December 2010 Archives

Two days after lauding his team's fight in coming from behind to defeat Washington State, UCLA head coach Ben Howland again praised the Bruins' resolve against Washington.

The only difference?
On Wednesday, the Bruins delivered a knockout blow.
On Friday, they could only manage to knock the Huskies down but not out, unable to claw all the way back despite second-half charge in a 74-63 loss at Pauley Pavilion that snapped a six-game winning streak.

UCLA shot just 35 percent for the game and 69 percent from the free-throw line, while Washington shot 50 percent on field goals and 80 percent on free throws.
"We were 12-for-19 and those foul shots, if you're going to beat the team picked to win the conference, you have to shoot 80 percent, 85 percent," Howland said. "We did a better job getting it in the second half, but we took a couple of questionable shots late."

UCLA doesn't need a wake-up call for its wake-up call.

The Bruins are learning hard and fast the harsh realities of the Pac-10 season, as just a day after beating Washington State at Pauley Pavilion, 80-71, they are preparing for conference-favorite Washington, which needed overtime to survive at USC on Wednesday, 73-67.
"We're the only BCS conference in the country that plays Thursday-Saturday, Wednesday-Friday," head coach Ben Howland said on Thursday during a conference call with reporters. "It's just harder. It's harder for everybody. I was going to bed at 1 in the morning, and 36 hours later, we have another game.

"The Huskies could present a bigger difficulty for UCLA, given their overall offensive strength. While the Cougars were top-heavy with the Pac-10's leading scorer in Klay Thompson (22.6 points per game) and key backup Faizel Aden (16.3 ppg), Washington's scoring distribution trickles down to the far end of the bench.

The Huskies sport one of the conference's most electric scoring guards in Isaiah Thomas (15.3 ppg) and get consistent production from forwards Matthew Bryan-Amaning (14.2 ppg) and Justin Holiday (12.5 ppg), but 10 players average more than five points through 12 games.

"They have a number of players," Howland said. "They can play big, which is how they start, then they can go smaller when they go (Darnell) Gant or (Justin) Holiday to the four. They have a lot of depth in the backcourt, and the thing that's really impressive is how they can shoot the three."

UCLA predictably let Thompson and Aden get theirs on Wednesday - Thompson leading all scorers with 26 points and Aden adding 19 - but the Bruins limited all other Cougars. Forward DeAngelo Casto had eight points, forward Brock Motum five, and point guard Reggie Moore had just five points after scoring 24 last season at Pauley Pavilion.

"I thought our play against Reggie Moore was fantastic," Howland said. "He only had five points; that is really stunning. We did a really nice job. I feel really good about that win last night because I have a lot of respect about that team and what they've already done this season."

Talk about highs and lows - UCLA's two 2009-10 matchups with Washington ran the team through the gauntlet of emotions.
The Bruins home matchup with the Huskies on Jan. 21 ended with a thrill, a buzzer-beating jump shot at the top of the key by former guard Mustafa Abdul-Hamid that gave UCLA the 62-61 win.
Just over a month later the Huskies turned their final home game of the season into a Quincy Pondexter celebration, as he was showered with constant adulation while scoring 20 points in a 97-68 win.
The 29-point loss was Howland's worst as head coach at UCLA.
"That was a huge win obviously to beat that at home," Howland said. "We had no timeouts left, which was probably a good thing, and Mustafa hit that shot. Then out there, we really played terrible. It was like a going-away part for Pondexter, who had a great career. That was really the low point of the season for us."

Howland was incredulous that the 9-3 Huskies, the preseason pick to win the Pac-10 by the media and the only team to be in the top-25 this season, were not still ranked.
Washington, coming off a 73-67 overtime win at USC on Wednesday, has three losses to now-ranked teams.
"I find it really really surprising that they're still not nationally ranked," Howland said. "Their three losses are at Texas A&M, which is in the top-20, Michigan State and Kentucky at neutral sites. They are very, very good. They should be ranked, and I really don't understand."

UCLA head coach Ben Howland just said on a conference call that Tyler Honeycutt was showing no ill effects after last night's win over Washington State, a week after spraining his shoulder.

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Here's my early gamer for tonight's game, and I'll have more thoughts tomorrow...

For about 13 minutes, everything was golden for UCLA against Washington State.

The Bruins had good ball movement, shots were falling, and they held Cougars hot scorer Klay Thompson relatively in check.

Then the game stopped on a dime, pivoted, and went directly in Washington State's direction.

The Cougars lead by eight at the half as Thompson caught fire late, finishing the half with 14 points, while teammate Faizel Aden has nine. Malcolm Lee leads UCLA with 13 points, Reeves Nelson has eight, but no other Bruin has more than two.

UCLA could only maintain a steady lead early in the first half, keeping the Cougars at arms length, unable to clamp down defensivley on the talented Washington State scorers.

The game turned with just less than seven minutes left in the first half and the Bruins leading 22-20. Thompson, who leads the conference in scoring at 22.3 points per game, hit a out-from-nowhere running 3-pointer to give the Cougars' their first lead of the game, spurring a 15-2 run.

Of bigger concern for the Bruins is Joshua Smith's early trouble, as he picked up three in the first half, including two on offense.

I sat down with UCLA head coach Ben Howland for an extended interview on Tuesday, and here's the last part...

I sat down with UCLA head coach Ben Howland for an extended interview on Tuesday, and here's the second part...

I sat down with UCLA head coach Ben Howland for an extended interview on Tuesday, and here's the first part...

I had a long one-on-one interview with Ben Howland, who really opened up about the last few years of UCLA basketball, including this quote that caught me just a bit off guard...

Me: So if you guys get hot, play well in conference, get a couple tournament wins, finish with 22, 23 wins...
Howland: "God, I'd kiss you right now. I swear to God. I would come over there and I'd kiss you if we got 22, 23, 24 wins. Are you kidding me? I'd be so happy. Are you kidding? That's so nice to even project that possibility."

More from the interview over the next couple days, and a ton of press conference videos. Stay tuned.

UCLA small forward Tyler Honeycutt returned to practice on Monday, Ben Howland said today, and is expected to practice today. He's a little sore, but Howland does not expect him to be limited against Washington State on Wednesday night.

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Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

Hey folks,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season, and Merry Christmas and a belated Happy Hanukkah, as well. I'll be back on Sunday with a new Q&A, but if anything breaks, I'll be sure to have it up here. I'm doing a column on tomorrow's Lakers/Heat game, would anyone want me to post some videos here, or no?

Once again, hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

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Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News has an interesting note today: Smoke screen or not?

Ben Howland said during the post-game press conference that Reeves Nelson didn't get the start because he was 10 minutes late to the team shoot-around today. He still played 33 minutes.

The good news for UCLA: Ben Howland did not cancel Christmas.
But Howland's players feared he would have, had the Bruins not outlasted UC Irvine on Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Two days after the Bruins needed a second-half surge to come from behind to defeat Montana State at Pauley Pavilion, UCLA eked out another win on its home court, defeating the Anteaters, 74-73, after watching a 15-point lead disappear.

The Bruins picked up their fifth-straight win but needed every last second to seal it, poor free-throw shooting down the stretch nearly proving deadly.

UCLA missed six-of-eight free throws in the final minute after the Anteaters crept back into the game, and the final miss almost sealed the Bruins' fate.
After UC Irvine guard Darren Moore banked in a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to cut UCLA's lead to one, freshman guard Tyler Lamb got the inbound pass and was immediately fouled.

He narrowly missed the first free throw and the second attempt caromed into the arms of Moore who sprinted down the court with the ball but was trapped in the corner, unable to get a shot off.

"That wasn't an easy game," Howland said. "Hopefully we learn from these experiences, we get up there and make our foul shots. If those guys step up down the stretch, we're not coming down to the last second with them having the ball."

UCLA leads at the half by 10, and it can thank its backcourt for even that lead.

The Bruins led by 14 at one point, but the Anteaters creeped back to within seven before a dagger 3-pointer by Lazeric Jones between two defenders as the half winded down.

Jones and Malcolm Lee teamed up to torch UC Irvine in the first half, combining for 24 points (14 for Lee) with a combination of penetration and outside shots.

UCLA went to Joshua Smith early - including the first three possessions - but Lee and Lamb got hot and started to look elsewhere.

Readers: Post your final score prediction and vote in the poll. Closest to actual score with correct winning team gets to give me 10 questions to ask a basketball player of their choosing, within reason, for an upcoming video.

To clarify: Winner is based on total final score margin, then based on closest actual score. For example: UCLA wins 85-75. Someone guesses 85-76. Someone guess 85-60. Someone guesses 82-72. Someone guesses 80-70. The 82-72 guess would win.

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UCLA sophomore small forward Tyler Honeycutt suffered a sprained right shoulder in the Bruins' 75-59 win over Montana State on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion and will miss tonight's matchup at 7:30 p.m. against UC Irvine, but tests for further damage were negative, UCLA head coach Ben Howland said on Wednesday.
Honeycutt collided with Bobcat big man Cody Anderson in the second half and grimaced in pain, but Howland said X-rays, included a weighted X-ray, and an MRI revealed no extensive damage.

Freshman Tyler Lamb will start in Honeycutt's place after playing his best game of the season against Montana State, finishing with eight points and three assists in 20 minutes.

"It's not a long-term thing, which is what I'm happy about," Howland said. "I'm obviously not happy that he got hurt and wont be able to play tomorrow."
Howland said Honeycutt, who leads the Bruins in scoring at 14.9 points per game, would hopefully be back for the team's Pac-10 opener against Washington State on Dec. 29.

The Sylmar product played a major factor in UCLA's up-down-up win over the Bobcats on Tuesday.

The Bruins (7-4) were up by 15 early before allowing Montana State to take its first lead with 16 minutes, 55 seconds left in the contest. A short time later, Honeycutt scored six of his nine points during a three-minute spurt, and the Bruins went from three behind to five ahead in a matter of minutes.

Honeycutt, though, ran into Anderson with 8:20 left in the game and was pulled, not to return.
"He was trailing an offensive player, defending, ran into their big Anderson, and hit shoulder-to-shoulder," Howland said. "Lot of times, you worry about shoulder injuries when guys go up and get their arms yanked. It was nothing like that. It was shoulder-to-shoulder, ran into the guy, and hit it just right."

In comes Lamb, who played his biggest minute total since game three and drew his coach's praise. The freshman out of Mater Dei had two impressive dunks, including a steal and coast-to-coast slam, and a key steal with 2.3 seconds left in the first half that led to two free throws.

"I thought Tyler Lamb played very good," Howland said. "He played solid taking care of the ball, three assists one turnover. He's going to play a lot more tomorrow."

UCLA head coach Ben Howland just said on a conference call that X-rays and an MRI on Tyler Honeycutt are negative, but that Honeycutt would miss tomorrow's game against UC Irvine.

Tyler Lamb will start in his place.

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Just some random observations about the UCLA men's basketball team from last night:

* As much talent as Joshua Smith displays, he's nowhere near a finished product, but when he is...watch out.
Smith had a good game last night with nine points and nine boards, but so many times, I saw him lose positioning when he was about to be fed in the post. His footwork for a big man is good, but not great, though I think the foundation is there to become great. He just needs a little more nasty, and he'll be unguardable. People always blame the guards for not getting the ball in, but sometimes, there's nowhere to pass the ball. The window of opportunity opens and closes very quickly, and if there's nothing there in that split-second, then you have to look elsewhere.
But going back to Smith: I think there is little doubt he will be a force, even against increased competition in the Pac-10. Don't have inflated expectations, but watch him get better and better.

* Did we see a different Tyler Lamb last night?

Lamb had the best game of his young career with eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws, with three assists and two steals. Lamb had two beautiful dunks and showed authority on both, and for the first time, he looked really controlled on offense. Lamb got 20 minutes, his most time since the third game, with Malcolm Lee and Tyler Honeycutt dropping to 26 and 27 minutes, respectively.
I've seen some advocate that's the splits they want, but I would be shocked to see that on a consistent basis. But Lee works best in restricted minutes - he's seemingly still always bothered cramps - and if Lamb can feed off the game and parlay that into some real confidence, because the defense will always be there, then UCLA has some options in the backcourt.

What went wrong?
I'm thinking back to the game and I can't really pinpoint where it all went wrong for UCLA in the middle of the game. Montana State went on a 25-10 run that felt like it all happened in 30 seconds. Look up to the scoreboard, and all of a sudden the Bobcats are up three. The Bruins seem predisposed to poor communication at times, and that reared its ugly head during the stretch. Help defense fell apart, there was little energy, and things unraveled. Just as quickly, they raveled(?).
After the spurt, UCLA did not allow a basket for nearly eight minutes while regaining control to put the game away.

Lastly, Brendan Lane...where did he come from?
What a difference a year made for Lane. Even when he "emerged" late last season, Lane still didn't have tremendous production. Over the last three games last year, playing a total of 40 minutes, Lane had four points and one rebound with six turnovers.
This season Lane has scored between four and seven points in all but one game, a remarkably consistent line for a bench player, and he tied his season-high with eight rebounds against Montana State.
His defense-first attitude is a good compliment to Reeves Nelson, who is almost always looking to score or at least be involved offensively, and that one-two punch could be huge for the Bruins.

Former UCLA guard Matt Carlino, who decided to transfer earlier this month, appears to be headed to BYU: Carlino

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said that sophomore forward Tyler Honeycutt suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder late in the Bruins' 75-59 win over Montana State on Tuesday night.

Honeycutt is scheduled to have an MRI tomorrow and Howland said he would be considered doubtful for UCLA's game against UC Irvine on Thursday.

UCLA sophomore forward Reeves Nelson sat at the post-game table, stumbling over his words when asked if the Bruins are the kind of team who could take other teams lightly.

He grinned, shook his head, but no words came out.

Teammates Joshua Smith and Malcolm Lee came to the rescue, as they did earlier in the night in UCLA's 75-59 win over Montana State at Pauley Pavilion.

"No," Lee said vehemently.
"Say no," Smith chimed in.

And finally, a "No" from Nelson.

And yet the Bruins did, surprisingly, given the big talk during Monday's press conference, when a host of UCLA players said they would not allow a similar embarrassment to another Big Sky state opponent, 16 days after losing to the Montana Grizzlies on their home floor.

For a bit in the second half, the Bruins were headed to a similar fate.

After jumping to a 15-point lead nine minutes into the game, UCLA let the Bobcats hang around, eventually going into halftime up 36-29.

"It was a lack of focus," said Lee, who had a game-high 18 points. "Our sense of urgency went down because we looked at the lead. We're not good enough to take any team lightly. We have to keep playing 100 percent all the time."

Montana State did not just hang around early in the second half, though.
The Bobcats pounced on the fragile Bruins, rolling off a 17-7 run to take a three-point lead with 15 minutes, 10 seconds left in the game.

UCLA's rebounding was poor, its shot selection was worse and its help defense was worst of
all as the Bobcats broke free on the perimeter and hit shot after shot.

"There was a lack of sense of urgency defensively," UCLA head coach Ben Howland said. "They ended up shooting 33 percent, but to start the second half, it felt like they scored the first five times they touched the ball. It's frustrating, because we had an opportunity to really have a good first half and we let them right back in."

Behind a balanced offensive attack, UCLA leads Montana State by seven at the half.

Balance, in the good sense of the word and the bad.

Five Bruins have at least five points, led by Reeves Nelson with eight, but UCLA has also stalled out at times on offense, though the team was only called for six turnovers.

The Bruins went down down to Joshua Smith early, but he was called for two fouls and only played eight first-half minutes.

Some highlights/lowlights:
* Tyler Honeycutt with three first-half turnovers and only three points, looks a bit out of sorts early.

* Tyler Lamb had a couple of highlight reel plays, including a pretty fadeaway in the left wing and a baseline right-handed dunk when Montana State got within five.

* Reeves Nelson is playing good defense tonight, but he's been frustrated by the refs and his body language is suffering again.

* MSU freshman Tre Johnson had a crazy dunk, posterizing Anthony Stover, who got some good-natured ribbing from his teammates and took it in stride.

Join the in-game chat inside...

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Part of the reason for UCLA's improved play during its three-game winning streak has been the play of the point guards.

The Bruins' junior duo of Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson has combined for just seven turnovers in the past three games, spanning 137 minutes.

In the four-game losing streak that preceded the team's recent roll, Jones and Anderson combined for 21 turnovers.

"It's been really important; really we're just trying to make sure we cut down on our turnovers, because we know our team is going to make great decisions when we get them the ball," Jones said. "It's just (about) getting them the ball."

In light of the disappointment of the game as it was happening and the reversal of the team's play since, UCLA's 66-57 loss to Montana on Dec. 5 had all the makings of a classic let-down game.

Forget, for a moment, that the let-down came after a loss - albeit a tough one, a one-point, last-second defeat at No. 4 Kansas - but the Bruins admit now that they simply overlooked the Grizzlies, who danced on the Pauley Pavilion floor.

It won't be happening again.
Not against Montana State.
Not this year.

The Bruins host the Bobcats tonight at 7:30 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion and they're blaming the entire state for the Grizzly embarrassment.

"We know that if we want to be a good team, if we want to be an NCAA contender, that's going to have to be our mindset," said sophomore small forward Tyler Honeycutt, who leads five players in double figures at 15.5 points per game. "We can't just always play to the level of our competition. That's going to end up hurting us down the road. We just have to stay focused and know how good we can be and take that out on the opponent every night."

That starts with the Bobcats, who sport a 6-5 record, albeit with wins over NCAA powerhouses Minot State and Johnson & Wales (Colo.).

UCLA is not about to underestimate another team, though, not with a three-game winning streak, not coming off its best performance of the season, an 86-79 win over No. 16 BYU at the Honda Center in the Wooden Classic on Saturday.

If the win over the Cougars was the season high so far, the loss to Montana was the season low, and the Bruins haven't forgotten.

"We didn't know much about them, and they came in here and we didn't have the energy," said sophomore forward Reeves Nelson, who was named Pac-10 Player of the Week after his 23-point performance against Jimmer Fredette and the Cougars. "They took advantage of that. It was a perfect storm for something like that to happen. It won't happen again."

Scout.com's Brandon Huffman is reporting that Oaks Christian wide receiver Blair Holliday has been offered a scholarship by UCLA, after helping lead the Lions to a CIF championship win over Westlake.

I've been high on Holliday for a while now, after covering some of his games for the Daily News and seeing him around UCLA, and I thought UCLA should have offered Devin Lucien and him sooner. With Shaquelle Evans coming in next season and every wide receiver returning, there isn't a tremendous need for more than one or two wideouts in this class, but if the Bruins can stay in the mix for Devon Blackmon and Tobias Singleton, they would be in good shape.

Obviously, the hiring of the wide receiver coach, or at least the reassignment of duties, as Rick Neuheisel did not rule out coaching the position himself during the conference call on Saturday, becomes all the more important.

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UCLA sophomore forward Reeves Nelson was named Pac-10 Player of the Week after a 23-point performance in UCLA's 86-79 win over No. 16 BYU on Saturday, which followed a 13-point, eight-rebound game against UC Davis on Monday.

From UCLA:

TUCSON, Ariz. - UCLA has been ranked No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball's preseason top-40 poll, the weekly newspaper announced on Monday. The Bruins will play 22 of their 56 games against preseason top-40 teams and 49 games against teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the poll.

After advancing to the finals of the College World Series for the first time in program history last June, the Bruins enter the 2011 season returning 20 letterwinners, including two weekend starting pitchers (Trevor Bauer, Gerrit Cole) and six position players who started in at least 40 ballgames (Beau Amaral, Dean Espy, Cody Keefer, Tyler Rahmatulla, Cody Regis, Steve Rodriguez).

Bauer and Cole were named preseason first-team All-Americans by Collegiate Baseball last week. Bauer led the nation with 165 strikeouts in 2010, and Cole finished third in that category with 153 punchouts.

UCLA, which established a program single-season high with 51 victories last year, is among seven Pac-10 programs listed in Collegiate Baseball's top-40 poll. Oregon (No. 9) and Stanford (No. 10) join the Bruins among preseason top-10 teams. Other Pac-10 teams in the top-40 poll include Arizona State (No. 11), Arizona (No. 22), Washington State (No. 31) and California (No. 33). Oregon State, USC and Washington are among other teams receiving votes in the preseason poll.

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This is Brian Martin, deputy sports editor, chiming in just to clear up a couple of things.

First of all, Jon Gold was given a few days off at the end of last week. Jill Painter -- in addition to spending all week teaming to write an expansive feature about UCLA's 88-game winning streak -- agreed to cover Saturday's game vs. BYU in the John R. Wooden Classic.

We don't feel like we should have to post reporters' schedules here, nor should we have to explain why they're taking days off. Worth noting is this: Even on his day off, Jon still reported on the firing of defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough and receivers coach Reggie Moore. But apparently that wasn't enough.

We shouldn't have to come to this blog and insist on a certain code of behavior. From here on out, the personal attacks will no longer be tolerated. This is a free blog after all -- please check your sense of entitlement at the door.

I'm not sure what some people are trying to accomplish. We realize most of you are passionate Bruins fans. We know there will be joking around and trash-talking, but please keep the personal digs to yourselves.

Thanks ... and a safe and happy holidays to all.

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

Got a nice voicemail from Chuck Bullough last night and he included a very diplomatic goodbye to UCLA:

"I enjoyed working here. Obviously I enjoyed working here. This is part of the profession. The only thing is, the only disappointing thing is I don't get to be around these players, who I really enjoy. It's going to be a special defense. Obviously you can see the talent. As soon as they grow up and get older next year, it's going to be a special team, and I wish I would've been a part of it. But that's the profession, and we know that."

UCLA hands BYU its first loss. Josh Smith produces while playing with four fouls, as do Tyler Honeycutt and Zeke Jones. Malcolm Lee does a solid job on Jimmer Fredette, who still scored 25 points on 8 of 15 shooting. Lee had seven assists and one turnovers. BYU had five assists and 19 turnovers. Very good win for UCLA.

#UCLA leads #BYU 43-37 at hafltime, but #BYU has shot 60 percent. Jimmer #Ferdette has scored 17 points on 6 of 8 shots. Reeves Nelson has 12 points and 1 rebound. Josh Smith picked up two first half fouls, as per usual, and so did Jones, but they were both questionable.

Malcolm Lee went streaking down the lane and threw down a monstrous dunk off a nice pass by Josh Smith. That sent every UCLA player off the bench in celebration.

This is the first Wooden Classic without Wooden, and there was a nice video tribute of Wooden from his days in Indiana on the JumboTron here at the Honda Center. Tyler Trapani, Wooden's great grandson, told me earlier this week that it was going to be difficult, but that he knew his ``Papa will be watching.''

Jimmer Fredette made his first three shots and has eight points. The Bruins trailed by 10 early, but a steal by Lazeric Jones (off Fredette) and ensuing fastbreak layup means UCLA trails by just 4.

On the decision to fire Moore:
"I just felt like we could play that position more consistently. I just felt like there were lots of places where we could've cleaned it up just a little bit better. This is not just pointing at Reggie. This is me making a staff decision as to how to improve. we have more than just the problems we're talking about now. At the end of day, a coach wears lots of hats. I need them to wear them all."

On potential defensive changes:
"I think I'm through with the defense. Obviously, I've got to come to a decision as to who's going to come in and coordinate."

On potential offensive changes:
"A lot of things are factoring in my decision about Norm. I'm still molding that around in my head."

On potentially coaching the receivers himself:
"I've certainly coached wide receivers before in my life and quarterbacks before in my life. There's a lot of ways to throw the ball up in the air and figure the best staff to put forth. All of that's up in the air."

On injuries and inexperience playing a factor in the defensive issues:
"Certainly it did. If I'm Chuck's agent, I can make a great case that you can point to inexperience and injuries as the entire reason we didn't get it done. At some point, these decisions become subjective, and you have to make the decision going forward."

On delaying the decisions:
"I dont know what's so obvious. I considered the last question. Also, the timing of the season, in December with a recruiting visit that weekend before, we had to utilize that time to get out and recruit. I wasn't sure at the time I was going to make any moves and lose a complete week of recruiting."

Opening statement:
"Better days, I've had better days. This is always a difficult thing, to say goodbye to colleagues and more importantly, friends, people youve come to admire. At the end of the day, you have to make decisions that you think are in the best interest of the program. I let Reggie and Chuck know this morning I was going in a different direction."

On the decision to fire Bullough:
"I just felt - and certainly Chuck as organized as he is had counterarguments - I thought we needed to have a couple of alternative schemes that might be able to keep us as a more consistent defense. He's a 4-3 guy, believes in a 4-3. It was certainly beneficial, in my opinion, to try to keep same system in place that DeWayne had. I thought we did some really good things, but at end of day we weren't consistent enough in stopping the run. I thought some of the players we have might fit in alternate schemes. In my opinion, Chuck was not the guy to be an expert in that department."

UCLA defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough and wide receiver coach Reggie Moore have been fired, the school announced on Saturday.

"The decisions to let Chuck and Reggie go were extremely difficult for me," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said in a press release. "They are both good coaches who have worked extremely hard for our program and they are both great people. When you make decisions like these, it not only affects the coaches, but their families as well.

"However, at the end of the day, I felt that making these moves was in the best interest of the future of our program, I certainly want to thank both of them for their contributions and wish them good luck with their future opportunities. I will begin the search for a new defensive coordinator immediately. At the same time, I am continuing to evaluate the entire staff as we move forward."

Bullough signed a contract renewal during the season but was let go after the 4-8 Bruins finished 95th in total defense, 85th in scoring defense and 108th against the run nationally.

Bullough was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2009 from linebackers coach, and behind a senior- and talent-laden group, the defense finished 39th in total defense.

Moore was one of head coach Rick Neuheisel's first hires at UCLA, but production at the wideout position dropped this season as the passing game stalled in the new Pistol offense.

Speculation has run rampant recently about the state of the UCLA coaching staff, as Neuheisel had said he hoped to have quick decisions made, but hadn't made any moves after his second 4-8 season in three years. Former UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker and Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio have been widely rumored to be sought after.

From UCLA

Ryan Hofmeister, a 6-2, 220-pound linebacker from Riverside (CA) City College, has signed a letter of intent with UCLA.

Hofmeister, who will attend UCLA for the Winter Quarter (Jan. 3) will be a true sophomore and will have four years to complete his three seasons of eligibility.

"Ryan is a versatile athlete who can help us in several areas," said Bruin head coach Rick Neuheisel. "He can play linebacker but can also play safety, giving us flexibility for different alignments. In addition, he is an outstanding special teams performer."

Hofmeister earned All-Conference honors at RCC, making 127 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. He also recorded three pass breakups, forced one fumble and one blocked kick.

As a senior at Vista Murrieta High School in 2009, Hofmeister made 126 tackles, including nine sacks, and helped lead his school to the CIF-SS finals.

His head coach at Riverside CC this past season was Tom Craft, father of former Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft.

From UCLA:

Three Bruin football players have been named to the Rivals.com Pac-10 All-Freshman Team - Cassius Marsh, Owamagbe Odighizuwa and Jordan Zumwalt.

Zumwalt was eighth on the team with 32 tackles. He moved into the starting lineup against Oregon State and went on to start the final three games of the year. He also tallied 3.0 sacks for a loss of 22 yards during the season.

