August 2009 Archives
On his first coaching poll:
"I think I put us at 25. I'm like Steve Spurrier, I always vote for the school I went to to get into that Top 25. I don't pay a lot of attention to the opening season poll. A lot will be determined as we go down the way."
On the team speed:
"They're going to require attention from the defense. In so doing, they create space for the rest of the players. It's a beginning, we're not there yet as a team. With our improvement, so should the offense improve."
On the biggest improvement he's seen this year:
"I don't that there's a single biggest improvement. I do believe we've increased our team speed. I do believe that we are a year into the offense, so there will be less reason for misunderstandings, not getting our schemes correct. Hopefully a reduction of turnovers will come from that. I also believe we're a bit more physical on the offensive front. I think we have more depth. And we'll be able to block and protect better than we did a year ago."
On starting a redshirt freshman quarterback:
"You don't do it unless you feel real good about the person you give the keys too. We feel good about Kevin Prince. You always have to temper your enthusiasm for that person with realistic expectations so that you're not getting overly angry or putting too much on one youngster. I'm coaching myself as we speak here. I'm reminding myself that I've got to take a big bottle of patience before I take the field."
On his sometimes tumultuous relationship with his quarterbacks:
"It's fair to say that the relationship between myself and the quarterback has been well documented. I don't think what's television approved is the conversation that happens after the initial conversation, where I go back and settle down. You guys can't say anything that my mother hasn't already said to be, with regards to being nicer, gentler, calmer with my quarterback. I'm doing the best I can."
On starting the season:
"Very eager to play, very eager to open the season, very eager to have a bunch of young players having their first chance to play UCLA football. We understand the task is an interesting one, a unique one in that were seeing a team that we haven't seen - haven't played, haven't opened practice, don't have any idea exactly what they're going to do. It will be a great coaching challenge, one that our guys have to embrace. We can't use that as a crutch. WE have to find ways to make the plan
Very excited about the opening game and a great home crowd."
On San Diego State:
"You can look at their personnel from a year ago, and see them on the doorstep of beating a Notre Dame team early in the season. You cannot discount that fact. The bottom line is, I think they're going to be, like us, infused with excitement. We certainly aren't in the position, after we had, to take anything lightly."
On downplaying SDSU's talent:
"It's easy for coaches to do that. I think you always have to accept the fact that a new coaching staff infuses new enthusiasm, new enthusiasm breeds new hope, new hope brings new confidence. We're going to expect that they're going to play really well."
On SDSU defensive coordinator Rocky Long's 3-3-5 defense:
"You have to account for how you're going to identify the defense. A 3-3-5 is not the prototype that you play against on a regular basis. Just when you start to identify it, they switch it. It's as if you took all the linebackers and safeties and took their numbers off their jerseys. They can each play each other's positions. They're constantly switching places."
On what is unique about the SDSU game:
"The unique is very little intelligence going into it. Unique is two freshman who are going to be pivotal in the offensive line. Unique is the myriad of looks that coach Longs gives you."
Sorry this took so long for me to post, folks; I started typing it one by one before I realized that Dohn just copied-and-pasted it. Whoops.
OFFENSE
SE 82 Taylor Embree (6-3, 205, So.) (8)
83 Nelson Rosario (6-5, 211, So.)
85 Jerry Johnson (6-4, 204, Fr.**)
11 Ricky Marvray (5-11, 187, Fr.)
LT 56 Xavier Su'a-Filo (6-4, 310, Fr.)
60 Jeff Baca (6-4, 306, So.) (8)
69 Brandon Bennett (6-4, 330, Jr.**)
LG 60 Jeff Baca (6-4, 306, So.) (8) OR
74 Stan Hasiak (6-5, 318, Fr.)
57 Jake Dean (6-4, 303, Jr.**) (7)
C 51 Kai Maiava (6-1, 309, So.**)
66 Ryan Taylor (6-3, 295, Jr.**) OR
57 Jake Dean (6-4, 303, Jr.**) (7)
RG 62 Eddie Williams (6-1, 331, Jr.)
77 Darius Savage (6-4, 339, Jr.**) (7)
66 Ryan Taylor (6-3, 295, Jr.**)
RT 65 Mike Harris (6-5, 326, So.**) (5)
60 Jeff Baca (6-4, 306, So.) (8)
78 Brett Downey (6-7, 290, Fr.**)
TE 86 Logan Paulsen (6-6, 264, Sr.**) (1)
15 Ryan Moya (6-3, 243, Sr.**) (2)
87 Cory Harkey (6-5, 254, So.) (7)
89 Nate Chandler (6-5, 270, So.**) (2 at TE)
7 Morrell Presley (6-4, 219, Fr.)
98 Jeff Miller (6-5, 240, Jr.**) (2)
QB 14 Kevin Prince (6-2, 219, Fr.**)
12 Richard Brehaut (6-2, 222, Fr.) OR
3 Kevin Craft (6-4, 211, Sr.**) (12)
18 Nick Crissman (6-3, 207, Fr.**)
FB 42 Chane Moline (6-1, 247, Sr.) (8, 2 at TB)
31 Trevor Theriot (6-0, 235, Sr.**) (2)
45 Tobi Umodu (5-11, 236, Jr.**)
TB 23 Johnathan Franklin (5-10, 201, Fr.**)
33 Derrick Coleman (6-0, 235, So.) (1)
2 Milton Knox (5-8, 202, Fr.**)
25 Damien Thigpen (5-8, 170, Fr.)
24 Christian Ramirez (6-2, 222, Jr.**) - inj
FL 4 Terrence Austin (5-11, 172, Sr.) (7)
1 Randall Carroll (5-10, 184, Fr.)
6 Antwon Moutra (6-2, 188, So.)
DEFENSE
LE 56 Datone Jones (6-4, 267, So.) (2)
97 Damien Holmes (6-3, 261, Fr.**)
70 Connor Bradford (6-5, 285, Fr.**)
DT 92 Brian Price (6-2, 300, Jr.) (12)
85 David Carter (6-5, 290, Jr.**)
72 Sean Sheller (6-5, 294, Jr.**)?
94 Justin Mann (6-3, 275, Fr.**)
DT 90 Jerzy Siewierski (6-2, 296, Sr.)
99 Justin Edison (6-4, 278, So.**)
61 Andy Keane (6-2, 301, Jr.**)
RE 55 Korey Bosworth (6-1, 242, Sr.**) (12)
96 Iuta Tepa (6-1, 225, Fr.)
44 Ian Davis (6-5, 226, Fr.**)
SLB 10 Akeem Ayers (6-4, 252, So.**) (3)
9 Donovan Carter (6-1, 247, Fr.**)
41 Mike Schmitt (6-1, 227, Jr.**)
MLB 51 Reggie Carter (6-1, 240, Sr.**) (12)
43 Steve Sloan (6-4, 231, So.**) (9)
42 Patrick Larimore (6-3, 247, Fr.**)
WLB 54 Kyle Bosworth (6-1, 234, Sr.**) (2)
11 Sean Westgate (5-11, 205, So.)
LC 21 Aaron Hester (6-1, 203, Fr.**)
7 Courtney Viney (5-8, 160, So.**)
23 Marlon Pollard (6-0, 158, Fr.)
SS 6 Tony Dye (5-11, 199, So.) (1) OR
20 Glenn Love (6-4, 210, So.**)
4 Stan McKay (6-1, 188, Fr.)
31 Garrett Rubio (5-10, 193, Jr.**)
FS 3 Rahim Moore (6-1, 197, So.) (12)
27 Aaron Ware (6-0, 202, Sr.**) (1) OR
19 Dalton Hilliard (6-0, 194, Fr.)
RC 1 Alterraun Verner (5-11, 180, Sr.) (12)
26 Andrew Abbott (5-10, 176, Fr.**)
22 Sheldon Price (6-2, 163, Fr.)
2 Brandon Sermons (5-11, 183, Fr.)
SPECIALISTS
PK 25 Kai Forbath (6-0, 192, Jr.**) (12)
18 Jeff Locke (6-1, 204, Fr.**)
KO 25 Kai Forbath (6-0, 192, Jr.**) (1)
P 18 Jeff Locke (6-1, 204, Fr.**)
39 Danny Rees (6-3, 190, Jr.**)^
LS 52 Christian Yount (6-1, 238, Jr.) (12)
H 39 Danny Rees (6-3, 190, Jr.**)^
PR 4 Terrence Austin (5-11, 172, Sr.)
KOR 4 Terrence Austin (5-11, 172, Sr.)
Neuheisel On (Part 1): Monday's Practice
Opening thoughts:
"Very excited to sit beside you, opening the 2009 season. There was a different bounce in the step for all the players today. They certainly had the feeling of game week, which is always exciting. It's a little bit tempered with all that's going on with the fires. We have concern for not only the men and women fighting the fire, but the homes that in jeopardy. We certainly send the very best."
On Monday's practice:
"It wasn't perfect, but Monday's don't need to be perfect. Mondays are installation, get some things squared away that might have been confusing. As we get closer to the game, we'll start to really, really demand that level of perfection. That level of confidence to play at a high level.
On the team's injury situation:
"We are who we are right now. The guys who are out are kinda out. I don't think we'll have Gavin Ketchum. Obviously, we won't have the two meat guys, Ekbatani and Kia. Kia will have surgery tomorrow. Stokes is down with a knee injury. We are who we are. I don't think Ramirez will make it back with his ankle. But I do believe we have enough in the tank to get the job done. Jess Ward I think has a chance to make the game. We'll see more tomorrow. Next week would be optimistic. Probably more like Kansas State or after the bye."
Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club
Friday Sept 4 -- 7 am
Head Coach Rick Neuheisel
Key UCLA Football players including:
Terrance Austin, WR
Logan Paulsen, TE
Brian Price, DT
Alterraun Verner, CB
UCLA spirit squad
Cost: $25 includes program and a breakfast buffet
@ Olympic Collection at Olympic and Sawtelle
Free Parking
For more information call Claudia Hart @ 310-348-UCLA or email at claudia4ucla@yahoo.com
On potentially losing his starting spot:
"The coaches have just said they're going to try people at different spots in case a guy up front goes down. We don't want to send somebody in there who doesn't know what they're doing. We don't know what's going on right now. I kind of got over it - if I'm the starter come game day, that's fine."
On how a stinger injury last week cost him:
"The injury just kind of set me back. It put me in the back, not all the way in the bottom, but coaches had to sort of take precautionary measures. They had to stick somebody else in there."
On not getting to play on Saturday because of the fires:
"We'd be pretty fierce if we didn't get to play Saturday. We wouldn't have it. We'd be pissed, practicing all summer, real hard, getting ready for a team we know nothing about. Everybody would be pretty much heated. We'd be waiting for the next game, definitely."
Redshirt sophomore Joseph Fauria is having a bit of trouble adjusting to life as a transfer.
This is one competitive dude, as evidenced by his reaction after a dropped pass during scout team offense. He fell to his knees and punched the ground in frustration.
He is just as frustrated knowing that he will sit out the season.
"It's definitely a big mental challenge on someone like me, who's really passionate about the game, really wants to help the team," Fauria said. "Of course I want to be out there with the ones, helping this offense. I'm just doing the best I can."
He knows the feeling, having planned on redshirting last season before playing in three games.
"In the beginning last year, I redshirted, but it got blown halway through the season," Fauria said. "Things were looking up there, I was supposed to play a lot this year, but things happened, I came here, and another redshirt. It's going to be tough again. I know how the ropes work, and I'll be better from it.
On his preference, right tackle or left guard:
"I think it's still up in the air - I think I'll find out once I settle down and play a position. I don't have a preference. It's not an adjustment that's too drastic."
On how UCLA's planned zone blocking schemes will help him switch back and forth:
"Being in this scheme is pretty universal, everybody almost has the same job. That helps a lot, switching positions. The gap zone part of it, I wouldn't say it's easier, but if you just play your gaps, you're good."
UCLA defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough on the starting strong safety battle between Glenn Love and Tony Dye:
"If we had to go in the game today, Dye's out there. (He'll) only come out of a game if they're tired or knocked up. But I feel like we have three safeties we can play right now."
On thoughts from Friday's scrimmage:
"Ones didn't get many reps, the twos were getting them, and some of them can't play. Depth is a concern here, it is a concern. And we don't know from San Diego State, they're locked down, no tape, nothing."
Looks like Jeff Baca will be starting for UCLA on Saturday against San Diego State.
Only not at right tackle, but left guard.
Rick Neuheisel confirmed it in his press conference on Monday.
Stanley Hasiak will play, though.
In Monday's weekly press conference, Rick Neuheisel said Kevin Craft would be the first one to go in if Kevin Prince went down heading into Week 1.
With starting tailback Atiyyah Henderson sidelined because of a back injury, San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke said freshman running back Anthony Miller might get the call.
Practice ended with a spirited run-through, with players seeming very eager for Saturday to come quickly.
The Bosworths were back on the field, Jeff Baca was primarily running with the first team at left guard and Tony Dye appears to have separated himself at strong safety.
I spoke with several players about the air-quality issue, and they are very anxious to play. They do not want to see this game postponed...
Just spoke with Lisa Derderian, the public information officer for the Pasadena fire department, and things don't look good.
"It is a volatile situation at the moment," Derderian said. "I don't think we'll hear anything for a couple days. They're anticipating the fire to run another week."
Though there is a thick plume of smoke directly over Pasadena, Derderian said, the Rose Bowl is not threatened.
"At this point, it's the air quality," Derderian said. "The Rose Bowl is not threatened. Of course this fire kind of has a personality of its own. It's doubled in fire over night. But I can assure you the Rose Bowl won't be affected."
Derderian said the best case scenario would be a decision on Wednesday, though she did not make any promises.
"Just throwing out a date, Wednedsay we hope to have a definite answer," Derderian said. "We're telling businesses, a lot of it has to do with people with existing medical conditions. Asthma, heart, lung disease.
"The problem is we have no wind. That's good for firefighting, but bad for not blowing the air out".
Just talked to an inside contact at San Diego State, and he said the following::
*UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and SDSU AD Jeff Schemmel are in constant contact regarding the fires.
*After going through the same situation in 2007 - fires knocked the SDSU's game against BYU from Oct. 27 to Dec. 1 - the Aztecs are certainly understanding.
*As of Monday morning, both programs are far away from a point of no return.
*Wednesday will likely be the day they make the decision.
*With the two schools being located so close, with no airfare involved, makes travelling a lot easier.
*But they haven't gone down that path yet.
*Final comments: "To be honest, it's too early in the week for talk about cancellation. Today's call was to bring everyone up to speed. There will be continuous contact throughout the week."
*"Barring a really severe situation, this will go away."
Looks like UCLA is charging through practice, as the smoke and ash seem to have settled around Westwood but not so much directly on it. The air is breathable, though certainly will be something to keep an eye on.
Quick status update: Christian Ramirez is sans walking boot but still walking with a noticable limp.
I'll have the depth chart at some point, and I encourage readreacts to any and all positions.
Really, the only things left to decide are Baca/Hasiak at left guard and Love/Dye at strong safety.
Unofficially, the rest is here:
QB Prince
RB Franklin
FB Moline
WR1 Austin
WR2 Embree
TE Paulsen
LT Su'a-Filo
LG Baca/Hasiak
C Maiava
RG Williams
RT Harris
Defense
DT Price
DT Siewerski
DE Kor. Bosworth
DE Jones
LB Carter
LB Ky. Bosworth
LB Ayers
CB Verner
CB Hester
FS Moore
SS Love/Dye
Thanks
JG
Check out Jill's great Christian Ramirez column:
I've placed calls but can't get confirmation of Willie Mobley's transfer from Ohio State to UCLA, but according to ESPN, it's true.
UPDATE: Sources indicate that he is expected to join the program, but school officials cannot comment until the proper paperwork has been filed.
Freshman wide receiver Ricky Marvray had a tough day on Friday.
On one play, he muffed a punt, gobbled it in the end zone and, rather than take the touchback, ran it back out.
Then he fumbled the ball.
A coach then chewed him out.
"What was the first thing you did wrong? What was the second? What was the third? Now you know. That's why we're out here. ... Now give me 25 up-downs."
To Marvray's credit, he did not hang his head low, and was eager to get back on the field, though he would add another fumble and a dropped pass.
Mike Harris is confident that he has earned the starting right tackle position, even though things did not begin to materialize for him until just a few days ago.
"I feel like it's my spot, and I'm going to do whatever it takes. Last year, I was a freshman, new at things, but I feel prepared for this upcoming season. I'm excited and ready to get this offense rolling again. I think it was my whole body of work; I was injured in spring ball, but I came ready in this summer camp. Every day I went hard, and the coaches saw that they can count on me."
Harris, who started five games last season, believes his familiarity gives him the edge over some of UCLA's younger players, though he is potentially unseating Jeff Baca, who started eight games last season.
"I think my experience is a big factor. I know what to expect, especially starting against USC last year. I know what it takes to be successful. It will take a lot of hard work and a lot of limiting mental errors."
On his thoughts after the scrimmage, which got off to a bad start with an Eddie Williams false start:
"It was kind of slow to start; we preached all day, all yesterday that we need to focus, make sure we know the snap count. We're going to need to change up the snap count during the year. The firstdrive, we false start. Right off the bat, we're first-and-15. We didn't get the start we wanted."
