* Obviously, the big news of the day was the loss of Datone Jones to a broken foot and the possible loss of Jeff Baca to academic ineligibility.

* On a day in which the offense appeared out of sync, Malcolm Jones was anything but. Practicing with the early unit, Jones had some nice runs, including a beautiful tuck-and-spin that got some claps. Jones also had a few catches out of the backfield, and that’s something he’ll need to focus on as he attempts to climb the depth chart.

* Josh Smith was held out of practice as he nurses a groin injury. He should be back shortly, but there is no timetable for his return. This is very damaging – UCLA needs to develop some offensive consistency, and having all hands on deck is paramount.

* The Damien Thigpen Cornerback Experiment has continued, but Thigpen is also still participating in offensive drills with the early group. I spoke with Thigpen after practice, and I’ll have a little write-up later today.

* Jerry Johnson and Jerry Rice, Jr., had some nice plays on the day, but also mixed in some gaffes, as Rice slipped a couple times and Johnson dropped a pass or two. Their development is crucial as UCLA needs all the depth it can get. I highly doubt either would be pressed into action any time soon – Randall Carroll and Ricky Marvray are higher on the depth chart – but Johnson in particular could develop into a fourth receiver.

* Kevin Prince continues to display a very, very nice zip on the ball, but sometimes he has a little too much. I counted at least six overthrows during WR/DB 1-on-1s, but mostly on the long ball. That comes with timing.

* Prince is, however, connecting much better on the short passes that he struggled with…the obvious exception being an Akeem Ayers interception that almost looked like it fell out of Prince’s hands.