August 2011 Archives

* Sorry for the delay, had a bunch of stuff to take care of after Hurricane Irene stranded me in New Jersey - which is like being stranded in New Jersey, as you can imagine - but there wasn't much to discuss anyway.

* Players were in shorts and shells and it was more of a mental practice than a physical one, and they'll similarly go light tomorrow in preparation for Houston.

* Spoke to both Dalton Hilliard and Dietrich Riley about the starting safety flip-flop, and they both responded about how you would expect. Both have been told they'll play a similar amount of reps, and with the pass-happy Cougars, I wouldn't be shocked to see both on the field at the same time in some lineups.

* Most interesting news was probably the revelation that Neuheisel would make the kicker position a game-time decision. Kip Smith was looked sharper in sharper in recent days, Neuheisel said, but he's still undecided. A reporter asked if the question marks at the spot would cause hesitation on Neuheisel's part in the red zone, but he deflected the answer, saying it was more a "gut-feeling" deal. We'll see about that. Maybe this will make Neuheisel take a few more chances on offense.

* During a recent sit-down interview - season preview comes out tomorrow, by the way - Neuheisel mentioned how far the receiving corps has come since his first fall camp by pointing out that two then-freshmen, Nelson Rosario and Taylor Embree, made important plays in his first game against Tennessee. With both still around and the competition pushing them harder than in the past, Embree is fired up for Saturday.
"The level of competition that we've had at this camp is unbelievable," Embree said. "All over the board. We've always had the talent, we've seen flashes of it throughout my career, but it's never been consistent. In practice, even when we have a bad practice, we see a lot of good things. Usually in the past, we have a bad practice on offense, we're not even getting the ball off the ground. Balls fumbled, drops. But now, the foundation we've formed this camp is nothing we've seen before."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel had a conference call set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday night to announce his starting quarterback. He took to the phone at 6:09.
After waiting until four days before the Bruins open their season on Saturday afternoon at Houston, what's another nine minutes?

Now, it turns out, what's another week or so?

Neuheisel said that while junior Kevin Prince will start against the Cougars on Saturday, fellow junior Richard Brehaut would also see extensive action, and added that the competition continues as neither quarterback has separated himself.

"This is not so everybody feels good," Neuheisel said. "It's so that the competition continues. We're going to play this position well. We're going to play it consistently. Both kids are capable of doing that and I'm going to expect it from them. I'm excited to watch them both play."

Neither quarterback was consistent last year, and rarely was their cause for much excitement, as UCLA's passing game fell to historic lows. Behind Prince for five games - after being sidelined for much of fall camp by a back injury, he was lost midway through the year after knee surgery - and Brehaut for seven, the Bruins ranked 116th out of 120 FBS teams in passing offense at just 141.08 yards per game.

With Prince still recovering during spring practice and Brehaut switching between UCLA baseball and football, Neuheisel declared the competition open heading into fall camp.

Prince saw most of the first-team reps throughout camp, but Brehaut came on strong with his passing skills eclipsing Prince's while he worked back into form. In recent practices, Prince has been much-improved in the throwing game and that, combined with his talents in the run department, will give him the first shot against Houston.

"I think that coach Neuheisel just saw that Richard is very capable and we both bring unique things to the table in terms of our ability and things that we're able to do when we're in the game," Prince said. "So I don't know if Richard won or I lost or however you want to label it. We're both capable of playing the position well and that's what we're going to do on Saturday."

Neuheisel said score and time would not dictate usage, and that he hoped to maintain a rhythm if the offensive was moving. He also added later that freshman Brett Hundley could see some action in a "small package."

"I just believe both deserve to play, so both are going to play this weekend," Neuheisel said. "We'll start Kevin, and Richard will come off the bench and play. I've told both of them that I don't know exactly when or how or why, because when you make promises of that sort, you end up setting yourself up for disappointment because you can never predict the ebb and flow of a game."

Neuheisel made a similar commitment to Brehaut last season, but Brehaut did not see any action until Week 2 in a 35-0 loss to Stanford, when he completed 5-of-9 passes for 42 yards and an interception. He didn't play again until starting for Prince in a 42-28 win over Washington State in Week 5 as Prince nursed the knee injury, which eventually cost him the season after a one-game return in a 35-7 loss to Cal.

"I think things are a little bit different this year," Brehaut said, when asked why he had faith that he'd play on Saturday. "I think I've proven myself a little bit more this year that I am capable. I think there might not have been that sure faith in me last year and maybe that was the reason why I didn't go in there."

Neuheisel opened the conference call referencing the belief that he'd made his decision long ago and was just playing coy with the media.
Instead, he said, he accomplished his goal.

"I didn't reach this conclusion months ago and then decide today just to keep you all in the dark," Neuheisel said. "I wanted to create competition. We did that. We created an atmosphere where both kids were going to be given ample opportunities and we wanted to create an environment where the best would be the guy."