On scrambling, which he did often in the scrimmage:
"I don't feel like I'm a dual-threat quarterback I don't have that kind of speed. Not enough to be in the class of a Dennis Dixon. But if the play breaks down, I think I can make some positive yards. If that happens during the course of a game, I'm going to take off and run it."
On his no-nonsense running style:
"It's a goal to stay healthy, but I've never really worried about getting hurt. The moment you start slowing your play down, it's more dangerous. To be honest, I've never even slid in a game. I'll try to this year, but once you get in a game, you get that mentality that you can take on anybody."
Senior fullback Chane Moline had an impressive scrimmage, particularly on one red-zone play midway through.
Running with the first team, Milton Knox took a handoff up the middle behind Moline, who destroyed a scout team linebacker as Knox took it in for the touchdown.
Moline, oddly enough, returns with the most career carries of any UCLA back.
"It's definitely a good feeling when you get a good block, and then you see a teammate score," Moline said. "I wouldn't say it's been then yourself running a good play. But it's up there.
After announcing the starting offensive line earlier this week, it seems UCLA has changed things a bit.
As it stands, Mike Harris is scheduled to start at right tackle, Stanley Hasiak at left guard and Jeff Baca backing both up.
Or, at least, that's the plan going into the weekend's meetings.
Offensive line coach Bob Palcic said that he and Rick Neuheisel would review the scrimmage tape and start the two who played best.
"I'm going to make one final meeting with Coach Neuheisel to see which direction we're going," Palcic said. "Harris or Baca at tackle and Baca or Hasiak at left guard. We'll make the decision this weekend. We wanted to give them all an opportunity. That was the purpose of the scrimmage, and it's whoever played best in the scrimmage. I gave them all work with the ones, and whoever played best in the scrimmage will start next Saturday."
Palcic loves Baca's ability to play multiple positions, and he might even use Baca situationally.
"I think I have the luxury of moving a couple people around," Palcic said. "Baca can play both positions, and I even work with him in the center/QB exchange. I like my guys to have two positions, because that's what I'm used to in the NFL. "
The Wall Street Journal lists UCLA as one of its could-be surprises of 2009.
STATS
Passing
Kevin Prince------ 8-12--69 yards, one interception, no tds
Kevin Craft-------3-6--26 yards, no interceptions, one td
Richard Brehaut--2-4--37 yards, no interceptions, no tds
Nick Crissman-- 1-3--27 yards, no interceptions, no tds
Rushing (leaders)
Johnathan Franklin----5 carries for 32 yards
Milton Knox-------------6 carries for 7 yards, one td
Derrick Coleman------2 carries for 2 yards
Damien Thigpen-----5 carries for 33 yards and one td
Demetrius Papadakis--4 carries for 35 yards and one td
Craig Sheppard----5 carries for 12 yards
Receiving (leaders)
Taylor Embree---- 3 catches for 11 yards
Ryan Moya----2 catches for 19 yards
Morrell Presley - 2 catches for 36 yards and one td
Antwon Moutra - 2 catches for 37 yards
Jerry Rice - 1 catch for 27 yards
Scoring Plays
Presley 15-yard pass from Craft
Knox one-yard run
Thigpen 15-yard run
Papadakis 17-yard run
On his thoughts, post-scrimmage:
"It was a good scrimmage; when you get to play 60 plays and you're eight days away from a game, and you get to thud with tired legs, it is good. I saw what I needed to see. I think the guys realized we're not game-ready yet. I think that's a call to arms over the weekend while they get a little rest.
"I like where we are."
On what he wanted to see from the scrimmage:
"With so many young players, it's about how to go inside and come back out and be ready to play. Again, we started slow as an offense. We have to learn that you don't get a feel-out practice in games. Guys now have more of an understanding."
On the running the first-team offense against the second-team defense and vice versa:
"We tried to get some looks we may see. It was some portion of game planning. We didn't want our first defense not running their defense."
On Damien Thigpen and Morrell Presley impressing him the most:
"He's proved he's an exciting football player. We'll find ways to get him into the game plan. And Morrell Presley did some good things."
On Kevin Prince's performance:
"There were a couple balls I think he could've let go if. His anticipation skills I still thing can grow. But I thought he managed the game well. I was disappointed that he tried to force that screen and had that turnover."
As final scrimmages go, UCLA's final solo dance was efficient if not uneventful.
Heach coach Rick Neuheisel did not expect to gain much by way of immediate satisfaction, choosing to run the first-team defense against the second- and third-team defenses, and vice versa. Today was more about giving the respective first units the looks they would see against San Diego State, rather than providing a punishing workout.
The day did, however, end on a good note, as walk-on freshman running back Demetri Papadakis carried the ball three times on the final drive for 34 yards, including a 17-yard TD run in which he broke three tackles.
More to follow, with a lot of interviews. Stay tuned.
Thanks, Jimmy Olsen, err, JG
Rick Neuheisel decided to move today's scrimmage from the Rose Bowl back to UCLA's practice fields simply to avoid poor air-quality and heat.
At least the air is clean. Somewhat clean.
It is still hot and muggy, the dry desert heat of the last two days replaced by humidity. It should be a good test for the Bruins, are dressed in full game gear.
I will bring updates after the scrimmage, and if you want to pose a few questions for me to ask specific players, I'll try to do my best.
Thanks
JG
Here's what we know about Chris Joseph: He is much smarter than me.
He is also a much better athlete, much more composed, and all-around cooler.
This interview might not have been such a good idea. I'm downright depressed now.
Just one chat with the soon-to-depart Rhodes Scholar, and I wish I had the chance to cover him when he started for UCLA for three years (2005-2007).
In September, Joseph leaves for Oxford University in England to begin his masters in geography, focusing on biodiversity and conservation.
Meanwhile, I know the 50 state capitals.
"The interviews were in November of last year, so from the time when I found out I won until now, it's been almost a year," said Joseph, who attended UCLA's practice on Thursday along with Pat Cowan. "For a long time, it was kind of just hanging off in the distance. Now it's a reality. I have my passport and my visa. Working on getting my bank account over there. I'm ready to do it."
He understands that there will be an adjustment, even beyond the weather.
He is prepared.
"Lifestyle, culture, social conventions, everything is going to be a huge adjustment," Joseph said. "I'm going to be me, regardless of what happens. I'm going to adjust, tweak a few things to make sure I don't ruffle anybody's feathers. I don't want to be on anybody's watch list, become somebody's enemy."
That should not be an issue whatsoever.
Joseph is a composed man, a fantastic student - he carried a 3.95 GPA at UCLA - and he is eager to experience the world for the first time.
"I'm not much of an international at all. I've never really been anywhere, to tell you the truth," Joseph said. "I've been places, but never really seen them. I'm a West-Coast guy. But I'm open minded and I'm always in to trying new things. I'm excited and open for anything that can happen over there."
Meanwhile, on the home front, Joseph expects big things from his former teammates.
"They've got a lot of new guys, and I think it's definitely going to build on last year. At least they have the foundation set," Joseph said. "It's not new to anybody yet. They have a lot of new guys playing, a ton of new talent, and those seniors are going to be leaders. I have high hopes; I can't say they're going to the Rose Bowl, but I think they'll do well."
Labeled "inconsistent" by head coach Rick Neuheisel after UCLA's last scrimmage, Kevin Prince is not changing anything up heading into tomorrow's scrimmage.
"It's the same as always; control the huddle, make sure we're in and out," the redshirt freshman quarterback said. "Coach Chow's focus on this is game mechanics, making sure we're in and out of the huddle. Make sure we get the plays right and the formation set up. It's about not making any mental mistakes."
And it all starts with the playbook, Prince said.
"It's a lot to take in, especially for a quarterback because you kind of have to know what everyone is doing," Prince said. "It's a lot of studying. But it's not like I'm studying history or math. It's studying football, which I love to do."
On UCLA's depth compared to last season:
"It's huge; you never know how long you may play into a season or when you're last play may be. We have a group of talented people, so if one falls we have another one who can come in and do the same thing. In practice, all we do is compete with one another, and we're all getting better and better."
On the coaches giving different running backs the ball:
"Every day, our running backs are each getting five or six reps a day, and we have five or six running backs. The O-line, look how many we have. It's a good thing to do; everybody is prepared, and whenever somebody gets that opportunity, they'll be ready."
On what he hopes to see at Friday's scrimmage:
"It should be no different from practice. Our games, whatever we do this year should be no different from practice. We go into it like any other one. Have fun, show the coaches what we can do."
On tomorrow's scrimmage:
"We've spent some time on San Diego State, but we're playing against our own guys. We have to switch gears a little bit, transition into 'camp' football. Hopefully we'll be enthusiastic and sound, manage the game pretty well. It doesn't matter what you score; these guys know each other and are tired of hitting each other. We want a good clean scrimmage."
On preparing for early games against SDSU and Tennessee:
"The first two we play are tough because they're new coaches, new staffs. We end up looking at old film. We get to see one game of Tennessee and none of San Diego State. It's a crapshoot. But the first time is always a crapshoot."
On the team's depth this season:
"I think there's a huge difference; Rick did a great job with recruiting. We've got competition in spots on offense. They're young and enthusiastic, and they really want to do well."
On the new players making him feel young again:
(laughing) "Oh, come on. I always feel young."
On Thursday's practice:
"Obviously there is a lot to get in when you're getting ready for a game. Dress rehearsals and so forth. You've got all sorts of situations to cover, especially with such a young team. (Practice) took longer than maybe I wanted, especially in this heat. It'[s stuff you got to do, and I'm glad we got it done."
On how much of San Diego State's game plan is installed:
"Less than 50 percent. I don't think you put things in too early, it gets stale. But we'll be ready, and the kids will be excited and we'll execute it well."
On Randall Carroll and Ricky Marvray:
"They've been terrific. They've worked hard. This is a huge culture change, from high school to college. To mature as fast as we're asking them to do is not an easy thing to accomplish. They're buying in, they're asking the right questions, and there energy level is great."
Because of air-quality issues and the heat, UCLA moved tomorrow's scrimmage from the Rose Bowl back to the regular practice fields. I'll be there, updating as I can.
Thanks
JG
The players were indeed thankful for the reprieve from full gear, as it was sweltering. Rick Neuheisel had sympathy for his guys, particularly as practice went long by almost a half hour.
However, with the season opener only nine days away, UCLA understands it needs as much preparation as it can get.
I spoke with Norm Chow, Rick Neuheisel, Jeff Baca, Johnathan Franklin and a special guest. Stay tuned.
Thanks
JG
A scorching morning sun has UCLA's players thankful that they are only in shells today, shoulder pads and helmet. Looks like it will be a light practice, focused on preparation for Friday's closed scrimmage at the Rose Bowl.
As defensive tackle David Carter strolled onto the practice field, he shook his head and said, 'Woooo, it's hot."
Christian Ramirez is still in a walking boot but the limp is noticeably lighter today, and Chane Moline and Stanley Hasiak are back in pads for practice.
Foster Louis Bosworth Jr., the grandfather of Korey and Kyle Bosworth, passed away yesterday in Texas. The Bosworths will remain with the family for a few days, and are expected to return for practice on Sunday.
Both Bosworths said their grandfather was instrumental in their lives. All my condolences.
JG
Christian Ramirez was back in full gear at practice on Tuesday, but did not participate in any drills.
"The swelling has gone down," Ramirez said. "I'm just waiting for my ankle to tell me (when he's ready)."
Chane Moline was also in pads, but held out of practice, given a day of rest by the coaches.
Freshman wide receiver Randall Carroll has effectively earned his spot in the wide receiver rotation.
He is thankful for the potential playing time.
He is more thankful to be learning the position under Terrence Austin and Taylor Embree.
"As young guys, we're all hotheaded," Carroll said. "If something happens, we snap. The older guys show us how to hold our composure, how to work in pressure situations. Two-minute drills when you're tired, keep working. Don't talk to the defense; let them talk all day to us. They lead by example, and say, 'Stay quiet and just show by your play on the field.'"
Freshman offensive lineman Stanley Hasiak is nursing a sore shoulder after a stinger in practice on Monday. Hasiak was dressed out but did not participate in practice.
"I'm good, coaches and trainers just said it'd be better if I took a day off," Hasiak said. "I need to get my neck back right. I've been through (stringers), but the coaches just wanted to let me rest."
Rick Neuheisel knows a thing or two about the quarterback position.
He wants Kevin Prince to know a lot more than a thing or two.
"Kevin has done a great job, I just want him to be more urgent about learning what defenses do," Neuheisel said. "So that he's ahead of them, other than trying to catch up as the ball is snapped. You can't play that way. It's just him really studying it."
On the tempo of practice:
"Especially I thought the kids worked really hard given the heat. I'm not sure what the heat is on this turf right now, but it's warm. For the guys to work as hard as they did is encouraging. We will push forward and gear up toward Friday's scrimmage at the Rose Bowl and see if we can't put some nails in the depth chart at that point."
On having a tailback-by-committee situation:
I think tailback by himself is more the exception than anything else. It's just a hardposition to go out there and play every snap. Most teams have two, and a lot have three. We have a lot of guys who are capable of going in there and doing good things. It's like putting another pitcher in there; it's a changeup.
With things progressing toward UCLA's Sept. 5 matchup with San Diego State, Tuesday's practice was extremely focused on walkthroughs and assignments. There was little individual work and less emphasis on live scrimmaging.
At this point, the Bruins are in the midst of installing the Aztec offense into their defensive scheme and vice versa.
The depth chart is essentially set, and I'll try to have a preview up by Friday's scrimmage.
I caught up with Rick Neuheisel, Terrence Austin, Randall Carroll, Stanley Hasiak and Kevin Prince after practice. More to follow.
Thanks
JG
I finally got through to Vance Downs, the head coach at Ames High School, in Ames, Iowa. Downs, you may know, coaches Harrison Barnes, ESPN's top-ranked recruit for 2010.
Barnes, a 6-8 small forward, is graded at a 98 by ESPN, and would be a huge grab for UCLA, which is on his small list of final destinations.
First off, Downs is a great guy. Great, great guy. He was completely open to chatting and is handling the whole recruiting game really well it seems.
Continue reading A chat with Harrison Barnes' head coach.
ESPN Pac-10 reporter Ted Miller fielded questions during a long chat session, and here are the UCLA highlights. I'll link to the full chat at the bottom.
"Stephen (Knoxville)
Ted, a Tennessee fan here with two questions about UCLA. How well does UCLA match up agianst Tennessee this year, and can they handle the trip to Neyland better than the Vols trip to Pasadena?
Ted Miller (3:43 PM)
Sounds like the Vols have some issues at receiver and UCLA is good on defense, so I'm guessing it will be a fairly low scoring game...The Bruins will be starting a redshirt freshman quarterback in Neyland... yikes... I know more than a few Cal players admitted to me that they were blown away by the atmosphere... it will be interesting to see if UCLA reacts better..."
Continue reading From ESPN chat...
Sporting News talked to many of the Pac-10 Conference's power players and coaches, and here's what they had in mind:
Here is the Pac-10's UCLA preview:
"The Bruins will need increased offensive productivity in 2009, but return a strong defense"
Hey all,
A hot sun combined with fumes from the Azusa fire have created less-than-ideal practice conditions, but the Bruins are charging on. I'll be back after practice with the injury report and roundup, but here are links to my two UCLA stories today
Thanks for the reads,
JG
ESPN's Ted Miller wrote about USC's dominance in the Pac-10, and he went to Rick Neuheisel first.
I got this story sent to me by a reader, and it's pretty interesting.
Folks back in Virginia are still wowed by Damien Thigpen's blazing speed.
Secondary coach Carnell Lake had an illustrious career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens.
He was a five-time Pro Bowler.
A five-time All-Pro.
Five touchdowns, 25 sacks and 16 interceptions.
And still, he doubts that some of UCLA's current players know him.
So instead of pointing to Wikipedia, he tells them about his playing days.
"Some of these guys are so young, they might not even know about my career," Lake said, shaking his head. "They've just heard or read the media guide. What I try to do is bring my experiences to these guys. They'll be in a situation, and I'll know the outcome based on their technique or where they're lined up. I'll tip them off to certain things on things they may not readily see right away."
The battle for strong safety remains, but both Tony Dye and Glenn Love are taking a pragmatic approach to the situation.
Each understands that it is basically 1a and 1b.
Which one is 1a is still up for debate.
However, being the backup might not be so bad, too.
"It's almost like it'd be more of a motivation factor," Dye said "Nobody wants to sit the bench. Glenn doesn't want to sit the bench, I don't want to sit the bench. It's going to be a great battle the next couple years, there's no doubt in my mind. It's going to come down to who makes the least mistakes."
After another impressive practice performance by Jerry Johnson, Rick Neuheisel said he's at least worked his way into the rotation.
"Jerry Johnson has had a nice camp, he's been a much more efficient pass-catcher; he's made plays almost daily," Neuheisel said. "He just has to prove he knows what he's doing. We just had a bust there at the end where he forgot he was in the two-receiver slot. But I think he's working through the rotation."
On the coaches job during tough practices:
"You've got to keep pushing, you've got to keep on them. I want the coaching staff to understand that's what we're doing here. We will reap the benefits when we start to freshen them up, which will be our job over the weekend. I like where we are, I like how we're fighting, scratching and clawing. But we have to push through these tougher days as we go forward."
