* Junior OL Jeff Baca was carted off the field after suffering a left ankle injury during practice, and his status is unknown. Connor Bradford and Stan Hasiak saw the action as Baca’s backups at left tackle.

* QB Watch: Richard Brehaut had a really good practice but bore the brunt of several dropped passes. Brehaut delivered a few crisp deep balls, but he hit the check-downs better today, and seemed to feel the pocket pretty well. Brett Hundley was good but not great, though he did have one absolutely sensational deep throw that was …. dropped.

* The guy I hyped up all year last year, Jordon James, opened some eyes today. He has great burst and hits the hole at the right time, showing little hesitation. If you come out to practice, watch out for No. 6 in white.

* Seemed like everyone had the drops today, though there also seems to be some progress in the catch-and-run department. Josh Smith had a great catch, Taylor Embree caught a nice ball in traffic and Cory Harkey had a good grab. Also, John Young, the tight end out of Loyola who missed all of last season after shoulder surgery, had three catches and looked like a real focal point. I had a good interview with him after practice that I’ll post tomorrow.

* Stan McKay got plenty of reps with the first-team defense alongside Tony Dye, and Rick Neuheisel said after practice that the safety position is very fluid and there will be plenty of mixing and matching.

* Interviews in the next few days with Young, Anthony Barr and Rahim Moore from Pro Day, as well as Neuheisel’s post-practice comments. I’ll be out of town for a few days, and we’ll have Gerry Gittelson out at practice on Saturday and Monday. I’ll be back Tuesday.