UCLA released a "tentative" depth chart today. Here's an update on some of the interesting position battles.

*The strong guard spot lists Chris Ward or Albert Cid.

*Cory Harkey remains ahead of Joseph Fauria at tight end.

*The wide receiver position opposite Rosario lists Shaq Evans or Randall Carroll.

*Cassisus Marsh is ahead of Nate Chandler at right defensive tackle.

*Glenn Love beat out Jordan Zumwalt at sam linebacker.

*Dalton Hilliard beat out Dietrich Riley at strong safety.

"He was just really consistent," Neuheisel said of Hilliard. "I think coach Tresey has shared with all of those kids that they're all going to play. This competition doesn't need to stop just because we're going to play a game."

*Jeff Locke is listed to kickoff, punt and hold with the place kicking spot listing all three candidates.

*Josh Smith is your kickoff return man while Taylor Embree is slotted to handle punt returns.

I asked special teams coach Angus McClure if Embree is the "safe" choice for returning punts.

"A lot of people are running what you call a shield punt in college football," McClure said. "A shield punt is spreading everybody out and they don't block. They release the guys downfield. You need a guy that's sure handed because the coverage team is there much quicker than the traditional punt. You need a guy that has sure hands that can catch the ball in traffic. You don't have more time to gather yourself anymore, the shield punt has changed a lot."

Asked if Jordan James or Shaq Evans have sure enough hands, McClure said he expects two out of those three (James, Evans, Embree) to see action returning punts.

*No announcement from coach Rick Neuheisel on the starting quarterback. He did, however, say that he would talk to both Prince and Brehaut this afternoon, after which he will hold a conference call with media members. I was told the call will be at 6 p.m. and both Prince and Brehaut would be on the line. I'll try to post as quickly as I can after the call. Looks like he's going to clear his 48-hour deadline in plenty of time.

When asked why he wouldn't wait until gameday since he's dragged it out till now, Neuheisel had this to say.

"I don't think Houston cares. I wasn't doing it to befuddle Houston. I was doing it to get the most out of these kids and I don't want it to become a distraction as we get closer to game time. I wanted to make sure everybody was continuing to compete and continuing to improve and I got that out of them."

*Both still looked to be taking equal reps with the first team and throwing the ball pretty well. The receivers didn't help either of their cases as the team struggled with hanging on to the ball. Cory Harkey dropped two catchable balls, one from each quarterback, and Joseph Fauria dropped a sure touchdown. Nelson Rosario was a victim of the drops as well.

*Datone Jones continues to impress. He came flying across the field from his left end position to pick off a Kevin Prince pass and head up the right sideline. Prince clearly didn't see him coming, I'm not sure anybody did. That guy could do some really big things this year.

*The crowd noise continued today and the players seemed to respond well to it. With just two more practices until gameday, everything looks crisp and polished, leaps and bounds ahead of the first week of camp (with the exception of those drops, of course.)

*Transfer offensive lineman Albert Cid came late to practice. Neuheisel said they were clearing up a paperwork issue but that he's good to go now.

*No sign of Brandon Willis today. Neuheisel said he couldn't comment on him yet.

*Neuheisel announced that he awarded long snapper Kevin McDermott a scholarship. Apparently, he didn't notify the depth chart people because he's still listed as a non-scholarship player there.

"It's always a fun thing to be able to put somebody on scholarship that has earned their spot on this roster and has become a frontline player," Neuheisel said. "Kevin has certainly done that and he's very deserving. Hopefully he'll have an outstanding year as we've been lucky here to have a great long snapper in the program. I'm excited for him."

Videos of Neuheisel and Taylor Embree coming later today along with the quarterback announcement.

Good morning. Here's today's piece on how Neuheisel is enjoying running the quarterbacks show again, how Kevin Prince felt about their relationship last year and how Richard Brehaut deals with Neuheisel yelling at him. Read on.

I thought everyone might enjoy reading a few things from the Conference USA teleconference yesterday. Houston coach Kevin Sumlin talked about sixth-year senior quarterback Case Keenum and what he expects to see out of UCLA.

(Opening statement on how camp has gone so far.)
"It's been hot. We've got a lot of things done. Things have gone pretty well. We've had one serious injury Phil Causey. We've had nicks and bruises but we've stayed relatively healthy which is always a plus. We're just trying to get the best 22 on the field and it's an ongoing process. With Case coming back, managing him during two-a-days has been fun. We've learned a lot about where we are on the perimeter. Our offensive line has been a question marks as far as experience but for ability and talent, we've more depth and size than we've ever had. We've got some new faces but more so on the offensive line than anywhere else."
"It's game week and we're excited to hit somebody else instead of our own guys."

(On what he expects to see out of UCLA.)
"UCLA has an extremely talented team. They've recruited very well in a great area. They've got tremendous tradition. They're full of players who have bought in. They had some struggles last year with injuries last year that hurt them. They've got a big strong offensive line and a couple 260-pound tight ends. Embree and Rosario are 6'5" and 6'3" and they have arguably one of best running backs in country in Johnathan Frankin. They're going to be talented and defensively it's the same deal. They're going to have a hieght advantage. They've been to Texas and they know how to play in the heat. We've got our work cut out for us."

(On Case Keenum's health.)
"I don't know that you ever get completely back to where you were in less than a year. I've said many times that he has stuck to a rigid schedule. He went through rehab in the summer and into two-a-days. With the 25 practices that we've had, we've only held him out of two or three. He didn't want to be held out so from that standpoint, that's the kind of guy you're dealing with. He's got the majority of reps the first couple weeks and this week, we'll get it to how we do it on game week with our backup qb situation. We're still training both of those guys too. I've been pleased with how he's progressed this camp and I think he has too. It's a matter of where he is mentally. Physically, we can't say he's completely back to where he was. I think he's there mentally and I I like where he is and how he's throwing it around. He feels good about it and so do we."

(On what he expects to see out of UCLA schematically.)
"They've got new coordinators and new coaches on both sides of the ball. We've watched a bunch of different video defensively from the new coordinator at different schools. Offensively, you've got the traditional spread offense that Mike has been used to and we've watched a bunch of Nevada video too from some coaches that we've hired. We don't know a lot but what we have assumed is that they're not going to abandon the pistol attack too much. They've got quarterbacks who have been in that system, they've got a great running back, they've got a big, strong offensive line and tight ends. They'll probably add a little more spread to it but look for the same pistol attack that we had problems with last year. They had success running it right down our throats and I don't know why that would change a whole lot coming into this year."

When it comes to college football, throw strategy out the window.
Take talent and kick it to the curb.
Coaching, skill, speed, size - toss 'em out.

When it really comes down to it, could this game really just come down to...luck?

Ultimately, I believe success in college football comes down to two things above all: luck and depth. Yes, talent matters, obviously. But healthy talent matters. Yes coaching matters. But they need healthy players to coach.

So, to luck and depth.

Depth is self-determined, accomplished by good recruiting and favorable transfers, both of which UCLA has maintained at a far better clip under Rick Neuheisel than his predecessor.

But luck? Luck is fickle, unfair, often unkind.

Perhaps Spaulding Field was built on an Indian burial ground, construction workers walking under a thousand ladders while smashing a hundred mirrors in the process, all while a herd of black cats scooted on by. Perhaps Neuheisel spilled an entire crate of salt and didn't have the foresight to shovel it over his left shoulder. Maybe he just didn't look a friend in the eye while toasting.

There's little doubt that the Bruins have been downright downtrodden in the fortune department during Neuheisel's tenure, a dead albatross away from utter catastrophe. Pat Cowan and Ben Olson in 2008. The three freshmen (bad choices made by them, but still, bad luck for UCLA and Neuheisel). Eddie Williams breaking an ankle in 2009, Kai Maiava and Datone Jones lost for the season in 2010 and joined by an academically ineligible Jeff Baca. Kevin Prince's numerous calamaties. There's Nik Abele (lost for his career) and Patrick Larimore (lost for half of last year). I'm forgetting numerous more.

What bad luck couldn't do to the Bruins, defections - legal, religious or otherwise - has done. All that depth, all that forward progress halted by a witch with a broomstick in one hand and an axe to grind in the other.

Look at the stats: As Phil Steele so intricately studied, UCLA lost 59 starts to injury last season, 22.35 percent on the year, third most in the country. That means more than one out of every five UCLA starters didn't start on a given day. The Bruins were far behind North Carolina in the bad luck department - the Tar Heels lost 89 starts last year! - but far, far ahead of every other Pac-12 school. The closest conference opponent? Oregon State, with 21 starts lost, or 7.95 percent. Meanwhile, Chip Kelly must've worn all bunches of green on St. Patrick's Day, as Oregon lost six - SIX - total starts to injury in their charmed 2010 season.

But could that luck be turning?

With the news today that Baca might be almost three full weeks early in his return from a broken ankle suffered in spring ball, the ever-present football gods seem to be smiling on UCLA right now. The Bruins emerged relatively unscathed during fall camp, with only an injury to Jamie Graham of the major variety. Guys who were bothered throughout camp with minor bumps and bruises and strains appear to be on the mend.

And then there's depth.