Marsh also went into the starting lineup against Oregon State and kept his position throughout the remainder of the season, ending the year 12th on the team with 23 tackles. He also recovered a fumble and returned it 26 yards against Texas.

Odighizuwa notched 10 tackles on the year and 3.0 sacks for a loss of nine yards. He was a starter in six of UCLA's 12 games.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

From UCLA:

UCLA junior free safety Rahim Moore has been named a first-team All-American by Sporting News magazine. Sporting News is one of the five All-American teams used by the NCAA.

Moore has made 14 interceptions in his three-year career, tied for No. 4 in school history. During the 2010 season, Moore ranked third on the team this season with 77 tackles. He made a nation-leading 10 interceptions in 2009.

Earlier this week, Moore was named a third-team selection by Associated Press. Outside linebacker Akeem Ayers, a second-team Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American, was also selected to AP's third unit.

From UCLA:

Four Bruins were named to Football All-America teams in recent days. The Associated Press squad, which was released on Dec. 14, included junior linebacker Akeem Ayers and junior safety Rahim Moore as third-team selections. Ayers was a finalist for the this season's Butkus Award, while Moore was a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award.

Sophomore punter Jeff Locke and Ayers each received honorable mention All-America recognition from Sports Illustrated (si.com). Locke ranked first in the Pac-10 and fifth in the NCAA with his average of 45.84 yards per kick.

Phil Steele's Magazine tabbed Ayers as a second-team All-America selection. Senior long-snapper Christian Yount and Moore were named to Steele's fourth-team All-America squad.

UCLA is slated to open the 2011 football season on Sept. 3 at the University of Houston. The Bruins are then scheduled to head home to the Rose Bowl for games on Sept. 10 against San Jose State and on Sept. 17 verus the University of Texas. The USC game is set for the Coliseum on Nov. 26. The Pacific-12 Conference championship game will be held on Dec. 3. 

2011 UCLA SCHEDULE

Sept. 3 at Houston

Sept. 10 San Jose State

Sept. 17 Texas

Sept. 24 at Oregon State

Oct. 1 at Stanford

Oct. 8 Washington State

Oct. 20 at Arizona (Thurs.)

Oct. 29 California

Nov. 5 Arizona State

Nov. 12 at Utah

Nov. 19 Colorado

Nov. 26 at USC

Dec. 3 Pac-12 Championship Game

Hey guys, here's a link to my Brett Hundley feature today in the Daily News: Check it out

On Saturday, UCLA needed a one-man show, and quite the one-man show it was, freshman center Joshua Smith pouring in a career-high 19 points and 12 rebounds in the Bruins' 72-61 win over Cal Poly.

Two days later, UCLA needed a balanced effort.

Junior guard Malcolm Lee had a team-high 15 points, leading four Bruins in double-figures, as UCLA sweated out a 74-67 win over visiting UC Davis on Monday night at Pauley Pavilion.

Sophomore power forward Reeves Nelson added 13 points and sophomore small forward Tyler Honeycutt and junior point guard Lazeric Jones added 10 each as the Bruins won their second straight after a four-game losing skid.

"It's good showing that we're starting to come together and sharing the ball," Honeycutt said. "Initially, we thought they were going red in the post, which they didn't. Our posts are doing a good job of getting attention inside."

Lee had 10 points in the first half on four-of-five shooting, but the Aggies tightened up on Lee in the second half, holding him to just four attempts.

His 15-point performance, though, was his second-highest scoring output of the season, after a 23-point outburst in the Bruins' 89-85 loss to Virginia Commonwealth in the preseason NIT third-place game.

"He really shot it well, shot it with confidence," Howland said. "When he cut the lead late in the game, he hit a big three. He's worked very hard on his shot, so it's nice to see him get his just rewards for it."

UCLA survived a late flurry by UC Davis backup forward Josh Richart that brought the Aggies close at the end.

Richart had three 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch as the Aggies came from 14 behind to cut it to six. Richart hit five-of-six 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 23 points, as he was able to get around sound screens on the perimeter for open looks.

"We really had a hard time playing against them in terms of helping too much off of shooters," Howland said. "We're being told stay at home, don't help, but the natural reaction is to want to help. The one kid had a great game today and really shot it well."

UCLA will face another hot-shooting team on Saturday at the Honda Center in the Wooden Classic, with No. 18 BYU and standout Jimmer Fredette.

The matchup with the Cougars will be the Bruins' last tough test before Pac-10 play begins on Dec. 29 against Washington State. UCLA needs a big win for its resume, as none of its victories have come against top programs.

"I would say we haven't done well, we've just come out with victories," Honeycutt said. "This is real important. They have a great player, a great shooter who we'll have to keep an eye on."

UCLA jumped out to a 13-point halftime lead behind a balanced scoring attack from Malcolm Lee, Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson.

Lee has 10 points, Honeycutt has nine points and nine rebounds and Nelson has eight points and five boards at the half.

UC Davis has essentially negated Joshua Smith, who has just two points in nine minutes.

The Bruins passing continues to be improved, after 18 assists and eight turnovers in a 72-61 win over Cal Poly. UCLA has nine assists, five by Jerime Anderson in 10 minutes, with six turnovers.

Check out the first part of my interview with Sam Tai, Scout.com's No. 58-rated defensive in the country, and a UCLA verbal commit.

Tai has already gotten his registration ID and plans on moving to the LA in about two weeks.

Check out the first part of my interview with Sam Tai, Scout.com's No. 58-rated defensive in the country, and a UCLA verbal commit.

Tai has already gotten his registration ID and plans on moving to the LA in about two weeks.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

UCLA head coach Ben Howland regretted not getting freshman guard Tyler Lamb and redshirt freshman center Anthony Stover more minutes in the Bruins' 72-61 win on Saturday night at Pauley Pavilion.

He might not get the chance to make up for it tonight.

Howland said the two freshmen came down with food poisoning on Saturday night and missed practice on Sunday, a light workout as UCLA prepared for UC Davis, with tipoff scheduled at Pauley Pavilion at 7:30 p.m.

"Tyler Lamb and Anthony Stover had some chili chicken cheese fries and had food poisoning; I won't name the extablishment, but we would like to cut that establishment out during the season," Howland said. "Tyler was throwing up during practice, throwing up in the hallway of his dorm room. It wan't good."

Lamb got just six minutes against the Mustangs on Saturday night as the Mater Dei product appeared flustered by Cal Poly's zone defense, which essentially negated UCLA's transition game.

Lamb missed his only shot attempt - he's now shooting 35 percent from the field and averaging 3.5 points in 17.6 minutes - while committing two turnovers.

"There is no way to speed up the maturation process," Howland said. "It's just time and learning."

Stover, meanwhile, only played two minutes as starting freshman center Joshua Smith thrived against a small Cal Poly front court. Smith had a career-high 19 points and added 12 rebounds, while Stover picked up two quick fouls in his brief appearance and headed back to the bench.

"I have to get Anthony more minutes," Howland said. "Last night, we wanted to score against the zone, and the thing is, Josh had it going. He had another very good game, not unlike the one he had at Kansas."

With only nine players on scholarship after freshman guard Matt Carlino's announced transfer late last week, UCLA needs all the healthy bodies it can get. Howland said he was optimistic that Lamb and Stover could play against the Aggies but that he would learn more either before or after the team's shoot-around today.

"I hope it's a one-day deal," Howland said. "We're going to have a doctor look at them tomorrow before or after our shoot-around. We're hoping they'll be able to get some food in their bellies tonight."

Bumps and Bruises
Howland said junior shooting guard Malcolm Lee felt little effect against Cal Poly fro separate injuries he's suffered in the last two weeks, including patella tendonitis and a sprained ankle.
However, he added that Lee probably would be without a knee brace against the Aggies, after "fiddling with it a lot" against the Mustangs.

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

The big man lumbered into the post-game press conference, bulky ice packs on both knees, a leg, an elbow.

On Saturday night, Joshua Smith had ice in his veins, too.

Smith showed a nasty streak as UCLA broke a four-game losing streak with a 72-61 win over Cal Poly at Pauley Pavilion in front of 5,496.

When the 6-foot-10, 305-pound freshman center was fed in the paint, he feasted, using his massive frame to toy with the smaller Mustangs.

Smith had a career-high 19 points, hitting six-of-12 field goals and seven-of-nine free throws, and added 12 rebounds, including eight offensive. Smith imposed his will at times, particularly during a first-half, eight-minute run when he had nine points on a Cal Poly front court that measured 6-8, 6-5 and 6-4.

"A lot of times, when I get it in the post, I'm too passive," Smith said. "You can ask (junior guard Jerime Anderson). He reminds me all the time. I look to pass instead of score a lot of times and they were telling me that when I get it sometimes, yeah it's OK to pass, but I have a free shot."

Smith's first-half spurt coincided with the Bruins' first run, as they went from a two-point deficit midway through the half to an eight-point halftime lead.

With Cal Poly (3-5) playing strictly zone defense, UCLA (4-4) found out early it would not be working the transition game that brought the Bruins success in a three-game winning streak to open the season.

