scored a basket inside, then took a charge on the other end, then blocked a shot. After the block, he heaved a long outlet pass to Darren Collison, and by the time he passed to James Keefe, who scored, Morgan was just getting to the halfcourt line.

The five UCLA freshman have all entered the game with BoBo Morgan the last to enter the game with 11:58 left in the first half. Jrue Holiday started and Drew Gordon was the first player off the bench when Alfred Aboya was whistled for two early fouls. Malcolm Lee, who wasn't a lock to play since he hasn't practiced much recently because of a nagging groin injury, is playing as well.
UCLA 7, Cal Baptist 6, 11:58 left, first half

Five minutes into the game and Jrue Holiday already has three assists.

This is for tonight's exhibition game between UCLA and Cal Baptist....
Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, James Keefe and Jrue Holiday. It's the same lineup Ben Howland has said he would use.

This is from UCLA:
UCLA junior defensive end Chinonso Anyanwu was released from the UCLA Hospital late Sunday. He is at home and feeling good. He will undergo additional tests to determine the cause of his illness, which is unknown at this time.

Got word earlier today that defensive end Keenan Graham of Las Vegas Silverado High gave a non-binding oral commitment to UCLA. I will have more later.

I'm told Grant High of Portland (Ore.) small forward Mike Moser, who de-committed from Arizona when Lute Olson retired, may take an official visit to UCLA this weekend. The details are still being worked out and it is not a done deal, but things are looking promising for a visit.

Ben Howland on Darren Collison being named to the Associated Press' preseason All-America Team today:
"It is very exciting for Darren and our basketball program. It is indicative of the respect that Darren has nationally for being one of the best players in the country and is a very well-deserved honor."

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel met with the media today, and here were a few things he discussed:
On UCLA not reaching a bowl, and what it would mean.
"It would be disappointing," Neuheisel said. "I don't know if it would be a failure."
Neuheisel said defensive end Chase Moline (back) should be back this season, and left Jeff Baca (hamstring) and receiver Nelson Rosario (ankle) should be back at practice today. Also, the coach said defensive end Reggie Stokes (knee) was uncertain for the game.
As far as beating the Beavers, Neuheisel said, "The order of the day will be to shore up some deficiencies in the offensive line."

DE Chinonso Ayanwu is hospitalized for tests on his stomach. Neuheisel said it wasn't he deemed life-threatening, and his status for Oregon State is uncertain.

The Associated Press men's basketball poll was released today and North Carolina is a unanimous No. 1. UCLA chimed in at No. 4.
Here is the poll

UCLA senior point guard Darren Collison was named an Associated Press preseason first-team All-American today.

Here is the team:
• Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina, 6-9, senior, 72 votes (22.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg)
• Stephen Curry, Davidson, 6-2, junior,
66 votes (25.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
• Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, 6-8, junior, 58 votes (20.4 ppg, 10.6 rpg)
• Darren Collison, UCLA, 6-1, senior,
46 votes (14.5 ppg, 3.8 apg)
• Blake Griffin, Oklahoma, 6-10, sophomore, 45 votes (14.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg)
-- 2007-08 statistics in parentheses

UCLA players said last week there was no division within the team despite the offense playing so poorly and the defense keeping the Bruins in games until late.
"The last thing we need is division, and I don't feel that,'' UCLA guard Nick Ekbatani said. "They're playing very well and we're not. We need to start playing to their level or above. We've got to get better.''

UCLA's football game at Washington on Nov. 15 will kickoff at 7:26 p.m. and be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net.

Tonight's exhibition hoops game is not on television or radio, but UCLAbruins.com is streaming video of the 7:30 p.m. tilt against NAIA Cal Baptist of Riverside. Here is the streaming link.

Here is a story I wrote about UCLA's improving defense, and also a notebook in which offensive players are apologizing to the defense for its poor play.
On a different note, as I watched Texas Tech upset Texas on Saturday, I couldn't help but think about how badly Texas Tech coach Mike Leach wanted the UCLA job, but couldn't get a sniff because UCLA's administration believed Leach's personality is "out there" and he wouldn't be a good mix for the school.

UCLA QB Ben Olson told me the latest x-ray on his foot showed the break had healed. He is hopeful of taking reps this week in practice (probably with the scout team) but said he will pay close attention to his body as he tries to return for the last month of the season.

Oregon State starting quarterback Lyle Moevao left Saturday night's win against Arizona State with a right shoulder injury. Beavers coach Mike Riley updated the Oregon State media about the condition today, and his status for Saturday's game at UCLA.
"He's got the shoulder deal, whether it's a muscle or the AC joint,'' said Riley, according to The Oregonian. "I just met with the trainer (Barney Graff) and I just saw Lyle, and the best way to say anything is "day to day.'' ... we will see where he is tomorrow and then Tuesday when we start practice.''

Jrue Holiday will be expected to rebound, too, and here's what he said about often banging with Alfred Aboya in practice.
``He just throws me down,'' Holiday said. ``It happens to everybody. Alfred is a beast.''
Holiday said it's fun battling with BoBo Morgan and Aboya in practice. He tries to use his rebounding advantage.
``I'm a lot faster and quicker and I have a little more explosiveness,'' Holiday said.

Here's where Ben Howland believes freshman Jrue Holiday's scoring will come from this year.
``Jump shots, drives, second shots, transition. He does a little bit of everything well.''

Here's Ramon Johnson's letter to coach Rick Neuheisel. Johnson wrote this to Neuheisel last week after he had an inspirational talk with Derrick Coleman. Both are hearing impaired.
Hi Coach. How are you? This is Ramon Johnson. I wanted to tell you how my game went. Well, it didn't go so good. I did get to throw two good passes, but they were dropped. One of the passes was dropped in the end zone, and I was really upset about that. Our score was 24 to 42 and we lost. I heard you guys lost, too, so I guess we have the same feelings. Our team is going to practice real hard this week, so I know we are going to win Saturday, and I'm sure you are too. I want you to know that I did wear my hearing aids at practice Thursday and at my game, and it helped me hear better. Please tell Derrick I said thanks for the advice, it really helped. I hope I can see one of your games soon. Thanks coach for letting me practice with you guys last week.
Love Ramon.
Good luck on Saturday.

It's been tough to gauge Ben Howland's five freshman since they've all been in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries.
``I think there was actually one practice we were all out there at the same time,'' Malcolm Lee said. ``People have been getting hurt here and there. We really haven't been together fully.''
Lee said they're all very close.

Here is my Harris Poll for this week:

Ben Howland seems to have a knack for recruiting big men with good hands, a combination that's not easily found on the recruiting trail. J'Mison (Bobo) Morgan is no different.
``He's a very good passer,'' Howland said. ``Bobo's biggest strength is that he has great hands. His hands are exceptional. He catches everything. He sees the floor. He's got good feel. His hands are very, very good.''

Here is a story I wrote that ran in today's Daily News about UCLA's mediocre 10-year run in football in which the Bruins have the sixth-best record among Pac-10 teams since its last Rose Bowl berth.
Below are a pair of charts that accompanied the story.

one hour...This is your friendly reminder.

Thanks again for another exhausting (in a good way) week of questions. Here is the last bunch of them. If anything else happens tonight, I will write about it. Also, I will have some football and basketball program notes on the blog Sunday
Now, here is the last installment of this week's Q&A:

Here is the 19th set:

Here is No. 18:

Here is the 17th set:

Morning, folks. Here is the notebook I wrote for today's paper about UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel out recruiting, as well as some injury updates.
Also, there will be five sets of answers today. Here is the 16th: