Weekly Answers, Pt. 1

Check out the first batch of weekly answers…

Whats the story on Torian White? Is he a strong commit or looking at suc now that they offered? – BRUINBEATCH
1) I think you could expect any kid to get excited about an offer like USC, so I understand his momentary joy, but I think he’s still solid to UCLA.

2) How does AO look on the scout team? Are you surprised he’s not playing this year? – Jungleland
Aramide Olaniyan, with respect to technique and fundamentals, is coming along very well. But he’s still very undersized and needs to bulk up. His work ethic and his game are very impressive, and he’s a great kid.

3) Who is ucla’s number 1 football target and how many scholarships do they have left? – Anonymous
Right now, including the commits, they’d have two scholarships left. More will open, no doubt. I would say their highest non-committed target with realistic chances is linebacker Tony Steward out of St. Augustine, Fla.

4) Grace us with your revised season prediction for UCLA now that 0 – 2 has become 2-2. – UB (Ultimate Bruin)
Tough one, because I think the real test is in two weeks against Cal. That should be a good gauge of the prospects of this team. If I were pressed…6-6.

5) Your biggest surprise from the Texas game? – Jungleland
The sheer physical domination that started to emerge in the second half, particularly the first drive of the second half. My story today – long, long, exhausting story – was about the drive, and I’ve watched the replay of that drive at least 40 times. UCLA was PUSHING Texas around. And all the BS about Texas being a bad team is garbage. Texas’ defense is incredibly fast, and the DBs are more than adequate in the run game. UCLA just won. They won. They beat a good team, with better athletes, because the scheme was perfect and the players cared. Is this team a top-25 team right now? No way. There are 19 undefeated teams in the top-25 and six with one loss. UCLA is not the best two-loss team in the country, and the team is behind many one-loss teams, too. But on that day, UCLA embarrassed Texas.