On Jeff Locke's availability if Kai Forbath went down:
"It's a nice insurance policy, but Kai Forbath is one of the best in the country. We would miss Kai."
On how UCLA is preparing for SDSU, particularly the Aztec coordinators' experience with UCLA:
"You're basically going on things of the past. It's a little bit of an educated guess. We've gone back that far, absolutely. They may wax nostalgic being back in the Rose Bowl."
Hey all,
Nothing too major at practice today; Rick Neuheisel got a little testy during a one-on-one wide receiver/defensive back drill. Christian Ramirez was at practice without crutches but still in a walking boot. Intensity picked up as the day went on.
I'll have stuff from Neuheisel, Tony Dye, Glenn Love and Carnell Lake on the way.
Thanks for reading,
JG
From the AP wire:
The Oakland Raiders brought back linebacker Napoleon Harris four years after trading him in a deal for Randy Moss and released cornerback Ricky Manning Jr.
The Raiders made the move Monday after losing linebacker Kirk Morrison to a dislocated elbow on Saturday. Morrison is expected to miss two weeks and the Raiders
needed more depth at middle linebacker.
Harris was a first-round pick by the Raiders in 2002 before being dealt to Minnesota in the
deal that brought Moss to Oakland in 2005. He spent two years with the Vikings before going to Kansas City in 2007. He went back to Minnesota last season and started five games for the Vikings.
OK, so this is just kind of creepy.
On a hunch, I decided to do a Google-News search on Reggie Miller, seeing if there was anything interesting to post.
Turns out, his birthday was yesterday.
So, Reggie, happy birthday.
Oh, and this:
Hey all,
Here's my story on the end of two-a-days and the beginning of San Diego State preparations. Got some fun quotes in there. That Reggie Carter can talk...
Two-a-days are officially wrapped up, and UCLA will enter pseudo-SDSU-prep mode starting tomorrow.
Rick Neuheisel said the Bruins will start installing a game plan over the next couple days, hold a Rose Bowl scrimmage on Friday and head into Sunday's practice fully ready to play.
The last afternoon session of fall camp was a heated battle between the offense and defense, with players jawing, some pushing and overall high energy. When any defense made a sack - first-team through fourth-stringers - Brian Price screamed, "SACK! SACK!!! SACK!" Exclamation points might not do them justice.
Neuheisel is happy for UCLA's late school start, which gives his players extra time to absorb the game plan.
"The question is, what will we do with the rest of the way? UCLA's not in school yet, and we have to take advantage of that opportunity. We need to make sure these young players are getting all these tutoring sessions that are available to them. We have a lot of time to still nail down the concepts."
With two-a-days over, here's a brief rundown on how many of the injured stand. Some on crutches.
Micah Kia, torn ACL, out for season
Nick Ekbatani, sprained knee ligament, 4-6 weeks
Keenan Graham, broken jaw (suffered in scrimmage), no timetable
Christian Ramirez, high ankle sprain (scrimmage), no timetable
Morrell Presley, sore quad, should return soon
Kai Forbath, sore leg, back tomorrow
Some good, some bad.
GoVolsExtra.com has some interesting words on UCLA's visit to Tennessee in Week 2. Interesting if you're Kevin Prince. More interesting if you're Kevin Craft.
Pardon the awful pun, but here's what Jeff Baca had to say about...
On his new role as teacher/student:
"It's not like I know exactly what's going on - I've only had one season and that was eight games. It's not that it's brand new, but I learn stuff every day. I'm basically relearning with these young guys so I can teach them again. I want to be more of a teacher this year than a student."
On offensive line leadership:
"Kai and I are the only ones who have college-game experience, and we are, I guess, looked up to. We've been there already, we know what it's like. We're hopefully the two leaders in the O-line this year."
On faith:
"We have a lot of faith in each other and in ourselves, too. We give ourselves credit; we've been through a lot together with this camp."
On five fingers:
"If all five guys are doing their jobs, it's a fist. You don't know how this team can be until we start playing some games. Nobody can put a number on their season. Everybody can be optimistic and excited, but how can you put a number on something that hasn't happened yet."
On high school two-a-days and the end of UCLA's session:
"Being an offensive lineman I don't like to run. I personally like college two-a-days a lot better. I like this, I really do. You get to play football. We're lucky and we don't have class right now. We're just playing football, two times a day. What more can you ask for"
Neuheisel on the post-practice skirmish between Stanley Hasiak and Reggie Carter:
"We have a bunch of guys who are willing to stand up. Now it's just, stand up at the appropriate times. I'm enthused by the fight in our team, now it just has to be harnessed."
On preparing for a new head coach in San Diego State's Brady Hoke:
"You just try to harness as much info from the backgrounds of the particular coaches. And you guess. You guess. The hard part about that for us is you've got so many new players that you feel like you might be giving them too much. Stuff that they might not need to know because it might not happen. It's a quandary. It's tough."
You wonder, what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Then you wonder, what came first, the good quarterback or the good offensive line?
Who pushes whom to greatness?
Or, in other words, can Kevin Prince become the quarterback UCLA needs him to be with two freshmen protecting his weak side?
Bob Palcic has his answer, and a few more...
On the whole offense:
"Everybody's in this together. Kevin can make the line look good by getting the ball off on time. The receivers can help the line by running the routes at the proper depth. The running backs can help by blocking the proper linebackers. It isn't just the line. Everybody has to work together on this side. Its 11 guys all doing their jobs that will create success.
On the youthful offensive line:
"I like these young kids. They're going to continue to get better on a daily basis. Obviously, they are very inexperienced but they're learning every day and giving me a good effort."
On starting a freshman offensive lineman in the season opener for the first time:
"I've never started a freshman in the opener for me . I had a freshman start for me at Ohio State about the fifth game into the season. Even Jonathan Ogden didn't start here as a freshman his first game. We're in new territory here. That's what it is.
Hey folks,
Just finished up my print story so the next couple hours will be devoted to you guys. A lively practice concluded with a little skirmish between Reggie Carter and Stanley Hasiak, but it quickly dissipated.
I chatted with Rick Neuheisel, Bob Palcic, Logan Paulsen, Jeff Baca and Carter.
Stay tuned, and thanks.
The mother of Ames, Iowa, basketball star Harrison Barnes says he has narrowed his list of potential college choices to six schools.
Shirley Barnes says her son, considered by many the top basketball player in the Class of 2010, is considering North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Iowa State.
She says Barnes will make an official visit to North Carolina on the first weekend of
September and to Duke the weekend of Oct. 23.
Barnes' visits to Kansas, Oklahoma and UCLA are still being arranged. Barnes, a senior at Ames High, won't make an official visit to Iowa State since he lives just a mile from
campus.
Shirley Barnes also says she doesn't believe her son will make a decision before the early
signing period ends in November.
Eddie Williams on the offensive optimism:
"We know as a unit we can move the ball. Even our coaches say that they see it in everyone. Everyone is more confident in their blocking, not shying away. We're going to move the ball."
Datone Jones on his expectations:
"I'm not trying to break even. I'm not trying to be average. Every day is a grind for me. If I mess up on a drill, I want to restart the drill. I'm not trying go break even this season. I know Brian Price and Reggie Carter and all the others have public spotlights. I'm trying to do the same thing."
One 60-yard run in one scrimmage does not a season make.
Johnathan Franklin knows that.
He also knows that a four-yard gain can open just as many eyes as a 100-yard touchdown, and he actually puts more stock in the short gains. Anything but backpedalling.
"Any positive yards are good yards," Franklin said. "Our coach says we're in the yard-making business. Any yard is a good yard. And any opportunity I have, I'm taking advantage of it. If it's on the practice field, game field, whatever. I never know how many opportunities I'm gonna have. I'm never going to know when I might get hurt, God-forbid."
With Christian Ramirez nursing a high-ankle sprain, after hamstring issues hampered him the previous week, UCLA's other running backs are having a ball having the ball.
Especially Franklin.
"Now I have people coming after me," Franklin said. "I need to work hard, keep doing what I've been doing. Everything has to go 10 times harder. I'm pretty comfortable right now. This is what I came here for. This is what I'm working for. But hopefully this is just the beginning."
On Christian Ramirez's injury:
"Ankles are iffy things, especially when they get into that definition of high ankle. Those things take a little longer to heal."
On Saturday's scrimmage:
"As is always the case when you watch a game tape, it's never quite as good as you thought it was and it's not as bad. Kevin Prince, I went home thinking inconsistent and a long way to go, and I watched the tape and it wasn't nearly that case. I saw a lot of good things. He was unfortunate a couple times, a couple balls he wished he could have back."
On Damien Thigpen's chances of playing this season, rather than redshirting:
"I'm leaning toward using him. He's an impact player. (We'll use him) any way we can use him."
After Saturday's up-and-down performance on special teams, I figured I should catch up with Coach Gansz.
A brief recap: With Kai Forbath nursing a sore kicking leg, Jeff Locke stepped in and was excellent. Locke locked up (sorry, had to) the punting duties with several nice boots, including a coffin-corner kick that bounced out at the 1-yard line. Locke also added field goals of 53, 35 and 23 yards, and Gansz said he will help contribute on kickoffs, as well.
With two long touchdown returns - one by freshman Damien Thigpen and another by redshirt sophomore Courtney Viney - Gansz was excited by the possibility of added depth in the return game behind Terrence Austin.
On what he liked on Saturday:
"We were working against a look squad, but I was excited that our return game did big things. We expect it; we're faster, we've got guys who know what they're doing, we're much more detailed with our work. We're going to have those plays. We expect them."
On the decision to redshirt Thigpen or use him:
"That won't be my decision, that'll be a staff decision, but he's an explosive athlete. We saw that when we recruited him. It didn't surprise me. We see it on the practice field all the time. He's explosive and instinctive and very impressive."
On Austin's role in the return game:
"Terrence is the guy right now. But you're going to need to have, as it bears out with most teams, a lot of depth. This gives us that. Terrence is definitely our guy, but obviously when you have a lot of guys who can run, it gives you some options to do different things with those guys."
On Locke's performance and the possibility of more playing time for the redshirt freshman:
"You need to have Plan B guys. He gives you that. He gives you another guy who can get it done if you need him. Jeff's a talented guy. We feel good about him. That's when you become good, when you start to have multiple guys who can step in and get it done."
Running back Christian Ramirez was at practice on crutches and wearing a walking boot. Ramirez said he has not had X-rays and does not know if he will. Johnathan Franklin ran with the first time and performed well.
Kyle and Korey Bosworth missed practice because of a family matter.
UCLA confirmed its starters on the offensive line as follows...
Left Tackle: Freshman Xavier Su'a-Filo
Left Guard: Freshman Stanley Hasiak
Center: Sophomore Kai Maiava
Right Guard: Junior Eddie Williams
Right Tackle: Sophomore Jeff Baca
Your analysis is welcomed, and I will do my best to provide answers...
Thanks
JG
Hey everyone,
The first session of UCLA's last two-a-days just wrapped up, and it was a lively affair. Under a brutal sun, the Bruins seemed to sprint to every ball. Kevin Prince was sharp in 7-on-7 drills, failing to connect on just a couple passes. Individual drills were completed with a flourish, with several reserves stepping into starting spots and upping their games.
Spoke with a few guys, so I'll hit you with their takes over the next couple of hours.
Thanks for reading,
Take care,
JG
Check this out, folks...
Gerald Jones out, possible for UCLA game
Could mean big things in what should be a close game.
Some quick thoughts and a couple good quotes after yesterday's scrimmage...
*UCLA fans might feel like it is 2008 all over again, but Rick Neuheisel is planting a pretty good base with all these freshmen. You have to give credit to a guy for going the long way and sticking with his instincts, developing freshmen instead of settling for JC transfers.
*If just one of UCLA's front seven can explode onto the national scene, the Bruins defense will be great. As it stands, the unit is very good. Just one more guy.
*"I was a little disappointed because I thought we would come out a little more ready to play," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "I think our kids are tired after two weeks, and I think we have to get them back and play with a little more enthusiasm."
*The UCLA running game could come down to different backs at different times, with Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman taking more snaps on first- and second-downs, and Christian Ramirez - and his fantastic catching and blocking abilities - as a true option on seconds-and-long and third-downs.
*"This is day 15, and they've been out here for a long time," head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "They're heavy-legged and want to go, but it's hard to make it go. I don't think anybody was out there lackadaisical. They're disappointed it didn't go as well they wanted, and that's a good feeling. Now we have to come back with some hunger and fix it."
*Among the recruits at the scrimmage -
* Also in attendance were Hayed Pullard, Kenny Corona and Sebastian Tretola
Kevin Prince on study partner Ricky Marvray:
"Ricky Marvray has been making plays all camp long. He's just a real persistent guy; he came and studied ion my room last night for an hour. He'll ask question after question after question until I don't even want to talk to him anymore. He'll call me at midnight, ask me questions that can totally wait til morning, but he wants those answers. His desire to be the best is something that's going to get him some playing time."
Brian Price on the defensive playmaking ability:
"I bank on myself making plays; if I make plays, the whole defense will make plays. But we're all counting on each other to make plays. All camp we've been talking about everybody stepping up. It's not about one guy, but 11 guys working together as a unit."
On the offensive improvement from 2008 to 2009:
"I can tell a difference. I've been blocked a lot of times. In game time, everybody has to flip a switch, but I can tell a difference."
Kyle Bosworth on what he saw from the offense:
"I definitely saw good things; I saw the running game improve - we definitely have some guys in the backfield. We have some weapons. But also, on special teams, Thigpen was so fast, man. That's going to be our X-factor right there. I definitely saw some things that were missing last year.
On finding defensive playmakers beyond Brian Price, Reggie Carter and Alterraun Verner:
"Defense is 11 guys, and having a couple good guys who can make those big plays are crucial, but I think we have a really solid defensive front. The whole 11, really."
On the defense's progress against a young offense:
"You really can't gauge - these are your guys, and for two weeks in camp you've gone against them. You want to do really well against them, and we have, but I can't say we have better talent or worse talent than other teams. These aren't the guys we're gonna play at USC or Oregon."
Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bullough on his impressions:
"The ones played well, the twos is the concern. I saw some holes, and I have to find out from film, was it a linebacker or a d-lineman? Who was out of their spot? These were simple coverages that they know. We have to find out from film what's going on with those twos. But our ones were good."
Bullough on finding more playmakers on defense:
"You don't just want one - the more you can get, the better chance you have. They're all good competitors, and they are all coached very hard by their position coaches. They're doing a good job to not get complacent, to keep going and going and going. We expect all those guys to be playmakers. I expect nothing less."
Kick Return
Grade: A+**** (To the fourth power)
High Marks: Bruin fans, welcome Damien Thigpen. Facing poor coverage, Thigpen was brilliant, sprinting to a 70-yard punt return touchdown and a 61-yard kickoff return. Courtney Viney, meanwhile, added a 94-yard punt return touchdown.
Low Marks: ........Nothing.
Kickers
Grade: B+/A-
High Marks: Kai Forbath sat out and, surprisingly, his absence was not truly felt until two missed PATs. Filling in, Jeff Locke was fantastic, hitting field goals of 53, 35 and 23 yards, respectively.
Low Marks: Two missed PATs. Ouch.
Defensive Backs
Grade: A-
High Marks: UCLA's starting wide receivers barely had any room to breathe, and the offense struggled both short and deep.
Low Marks: Freshman cornerback Andrew Abbott was flagged for pass interference twice and the defensive backs had a tough time taking down some of UCLA's bigger targets, such as Joseph Fauria and Nate Chandler.
Linebackers
Grade: A-
High Marks: Like the defensive line, there simply is not much to discuss regarding the linebacker corps. They will be tested against good running games throughout the schedule, but there is much talent.
Low Marks: Again, the second unit had its struggles. One injury to the spectacular starters, and UCLA will need to scramble.
Defensive Line
Grade: A
High Marks: Let's make this simple. The UCLA defensive line will be very, very, very good. Brian Price is more than a man among boys. He's a grandfather among infants. Datone Jones was very impressive, as did David Carter.
Low Marks: The defensive second unit had its fair share of struggles, particularly on run defense, and defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said he spotted several weaknesses.
Wide Receivers / Tight Ends
Grade: B (Tight ends, A+++)
High Marks: Though victims to some overthrows, the wide receiver corps did a fine job getting off the line of scrimmage and challenging a very tough defense. In a scrimmage situation, it's very difficult to distinguish star from scrub, particularly at wideout, but the first unit is full of talent. Ricky Marvray earned playing time with a great block on Joseph Fauria's 60-yard touchdown catch. At tight end, UCLA simply has an overabundance of skill.
.
Low Marks: Randall Carroll dropped an easy pass and looked down-trodden afterward, although several Bruins rushed to reassure him. The grade would have been higher, but no UCLA player had more than three catches, and Fauria had the only big play.
Running Backs
Grade: B-
High Marks: After Christian Ramirez was pulled early to protect his hamstrings, Johnathan Franklin took the reins and ran with them. Franklin had a stunning 60-yard touchdown run en route to a six-carry, 99-yard performance. Milton Knox displayed his bouncability - I'm coining that, by the way - and impressed the coaches.
.
Low Marks: Derrick Coleman had a rough day behind the starting offensive line and grew frustrated. It seems that Norm Chow only seems comfortable using Ramirez as a receiving threat, as Prince rarely looked into the flats with his other running backs.
Quarterbacks
Grade: C-
High Marks: Kevin Prince was effective in spurts and seems to have learned to check down to lower options. He was impressive in the flats, though he did not challenge the first-string defense deep very often. Nick Crissman had a beautiful pass to tight end Joseph Fauria - who broke a tackle and received an incredible block from freshman wide receiver Ricky Marvray on his way to a 60-yard touchdown.
Low Marks: Prince was inconsistent, with a handful of overthrows and two atrocious throws. One, off his backfoot facing pressure, was intercepted. The other, a near-pick in the back of the end zone. Prince finished the afternoon just 9-for-19 for 77 yards and an inteception.
Offensive Line
Grade: C+
High Marks: Really, what is anyone going to do against Brian Price? The guy is a beast. Here's the thing: Xavier Su'a-Filo and Stanley Hasiak may turn into beasts, too. Perhaps D-Coordinator Chuck Bullough said it best.
"Those young offensive lineman are going to be really good - obviously, they're freshman, and there's going to be growing pains. But they're athletically gifted - it's not like our defense is not going against talented tackles."
.
Low Marks: Early in the scrimmage, the defensive line was simply dominant. For every five-yard gain, there was a one-yard gain. Not good enough.
After an inconsistent scrimmage, only one thing is painfully obvious: There are going to be fun times and sad times, and they might come one after another. For every breakaway run, there was a tackle-for-loss. There were great individual performances and disappointments.
There were shocking surprises - HEEEEELLLLLLLOOOO DAMIEN THIGPEN! - and there were met expectations - HEEEEELLLLLLLOOOO Brian Price.
Over the next hour or so, I'll break down the performances by unit, with no delineation between first-, second- and third-strings.
Stay tuned...
Hey guys, this is Jon checking in from UCLA's fall scrimmage. It is a beautiful, cloudless day here at Drake Stadium and the Bruins look sharp in warm-ups. I will be providing a detailed report card after the scrimmage, so please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks for reading!
Jon
The evening practice ended a little early to give players a chance to rest their weary legs. Players weren't in full pads, either.
Kevin Prince (sore arm) threw one or two passes and then was done for the day. Neuheisel said he expects him to be fine for tomorrow.
Jonathan Franklin and Milton Knox scored on long, back-to-back touchdowns in practice. Knox then chest-bumped about four players and then running backs coach Wayne Moses. Defensive end Korey Bosworth (hip flexor) sat out practices Thursday and today and won't play in tomorrow's scrimmage. Jerzy Siewierski and all the other guys I mentioned this morning still aren't scheduled to play, either.
Neuheisel said he'll try to get in 80-90 offensivey plays and special teams stuff.
Linebacker Luke Zelon of Santa Monica High is here for this afternoon's practice.
Here's some tidbits for tomorrow's scrimmage. Also, Monday's two-a-days practices are the last ones that are open to the public. Tuesday's practice and beyond are closed to the public.
This is from UCLA:
The Bruin football team will be holding its annual Fall Scrimmage at Drake Stadium at 5:00 pm on Saturday afternoon.
Here is the url to read all the information about the event -http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/09-footbl-fall-scrimmage.html
Please keep in mind that the track is in the process of being resurfaced and no one is allowed to come out of the stands and walk on the track.
Following the scrimmage, fans are asked to leave Drake Stadium through the gates on the upper concouse and proceed to the north side of Pauley Pavilion. Members of the Bruin football teams will meet fans outside of Pauley for the autograph and photograph session of the scrimmage.
Reggie Carter was signing autographs after the morning practice for kids who were participating in a sports broadcasters camp at UCLA. One kid asked Reggie: ``How are you going to stop USC's offense?'' Carter said: ``That's the last game of the season, and you want to talk about that?''
And the kid responded: ``Yeah. They're going to be No. 1.''
Carter responded that he was just thinking about San Diego State right now.
If Jonathan Franklin and Milton Knox can prove they're adept at blocking, they'll undoubtedly earn more playing time.
``They're improving, but it's still a work in progress,'' Rick Neuheisel said. ``Until you do it without coaches standing right behind you and against a bag ... with things that are actually going to move. We've got to make sure.''
The battle in the backfield is heating up. All four of the running backs in line for playing time (Christian Ramirez, Jonathan Franklin, Derrick Coleman and Milton Knox) have done well in camp, but Ramirez has been hampered by that hamstring.
The injury hasn't hurt Ramirez, but at the same time it's given the other three guys more time and carries to impress coaches. Here's what Rick Neuheisel expects from Ramirez in the scrimmage:
``(Ramirez) has got to play tomorrow, and he's got to play significant,'' Neuheisel said. ``Significant for me is we've got four backs. If we get somewhere between 80-90 plays, I hope he can get somewhere around 10 plays.''
Asked if not getting as much work in has hurt him, Neuheisel said no....but....
``It hasn't hurt him but we can't sit here and put a blind eye to the way the other kids are running,'' Neuheisel said. ``I think he's eager to get going, and hopefully, we'll get christian rolling tomorrow night.''
The question mark with Franklin and Knox is blocking.
Here's what Rick Neuheisel had to say on what he shut down Kevin Prince in this morning's practice:
``Kevin Prince has a little bit of a sore arm, so I told him to shut it down. He wanted to keep going but I told him to shut it down. That's to be expected on Day 13 of camp and you're throwing as much as he's been throwing you're arm gets a little dead. We've got to monitor that and keep him on a pitch count. I don't know about this afternoon, I might limit this afternoon as well.''
The Bruins are banged up for sure. Kevin Prince didn't participate in the last part of the scrimmage because his right arm was sore. It sounds like Rick Neuheisel will rest him this afternoon in hopes he'll be fine for tomorrow's scrimmage. Don't expect to see Kai Forbath kicking. He was given the day off a couple of days ago because of a sore kicking leg, but he's still experiencing problems with his quadriceps muscle, so he won't kick tomorrow. Jeff Locke will handle the kicking duties. Neuheisel was disappointed - for the first time he said - with the attention span and mental focus of players. Also, Neuheisel said dt Jerzy Siewierski (back) won't play in the scrimmage for precautionary measures.
Will have more updates soon.
Here's my notebook on Kia's injury. Sorry to rub it in...
http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_13174238
See you at the scrimmage tomorrow, folks.
Good morning, folks.
Outside linebacker Will Smith of Notre Dame of Riverside was here. I'm hearing UCLA really likes him but hasn't offered him a scholarship yet.
Also here today are linebacker Jake Duncan of Notre Dame of Riverside and tight end Joe Don Duncan of El Camino Junior College.
Thoughts from Thursday's practice:
1) A spirited goal-line session was interrupted by players running onto the field after consecutive touchdowns to start the drill. UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel was not pleased, as he shouted to the sideline, "Cut it out!"
Take one: If I'm a head coach, I love the enthusiasm, somewhat misguided as it was. Good for Neuheisel for maintaining order, but good for the players for making him need to.
2) Quarterback Kevin Prince struggled at times, but still managed to outshine his backups. Prince grew frustrated with himself after a string of overthrows, but calmed himself down and delivered crisp passes in his next series.
Take two: Better overthrows than bad reads. Better throw-aways than interceptions. Better August frustration than October frustration.
3) Lost in the excitement of Brian Price and Reggie Carter and Alterraun Verner are Kyle and Korey Bosworth. The twins seem to be overlooked by the media and prognosticators, but if practice was any indication, that should end soon.
Take three: If UCLA's defense will be as good as advertised, it will not be because of the award-list candidates, but those under the radar.
Quote of the Day, on Micah Kia's injury:
"Tough times don't last, but tough people do. I expect him to be helpful with Bob in terms of helping young players as sort of a student-coach. Both Kyle Bosworth and Logan Paulsen had similar circumstances a year ago, and here they are excited about this. It seems like a million miles away, but is actually right around the corner."
On what he hopes to see on Saturday:
"The same thing every coach in the country hopes for - great adherence to the fundamentals you've been teaching and then no injuries. Maybe not in that order."
On the commitment to the running game this season:
"I've noticed the attitude in it - there's no question the attitude's been there - but consistency still needs to be progressed. We're not there yet. But coaches and players alike are committed to the idea that we're going to do that. We just have got to continue pounding the meat, as Rocky would say."
During a particularly uncrisp portion of practice, a bright light shone through the clouds.
Atoning for a fumble earlier in the day in individual drills, tailback Derrick Coleman took a handoff and sprinted past everyone into daylight, leaving five defenders in his wake.
On a day without many highlight-reel plays, this one stood out.
Milton Knox also had a nifty run, as it appeared Christian Ramirez was still given a little time off to rest his hamstring.
Micah Kia on his initial thoughts from the knee injury:
"I didn't know what happened. I've never had knee problems in the past. The initial shock wasn't extremely painful with the adrenaline running. But what happened happened."
On the frustration of the injury, and on the bright side:
"It's just frustrating - as a unit we've been working really hard. I was looking forward to playing this year. No tears, but it has sunk in. The fact I still have my redshirt and can still come back gives me confidence."
AUGUST 22nd TIMELINE
UCLA Store Open: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Drake Stadium Gates Open: 4:00pm
Scrimmage Begins: 5:00pm, Drake Stadium
Scrimmage Ends: 7:00pm
And here are some promotions:
MEET THE BRUINS
Following the scrimmage, fans will have an opportunity to Meet The Bruins. That event will be held on the north outside concourse of Pauley Pavilion, not on the Drake Stadium field.
FREE 2009 FOOTBALL TEAM POSTER
The first 2,500 fans will receive a free 2009 UCLA Football team poster. Posters will be distributed inside the main gate.
UCLA TICKETS ON SALE
2009 Football season tickets will be on sale at the Fall Scrimmage.
The first ten (10) fans who purchase a pair of new season tickets at the Fall Scrimmage will receive a complimentary Adidas prize pack (valued at $100).
WIN A $1,000 ADIDAS SHOPPING SPREE!
All fans may visit the BearWear section of the UCLA Store in the Ackerman Union between Aug. 22-Aug. 28 and enter-to-win a $1,000 Adidas shopping spree.
TICKET GIFT WITH ADIDAS PURCHASE
Fans who by $100+ official UCLA/Adidas merchandise (Aug. 22-28) at the UCLA Store, UCLA Store Tent at the Fall Scrimmage or online will receive two complimentary general admission tickets to the 2009 UCLA Football vs. California game on October 17th at the Rose Bowl (while supplies last).
The update on senior offensive lineman Micah Kia is in, and it is not good.
Kia suffered a torn right anterior cruciate ligament, and will require surgery. A UCLA spokesman said he was unsure if Kia was out for the season - though it is likely. Kia still has a redshirt season available.
I will try to catch up with him after practice.
While watching UCLA running backs go through a ball-protection drill - Moses attempted to punch the ball from their hands and the backs had to run then through a shoot - I noticed how many of the bigger tailbacks and fullbacks had to work harder just to maintain a lower center of gravity.
Made me think of big Christian Ramirez, all 6-foot-2, 220 pounds of him, and whether his size might be a detriment.
A quick glance at UCLA's top-5 career rushers made me wonder if Ramirez is a bit too big:
Gaston Green - 5-10, 189
Freeman McNeil - 5-11 216
Karim Abdul Jabbar - 5-10 194
Wendell Tyler - 5-10, 198
Skip Hicks - 6-0, 230
But No. 6 is Theotis Brown.
6-foot-2, 225-pound Theotis Brown...
A brief run of offensive plays had UCLA coaches fuming early during the scrimmage portion of practice.
First, four defenders chased quarterback Kevin Prince for a loss.
Second, Prince overthrew a pass.
Then, a Johnathan Franklin fumble.
Once more, Another Prince overthrow and finally a Richard Brehaut pass that landed 12 feet from anyone in either white or blue jerseys.
Finally, Brehaut righted the ship with a nice pass to tight end Logan Paulsen, eliciting cheers all over the field.
Hey all,
This is Jon, back from Hawaii, tanned (sort of), rested (very) and ready. Once again, I appreciate the comments and emails, and I'll work hard to keep earning them.
I'm keeping an eye out on the offensive line today, working on a feature about the group for Sunday, and I'll chime in with updates when I can.
Thanks
Jon
Carnell Lake has his work cut out for him working with young cornerbacks, but he went to the film room in the spring to find out how he could help pre-season All-American Aterraun Verner improve.
``I looked at film and one area I felt I could help was with what NFL scouts are looking for,'' Lake said. ``One of the question marks was that he would get tired toward the end of the game and his technique got worse as the game went along. It wasn't where it should've been at the beginning of games. From spring until now, he's made vast improvements. It doesn't take much with him.''
Receiver Ricky Marvray seems to catch Rick Neuheisel's attention on a daily basis by making plays, but Marvray is still struggling with learning the playbook.
``I come from a high school (Centennial of Corona) that was very simple,'' Marvray said. ``I only had to know 10 plays. I'm going from that and one formation to 16 formations with 80 variations of plays. I'm coming around but it's just tough right now ... The hardest part is getting the playbook. It's been a challenge. I'm slowly progressing forward. The playbook is kind of getting me.''
Marvray has been studying with Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut. He should be in the mix for playing time at receiver.
``I think I can help the team a lot, I just hope I get a chance,'' Marvray said. ``Once I get this playbook, there's no telling what I can do. ''
Who knows, but it's a valid question now that there are reports Memphis will be stripped of its 2008 Final Four appearance and all 38 of its victories. UCLA lost to Memphis 78-63 in the semifinals ot the 2008 Final Four. Memphis went on to lose to Kansas in the title game.
UPDATE: The NCAA will probably ``vacate'' these games for Memphis as if they were never played, not forfeit them. Vacating games changes the record of the penalized team as if the games were never played. The wins and losses of the penalized team are dropped from their overall record. For the opposing teams, theirs records do not change at all. So it appears UCLA's record will remain unchanged.
Freshmen receiver Ricky Marvray and Randall Carroll have been impressive in camp. Terrence Austin is surprised at how quickly they've caught on.
``Those guys are doing real well,'' Austin said. ``They're catching on a lot faster than I thought they would. It adds depth and adds more style to the receiving corps since we have someone else that can stretch the field.''
Obviously, the injury to Micah Kia was the big news of the day. Other than that, Kevin Prince had a decent day, but Richard Brehaut and Kevin Craft definitely didn't. Brehaut heard about it from Norm Chow during practice, too. UCLA's three field goals at the end of practice were all taken by Jeff Locke, and he made two of three. Kicker Kai Forbath was given the day to rest his leg. Morrell Presley made a nice touchdown catch with a defender draped on him. Ricky Marvray had some nice catches as well, and Rick Neuheisel noticed that he seems to make a big play every practice. Also, Kai Maiava ended his practice a little early to rest his sore left shoulder, which he was icing. Rick Neuheisel didn't deem it to be anything serious and laughed about having the luxury of backup centers to use for the first time at UCLA. Neuheisel will put in goal-line plays for tomorrow's practice.
Another day, another injury. Micah Kia was injured on a play during the scrimmage at the end of practice, a play in which Kevin Craft threw an interception. Kia injured his right knee and had to be assisted to the training shed by two people, then was driven off the field on a golf cart. It didn't look good. He's scheduled to have an MRI either tonight or tomorrow morning. He was competing with Stanley Hasiak for the starting left guard position. If Kia is out for a prolonged time, that means there will be no seniors on the offensive line. Senior Nick Ekbatani went down with a knee injury and is out 4-6 weeks.
Stanley Hasiak and Xavier Su'a-Filo are still running with the first-team offensive line.
There really isn't a depth chart for the defensive line after the first-string unit because the Bruins are trying out so many guys at different spots. As you know, the starting ends are Datone Jones and Korey Bosworth and the tackles are Brian Price and Jerzy Siewierski. David Carter and Damien Holmes look to provide key depth at tackle and end. Reggie Stokes and Jess Ward were supposed to be backups at the other end and tackle spots, but they're both injured. Keenan Graham and Iuta Tepa are getting looks at defensive end, and Justin Mann should get in on some plays, too. Andy Keane is battling for tackle time, too.
The question is debatable since running back Damien Thigpen had the fastest 40 time in 4.28 seconds, and sprinter Randall Carroll was close at 4.31. Carroll won the state 100 and 200-meter titles the last two years and owns a 10.3 in the 100. They have fun with the debate.
``Yeah, we do,'' Carroll said. ``At the end, he kind of leaned on his. I think I should've done that, and maybe we would've been closer. We're still both fast, and we're still on the same team. That's the best part.''
Carroll believes he'd get the better of Thigpen on the track.
``He'd explode out on me, but I'd come in the end and get him,'' he said. ``I'm stronger than him in a whole 100-meter race. Plus, he runs the hurdles. We don't run the same events.''
Richard Brehaut runs the second-team offense, but he's not officially been named UCLA's backup quarterback. A decision could come early next week.
``I think we'll wait until after Saturday to see what happens then to see if we need to make a decision after that,'' Rick Neuheisel said. ``The idea after Saturday is to spend a couple more days maybe finalizing decisions, and Wednesday we go into full preparation for San Diego State.''