"It's definitely a focus, but it's difficult when a team is playing zone to push the ball as much," said Anderson, who had a crucial eight points and six assists, with zero turnovers, in 22 minutes off the bench. "They weren't even rebounding on free throws. I don't even think they were sending too many guys to the offensive glass, just to stop our transition game in general."

The Mustangs were able to fluster the hurried Bruins early in the second half, as well, cutting the UCLA advantage to three early in the half. The Bruins gradually increased the lead back up to 17 as the inside-outside game began to thrive with Cal Poly collapsing on the post.
Smith and sophomore forwards Reeves Nelson (13 points in 25 minutes) and Brendan Lane (seven points, four blocks in 23 minutes) started to move the ball back outside, and UCLA guards got hot midway through the half.

Anderson had three straight baskets for the Bruins, including two 3-pointers, and a Tyler Honeycutt 3-pointer gave the Bruins the 17-point lead which dwindled to eight before UCLA closed it out.

"You always get a little confidence when you see the ball goes in the basket," Anderson said. "That happened to me tonight. I've been working on my game, my shot. I know it's going to come."

With Smith patrolling the paint - and the Bruin backcourt actually giving him some opportunities - it could start happening more and more.

Especially if Smith stays true to character, and continues to be unselfish, though UCLA should hope the ice doesn't thaw too much.

"Man, way too passive," Anderson said of Smith. "This man could be the beast of all beasts in the whole country. We just have to get it in his head. 'Bro, we need you to score in the post.'"

UCLA got off to a sluggish start but put together a nice run at the end to go up 24-28 over the Mustangs.

The Bruins are feeding the post with efficiency, and the results are evident: Joshua Smith has 11 points, Reeves Nelson 9 and Brendan Lane 7 at the half. Smith has been especially good at moving his body into the defender and putting the smaller post players on their heels.

UCLA's on-ball defense was poor early, and Cal Poly guards accounted for 15 points, but the Bruins have turned it up over the last several minutes.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

From UCLA:

LOS ANGELES - UCLA men's basketball head coach Ben Howland announced today that 6-foot-1-inch freshman guard Matt Carlino will not be returning next quarter. Carlino, from Scottsdale, Ariz., and Blooming South High School (Ind.), will transfer to play his final years at another school.

Carlino will leave UCLA immediately and hasn't made a decision as to where he will transfer.

"Matt is a good kid and I have enjoyed having him in our program," Howland said. "I wish him nothing but the best as he searches for a program where he will have a chance to play more minutes than we envision he will have here."

Carlino didn't play in a regulation collegiate game. He took a hard fall in practice after the first exhibition game and had a concussion, which sidelined him for the last exhibition game and the first three games of the season. He was medically cleared to play in the Bruins' last four games, but did not due to coaches decision.

He played nine minutes in the blowout exhibition win over Westmont (Nov. 4), registering four points, two assists, one rebound and one steal.

"It is with great humility that I declare my intentions to transfer from UCLA," Carlino said in a statement. "I want to thank the University, Coach Howland and his staff for affording me the opportunity of a lifetime. However, I believe a new destination would be much healthier for me both personally and athletically. I sincerely apologize to all those, especially those closest to me, who may find my decision disappointing, and I want to wish all of my coaches and teammates at UCLA best of luck going forward.

"I hope to be enrolled in a new educational institution by next semester, though I've not yet determined my schools of interest. I will have no further comments on this matter."

On Malcolm Lee:
"Started practice yesterday and tweaked his sprained ankle that he sprained before. Went to contest a shot, came down on someone's foot. He hardly practiced yesterday. Really hasnt had practice since when we played. He has patella tendonitis - jumper's knee - but he said he felt fine."

On Lee's status:
"He's seemingly OK. He's actually in a final right now, and he saw a trainer and both said he should be able to practice."

On other injury issues:
"Guys have had winter colds that went around. That was part of the issue in Kansas and Montana. "

On playing Cal Poly:
"I'm really worried about winning this game tomorrow. It's all based on what he can do. After the terrible loss we suffered last Sunday, we had to give them two days off for finals. We came back and I thought we had a good practice on Wednesday, and a pretty good practice (Thursday). We've lost four games in a row. We're just trying to get back on our winning way here."

On jetlag:
"We were on the road nine of previous 12 days, going across the country twice. Coming back, I thought our practice Saturday before the game was just OK at best. Some of the guys were into finals stuff and screwed up that way. You could just tell we were worn down a little bit."

On the Montana loss:
"We're a very, very young team. Montana is good. They definitely have a great shot of coming out of their league as a NCAA tournament team. All the things were set up for a potential pitfall."

On the team's reaction to Montana loss:
"Kids are much more resilient than adults. I thought the guys were, especially at yesterday's practice, pretty upbeat. We had a long practice (Thursday), 2:30 hours."

On Reeves Nelson's recent struggles:
"Even though he didn't score or rebound great against Kansas, I thought it was maybe the best defensive effort of his career. He missed one rotation that was a significant one. He really worked hard to follow the game plan. Last game, he really played poorly. So much of his stuff is mental. He get down, he gets negative, down on himself, he drops his head. It's only a self-defeating thing when he starts to do that."

UCLA head coach Ben Howland just announced a conference call that freshman guard Matt Carlino has decided to transfer.
Howland said he was blindsided by the decision and hadn't seen any warning signs - Howland actually said he had a great practice just the day before - and that it appears strictly to be a playing time issue.
"Obviously I'm disappointed because it leaves us shorthanded," Howland said. "I probably should've played him in that Montana game and we wouldn't have this discussion."
Carlino suffered a concussion during preseason and missed the first two weeks of the year, and Howland decided it wasn't prudent to play him at Kansas for his first game back.
However, as UCLA's shooting numbers were dreadful against Montana, Howland still decided not to play Carlino. After the game, Howland even said he wouldn't consider redshirting him.
"That's definitely an aspect of it," Howland said of Carlino's dissatisfaction with playing time. "He's done fine academically. He doesn't see it long-term being best for him. That's why he made the decision."
Carlino's transfer leaves the Bruins with just nine scholarship players heading into tomorrow's game against Cal Poly at Pauley Pavilion at 5 p.m.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the third part of my interview with Brett Hundley, Scout.com's No. 5-rated quarterback in the country, and a UCLA verbal commit.

From UCLA:

UCLA junior outside linebacker Akeem Ayers has been named to the second unit of the 121st edition of the Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America team, it was announced this evening. The team is selected by vote of FBS head coaches and Sports Information Directors.

Ayers, one of the most versatile defenders in the nation, ranked fourth on the squad with 68 tackles, first with two fumble recoveries, tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks and ranked second with 10.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Ayers was one of just five Pac-10 players to make the first or second teams. Oregon running back LaMichael James was named to the first team while Stanford's quarterback-center combination of Andrew Luck and Chase Beeler and Oregon's Cliff Harris, selected as both a defensive back and kick returner, joined Ayers on the second team.

Check out the second part of my interview with Brett Hundley, Scout.com's No. 5-rated quarterback in the country, and a UCLA verbal commit.

Check out the first part of my interview with Brett Hundley, Scout.com's No. 5-rated quarterback in the country, and a UCLA verbal commit.

Hey guys,

Here's a link to my UCLA football season-in-review: Check it out

FINAL RECORD: 4-8
OVERALL GRADE: D

So I'm doing my UCLA football post-season wrap-up, and I was just going over some of the numbers, and the drop off on the defensive line was even more staggering than I thought.

UCLA's top eight defensive lineman in 2010
Tackles, Tackles-for-Loss, Sacks
DT David Carter 41 5 3.5
DE Damien Holmes 28 1 1
DT Cassius Marsh 23 .5 0
DT Nate Chandler 21 1 1
DE Keenan Graham 18 2 2
DE Reggie Stokes 11 2.5 1
DE Owa Odighizuwa 10 4 3
DT Justin Edison 9 1 0
TOTAL 161 tackles, 17 TFL, 12 sacks

UCLA's top eight defensive lineman in 2009
Tackles, Tackles-for-Loss, Sacks
DE Korey Bosworth 58 14 1.5
DT Brian Price 48 23.5 7
DT Jerzy Siewierski 31 6 1
DE Datone Jones 30 11 4
DT Jess Ward 25 3.5 0
DE Damien Holmes 11 3 .5
DE Reggie Stokes 10 .5 0
DT David Carter 9 2 2
TOTAL: 222 tackles, 63.5 TFL, 16 sacks

A one-season drop-off of 46.5 tackles-for loss. Just stunning. If you want to know why the interceptions were down, that's a good indication.

Here's the good news: They were going to drop off anyway, simply because Brian Price was out-of-this-world, but they were also very young. Out of that unit, only Carter and Stokes are moving on, so you have to imagine that the other six will all take a step forward, plus you add the most talented one in the group - Jones - back into the mix next season.

From UCLA:

Junior safety Rahim Moore and junior linebacker Akeem Ayers were selected All-Pac-10 first team. Moore was one of just three players who also earned first-team acclaim in 2009.

Senior place kicker Kai Forbath, sophomore running back Johnathan Franklin and sophomore punter Jeff Locke were voted to the second team.

Junior running back/special teams performer Derrick Coleman, junior safety Tony Dye, senior center Ryan Taylor and junior linebacker Sean Westgate were named honorable mention.

