UCLA ST on automatic and manual

If Rick Neuheisel seems to ignore that small area of Spaulding Field where the UCLA kicking game takes shape, don't be worried: Neuheisel just has so little to manage.

With senior kicker Kai Forbath returning after a Lou Groza Award-winning season and punter Jeff Locke back after a standout freshman season - and long snapper Christian Young and holder Danny Rees also still in town - Neuheisel doesn't have much monitoring to do.

"We've got great kickers; we're fortunate they've stayed healthy," Neuheisel said. "They're both proven guys, it's fun to watch them hit the ball out here. That's certainly an ace in our pocket."

Neuheisel may be able to bypass the special teams unit, but Frank Gansz can't.
It is, after all, his job.
This season, it will be an easy one.

Forbath converted 28-of-31 field goals and 24-of-25 extra points during an All-American junior season. Forbath moved into second place in UCLA history in field goals with 72, just 13 behind leader John Lee, and is only 99 points behind Lee to become the Bruin's top scorer.

After a monumental junior season, Forbath flirted with entering his name in the NFL Draft, but ultimately chose against it.

"Right after the season, there was a lot of talk about it," Forbath said. "When it came down to it, I wasn't 100 percent ready for it mentally. I knew I needed to come back and be more prepared for it. I'm totally past that and working on getting better. That's all I can do now."

The return of Forbath and Locke - who was named second-team All-Pac-10 after averaging 43.6 yards per punt as a redshirt freshman - gives Gansz reason to breathe easy. The return of Yount and Rees, though, is the icing on the cake.

"It's awesome, man," Gansz said. "But the thing is, they've got to push. They've forgotten about last year. None of that matters. It's what you do this year. We've been consistent, but I'm looking for them to be a lot better. Guys have gone 100 percent, and that's what we expect. It's not an unattainable goal for us."

Hopeful Returns

The other major part of Gansz' job responsibility, the return game, is not so easily ignored. With Terrence Austin and his 4,425 all-purpose yards likely off to the NFL, the Bruins have to find a primary returner for the first time since 2007.

Smith is the likeliest bet, though the extent of his injury is yet to be determined. Wideouts Randall Carroll and Taylor Embree and cornerback Andrew Abbott are also options.

"We really have been stressing it, but right now no one is emerging as that guy," Gansz said. "It's going to be very competitive, and I'm even looking for freshmen to come in and compete. We're looking to be explosive. We can be much better at that."