UCLA has four more practices (including two on Friday) until Saturday's scrimmage at Drake Stadium. Here's what Rick Neuheisel hopes to see from Kevin Prince:
``Managing a game,'' he said. ``When he got out there in the Rose Bowl, he got out to a rough start. I want him to get used to being out there with lights, fans. I want him to execute. Not force them. I hope we can get off to a good start. Regardless, he's going to have freshmanitis. That's part of the deal. You have to live with that.''
Christian Ramirez (hamstring) did more than he thought he would in this morning's practice, and had a few carries in the scrimmage format. He also did all of the drill work with the running backs. Rick Neuheisel figures he'll get more work in the afternoon, where UCLA will do some live scrimmaging. Neuheisel wasn't pleased with the enthusiasm level. He wanted players to have the same enthusiasm in practice as they will during games at the Rose Bowl. Tony Dye doesn't have a concussion. Gavin Ketchum (hamstring) didn't practice this morning. Randall Carroll continues to impress at receivers and caught several deep passes from Kevin Prince. The quarterbacks had a decent morning, unlike their interception-prone Monday morning practice. Neuheisel is no closer to settling on a backup quarterback but will use Saturday's scrimmage at Drake Stadium to help make the decision. Reggie Stokes said this morning he's actually unsure if he will have surgery. He's waiting to talk to doctors to make a decision.
Here's the notebook I wrote today about Christian Ramirez and his pesky hamstring. Also, here's a story on former Bruin Chris Horton.
Ramirez was expected to return to practice today. Players are stretching for the morning session of two-a-days. I'll have a Ramirez update as soon as possible.
Rodney Van was here today, and punter Aaron Perez was here at practice yesterday.
Here's what Rick Neuheisel figures will happen when coaches watch film of Tuesday's short-yardage and third-down work:
``We'll look at the tape, and there will be coaches with their hair on fire tonight saying what needs to be better. We've got to keep doing some live action as we get closer to Saturday so we can give these guys a chance to do their best stuff. We're in good shape, getting a lot of situational stuff done.''
If you've been to practice and wondered who the fifth quarterback is, it's walkonTed Landers, a Serra High of Gardena product. He joined the team on Friday and part of his decision to walk on at UCLA was for Norm Chow. He already knows Bruins history, too.
``Coach Neuheisel was a walkon,'' Landers said. ``It's a great opportunity. I know my ability. I know I can play with pretty much anybody. I've just got to come out and prove myself and learn as much as I can.''
Rick Neuheisel had the team running sprints and various punishment drills at the end of practice because some players were late to practices and meetings. Tailback Christian Ramirez (hamstring) didn't participate in scrimmaging again today during practice, but he said he'll be back tomorrow. The quarterbacks weren't interception-prone Tuesday. Neuheisel wasn't pleased with UCLA's short-yardage and third-down work. Defensive back Tony Dye made a nice play to keep Chane Moline from making a first-down catch, but he got up and was a little woozy. He did not participate in the end-of-practice sprints. Reggie Stokes will have surgery to repair the torn cartilege in his right knee and is scheduled to be back midway through the season. David Carter was helping Sean Sheller, who just moved from the o-line to the defensive line, with technique after practice.
Also, receiver Gavin Ketchum had a little tightness in his hamstring, but Neuheisel figured he'd be fine to return tomorrow.
Alterraun Verner and Brian Price have been named to the pre-season Bronko Nagurski watch list. The Nagurski Trophy is awarded to the nation's best defensive player.
Shaq Richardson, a cornerback out of Los Alamitos, and wide receiver Paul Richardson of Serra are here at practice today.
As per a request, here's the practice schedule for the rest of this week. The scrimmage at Drake Stadium is Saturday.
today -3:00-5:15 p.m.
Wednesday, August 19 - 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 20 - 3:00-5:15 p.m.
Friday, August 21 - 9:00-11:00 a.m. and 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 22 - 5:00 p.m. (Scrimmage at Drake Stadium)
The UCLA men's basketball team will be part of ESPN's College GameDay.
The GameDay show will visit Seattle when the Bruins ar there on Feb. 20 for the game at Washington.
Senior linebackers Reggie Carter and Kyle Bosworth and senior defensive end Korey Bosworth have been added to the Lombard Award watch list, along with Brian Price, who was named to the list in March. Here's the release:
Continue reading More Bruins on Lombardi Award watch list.
Randall Carroll looked fine Monday after dealing with a groin issue, something the sprinter/receiver has dealt with before.
``It happens like once a year, either during track season or football season,'' Carroll said. ``It picks and choose when it wants to come out. I thought it was a strength problem, and I tried to work on strengthening all the muscles around it. I really don't know what the problem was.''
Kevin Prince is taking this UCLA starting quarterback thing seriously. Norm Chow likes what he did on the field yesterday afternoon and in the classroom.
``We moved the ball pretty good,'' Norm Chow said. ``I think Kevin came in and had a real good day. He's really getting it. He's a very diligent guy. He works hard. We have meetings at night. If we call off a meeting, he'll get treatment and go back by himself to watch the tape.''
Here is the notebook I wrote for today's paperon how the quarterbacks were interception-happy in the morning but cleaned things up in the afternoon and were effective in the red zone.
Former UCLA offensive coordinator Tom Cable, and current Oakland Raiders head coach, allegedly punched an assistant coach earlier this month,according to a report.
Rick Neuheisel is normally the eternal optimist but not on Monday. Usually, the defense has gotten the better of the offense in practice, but the offense had a solid afternoon Monday in the red zone. Asked to comment on the productive offense, Neuheisel said: ``or my red zone defense was a little sluggish.''
Connor Bradford and Sean Sheller have been moved from the offensive line to the defensive line to provide depth in light of the injuries to Jess Ward and Reggie Stokes.
Russell Westbrook was at football practice today and threw the football around afterward. Rick Neuheisel yelled over to him, inquiring to see if he had a couple of years of eligibility.
UCLA's offense was very efficient in the red zone this afternoon, which was completely different than this morning's interception-prone session. Rick Neuheisel said the quarterbacks were focusing solely on their first read this morning and not going through their progressions. Ricky Marvray, Ryan Moya, Randall Carroll and Terrence Austin all had nice touchdown catches in red-zone drills. Kevin Prince made a nice play-action pass to Chane Moline down the sideline. The defense wasn't all bad this afternoon as Rahim Moore had an interception in which he tipped the ball back to himself. As usual, I'll have more throughout the evening.
Also, Jeff Miller is out with a strained calf muscle.
As was feared, Reggie Stokes' MRI showed torn cartilage in his right knee so he's out indefinitely. No course of treatment has been decided yet. Jess Ward's MR showed a sprain of the MCL, and he's expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Offensive lineman Nick Ekbatani's MRI of his left knee showed a sprained MCL, as expected, and he'll be out an estimated 4-6 weeks.
Jayson Allmond is just a freshman, but he already has a nickname, ``Butters''.
Let Allmond explain.
``Coach (Mike) Linn gave it to me. Basically, I'm a hammer, but the handle is not strong enough yet.''
In other words, the hand is like butter and slips off the hammer, because the handle is not strong enough.
Linn is the team's head athletic performance coach.
Allmond said he's always been focused in the weight room, even in high school. The Bruins haven't maxed out in the weight room yet this season, so I got a few numbers from when he left Bloomington High in Fontana.
He benched 365 pounds, power cleaned 270 and squatted 455.
Alterraun Verner popped up after getting creamed by tight end Nate Chandler in practice yestserday. He felt no ill effects on Monday, either, and picked off Kevin Prince twice and had a deflection that Rahim Moore turned into an interception. Verner let him know they were cool since some Bruins coaches and teammates let Chandler have it. UCLA needs the pre-season All-America cornerback. Verner wasn't upset.
``He's pushing 300. That's a lot of weight,'' Verner said. ``I kinda said a little something to him. I said hey, `it's football.' I was OK. If I was hurt it probably would've been a little different story. He apologized to me. I know he wasn't trying to hurt me, hurt me. He was trying to hep his team, the offense. You can't fault him.''
Alterraun Verner had a big morning practice with two interceptions and a deflection. It's not easy to get interceptions games, especially for Verner since opposing teams hardly ever throw his way. Verner has eight career INTs.
``It was definitely fun,'' Verner said. ``You can be in games sometimes where you don't get the ball thrown at you because it's mostly a running affair. It's good for us to get to at least practice it so when we do get it, it will be a little more natural. It'll be easier, I guess you could say.''
Thought it would be interesting to get Randall Carroll's take on Usain Bolt's world-record setting 100 meters (9.59 seconds) last night. Carroll won the 100 and 200-meter sprint titles in California the past two years.
That was incredible. I watched it after practice,'' Carroll said. ``I was amazed. It looked like it was even a good race for him, like he could've run faster than that. I thought it was a bad race for him. He broke the record, but I still think he can go faster than that.''
Nick Ekbatani, Reggie Stokes and Jess Ward (all knee injuries) actually had their MRIs last night, so we should have the results after this evening's practice. Ekbatani was optimistic his knee injury was just a sprain, because he said it's feeling stable. Randall Carroll (hamstring) returned to practice today. Carroll said he's feeling a lot better and that it was better to shut things down for a bit because participating in limited practice wasn't helping the groin issue.
Trevor Theriot (sore knee, swelling) and Logan Paulsen took limited reps in the morning as did Christian Ramirez. Paulsen and Ramirez both have tight hamstrings.
Dalton Hilliard shed the red jersey in practice today.
Kevin Prince threw several interceptions in practice.
``He's fine,'' Rick Neuheisel said. ``But he's got to make sure he throws it to our team. We have to keep harping on no turnovers.''
The defensive backs had a big day. Alterraun Verner had two interceptions and one deflection that I saw, and Rahim Moore had two interceptions. All of Verner's interceptions came off Prince.
Regarding freshman fullback Jason Allmond's possibility of not redshirting, Neuheisel said: ``We have to see. He's got to know what he's doing.''
Morning, folks. Here's your pre-practice update. Reggie Stokes (right knee) is here on crutches. Steve Sloan (concussion) is not practicing. Nick Ekbatani (left knee) and Jess Ward (right knee) are not here and presumably having MRIs.
Some final thoughts on UCLA's workout Sunday. The Bruins are scheduled to practice twice Monday, the first workout from 9 to 11 a.m. at Spaulding Field:
Offensive play of the day: Although redshirt freshman tailback Johnathan Franklin had the longest gain in any live drill with his 40-yard run, it was freshman receiver Ricky Marvray that came through with several impressive catches, the most signifcant a diving reception in the end zone in between two converging defenders on an underthrown 20-yard pass by Kevin Prince during 7-on-7 red zone drills. Marvray also added a leaping 25-yard reception over the middle and in coverage on a pass by Richard Brehaut and hauled in a 15-yard pass by Kevin Craft along the sideline.
Defensive play of the day: Reggie Carter and Akeem Ayers aren't just limited to stopping the run, as both linebackers are showing they can cover UCLA receivers with consistency as well. Although Ayers came away with interceptions on consecutive passes by Kevin Craft during 7-on-7 drills, Carter's deflection of Prince's attempt during red zone drills that prevented Gavin Ketchum from catching a touchdown pass was another example as to why the fifth-year senior should be considered an All-America candidate.
Special teams play of the day: Most of the focus Sunday was on punt coverage, with few live situations as a result. But after a rare drop Saturday that cost him 50 pushups, senior Terrence Austin demonstrated why he was UCLA's leader in all-purpose yards last year, catching every kick that came his direction, including weaving his way through potential tacklers for a gain of 20 yards on his first return.
Unsung hero of the day: Not many throws are coming in the direction of redshirt freshman defensive back Aaron Hester, but when they do, the Dominguez of Compton graduate is either knocking the ball away or quickly wrapping up the receiver. Hester is quietly establishing himself as a force in the secondary with senior Alterraun Verner, sophomores Tony Dye and Rahim Moore, and freshman Stan McKay.
Quote of the day: "When you have Terrence Austin and Randall Carroll, the California state champion (at 100 and 200 meters), how could you not want to throw the ball deep?" freshman receiver Ricky Marvray, who is also establishing himself as a deep threat in UCLA's offense, which is looking to stretch the field more this season.
Johnathan Franklin took the handoff from Kevin Prince, cut to the left and bounced outside.
And seemingly in unison, coach Rick Neuheisel, offensive coordinator Norm Chow and offensive line coach Bob Palcic let out an enthusiastic scream.
For one of the few times since UCLA donned full pads and participated in contact drills, a running back got the ball and saw daylight in front of him.
Franklin ran for nearly 40 yards before being pushed out of bounds, the longest gain in any 11-on-11 drill during the day.
Otherwise, all of the Bruins' biggest offensive gains in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 competition came through the air, as Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut overcame some early erratic play to connect with freshman Ricky Marvray for three passes of 15 yards or more -- including a diving catch in between defenders in the end zone on a 20-yard pass by Prince -- and screen passes to fullbacks Chane Moline and Jayson Allmond that resulted in gains of more than 20 yards.
Got a look at freshman quarterback Ted Landers, a 6-foot-5, 186-pound walk-on from Serra of Gardena, for the first time during Sunday's practice. His presence gives UCLA five quarterbacks in its practice rotation, along with starter Kevin Prince and reserves Richard Brehaut, Kevin Craft and Nick Crissman.
Landers, who hadn't practiced in previous days in order for all of his paperwork to be certified with the NCAA Clearinghouse, took eight snaps during 11-on-11 competition.
Landers completed 3 of 4 passes during 11-on-11 competition, including a 15-yarder on his first attempt to freshman Ricky Marvray and a 20-yard connection with Antwon Moutra on his last throw.
Although Craft has the edge in experience, none of the quarterbacks have distinguished themselves in the quest to be Prince's understudy. Although he was competing against the third-string defense, Landers threw the ball with confidence and hit his receivers in stride.
In order for UCLA's offense to turn the corner, it will require the Bruins to not turn the ball over 2.4 times per game like they did last season.
Although it was only a 7-on-7 drill Sunday, coach Rick Neuheisel wasn't pleased with a three-play sequence that saw redshirt sophomore linebacker Akeem Ayers intercept consecutive passes by Kevin Craft and Alterraun Verner nearly pick off a Kevin Prince attempt that was intended for Taylor Embree.
Reggie Carter nearly intercepted another Prince pass intended for Gavin Ketchum at the goal line and a couple of mishandled snaps from under center resulted in fumbles.
"We're still turning the ball over too much," Neuheisel said. "We played that game last year and it was no fun. We just can't afford to turn the ball over."
UCLA threw 21 interceptions last season and lost eight fumbles, resulting in a minus-10 turnover margin. They had at least one turnover in 11 of 12 games, including four miscues on five occasions. The only time the Bruins didn't commit a turnover was in a 28-3 victory over Washington State.
With Nick Ekbatani (left knee) and Jess Ward (right knee) already on the sidelines with MCL injuries, redshirt junior defensive end Reginald Stokes was carted off Spaulding Field on Sunday with a swollen right knee after sustaining contact during the first 11-on-11 drill of the day.
Stokes didn't return to practice, creating even more depth issues along UCLA's defensive line.
"(Trainers) said his knee swelled up pretty badly," coach Rick Neuheisel said. "It's too bad because he's had a nice camp and he's been a good player for us. But he's a tough guy. He's been knocked down and come back before."
Also missing most of Sunday's practice, although not for injury-related reasons, was redshirt freshman defensive tackle Justin Mann.
Early in practice, Mann had to be attended to by team trainers, then campus paramedics and eventually L.A. Fire Department paramedics, who treated him for heat exhaustion and a low blood sugar level.
Mann, who had his blood pressure taken and was administered oxygen on site before being taken off the field by paramedics for more extensive tests, returned near the conclusion of practice walking around on his own power wearing a T-shirt and shorts.
Nothing like a downfield block during a run-and-catch along the sideline to get the competitive juices of the defense flowing and Rick Neuheisel's blood pressure boiling.
But that was the scenario during 11-on-11 competition Sunday, when Kevin Prince threw a short screen pass to senior fullback Chane Moline, who rumbled 21 yards along the right sideline. Just as senior defensive back Alterraun Verner was about to push Moline out of bounds, he was leveled by redshirt sophomore tight end Nate Chandler.
It was easily the hit of the day. But it caused some words to be exchanged between Chandler and other defensive players, who considered the contact to be perhaps a cheapshot and unnecessary given the context of the drill.
Senior linebacker Reggie Carter was prepared to deliver a jarring hit to any offensive player that got in his way, given the opportunity, on the next play, but cooler heads prevailed.
Verner popped up and jogged back to the huddle, but the same couldn't be said for Chandler, who was quickly replaced on offense, with Neuheisel and several assistants yelling at him, "That's our guy."
With UCLA devoting some time to live, full-contact 11-on-11 drills Sunday, coach Rick Neuheisel brought an officiating crew in to call penalties with the team's fall scrimmage less than a week away.
The opportunity to follow live competition was also beneficial for the officiating crew, all except for one sideline official, who was run over when Johnathan Franklin broke off a long run along the left sideline before being pushed out of bounds.
I guess no matter how many times an official sees a football player running straight at him, it still doesn't make it any easier to get out of the way.
The majority of the penalties called against UCLA were for false starts and illegal shifts, with certain calls occasionally drawing the ire of offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who was in regular-season form when it came to sharing his disapproval with the officials.
After one big play was negated because of an illegal shift, Neuheisel said, "Linemen get set. This is the first time you've heard me say it, which means I'm mad."