Moore, who has made 14 interceptions in his three-year career, including a nation-best 10 in 2009, ranked third on the team this season with 77 tackles.

Ayers, one of the most versatile defenders in the nation, ranked fourth on the squad with 68 tackles, first with two fumble recoveries, tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks and ranked second with 10.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Franklin is UCLA's first 1,000-yard rusher since Chris Markey in 2006. He finished the season with 1,127 yards, the 10th-highest single-season total in UCLA history. He ranked fifth in the Pac-10 with his average of 93.92 yards per game. He also led the Bruins with eight touchdowns.

Forbath concluded his career with 85 field goals in 101 attempts, tying the UCLA record set by John Lee in 1982-85. He also finished No. 2 (tied) in career scoring with 357 points. This season, he made 13 of 18 field goal attempts and all 27 PATs for 66 points.

Locke led the Pac-10 and was fifth in the NCAA with his punting average of 45.84 and helped UCLA rank second nationally in net punting.

Coleman was UCLA's second-leading rusher with 487 yards, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt, and ranked second with five touchdowns. He also made 10 tackles on special teams.

Dye led the Bruins and ranked fourth (tied) in the Pac-10 with 96 tackles, an average of 8.00 per game. He also broke up a team-high nine passes and made his first career interception versus USC.

Taylor started all 12 games at center and anchored an offensive line that helped the Bruins average over 175 rushing yards per game. He was selected the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Bruins' 34-12 victory at Texas.

Westgate ranked second on the team and eighth (tied) in the Pac-10 with his 90 tackles, an average of 7.50 per game. He led the Bruins with 11.0 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with 4.0 sacks. He also broke up seven passes.

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

From UCLA:

Junior guard Malcolm Lee has a strained patellar tendon in his right knee. Lee sustained the injury early in the second half of the Montana game (Dec. 5) when he was fouled while going up for a layup.
Lee is listed as day-to-day and will be reevaluated on Wednesday, Dec. 8 when UCLA, which began final exams today, returns to practice.

Fire away with questions for this week's Q&A. Please don't post new questions on the answers section, because I don't always check the comments. Save them for next week.

Thanks
Jon

I'll be joining the Petros and Money show today at 3:30 on AM570 KLAC.

Just got off the Rick Neuheisel season-ending conference call, and here are some tidbits:

On having to watch the basketball team last night:
"You never throw stones when you live in a glass house, right?"

On potential coaching changes:
"I haven't given myself that timetable. Obviously we'd like to make those decisions quickly, but they have to be prudent. I have to make sure I'm doing everything I can information-wise."

On what he tells recruits regarding potential changes
"You just tell them, 'We're hopeful everybody can be back, but we have to do what's best for the program. We have to make sure we do the careful analysis because of why we weren't able to turn the corner. It could be as simple as not enough healthy bodies. And the kids who come here understand that assistant coaches, for whatever, reason, might have an opportunity that's best for their families."

On delaying the coaching decisions until after the recruiting period, which ends on Dec. 20:
"I'm not trying to make this a long, arduous proces. We want to move quickly."

On installing too much, too soon with the Pistol offense:
"It could be certainly the case. That might be very accuate. I remember listening to some of the coaches who were so helpful, saying that we were far ahread. Maybe that far ahead isn't a good thing. Maybe we did go too fast."

On potential buyouts affecting coaching decisions:
"Everything will be factored in. But we can't be hamstrung in making decisions that are best for the program by that. It could be that eveybody's back and we just keep getting better.
I haven't made any big conclusions about those kind of things."

On Johnathan Franklin's lack of carries in the second half:
"I really don't think it was anything punitive. Wayne as he always does, tries to get guys in the game. I think that's how it kind of fell with respect to Johnathan. I will get ot the bottom of it though."

On Franklin's fumbling issues:
"I think he made marked improvement. With the same level of work and attention to the issue, I think he can be even that much better a year from now. The last time we had a 1,000 yard back was 2006. We're excited that we've got a guy who has that kind of ability."

On Stan Hasiak:
"Stan is trying to earn his way back into good standing academically. Stan has to be more consistent. He has to prove that he can do what it takes to be a student and an athlete."

On Richard Brehaut's performance:
"There's a lot of promise for Richard. Certainly he went in there and played well at times. He still has to be more serious about the craft, understanding what defenses do so he can keep himself from making the mistakes that plagued him. Really it's grasping conceptually more what's going on, then physical mistakes.
"He's got to know what the hecks going on. He can't just go and think that's enough."

On the defense:
"Are we missing stars? When you play great defense, the defense creates the stars. We talk about defense as a team, rather than individual. The ball gets funneled to some place, and the person who ends up at the point of contact needs to make the tackle. If that creates a star, terrific."

On finding new ways to practice:
"In my gut of guts, having done this for 11 years, I think we practice well. Our guys gave us good effort. Our energy level when we took the field was where it needed to be. Ultimately, it comes down to execution."

Quick Injury Update:
Jordan Zumwalt, concussion, clearing protocol
Christian Ramirez, sprained shoulder
Eddie Williams, pulled hamstring

A few weeks back, someone asked Ben Howland if he was surprised that UCLA was hosting one of the preseason NIT regionals after the Bruins went 14-18 last season, and his response went something like this: "No. We're UCLA."

My ears perked up a bit.

He went on to talk about how the team doesn't need "gimmicks" to attract opponents and how people want to play UCLA, etc.

And that's true.

To an extent.

UCLA is still UCLA, but that might mean more to Howland than it does to others.

The world has a short attention span these days. A decade might as well be a century. Last week? Who cares. Reputations can crumble in a day.

I couldn't help but think back to the last two recruiting periods, when the Bruins whiffed on some guys who a lot of people thought they had little chance with in the first place. Some chance, for sure, on guys like Ray McCallum and Trey Zeigler, but definitely not "favorite" status. I always got the impression that Coach Howland was shocked that a top player could deign not sign with UCLA.

Then in last night's press conference, Zeke Jones and Malcolm Lee talked about taking Montana lightly, and the team not giving full effort.

I think it's all related.

Of all the major sports, college basketball in 2010 is the most "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?" Why? Because in no other sport can a superstar player decide to opt-out after only one year with an organization.

NFL rookies are usually inked for several years. NBA rookies usually sign for three years. MLB players get long contracts, even as first-year players. NCAA football players have a mandatory three-year period.

But the one-and-done rule - and this isn't a memorandum on that rule, which is a joke, but a joke for another time - has the ability to drastically change the landscape of a team in one season.

That sounds so obvious, and in recruiting, it is.

UCLA's three-year run of Final Four appearances is absolutely amazing in today's day and age. For that alone, Howland must be lauded. Forget that UCLA didn't get over the hump, though I know that's a lasting disappointment. Just getting to three straight Final Fours is stunning.

But the Bruins are in their third year removed from that. The hottest prospects, the college-bound superstars, were 12 when that started. They're 17-18 now. I'm not saying they've forgotten - obviously they haven't forgotten - but there have been some other very successful teams across the country over the last five years, too. Duke, North Carolina, Michigan State, Kansas, Memphis, the list goes on and on and on. And lets not pretend that UCLA hasn't still had some very good classes, the 2008 class notwithstanding.

But college basketball is more than just recruiting. They have to play the games, too, and a coach must be accountable and self-reflective about his success.

UCLA had a bad, bad season last year, after a good season the year before. Goliath isn't dead. Nowhere near dead. But the smallest trickle of blood is dripping from his arm. David can see that. A few years ago, there was no blood. Now there is. Not a ton, again, but there doesn't need to be a ton to give a decent team - like a VCU or a Montana - the extra confidence to get over the hump against the Bruins.

* "We weren't star struck by Pauley Pavilion."

* "Yesterday in practice Coach told us, 'You know the Bruins, they're not unbeatable.'"

* "We could see it in their eyes after stop after stop, layup after layup, foul after foul. It looked like they were ready to give up."

* "All in all, they were trying to come together, but once we were getting stops and making shots, we could see it in there faces, they were ready to break. That just told us: keep our foot on their necks."

That was Montana guard Will Cherry, who led all scorers with 18 points.

That was a message, from David to Goliath that it ain't 2007 any more, and that Goliath can't mail in a game like it did last night.

For the UCLA basketball team to get to where it was - heck, not even all the way there, because I think just relatively consistent Sweet 16 runs mixed in with a Final Four or title game every handful of years - I think the Bruins need to realize that while "those four letters" were absolutely terrifying a few years ago, they just aren't anymore.

* I'll have more analysis on the game tomorrow, but here's a quick write-up for deadline

Tyler Honeycutt had a perfect look, with perfect lift, and perfect rotation on the ball.
And the ball found the rim, and it spun, and it spun, and it spun, finally squirting out harmlessly to the floor with less than a minute to play.

And once again, UCLA proved to be a mystery.

Well, a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
Only take that, and wrap that in a plastic bag, wrap that with 43 rubber bands, and bury it
smack in the middle of the Sahara.

Three days after losing at Kansas' vaunted Allen Fieldhouse by one - and a sketchy one, at that, as a much-questioned last-second foul call proved the difference - the Bruins fell to Montana 66-57 at Pauley Pavilion in front of 5,391.

