Neuheisel On (Part 3): Where the team stands

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.”

Neuheisel On (Part 2): San Diego State preparations

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.”

UCLA Depth Chart

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

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.”

WBTC Breakfast Details

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