Although it's a little delayed, in response to Saturday's inquiry about which offensive linemen are playing with the first- and second-string units, this was the breakdown during Sunday's practice:
First string: Xavier Su'a-Filo, Stanley Hasiak, Kai Maiava, Eddie Williams, Jeff Baca.
Second string: Micah Kia, Darius Savage, Ryan Taylor, Brandon Bennett, Mike Harris
Third string: Nik Abele, Sean Sheller, Jake Dean, Ryan Taylor, Brett Downey
Nick Ekbatani remained sidelined with an MCL injury in his left knee.
Had a few moments to flip through the pages of Sports Illustrated's recent College Football Preview issue and this is how the Pac-10 breaks down in the ranking of the major college football teams from No. 1 to No. 120, along with their predicted overall and conference records.
No. 4 USC (11-1, 8-1)
No. 11 Oregon (9-3, 7-2)
No. 18 Oregon State (9-3, 6-3)
No. 21 Cal (9-3, 6-3)
No. 50 UCLA (7-5, 5-4)
No. 58 Arizona State (6-6, 5-4)
No. 62 Stanford (6-6, 3-6)
No. 70 Arizona (5-7, 3-6)
No. 85 Washington (3-9, 2-7)
No. 105 Washington State (2-10, 0-9)
As far as UCLA's nonconference opponents, San Diego State is No. 108, Tennessee is No. 38 and Kansas State is No. 69.
If you subscribe to the predictions in Sports Illustrated's recent College Football Preview issue, then UCLA will be playing Dec. 26 at AT & T Park in San Francisco in the Emerald Bowl against Miami (Fla.).
Nice to see that Sports Illustrated at least has the Bruins, ranked 50th out of 120 major college football teams, playing in a bowl game come December following last year's 4-8 campaign.
Although UCLA's memories of December games against Miami (Fla.) aren't the fondest ones (see Dec. 5, 1998: Miami (Fla.) 49, UCLA 45).
UCLA's only appearance in the Emerald Bowl, which has been in existence for seven years, was in 2006 against another Florida-based school, resulting in a 44-27 loss to Florida State.
Miami (Fla.) took on Cal in last year's Emerald Bowl -- which matches teams from the Pac-10 and ACC -- and lost 24-17.
Some final thoughts on UCLA's two-a-day workouts Saturday. The Bruins are scheduled to practice from 3 to 5 on Sunday at Spaulding Field:
Offensive play of the day: During 7-on-7 drills in the afternoon practice, Kevin Prince hit Logan Paulsen for a 15-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone where the fifth-year tight end made a leaping grab and managed to get one foot down before going out of bounds. No real highlights to report in 11-on-11 scrimmages, as the defense got the better of the offense more times than not.
Defensive play of the day: The best hit undoubtedly went to freshman Stan McKay on a run by tailback Johnathan Franklin, in which the defensive back leveled the redshirt freshman for a loss in the backfield. The top defensive effort went to sophomore Datone Jones, who was a handful for whoever he lined up against. The defensive end from Compton forced Kevin Prince out of the pocket, deflected passes and stuffed the run, and still had time to push around 490-pound tires after practice for extra reps on driving back offensive linemen.
Special teams play of the day: Blocked field goals by Kyle Bosworth and Brian Price bookended afternoon practice, forcing coach Rick Neuheisel to look closer at UCLA's protection of All-America kicking candidate Kai Forbath.
Unsung hero of the day: Although most of his reps were with the third string offense, freshman tailback Damien Thigpen ran well in both practices, demonstrating the ability to hit the hole hard and explode past the line of scrimmage.
Quote of the day: "(Offensive line) you've got to give him a chance to throw the ball," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel after watching Kevin Prince get flushed out of the pocket on three consecutive plays during an afternoon scrimmage, forcing him to throw on the run or keep the ball himself.
Akeem Ayers went from practically shaking hands with quarterback Kevin Prince on one play in Saturday afternoon's practice to running stride for stride for 20 yards with Logan Paulsen on the next play, before knocking away the ball from the fifth-year senior tight end.
Ayers, a redshirt sophomore linebacker from Verbum Dei, was one of the defensive standouts Saturday for the Bruins, showing the kind of versatility that could have him gaining the same type of respect as All-America candidate Reggie Carter and veteran Kyle Bosworth when the season begins in three weeks.
The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Ayers demonstrated the ability to stuff the run, rush the quarterback, cover tight ends and receivers, and deliver punishing hits throughout both two-hour practice sessions Saturday.
If he can keep up this pace, an already phyiscal defense will become that much more formidable.
"It's kind of different once you get in the trenches," Ayers said. "Right now, it's not full go because we're trying to keep everybody healthy. But once we do, the linebackers get to hit people and tackle on every play."
With so many veteran players around him, Ayers can thrive in a supporting role, taking advantage of the blocking schemes opponents will use against Carter, fellow All-America candidate Brian Price and veteran tackle Jerzy Siewierski up the middle.
"It's always going to help having Brian and Jerzy at defensive tackle and Reggie
at linebacker supporting you because they're all great players," Ayers said. "We want to dominate every time. We want to be a dominant defense that flies to the ball. That's the trademark of our defense is going hard to the ball. After (Friday) we realized it wasn't enough. We weren't working hard enough, so we really got after it (Saturday)."
Rick Neuheisel has made an emphasis in practice to say that UCLA will be able to run the ball or "die trying."
During live scrimmage drills in the afternoon, the front seven of UCLA's defense had the Bruins' running backs on life supports.
Of the 17 carries Christian Ramirez, Johnathan Franklin, Milton Knox and Derrick Coleman combined for against the first- or second-team defense in 11-on-11 competition, eight went for no gain or negative yardage.
Knox had a 10-yard run that could've gone longer had the play been carried out and Ramirez produced a 6-yard gain in the last offensive series.
Still, senior receiver Terrence Austin remains positive about the direction of the offense under redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince.
"Honestly, I think it's looking pretty good," Austin said. "We're doing a lot better than we were last year. We're coming together. Last year, we were always guessing what's happening next. But this year, this group has had a lot more repetitions together."
As for Neuheisel, he remains optimistic, the Bruins will improve on a rushing attack that ranked 116th in the country last year.
"We just have to keep slugging away. It's like Rocky pounding on that meat in the locker room, we just have to keep at it," Neuheisel said. "I like the progress. The defense is still ahead of the offense, but it doesn't look like it's so one-sided (like it's been in the past). We still have to get our assignment blocks down and keep them from slashing gaps, so we can get better protection."
How important is it for freshman tight end Morrell Presley to be part of the Bruins' offensive gameplan in three weeks against San Diego State?
Important enough for coach Rick Neuheisel to hang around following afternoon practice and workout with the Carson graduate for an extra 15 minutes on catching the ball.
While several other UCLA receivers took extra reps catching passes out of the ball machine, Neuheisel stood 10 yards away from the 6-foot-4, 219-pound Presley and fired pass after pass, forcing the tight end to catch them with one hand as the other was placed behind his back.
Presley demonstrated the ability to be a deep threat during morning practice, nearly hauling in a 40-yard pass from Kevin Prince with a diving effort in the end zone. In the afternoon scrimmages, Presley saw equal reps as fifth-year senior Logan Paulsen and sophomore Cory Harkey, but only caught passes during 7-on-7 drills and none in 11-on-11 competition.
As if matters weren't delicate enough along the UCLA offensive line trying to incorporate two freshmen into the rotation against a motivated defensive unit, but the Bruins could be without one of their few veteran linemen for a while after fifth-year senior guard Nick Ekbatani went down midway through afternoon practice with an MCL injury in his left knee.
Ekbatani is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday.
"He's going to be down for a bit," coach Rick Neuheisel said. "You hate to have an injury on the O-line, but unfortunately that's part of the deal. Somebody's going to have to step up (in his absence), which is always the case."
Defensive lineman Jess Ward also missed practice with an MCL injury in his right knee, which was heavily bandaged and secured with a brace. Freshman defensive back Andrew Abbott was held out for precautionary reasons with a concussion.
For the second straight day of workouts with full pads, freshmen Xavier Su'a-Filo and Stanley Hasiak worked out with the first-team offensive line.
UCLA concluded afternoon practice with a pair of 1-minute drills on a shortened field, one resulting in Brian Price blocking a field goal attempt by Kai Forbath and the other capped by a successful 36-yard kick by the junior.
The first-team offense moved 32 yards in seven plays -- aided by a pass interference call by coach Rick Neuheisel -- against the first-team defense. Kevin Prince was 2 of 4 on the drive, with a 7-yard reception by Terrence Austin marking the longest gain.
The second-team offense adopted more of the quick-strike mentality, with Kevin Craft connecting with freshman Ricky Marvray -- who hadn't caught a pass the entire afternoon -- for 30 yards, setting up two short runs to put Forbath in position for the kick.
With Terrence Austin, Alterraun Verner and Taylor Embree shagging punt returns during afternoon practice, Austin suffered a rare bobble of the ball, which hit the ground, before he quickly recovered and attempted to gain positive yardage.
The recovery didn't matter to special teams coach Frank Gansz Jr., who promptly told Austin to drop and give him 50 pushups.
Austin took the request in stride, as coach Rick Neuheisel -- located 10 yards behind the senior receiver/return specialist -- encouraged the spectators at Spaulding Field to count off the pushups one by one.
"(Before coach Gansz spoke) I already knew it was coming," Austin said. "Coach just wants to make sure that doesn't happen again. We can't afford to do that at all in the game. That was a rare mistake, but it's not a panic thing at all. That type of thing may happen from time to time (in practice) but you just have to let the last play go, get back in the huddle and make up for it on the next play."
After dropping his first pass attempt in live scrimmage drills, Austin responded later by catching passes of 10 and 7 yards from Kevin Prince.
Early in UCLA's afternoon practice as the Bruins prepared to participate in special teams drills, coach Rick Neuheisel told his players, "There are three things in life you can count on: Death, Taxes and Forbath."
Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks graduate Kai Forbath has certainly earned the vote of confidence from Neuheisel after making 19 of 22 field-goal attempts last year, including his final 13.
After receiving third-team All-America honors by the Associated Press last season, Forbath is on the preseason watch list for the Groza Award and was recently selected by Ivan Maisel to the ESPN.com preseason All-America team, along with senior defensive back Alterraun Verner.
Forbath, a junior, was also selected as the preseason All-America placekicker by Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel and Mark Beech in their recent College Football Preview issue.
So, with all eyes on Forbath as he lined up for field-goal practice, Neuheisel said, "Come on Forbath, don't make me look bad."
After two successful kicks, Forbath had a 42-yard attempt blocked by Kyle Bosworth and returned by Rahim Moore for a touchdown.
Later in practice, with UCLA running a hurry-up offense to simulate a 2-minute drill, Forbath had a 51-yard attempt blocked by Brian Price. He finally connected on a 36-yarder to end practice.
"We have to look at the protection," Neuheisel said. "Kai is usually pretty good about putting it through the uprights, but the ball has got to get airborne first."
I stole some time away from the beach in Hawaii to chat quickly with Oaks Christian running back Malcolm Jones.
Jones, you remember, is Scout.com's No. 3 running back in the class of 2010, a power back with fantastic numbers (141 carries for 1,600 yards and 26 touchdowns while playing mostly only first halves) and a great work ethic.
Recently, Jones narrowed his list of potential colleges to Stanford and UCLA.
Here's what Malcolm had to say:
Are UCLA and Stanford just at the top of your list, or is it just them two?
"I'm pretty much set on one of those two teams," Jones said. "Both of them offer a really good education and both are teams who are on the rise and going to be good in the next couple years. I kind of want to be with a team that is still building up and needs exposure."
Jim Harbaugh and Rick Neuheisel have similar backgrounds - college stars, pro quarterbacks, young coaches. Who would you rather play for?
"Either coach I'd love to play for," Jones said. "They're both young, exciting coaches who have a lot of enthusiasm. But right now, it's the position coaches who are calling me the most."
Why have UCLA and Stanford jumped to the top of the list?
"That's the thing; those two schools said they needed me," Jones said. "The other schools said they want me. These guys need me. That's what separates them. The coaches and I both know I can make an early impact on both of those schools."
How soon can we expect a decision?
"I'm hoping to make a decision in the next couple months," Jones said. "September at least, maybe this month. Right now, its 50/50. Both schools are really good, and it's really hard to decide. I don't know if either school can do anything to push me forward. Right now, it's a mental thing for me."
So far, I've seen ESPN Pacific-10 Conference blogger Ted Miller and the staff at Scout.com and College Football News comprise their lists of the top 30 players (regardless of position) in the conference.
Although USC free safety Taylor Mays is the consensus No. 1 player on both lists, it's interesting to see the difference in opinion when it comes to Bruin standouts Brian Price, Alterraun Verner and Reggie Carter, all on the Bednarik preseason watch list.
On the College Football News/Scout.com list, Price is No. 3, Verner is No. 9 and Carter is No. 13.
ESPN's Miller has Price at No. 6, Verner at No. 15 and Carter at No. 20.
To read the complete lists: see the CFN/Scout.com rankings here and the ESPN rankings here
Although the Bruins' defense got the best of the offensive line unit of Jeff Baca, Stanley Hasiak, Kai Maiava, Xavier Su'a-Filo and Eddie Williams during the Saturday morning practice, coach Rick Neuheisel said he's happy with the progress of his new-look line.
"We're ahead of where we were last year," Neuheisel said. "They're holding the point at the line of scrimmage, which is what we want to see."
One reporter asked if the Bruins were "considerably" ahead of where they were at this point last summer, to which Neuheisel responded, "Considerably with a small 'c'. Let's just say I'm pleased. I had hoped (freshmen Hasiak and Su'a-Filo would develop this way)."
Whether the offensive line will continue to take steps forward in the afternoon practice remains to be seen.
Brian Price said following Friday's practice that the first-team defense, especially the front seven, might have lost the battle against the offensive line in the first day of full pads.
But the junior defensive tackle promised they'd be back with a vengeance Saturday morning in the first installment of two-a-day workouts, and the All-America candidate remained true to his word.
Price, Jerzy Siewierski, Datone Jones, Korey Bosworth, Reggie Carter, Akeem Ayers and the rest of the defense made things tough on a developing offensive line, collapsing the pocket on quarterback Kevin Prince or forcing the redshirt freshman to throw on the run on several occasions.
And most of the passes Prince completed were screens to running backs or short underneath routes to receivers Taylor Embree, Terrence Austin and Gavin Ketchum.
In the last two 10-minute offensive series in the controlled scrimmage, Aaron Ware and Sean Westgate intercepted tipped passes and Brandon Sermons recovered a fumble.
And regardless of whether it was Christian Ramirez or Johnathan Franklin there wasn't much room for the tailbacks to run against the first-string unit.
"If you let teams run on you, you can't win," said Carter, a fifth-year senior linebacker who is on the preseason watch list for the Lott Trophy. "It's disrespect as a man if someone lines up in front of you and runs all over you. We have to stop the run first."
Despite the lack of offensive consistency in comparison to Friday, coach Rick Neuheisel said he needs the defensive unit to continue to keep the pressure on the offense in order for the Bruins to continue improvement in preparation for the season opener in three weeks against San Diego State at the Rose Bowl.
"it's all part of the ebs and flows of the offense and defense," Neuheisel said. "The defense has dominated around here for a long time, but in order for us to develop offensive consistency we can't have the defense start taking days off to give the offense a false confidence."
Kevin Craft, sidelined in recent days with a sore throat and fever, was back in the quarterback rotation Saturday, getting a few extra reps over Richard Brehaut and Nick Crissman behind starter Kevin Prince.
In the final offensive series of practice, Craft connected with Jerry Johnson on a beautiful 25-yard fade route along the right sideline. He also hooked up with Ricky Marvray on consecutive completions, although Marvray fumbled the first catch, which was recovered by Brandon Sermons.
Craft went right back to Marvray on the next play, capping the controlled scrimmage with a 10-yard pass near the right sideline.
"(Kevin) knows what he's doing," Neuheisel said. "It's just a matter him doing it consistently well."
A day after donning full pads for the first time, UCLA was out at practice at 9 a.m. Saturday for its first installment of two-a-day practices. And there was no Rush Propst sighting at Spaulding Field (for those who watched the MTV Series "Two-A-Days" you'll understand the reference).
But there was plenty of intensity from coach Rick Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow, especially around the 90-minute mark, when Neuheisel challenged his offense, which was struggling to move the ball with any consistency, regardless of which quarterback was under center.
"We're mentally weak right now," Neuheisel said. "We're getting tired. We need to get focused."
Maybe it had something to do with the punishment they were receiving from the first-team defense, especially defensive tackles Brian Price and Jerzy Siewierski, as well as linebackers Reggie Carter and Akeem Ayers, who regularly collapsed the pocket and hit running backs at the line of scrimmage against a young and developing offensive line.
"We started out good, but then it kind of waned a lot," Neuheisel said. "We need to stay consistent. We need to be able to maintain a consistent tempo and we keep preaching that. It's not totally unexpected with the change in the schedule, but we'll get where we need to be.
"It's part of the drudgery of those dog days, those two-a-days," Neuheisel added. "But those (athletes) who are going to be great players find a way to do it. Marathoners are going to run and bikers bike, it's all part of the preparation. We can't go through the motions. (Right now) they've got to be meaningful and serviceable reps."