"We deserved the boos," UCLA junior point guard Lazeric Jones said. "Our fans came to watch us play, and we didn't give them a good showing. I think a lot of people anticipated us to come out and play hard, especially after our game against Kansas. We did the exact opposite."

Given the way UCLA played offensively, perhaps Jones should not have been so shocked.
The Bruins shot 20-for-64 from the field, just 31 percent, and committed 16 turnovers, unable to convert even the easiest of baskets.

Leading scorers Tyler Honeycutt and Reeves Nelson, who came into the contest averaging a combined 33.2 points per game, combined for just 16 on 5-of-21 shooting. Against the Jayhawks on Thursday, Honeycutt had 33 alone.

"We did a very poor job of attacking their zone, without a lot of patience," Howland said. "We probably should have spent all our time yesterday on zone offense. We did not attack it well. We had a bunch of layups tonight we missed. Short, crippled shots. We were a step slow to everything."

A two-possession game at halftime quickly blew up on UCLA, as Montana pushed the ball with ease despite 17 turnovers. The Grizzlies jumped to a seven-point lead six minutes into the game as the Bruins found little offensive rhythm, looking disjointed in the half-court game against a Montana squad with ample size in the post.

With 7-footer Derek Selvig and 6-foot-11 center Brian Qvale (13 points) pounding UCLA's own big boys - freshman center Joshua Smith and sophomore forwards Brendan Lane and Nelson - the Grizzlies went into the half up 32-28.
It only got worse from there for the Bruins.

Montana shot 61 percent from the field in the second half, first punishing UCLA inside and then thriving in the running game when the Bruins tightened up. Point guard Will Cherry had a game-high 18 points, including 13 in the second half.

The Grizzlies led by as many as 17 with less than four minutes to play before a mini-UCLA run mercifully brought the Bruins to within double-digits.
"It's early, but it' a bad loss, no question," Howland said. "We have to control our future by having better practices. It's frustrating that it's now always a given.
"This was a nightmare deal."

UCLA' uneven play brought out the boo-birds for the first time this season, as the team was 3-0 at Pauley Pavilion before the loss. The defeat was the Bruins' fourth straight, as losses to Villanova and Virginia Commonwealth in the preseason NIT preceded the Kansas heartbreak and the Montana debacle.

Fans are now left wondering if the team will continue to tailspin, as it did last season, when the Bruins finished 14-18.
"The way we played, yeah (it reminded us of last year)," said UCLA junior guard Malcolm Lee, who led the team with 13 points. "Our capabilities, we could've played way better. I think we took this team just too lightly. Especially coming off a three-game losing streak. I think it was a hidden feeling that we almost beat Kansas."

UCLA REPORT CARD
RESULT: USC 28, UCLA 14
RECORD: 4-8
WEEK 12 GPA: C-

QUARTERBACK
Richard Brehaut wasn't awful, but have to feel like he could've done so much much more against suspect USC pass defense.
C-

RUNNING BACKS
I don't care if Johnathan Franklin fumbles every time he touches the ball, there's ZERO reason for giving him one carry in second half.
C-

WIDE RECEIVERS
Dropped touchdown by Taylor Embree sullied what was an other-wise decent night.
D+

OFFENSIVE LINE
Expected more out of offensive line featuring four senior starters 12 games into season, even against talented Trojan defensive line.
D

DEFENSIVE LINE
David Carter, Cassius Marsh looked impressive in pass rush, but little else from front four.
C-

LINEBACKERS
Akeem Ayers - three tackles, .5 tackle-for-loss - continued recent run of baffling play. Is he still a first-rounder?
D

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Aside from Allen Bradford's 47-yard screen touchdown, very impressive game by UCLA DBs, particularly Tony Dye (13 tackles, interception).
B+

SPECIAL TEAMS
Shame of all shames: Four USC games, zero field goal attempts for Kai Forbath.
C

COACHING
Offensive play-calling still confounding, but defensive game-plan good until fourth quarter.
C-

Congrats to DBL185 for being the closest in our Poll of the Week, picking USC to win 24-10.

DBL185 - please email me 10 questions for any UCLA basketball player at jon.gold@dailynews.com.

Opportunity knocks only so many times.
It doesn't knock loudly, and it tends to fade away quickly.

UCLA heard the knocks on Saturday, heard them like the Bruins have all season. It was there, ever so quietly.

And then, like the season, it was gone.

UCLA could not convert key plays, could not finish key drives, and ultimately could not finish the season on a winning note, falling to USC 28-14 on Saturday at the Rose Bowl in front of 71,105.

"Throughout the season, we've seen we're capable of making plays, but shoot, we've got to finish," junior wide receiver Taylor Embree said. "That's what it comes down to. Making plays at the end. Our defense could not have done a better job, but we have to capitalize. That's the biggest thing as a team; there have been games where we just didn't capitalize. We just didn't do it."

The missed opportunities started early, and they hurt the Bruins badly. Boy did they hurt.

With the score tied at seven midway through the second quarter, a Johnathan Franklin fumble was gobbled up and returned 68 yards for a touchdown by USC linebacker Malcolm Smith. The Bruins were driving, poised to take the lead after getting the ball back following a botched 4th-down pass attempt by Mitch Mustain at the UCLA 17- yard line.

It was the second straight year that Smith doomed the Bruins, as his 62-yard interception touchdown last season gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead.

"Turnovers," Neuheisel said, regretfully. "We had far too many turnovers. We turned the ball over too much and squandered drives too many times because of them."
It wasn't just turnovers on Saturday night.
Twice the UCLA offense found itself driving with the possibility for points, only to be killed by crucial penalties, including back-to-back penalties with 1st-and-10 at the USC 24-yard line, a holding call on junior right tackle Mike Harris and a false start on junior tight end Cory Harkey.

"We got close and didn't make the play, and we have to look in the mirror and try
and figure out what we need to do to make those plays," Neuheisel said. "We as a coaching staff and players have to perform at a higher level."

The pain of regret, for both the game and the season, was readily apparent after the game.
UCLA junior safety Rahim Moore stood in front of his locker in the Rose Bowl locker room, bible spread open to Psalms 18, shaking his head.

"As a team, we have to finish better, Moore said. "You can talk about the game, the season - we have to finish better. The worst thing in sports is the coulda, woulda, shoulda. We had so many opportunities to get a 'W' and we didn't."

Matt Barkley hit Allen Bradford for a 47-yard touchdown pass on a screen, the Trojans moved it to 21-7. For the first time since the second quarter, USC moved the ball with efficiency.
The Trojans started at the UCLA 3-yard line after a beautiful Jeff Locke punt.

Drive Time: 97 yards, 9 plays, 4:24

After marching to the USC 24-yard line for a 1st-and-10, UCLA squandered a golden opportunity.
Back-to-back penalties, a 10-yard holding call on Mike Harris and a false start on Cory Harkey, put the ball at the 39-yard line, and after a six-yard Derrick Coleman run, Johnathan Franklin fumbled the ball into the hands of Malcolm Smith, who returned the ball 68 yards for a touchdown.

Hey guys,

Just a reminder to follow me on Twitter and Facebook during the game, if interested. I post more often there than on theso you can stay up to date easier.

Twitter: @thecoolsub
Facebook: Inside UCLA page

All it took was a Johnathan Franklin burst, and UCLA tied it up.
Franklin took a Richard Brehaut up the middle for a 59-yard touchdown run, and the Bruins are on the board for the first time.

Drive Time: 65 yards, 2 plays, 45 seconds

The USC offense continues to march all over UCLA, with a 67-yard drive capped off by a Dillon Baxter-to-Rhett Ellison touchdown.
Matt Barkley completed all three of his attempts for 49 yards.

Drive Time: 67 yards, 6 plays, 2:53

Check this out

UCLA's matchup tonight with USC is not only for bragging rights for the city, but also in recruiting circles.

The Bruins are scheduled to host several official visits, including two of the nations' top five linebackers, a top-15 running back and wideout, and a handful of already committed players, including quarterback Brett Hundley.

I've never put much stock into individual games swaying recruits too much, but this game is a big one. I don't even necessarily think UCLA needs to win to make a good showing with this group, but just show progress. After three straight seven-point performances against USC, I'm sure the offensive players in particular need to see some forward progress.

This is a crucial class for the Bruins, who've been able to ride the Rick Neuheisel's vision for the future into three top-15 classes. Now that the team has regressed this season, that message loses some of its meaning. But I've learned to not count Neuheisel out as a recruiter, and there's little doubt he's telling each of these kids they could be the missing link.

Again, this is a tentative list.

DEFENSE

Tony Steward

Brennan Scarlett

Kevin McReynolds

Aaron Wallace

Sam Tai

Ryan Hofmeister

OFFENSE

Brett Hundley

Harvey Langi

Tobias Singleton

Donovan Smith

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

I'm in LA still covering football, but I just got back from dinner with pops, where we watched most of the second half of UCLA/Kansas, and I'm pretty stunned.
What an effort for UCLA, against a very good Kansas team, and for it to end that way? There's not much to say about it.

Obviously Tyler Honeycutt is the story as he just took over offensively. Talk about a revelation. Reminiscent of Malcolm Lee's breakout game at Notre Dame last season - which I also missed, unfortunately - but I think Honeycutt will keep it up, albeit not at tonight's standard, which was pretty high. Honeycutt finished with 33 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, but he also had three turnovers, down from his usual five. Just about the only downside, is this might steel his resolve to jump to the NBA after the season, depending on the possible labor issues. That was an NBA performance.