UCLA has provided information on fan travel to road games this year. Here it is:
Continue reading Traveling with the Bruins.
Here's the story I wrote in today's paper on the pair of freshman offensive linemen who could both start for UCLA this season.
Housekeeping note...I, like Jon Gold, have a wedding to attend this weekend. Reporter Erik Boal is scheduled to take you through the weekend. I'll be back at practice on Monday. Thanks for reading! I appreciate everyone debating topics in a civilized manner. Have a great weekend.
Alterraun Verner and Kai Forbath are on ESPN.com's All-America pre-season first team. Here's the release:
Continue reading Verner, Forbath on ESPN pre-season All-America team.
There were plenty of fans in the stands for today's practice, which was the first in full pads. Rick Neuheisel was pleased with the enthusiasm of practice - which was definitely evident on the offensive side of the ball, particularly the line - except for the special teams play at the end.
Kevin Craft was sick with a fever, but he watched practice. Nelson Rosario was resting an ankle injury. Randall Carroll didn't practice because of a groin issue. Neuheisel said earlier it was a hip flexor, but it's actually a groin injury, just in case you thought there were two injuries. There are not. Also, Neuheise might hold Carroll out of practice tomorrow, too.
Ryan Moya didn't practice, but he is hoping to be ready tomorrow, Neuheisel said.
Stan McKay didn't practice either for fear of an infection in a dislocated finger.
Xavier Su'a-Filo and Stan Hasiak both ran with the first-string offensive line today. Asked if those starting jobs are theirs to lose, Norm Chow said: ``ask me next week.'' Rick Neuheisel said it's a good time to get them ample reps with the first unit and see how they do, but it's plausible the Bruins will have two true freshmen protecting Kevin Prince's blindside this season.
Ryan Moya is suited up today, so the swelling in his left knee must have subsided. First day of full pads. Tomorrow starts two-a-days.
Have you seen this story? Budget-strapped New Mexico State is looking for people to donate meals for the football team after practices and games because the athletic department cut that food out of the budget. Here's the story.
In looking for a backup quarterback, Rick Neuheisel is seeking consistency. He hasn't found that yet.
Regarding Nick Crissman, he said:
``He's certainly got some skills, that's why he's a scholarship athlete here. He's still way too inconsistent.''
On Crissman's right shoulder, which he had surgery on last year:
``It's coming along,'' Neuheisel said. ``(It) looks like he's still not sure it's all there. That will come. His confidence will come. He's a good kid. He and all the other quarterbacks need to stay with their reads and trust what we're trying to get done. And become consistent.''
Here's a notebook on Brian Price, who is taking practice seriously.
And here's a comment from Price I couldn't fit in the story.
``There's always somebody else working harder and somebody better than you,'' Price said. ``My goal is to get better every day. I don't listen to all the hype.''
Morrell Presley has so many tattoos, he's not even sure how many there are. He got most of them when he was younger, he said. One month ago, Presley added a new one. He got U-C-L-A tattooed on his left arm, with a big `B' underneath.
Rick Neuheisel said the backup quarterback position is still up for grabs.
``I still think it's open competition. We've got to find someone who plays consistently. We're not there yet,'' Neuheisel said.
Pat Larimore and Logan Paulsen had such a fierce collision today that Larimore's facemask was bent upward. Rick Neuheisel got the helmet and showed it to reporters after practice to illusrate his happiness over the intensity of practice.
``I didn't see the hit, but I saw the helmet,'' Morrell Presley said.
Nik Abele impressed offensive line coach Bob Palcic so much yesterday and today that Palcic asked Rick Neuheisel if he could keep him on offense. Actually, Neuheisel said he begged him.
Players will practice with the loud buzz of media helicopters today. There are three TV station helicopters hovering above West Los Angeles outside the Federal Building. The FBI is in a standoff with a man who is suspected of making threats against the White House.
Bruin senior linebacker Reggie Carter, senior cornerback Alterraun Verner and junior tackle Brian Price are all on the Bednarik Award watch list. Here's the release:
Continue reading Three Bruins on Bednarik Award watch list.
Chiming in real quick from Hawaii, but it looks like UCLA has landed three players on the Bednarik Award watch list.
With Brian Price, Reggie Carter and Alterraun Verner on the list, the Bruins tie Penn State for tops in the country.
The Bednarik Award is essentially the top defensive honor in college football, and three Nittany Lions have won the award a total of four times - Paul Posluszny (twice), Dan Connor and Lavar Arrington.
USC's Rey Maualuga won last season.
I forgot to post that J'Mison Morgan was out here at practice yesterday, and I didn't even recognize him. I asked Ben Howland how much weight he lost, and he said he hadn't really lost weight but he's turned it into muscle. Getting into basketball shape was a concern for Morgan all of last season and a reason why he hardly played.
UCLA center Kai Maiava, who sat out last season after transferring from Colorado, is taking a leadership role on the offensive line. Here's the notebookI wrote about this for today's paper.
Don't count on Loyola High's Anthony Barr making a decision any time soon. He wants to focus on his senior football season at Loyola.
``Hopefully, (I'll make it) after the season,'' Barr said, ``when I can take the time to learn more about the schools.''
He's considering UCLA, USC, Notre Dame, Michigan and Cal.
Junior college transfer Eddie Williams got a taste of what opponents have to deal with in going against defensive tackle Brian Price. Price did whatever he wanted on several plays against Williams.
``I think Eddie did fine until he met Brian Price,'' Rick Neuheisel said. ``But Brian Price does that to a lot of guards. Eddie will respond. He's a competitive guy. He's an eager guy. I hope he doesn't go in the tank. I'm counting on him not to.''
Ryan Moya's MRI on his left knee was negative, according to a UCLA official. He is expected to return to practice when the swelling in his left knee subsides.
In addition to Anthony Barr, Loyola High players Bronson Green and Jerry Neuheisel were at practice today. Barr said he's still looking at Notre Dame, UCLA, Cal, Michigan and USC in no particular order. Academics will play a big role in Green's decision, and he's received offers from Navy and Princeton. Jerry, a junior, will make his debut as Loyola's new starting quarterback on the varsity. Neuheisel's youngest son, Jack, will be a freshman at Loyola this year.
Alterraun Verner had the wind knocked out of him in practice, but he's OK, Rick Neuheisel said ... Players wore shoulder pads for the first time in fall camp, and they will wear full pads on Friday. Two-a-days start on Saturday.
Ben Howland and his basketball staff attended football practice today. Howland was there even though he returned from his vacation early this morning.
Ryan Moya didn't practice today and had his left knee bandaged. This isn't the same knee that he had offseason surgery on to repair cartilage damage. He had an MRI today and doctors will read it tonight.
Freshman Nik Abele, who played on both the offensive and defensive lines in high school, was moved to left tackle on the offensive line today. He played on the defensive line the first two days of camp and will work with the offensive unit tomorrow as well.
Abele said he likes playing defense better but that he'll do ``whatever is best for the team.''
Among the noteable recruits at practice today is Loyola High running back Anthony Barr.
UCLA kicker Kai Forbath has been named to the Lou Groza Award watch list. Here's more:
Continue reading Forbath on Lou Groza watch list.
Hey all,
Thanks again for being so kind during the last few days. It's certainly been a fun ride. Unfortunately - well, extremely fortunately for me! - I'll be in Hawaii for my best friend's wedding today through Monday.
I've put a couple calls in to some major recruits, guys who I know you're JONES-ing to know about, and I hope to chat with them from Hawaii.
Man, that's awful. Blogging from Hawaii. Ah well, it's not like I own a surfboard. Or can surf.
Take care everyone, thanks again, and please welcome Jill Painter.
JG
So you Bruin fans barely know me, but by now I think you can tell I have a fascination with YouTube, and will be trying to bring you as many cool clips as I can find all over the internet.
Well, I'm also somewhat intrigued by eBay. And by somewhat, of course, I mean I'm addicted. My friend Ryan suggested I post some sweet UCLA items I find on eBay, and I figured I'd start with this one.
NOTE: I am not selling this, nor anything I ever post, nor do I know the seller. I just think old sports stuff is cool.
Dennis Keyes is a good dude. Just a very nice guy, family oriented, polite, all that good stuff.
But I would not want to get hit by him.
Hey all,
I checked the blog for the last month, and I might have missed this, but take a look at this in-depth Sporting News profile on UCLA target Harrison Barnes.
Gotta say, I love this kids mental makeup. I know little of him - YET! - but just from one interview, I think he's got some serious maturity. That's never a bad thing.
Continue reading Hoops recruiting update.
I was emailing back and forth with Scout.com West Coast recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman, and here's what he said...
"The big thing to watch is Josh Shirley, I don't think he's committing soon, but I know UCLA is doing EXTREMELY well with him. Same for Chris Ward. Both were early offers (Ward was the first OL UCLA offered in this class from the West)."
UCLA will have its hands full beating out Miami, Notre Dame, Tennessee and the other Pac-10 schools for Shirley's services, but it may be worth it: Shirley had a fantastic junior season for Kaiser of Fontana, and at 6-3. 255, 4.5 40, could just be another in the line of dominant UCLA linebackers.
Christian Ramirez - are you calling him C-Ram yet? Do you want to start? - said during Media Day on Monday that he expected to be used in a variety of ways this season.
Then he went out during practice and caught passes left and right, working out of backfield on screens, flashing out as a safety blanket, even chipping blitzers and then popping out as an extra option.
Norm Chow echoed C-Ram's comments, mentioning how good his hands are.
Read about it here, if you'd like:
Rick Neuheisel, on the offensive line inefficiencies from last season:
"They just were inexperienced and they weren't physical enough. Given the great work in the offseason to increase our strength numbers and given some competition created by the arrival of newcomers, I think we're gonna have a chance to be a better front. And we need to be if we're going to be better on offense."
Norm Chow, on Christian Ramirez' chance to be a dual-threat back:
"He's a good pass catcher, so we have to make sure where we get some matchups where we can magnify his skills. We've known all along. He practiced all year long with us and you could just tell he was a good pass catcher. And a coach has the responsibility to try and magnify the skills of the players we have."
Notre Dame transfer Joseph Fauria talked briefly about his decision to come to UCLA, his excitement to be out on the field again and UCLA's deep tight end competition.
On his recruitment out of high school:
"Looking back now, it probably should've been my first choice," Fauria said with a laugh. "I was really close to coming here. This is a blessing in disguise. I'm glad I'm here now."
Continue reading Back in Business with Joseph Fauria.
Freshman wideout Randall Carroll (Cathedral High) has been one of the guys to watch during the first two days. His speed had Coach Rick Neuheisel talking, but it's his hands that has Carroll talking.
"I'm running a lot more simple routes, routes that Terrence Austin and everybody else get to run," Carroll said. "Not just the deep ball. Me out here showing my hands, it's proving I can do it out on the field."
Carroll's speed has been well-documented: He was ranked as the No. 4 athlete by Rivals.com and was on several top-100 lists.
Along with fellow incoming freshman Ricky Marvray (Centennial High), UCLA has a pair of speedy newcomers...
Continue reading Going Deep with Randall Carroll.
Logan Paulsen, who broke his foot last season and knows a thing or two about shoe issues, said that he should be in the clear with these new shoes.
"I'm a little different from everybody else because I broke my foot last year," Paulsen said. "I have special orthotics, and to me, it's not about how comfortable shoes are, just how supportive these are. It's not like I need to break the shoes in."
Others, however, do.
There have been sparse complaints about minor foot injuries, but nothing major has been reported or spotted.
"They're talking about it, but it's the second day of camp, and they gave us brand new shoes," Paulsen said. "I think as we go, it'll go better."
Brian Price on being named to the Outland Trophy watch list:
"This is a team sport. There are 10 guys lining up next to me on that field who are working hard, and I've got to give credit where credit is due. I'm just the won getting the awards. And I didn't even get nothing yet. My name is on a list. I'll use it as motivation to just work harder."
On the importance of winning awards:
"Coach was talking before camp that we've got to get to more black tie events. The award shows, the bowl games, we've got to get back to them. We have to get UCLA back on the map.
On competing for national awards:
"That's everybody's motivation to get back out here. Every single person out here wants to win an award, and everyone out here wants to win games. UCLA is not represented by 4-8; 4-8 isn't good enough. That's not UCLA. You look back and go into the Hall of Fame room, and it's just incredible, what everyone has done. We have to live up to that standard."
Here's my brief encounter with Stanley Hasiak:
1) "For me, no matter where I went I was going to compete for a starting spot. Whether it was going to be hard or easy, I didn't know. In this situation, I've been getting in my reps, been competing, and it's still up in the air."
2) "For all freshmen, the difficulty is the same. For the young guys to come in and compete against older guys, the older guys have a lot more experience, a lot more experience working their technique."
3) "The key to a good offense is the offensive line. We're trying to bring back the tradition, or maybe even start the tradition, of having great offensive linemen. Guys who will get down and grind. Guys who'll get down and do the dirty work like they're supposed to."
After you all expressed your interest in Xavier Su'a-Filo, I made sure to grab him. Great kid, well-spoken, firm handshake. All good things.
Stanley Hasiak to follow...
1) On the importance of preseason practices:
"It's about getting more and more confident each day. They're kind of throwing us out there, getting the reps out of the way. I've had to mentally and physically start to prepare more. I think getting thrown in, getting the experience to go against older guys like Kyle Bosworth, Brian Price, that's just helping us out."
2) On the transition from high school to college:
"In high school, you're dominant at all these levels, and that's why you're here. But when you get into college, everybody's fast, everybody's strong. Only difference realistically, and even on to the next level, is sound technique. You've got to have it. Everyone's on your level. Now this is a game about skill."
3) On his decision to come to UCLA:
"I've been given every opportunity right now, and if I work for it and deserve it it's fine, but coming here, did I think I would play right away? No, that didn't play a big part. My goal, wherever I went, was to play and earn the job."
4) On what he's proven so far:
"I think I've shown so far that I can learn, that I can move well. A good offensive lineman should know how to move. But this is the second day of practice. I'm learning, trying to be an expert of these plays, and then just add some other things along."
Caught up with offensive line coach Bob Palcic real quick, and here's what he had to say...
On Xavier Su'a-Filo and Stanley Hasiak:
"I think they're real good, young kids, but let's remember they're just incoming freshmen," Palcic said. "It's extremely difficult at any level, whether you come in as a rookie in the pros or go from high school to college, it takes time and patience. But I think they have the qualities and abilities that will make them really good players here at one time."
On the transition from high school to college and the odds of freshmen linemen getting playing time:
"The offensive line and the quarterback are the two toughest places to make the transition in," Palcic said. "That's not going to change. If they're good enough, that's fine with me. I've started freshmen before, and I'm not afraid to do it again."
Corin Brooks certainly looks the part.
The Arlington High of Riverside lineman is big, 6-foot-3, 276 pounds and he is strong - his Scout.com profile lists his bench press at 435 and his squat at 525.
But he has flown a bit under the radar on the recruiting scene, waiting for an offer. At UCLA's second preseason practice on Tuesday, Brooks made his interest known.
"I think if we stay in contact throughout the year and UCLA were able to give me a scholarship, I would definitely consider them one of my top schools," Brooks said.
Brooks is attracted to UCLA's location, opportunities for playing time and Westwood's unique flavor.
"With the coaching staff they have, they'll turn it around," Brooks said. "You can't become great in just a day. It will take a while to become great. But this area is good, a lot of kids can see themselves coming here, and it will turn around."
Unlike running backs, who can rush for 2,000 to get noticed, or quarterbacks, who can throw 28 touchdowns to raise eyebrows, the recruiting process is a bit different for linemen.
But the No. 34 ranked guard in the country is ready to prove himself this season.
"I'm going to go out and do the best I can and hopefully great things will come," Brooks said. "To get noticed, I've been working on a lot of things both on the O-Line and D-Line. Now I just have to stay aggressive and put what I've learned to use on the football field."
Check this out, gamblers...
UCLA football odds for 2009
Just got this in from Ramona...
WHAT: Los Angeles Lakers' Guard Jordan Farmar will be
hosting his 2nd annual Hoop Farm basketball camp at UCLA's Pauley
Pavilion from August 12th-14th, 2009.
Hoop Farm campers receive basketball instruction from successful
college and professional players and coaches including NBA Champion
Farmar, guest speakers (last year's speakers included Ben Howland,
Trevor Ariza, and others), daily yoga sessions, healthy food, and
more.
Jordan will be in attendance all day, every day - spending time with
the campers and giving them individual instruction.
WHEN: August 12th-14th, 2009 from 8:30am-3:30pm
WHERE: PAULEY PAVILION
You guys want YouTube videos, you get videos.
Here are various UCLA players and coaches discussing their favorite sports movies. A quick watch with just 127 views so far, but only one from me. I expect this to get to one million hits by the end of the day. Do work.
Hey all,
Tried to post this sooner, but the blog wasn't up for some reason from my end. Can't really understand why, but sorry I'm late on this: Got word from UCLA that...
Freshman fullback Jayson Allmond has been certified by the NCAA Clearinghouse and has joined the football team. He will practice today. Also practicing today will be sophomore tight end Joseph Fauria, a transfer from Notre Dame.
Will try to talk to Fauria after practice.
DT Brian Price is on the Outland Trophy watch list. Cick here to see the complete list.
Ramirez spoke yesterday about his offseason program, and getting up to 220 pounds while trying not to lose his speed. He certainly expects to carry the ball a lot this season, but he also has his creative juices flowing. Well, actually, he's counting on Norm Chow to have his creative juices flowing.
And they were on Monday, as Ramirez caught passes out of the backfield and seemed eager to just be a factor on offense.
On being a workhorse back for UCLA:
"Being an athlete, period, you always want to have the ball in your hands," Ramirez said. "You want to be the playmaker. That's up to coach Chow. If he needs me to carry the ball so many times, I will. I'll do whatever. It's just fun to know that I'm going to be used in many different ways."
On UCLA's defense heading into the preseason.
"Defensively, I think we're on track. It's about continuing to run well and getting the kids who are going to be newcomers to it - guys like Aaron Hester - to get into it."
On UCLA's difficult schedule:
"I don't know if you can ever look and say it's going to be an easy schedule at UCLA. We play nine Pac-10 games. That in itself is more difficult than what anyone else does. And to go to Tennessee is not what you'd draw up if you're trying to get yourself into the post season."
On how he's changed since last year:
"I'm every bit as upbeat, every bit as positive, but I know much more about what needs to be done, having now taken a lap through the conference. You only have yourself to compare against after you've gone through spring practice. Having gone through a season and seen all the programs, I've got a good idea of where we stack up."
Speaking about Prince - and by no means am I an expert, hell I was an offensive guard in high school - it is abudantly clear that he's taken the reins as leader of the offense.
It's in the little things.
When I covered one of the UCLA spring scrimmages, Prince wasn't exactly lost in the huddle, but he certainly was not the force he is now.
On Monday, Prince simply sounded louder than the other UCLA quarterbacks, almost angry, always with something to say. Sure, it's a little thing - Bruins fans should concern themselves more with his arm than his throat! - but it matters.
Especially to the offensive linemen.
Kevin Prince on what the offense needs to most improve upon:
"If you don't protect the ball, you're not going to score. That was something we struggled with last year. It's the number one thing going into this year that we have to fix. It's extremely important to avoid those types of throws. That's one of the biggest momentum changes in sports. But that's what we practice for - to get in those situations and learn from them."
Hey all,
I'm heading to practice around 2 p.m. so I can try to pick up on anything out there. Things will really pick up around 5 this afternoon if you want to check back then.
Over the next hour or so, I'll post some extra quotes from yesterday by UCLA's top mouthpieces: Rick Neuheisel, Kevin Prince and Christian Ramirez.
Thanks for reading, folks.
Also, just checking before I do this, but would anyone enjoy some good YouTube clips of all things Blue and Gold?
Good morning all,
Here's The Daily News UCLA notebook from the first day of practice, including a brief story on how Kevin Prince is handling his old high school knee injury, two years later.
Here's a link to a solid column by an old buddy from my days at the San Diego Union-Tribune, Tim Sullivan, on San Diego State buying into to new head coach Brady Hoke's dietary suggestions.
First rule: No more California burritos.
Continue reading Thin is in at SDSU.
This is the video from UCLA's Media Day on Monday, but it requires a Microsoft plug-in download, so enter at your peril...
http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ucla&media=131701
Also, here are links to a pretty nice photo gallery from the event...
http://www.uclabruins.com/view.gal?id=51205
Hello all,
Thanks for keeping up with the blog throughout the day, and especially a thank you to all those who left kind comments. I truly appreciate them. I appreciate the not-so-nice comments, as well, and I'll do my best to keep things rolling.
We at The Daily News appreciate your patience and understanding in the transition from Brian Dohn to his replacement. Although, it seems, replacement might not be the correct word. Dohn did more with the UCLA beat, and this blog in particular, than I, personally, could ever realize. After just one day, I'm awed at his persistence and, quite frankly, his true love for what he did. I'm excited to be part of the team in the interim, and I hope to keep this thing moving.
On a related note, please, please!, let me know what you guys want to see more of at practice tomorrow. I'll try to get there early and start going, and I'll especially try to get some guys before they get out on the field. I'll toss some odds and ends out there tomorrow morning to whet the appetite!
Have a good night, all, and thanks again for reading and for the comments.
Take care.
If the UCLA offense is a puzzle - and I think we can all agree it was a bit puzzling last season - Norm Chow agrees that there are several steps before this thing is ready to hang on a wall.
First step, open the box.
Step two, pour the pieces on the table.
Three, four and five: Separate the pieces, turn them rightside up and start on the corners.
That's where the Bruins are at, Chow said.
"That's a good step, but those are the easy ones, right?" Chow said. "We're a long ways away. We're awfully young still. But if the guys are willing to work hard, we're going to be fine. You want the results at the end of the day on the scoreboard, but if you're guys work hard and whatever happens happens, you'll be OK."
Also, Chow on what he saw in Day One:
"We're looking for effort, we're looking for guys who are willing to work hard, and it was encouraging," Chow said. "We're going to make mistakes. But mental mistakes are easy to correct. It's the attitude and the willingness to work. And they came out ready to go."
Spoke with Baca quickly after practice, and he said he was 100 percent healthy, "Good to go."
Coach Neuheisel said there were no injuries to report after practice, though some guys complained about the new shoes.
On Day 1 of practice:
"You can see the playmaking and athleticism already; you can see the potential," Verner said. "But that's the one thing, the true testament will be Friday, when we actually get pads on. Hopefully, these younger guys can get it by then. It's probably good that we started out like this, so they can get used to everything. When the pads come on, it shouldn't be a huge shock."
On his own expectations, after being named to the Jim Thorpe Award preseason watch list:
"I expect a lot more out of myself than probably anyone else can," Verner said. "I just expect myself to help get this team back to where it should be, which is on top of the Pac-10, if not the country. That's what I expect. If we can do that, I'll be satisified, no matter what the stats say about me."
Working with both the first and third teams, freshman tight end Morrell Presley (Carson High) was one of the surprises of Day 1. While there are plenty of tight end options, Presley appeared to be in the mix to at least see some time, based on three or four nice catches from Kevin Prince.
Presley had one particularly impressive grab near the end of practice, leaping to catch a ball before falling out of bounds, right over the outstretched arms of a leaping Kyle Bosworth.
Presley, on his status with the team:
In some parts of the program, I'm really not even considered a freshman," Presley said. "They don't treat me like one. They've thrown me in with the older dudes. I eat with the older dudes. I even grew up with a couple of them, went to middle school with them."
On his chances to get some playing time:
"Everything is about competition out here," Presley said. "It doesn't matter how young you are. You can run a 4.2, be the fastest dude on the team, and still if you can't routes or have an understanding of the routes, you're not going to play."
Kevin Prince, on Presley:
"He's a great athlete, and he's starting to learn everything," Prince said. "He was here in the spring with us, but he's still learning every day. He's doing well, and I think he'll be able to contribute in the fall. I hope so - he's a great athlete."
On the new faces in the offense:
"They're new to you guys, but they've all been here," Paulsen said. "We've been working out with those guys. Christian (Ramirez) was on the team last year. Kevin Prince has been here. It's a little different, but everyone is sort of just filling in where they're supposed to fill in."
On where the team stands after one practice session:
"Right now, we've got the puzzle on the table, and we're kind of putting it together," Paulsen said. "We kind of see where everything is going, but we're not 100 percent sure yet. That's what camp is for, to solidify that puzzle and make sure it holds true during the season."
Practice is wrapping up, but I'll be bringing you some player comments shortly.
Things were pretty breezy out there, but a couple players raised some eyebrows, including a freshman whom I spoke with. Players mentioned that the practice definitely took on a serious tone as the day wore on, with coach Rick Neuheisel staying on top of guys.
Stay tuned for one-on-one quotes, including Logan Paulsen, Alterraun Verner and Kevin Prince.
Coach Neuheisel revealed a powder blue throwback jersey that the Bruins will wear in their Nov. 7 matchup with Washington.
The jersey is a throwback to the 1967 uniform worn by Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban. Beban led UCLA to a 7-2-1 record at quarterback and, according to a UCLA press release, will serve as honorary Homecoming captain.
Several players, including Reggie Carter, wore the throwback jerseys at Media Day.
Last live blog before practice is over, but one quick tidbit, for bruinbiochem06:
Eddie Williams is here and dressed out and appears to be enrolled at UCLA.
See you in a few...
Hey all,
UCLA has decided to split up its practice sessions for the first week, with the first- and third-string players starting at 3 pm and the second- and fourth-stringers up at around 4:30. I'll check back in during practice if I can with any big updates, particularly injury updates.
At Media Day, coach Neuheisel said Chinonso Anyanwu was out recovering from hip surgery, guard Jeff Baca was still nursing a hamstring injury and freshman Dalton Hilliard was recovering from a knee scope but should be on the field, though not in heavy action.
On the retuning defense:
"Last year, we didn't finish first in the conference or in the country," Carter said. "There was nothing to be too excited about. We have a lot of improvement to make, a lot of room to get better. Our goal is to dominate and be the best in the conference. There's no way we can drop off because we're still working to get better and we're hungry for victory. Regardless of how we think we did, we won four games last year, and that's a terrible season."
On Reggie Carter:
"I have all the confidence in myself," Carter said. "If you don't believe in yourself, who will? I think I'm unstoppable, and I'm going to play like it. My teammates think that, too."
On offseason workouts:
As far as chemistry is going, weight work, conditioning, it's night and day from where we used to day," Bosworth said. "We're looking forward to this, putting some pads on and seeing what we can do. We're all vibing together, and with Neuheisel - a great coach, a player's coach - he knows the direction we need to be in. We know he'll lead us to the promise land, like he said."
On what UCLA needs to prove:
"Well, hey, 4-8," Bosworth said. "Nobody wants to be that. We have to prove ourselves, prove ourselves as a team. We've got to prove it to a lot of people. We'll always have that 4-8 in the back of our minds. We'll always have that chip."
On new starting quarterback Kevin Prince:
"He lines up in the huddle, he has 10 guys looking at him, waiting for him to call the play, waiting for him to direct the offense," Austin said. "It hasn't been gameday yet, he's going to have his jitters of course, but he sits there and directs the offense, no problem. He's not nervous, he's confident when he speaks to us; if there's something wrong, he fixes it. That's darn good for a redshirt freshman. I don't think he has anything but upside to him.
"When he walks around campus he's a cool cat, but when he steps on the field, it's different - he's leading us and directing us."
On finding positives in the offense last season:
"There were definitely some positives last year," Austin said. "The charisma on offense - we just kept going. We had some setbacks. One game we threw five interceptions, but we came back and won the game. That's something a lot of people didn't see last year. When you have a team that has the ability to still go on each game and make an effort, all you have to do is make some changes to make it."
On the offensive line having something to prove:
"I think we're going to start showing everybody as soon as we put on these pads," Maiava. "The O-Line knows what happened last year, we know the numbers and the statistics and the criticism we took. The first couple days, we're going to show that we mean business this year. It ain't going to be like last year."
On how he feels heading into the preseason:
"I'm angry," Maiava said with a big smile. "I can't wait to get out there and try to be a leader. The thing that helps is there's a lot more competition on the O-Line. Everybody is competing for a job. It's going to create better battles, and make everyone better. "
On his offseason:
"I'm up to 220 now, the heaviest I've ever been; it's all muscle," Ramirez said laughing. "I still kept my speed, though, which is what (UCLA head athletic performance coach Mike Linn) was preaching to me. We needed to get me bigger, faster and stronger but keep that speed."
On what hurt the offense the most last season:
"Turn...overs - that's all I have to say," Ramirez said. "We had 20 interceptions, and that hurt. If we start off just taking care of the ball, everything should fall into place. We have a lot of talent on this team, we've gained experience, and we learned a difficult lesson - if you don't have the ball, you can't win."
On Neuheisel and his change from year one to year two:
"He's still there," Ramirez said. "Coach Neuheisel is still in there. He's a very optimistic guy, and unfortunately we weren't able to pull through his expectations. We haven't lowered them. We still want to be a championship team. That's what we fought for this whole summer. We don't expect anything less than he's told you guys."
Rick Neuheisel on Kai Forbath:
"He's a very consistent guy. He got a formula for him that's working. Like golfers, we don't go up to them and tell them what they should do on their backswing. I'd be lying if I told you I understand the science of it all."
Rick Neuheisel on UCLA's team leaders:
"Reggie Carter and Alterraun Verner on defense, Logan Paulsen on offense - those are all big time leaders. They've been around here. They've been here through good times and lean times. Those guys all understand what it takes. They watched a senior class last year do the best they could and fall short. I know they're eager to maybe even take it a notch up."
Rick Neuheisel on the biggest change from year one:
"I think the commitment in the offseason program. I think the guys bought in. The strength numbers are way up, the speed numbers have improved. We've got the ability to run now, and I'm looking forward to watching how that affects ball games. Ultimately, when you look at last year, and you're trying to see what we need to do better, we need to be much better on offense."
Rick Neuheisel on how he's changed since last year's media day:
"I don't know that I've changed. I'm every bit as excited to be here. I feel like this is where I belong, this is what I want to do. My tune hasn't waned in the least bit. A year later, you see what needs to be worked on, you try to make inroads into those area. I feel like we've got a great group of guys from a coaching staff standpoint who understand what the task is. It's been fun to be back in the recruiting world and showing people and sharing what UICLA is about. To see kids here for the first day never gets old. Now I want to get back to the winner circle. I've been in the top ten three times in my life. I want to do it again. If not this year then next year. But we're going to fight and claw to see how many games we can win this year."
Rick Neuheisel on preseason expectations:
"We're playing for now. It isn't an unheard of thought that experience will win out over potential. But that's what great about the next three weeks. We need to create environments so that there's spirited competition. It's going to be what camp should be in a healthy program."
Rick Neuheisel on expectations heading into year two at UCLA's Media Day:
"Expectations are interesting things. If you make them too high, you're never happy. If you make them too low, you give yourself a reason to wallow and not push yourself. At UCLA, it goes without saying that you're playing for first place. You can't have any swagger around here unless you're playing for first place."
Rick Neuheisel on starting quartback Kevin Prince at UCLA Media Day:
"Much will be on his shoulders as the quarterback. The quarterback position can't escape responsibility. I think he's got the gift. It's a great coaching challenge for Norm. Not only as the QB coach but as the coordinator. We've got to not put everything on (Kevin's) shoulders."
Rick Neuheisel's first comments at UCLA's Media Day in the Morgan Center...
First comments:
"Now that we're into year two into the program and trying to develop it, I'm very excited about what the future holds and the 2009 season."
On improvement from last season:
"We're very, very excited - everybody has reported back for the most part healthy. Not just physically, but mentally. We've taken what we can take from last season in terms of the good, in terms of the effort, in terms of not making excuses. It's just an exciting time to be a football coach."
Hello all,
This is Jon Gold, and I will be handling the blog for a couple days. Thanks for sticking with The Daily News as the irreplaceable Brian Dohn said his goodbyes. Good luck to Brian in his new gig, and he will surely be missed.
I'll do my best during the foreseeable future to deliver the UCLA goods, starting with today's media day, which begins shortly.
I hope to answer any and all questions you may have, and keep this blog rolling.
Thanks for the read.
Here's a column I wrote in today's paper on UCLA graduate Camille Johnston, who works for Michelle Obama. It has nothing to do with Bruins basketball or football, but I figured there might be some interest in what Johnston does for the First Lady. Sounds like an interesting job.
Senior defensive back Alterraun Verner is on the pre-season award watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award. In the Pac-10, USC's Taylor Mays, Cal's Syd'Quan Thompson and Walter Thurmond of Oregon are on the list, too.
Here's the release courtesy of UCLA:
Continue reading Verner on pre-season watch list.
Hi. This is Jill Painter. As you all know, Brian Dohn is leaving the Daily News. He's done a wonderful job and made this blog a huge success. We'll be in transition for a while, so please be patient. I'll be leading our football coverage in the interim until we hire someone. Just so you know, I won't be back on the blog until Wednesday, but we'll have someone else take you through Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of camp. Look forward to providing you all with plenty of UCLA information! We appreciate you coming here for Bruins news!
John Wooden made another appearance this week. This time he was at the Hangar Athletic Xchange in Hawthorne for a press conference to kick off the new John Wooden Pyramid of Success Awards. The official ceremonies for the award are next month.
On a separate note, Wooden was interviewed by Tony Robbins and helped him for his new reality show, which is scheduled to air on NBC in January. On the show, Robbins works with distressed individuals and helps them find ways to cope and change their lives. He got Wooden to help with one of the men.
Wooden also has an appearance next week with executives from General Mills, so he's been a busy man. He turns 99 in October.
I began covering UCLA in the summer of 2003, and in the last six years I made some great friends, ticked off some folks and had a bevy of wonderful experiences.
With a lot of excitement looking ahead and some sadness, for what I am leaving behind, I wanted to let everyone know I am leaving the Daily News. My family and I are moving back to New Jersey.
Within the next week and for those interested, I will get word out a about my new gig, which is not UCLA related. Right now is not the correct timing for me to say what it is.
I want to thank everyone for all the great times I had covering UCLA, and the incredible success of this blog. The experiences I had covering UCLA are things I will always remember.
The Daily News has been great to me and my family, and I wish it nothing but success in the future. I also know the Daily News will continue to treat UCLA, and the blog, with the utmost importance.
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