The emergence of Joshua Smith should be appreciated. Against a big-time front court, Smith held his ground, playing 28 minutes with only two fouls after coming off the bench, after Howland decided to start Brendan Lane at center. Smith's 17 points and 13 rebounds were crucial, but so was his 5-of-10 free-throw shooting.

That's one of the sore thumbs from this game; UCLA shot 14-of-22 from the foul line. The other? The Bruins backcourt melted down, with Lazeric Jones and Jerime Anderson combining for nine turnovers and Malcolm Lee and Tyler Lamb totalling just six points. Combine that with a sub-par performance from Reeves Nelson (5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers in 30 minutes), and Honeycutt's game really stands out.

I heard some callers on the Bruin postgame show with David Vassegh on AM570 talk about Ben Howland's timeout usage, but I didn't get to see enough of the game to really determine that.

What did you guys think of the game?

For all of Kai Forbath's accomplishments, the 2009 Lou Groza Award, the numerous All-American and All-Pac-10 honors, the increasing school records, four major feathers were lacking from his cap entering the 2010 season.
He's gotten two so far - the team's career field goal record, which he tied last Friday in UCLA's 55-34 loss to Arizona State, and a game-winning field goal as time expired, which he kicked in the Bruins' 17-14 win over Oregon State in Week 9 - and two remain.
Both can be accomplished on Saturday at the Rose Bowl against USC.
First, Forbath has never kicked a field goal against the cross-town rival Trojans - never even attempted a field goal against USC. If he gets one and then one more, he'll tie former Georgia kicker Billy Bennett's NCAA career record of 87 field goals.
You can sense which one means more to him.
"I'm hoping all those games with no attempts, I get them back now," Forbath said of his desire to convert a field goal against USC. "We've never been in range. Just PATs so far. That's the only team. Strange."
Forbath didn't expect to be going for the NCAA record against USC, after tying John Lee's UCLA record against the Sun Devils.
He thought he'd have it already.
"I thought I'd have it halfway through the season," Forbath said. "It's been that kind of year with how we're moving it."
For Forbath, his Groza Award follow-up campaign hasn't been quite as memorable. After nailing 28-of-31 attempts last season, the Notre Dame High graduate has made just 13-of-18 field goals in 2010, though all 25 of his extra points.
"I didn't accomplish my goals I set at the beginning of the season, but I don't regret coming back at all," said Forbath, who flirted with leaving for the NFL after his junior year. "I've had a great time with my seniors and the rest of my teammates. Obviously I had a few more misses than I hoped for..."
While an NCAA career record for Forbath would be a highlight in an otherwise down season, head coach Rick Neuheisel would prefer not to give him the chance.
"I hope we score a bunch of touchdowns," Neuheisel said. "I hope he gets a bunch of extra points."

Maintaining Meaning
Though some have called Saturday's matchup meaningless, given that neither team will be headed to the postseason, Neuheisel knows nothing could be further from the truth.
Particularly with several important recruits taking official visits, including highly regarded linebackers Tony Steward out of Florida and Colt Lyerla out of Oregon. Also scheduled to be in attendance are already committed quarterback Brett Hundley, defensive lineman Sam Tai and linebacker Ryan Hofmeister.
"I'm sick to my stomach that we're not going to a postseason game," Neuheisel said. "It's not where I envisioned us being at this time, but it's the reality. The one way to have a positive springboard into recruiting and the development of our program is to find a way to win this game. Obviously it's an important game for us."

Readers: Post your final score prediction and vote in the poll. Closest to actual score with correct winning team gets to give me 10 questions to ask a basketball player of their choosing, within reason, for an upcoming video.

Here's a link to my feature on the recent UCLA-USC rivalry game for some its seniors: Check it out

Pretty great stuff from the players, who have so much invested into this game. Interesting to hear them talk about the rivalry in such vivid terms.

It took 11 games, but UCLA fans finally saw their big secret weapon against Arizona State in last Friday's 55-34 loss.
And Joseph Fauria is certainly big, though he may no longer be a secret.
The 6-foot-7, 259-pound tight end caught a four-yard touchdown pass on a toss-up from sophomore Richard Brehaut into the back of the end zone, a play that the Bruins have practiced throughout the season.
"Sometimes that's what happens when you get plays drawn up during the year, you don't always get to run them during the game," Fauria said. "Things happen with coverages, with personnel. I was happy to finally run it; it was kind of bittersweet, being at the end of the game and down by a little bit, but I was still happy. The monkey's off my back."
Fauria did not expect it to take quite so long.
He entered the season with lofty expectation after transferring from Notre Dame and redshirting last season. Hampered by injuries early in the season and under-utilized after the team's switch to the Pistol offense, though, Fauria has only two catches for 11 yards, including the touchdown.
The Crespi graduate and former No. 11-rated tight end in the country by Scout.com said he's looking forward to making more of an impact next season as a junior, when he'll be competing for time with senior Cory Harkey.
But he has one game left this year, UCLA's matchup with cross-town rival USC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
He's hoping to find similar success as his former Fighting Irish teammates, who defeated the Trojans last Saturday 20-16.
"I've been to two schools that have this rivalry against USC, so I just don't like them," Fauria said. "I actually got to attend the game. It was good to see them have success. Even a piece of me kind of having success, too. I played with those guys; 'I ran that play before, I used to catch that ball.'"

Battle for Bragging Rights
With both teams post-season fates sealed - USC's by way of NCAA sanctions, UCLA's by way of an under-.500 record - Saturday's game really is only for city bragging rights.
That's enough for the Bruins.
"The USC rivalry, this is the championship, this is the Rose Bowl," senior defensive tackle David Carter said. "Bragging rights for everything, for the city. I don't want to go to the market and see someone in an SC jersey and say 'eww,' I want to go and say "Ha!'"

Bumps and Bruises
Neuheisel said freshman defensive tackle Cassius Marsh and sophomore cornerback Andrew Abbott have progressed during the concussion protocol and would likely play against the Trojans.
Marsh's concussion, suffered against Arizona State last Friday, was the first significant injury of his career.
"I love the game, and stuff like this makes you appreciate not having to stand out here and not being able to practice, when everybody's getting all fired up," said Marsh, an Oaks Christian graduate. "I appreciate more what my health means to me."

No major practice notes to report.

From UCLA:

LAS VEGAS, NV (December 1, 2010) - UCLA nominated Daniel Rees for the FOURTH ANNUAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL RUDY AWARDS™, it was announced today by The Rudy Foundation.

A record 55 of the 120 Division I football programs submitted a nomination, and every Division I conference was represented for the Award, which honors student-athletes who demonstrate exemplary CHARACTER, COURAGE, CONTRIBUTION and COMMITMENT as members of their collegiate football teams. These same traits were immortalized in the blockbuster film "RUDY" in 27 seconds and against all odds on a gridiron in South Bend, Indiana, enabling Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger to carve his name into college football lore.

Three RUDY AWARDS™ finalists will be chosen by the Selection Committee, as well as through fan voting, and honored at the Priority Payment Systems Awards Ceremony to be held in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Convention on January 11, 2011, at the Hilton Anatole, in Dallas, Texas. Rudy Ruettiger will personally present the awards.

Each finalist will be presented with a classic finalist award and have an academic scholarship made in his name to the general scholarship fund of his college or university, as well as have travel expenses paid to the event. An overall winner will be chosen and presented with the top scholarship and bronze RUDY AWARD trophy.

Fans can review nominations and place their votes from December 1-13 for the most deserving player at www.CollegeRudyAwards.com.

Daniel Rees, it was stated in the school's nomination materials, has been a hard-working member of the team for five seasons despite not being on scholarship. For the past two seasons he has been the holder for All-America place kicker Kai Forbath. He was nominated for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete award in 2010.

Danny is always upbeat and has contributed to the football team as the backup punter and for the last two years has been the holder on place kicks. He also does some radio work on UCLA baseball internet broadcasts. He has been on the Director's Honor Roll (3.0 GPA and higher) 10 times and volunteers at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital.

"We established this award as a special way to honor and recognize college football players for the size of their hearts instead of the enormity of their stats," said Rudy Ruettiger. "I am so excited to see how this award has grown into one of the top collegiate honors for kids who weren't born with tremendous athletic talent, perhaps, but have overcome the odds and persevered because of their heart. The fact that we again had more than 40% of the Division I football programs submitting nominations, with every conference represented, speaks volumes about the importance of CHARACTER, COURAGE, CONTRIBUTION and COMMITMENT in sports and in our society."

The 2010 Award Selection Committee includes football coaches Barry Alvarez, David Bailiff, Gary Barnett, Fisher DeBerry, Dennis Franchione, June Jones, Chuck Knox, Gary Patterson, Buddy Pough, Jackie Sherrill and Dick Tomey, as well as former Washington Redskins Quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams. Prominent businessman Peter Murphy, Jr., again serves as Chairman. Fan votes for the RUDY AWARDS™ also will contribute to the Selection Process. Finalists will be announced December 14 and listed on www.CollegeRudyAwards.com.