For the first time in Neuheisel's tenure, the Bruins are legitimately two-deep at most positions, not just some. In some cases over the last few years, the drop-off from first-team to second-team has been a nose-dive. Sometimes, it was like falling off a cliff. Think about when Larimore and Steve Sloan got hurt last year and the starting middle linebacker job went to a true freshman, talented or not, in Jordan Zumwalt. Or when Olson and Cowan were hurt on the same day, forcing Kevin Craft into the starting lineup. Or when Prince got hurt and gave way to Craft in 2009 or a still-maturing Brehaut in 2010. Or when the losses of Baca and Maiava stripped the Bruins of their two best linemen, forcing not only Darius Savage and Ryan Taylor into the starting lineup, but robbing any and all depth.

Now, aside from question marks at cornerback (which might be assuaged by moving Tony Dye over in some situations, or by getting Anthony Jefferson and Graham back relatively soon), tight end and the offensive line, the Bruins are surprisingly stable everywhere else on the field.

So when other reporters or fans of rival schools scoff at my contention that UCLA could potentially go 8-4 or so, I just point to this: luck and depth. If the Bruins can avoid a few broken mirrors this year and can wait for that depth to kick in, I don't think I'll be scoffed at by the end of the year. But it's a big if.

Interesting little feature here from Athlon Sports that they passed along to me (I write the UCLA preview for Athlon and Lindy's), with anonymous quotes from Pac-12 coaches about Pac-12 coached and players. Some good thoughts on UCLA: Check it out

Daily News intern Sam Strong here, filling in for Gold today and tomorrow. I'll try to do my best Jon Gold impression (videos, posts etc.) over the next couple days. Bear with me because I know this blog isn't big enough for two rib-loving sports writers. Enjoy.

*No news on the starting quarterback front. Neuheisel said he would reach a decision within 48 hours. Kevin Prince said he was "clueless" as to where he stands in the race. Both took reps with the ones.

Prince was asked if he thought it was his job to lose from the start of camp.

"I've been taking the first-string reps so maybe you could look at it like that but I never went into camp thinking that it was my job. That implies that it was my job already and clearly it's not. I went into it as an open competition and I'm just going at it and trying to get better every day."

*The quarterbacks were working on a sliding drill after practice with Marques Tuiasosopo using a slip n' slide for assistance. Prince joked that Darius Bell could use some work sliding then had this to say.

"I've learned, thankfully. It's a way to teach us that we have to get down and protect our bodies as quarterbacks. There's only a few of us so we've got to make sure that we stay on the field. I've learned that the hard way."

*Today felt very much like the start of a game week. Both scout teams were working during the first few periods. They piped in crowd noise during the two-minute drill that proved to be very loud and disruptive. It was also hot today on Spaulding Field but the Bruins welcomed it as prep for the opener.

*Brandon Willis was watching practice today and helping out with some drills in street clothes. No official word from Neuheisel or the school.

*Not a great day for the kickers. Kip Smith pushed a 30 or so yarder wide right to start practice but made another one of similar length to cap a two minute drill. Neuheisel said he hasn't made a decision yet. Said Smith is still inconsistent but he doesn't want too much on Jeff Locke's plate.

*Injury notes: Chris Ward and Taylor Embree practiced in full today. Ward didn't looked hampered by his ankle at all. Embree tipped a ball that was thrown behind him and watched Andrew Abbott take it the other way. Perhaps a little rusty. Jeff Baca threw on some shoulder pads and took laps around the field but didn't see any action. Neuheisel said he's close to being cleared to practice.

*Videos of Neuheisel, Prince and Sheldon Price coming later today. A reminder to follow me on Twitter @samstrong21 for tomorrow's updates. Feel free to unfollow when Jon returns.

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 player of their choosing, within reason, for an upcoming video.

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 guys,

Thought you'd enjoy the cover of the Daily News today, with a pretty funny centerpiece by Brian Martin, Sam Strong and myself. Enjoy: Check it here

Good morning! Here's my piece in our college football preview section on Rick Neuheisel and Lane Kiffin.Who's on the hot seat? Yup, I'm well aware this is a UCLA blog, but it's one of those combo articles. One guy thinks he's on the hot seat and the other doesn't, but you might be surprised by who doesn't think he's on the hot seat. You'll hear from Lane and Rick and ADs Dan Guerrero and Pat Haden.

Playing two quarterbacks is an interesting tango for a coach, and although UCLA has played many quarterbacks in Rick Neuheisel's tenure, the undoing of the QBs has been because of injuries or poor play, not an active decision to play two. Neuheisel wasn't able to go with two quarterbacks when Norm Chow was his offensive coordinator because Chow was a one-QB coach.
Prince remembered one exception.
``It'll be different. We've never done it before. But we did a little my redshirt freshman year at Oregon State,'' Prince said. ``They threw in Richard for a series or two and I went back in for the rest of the game. Other than that, we haven't really done it. My redshirt freshman year we put Kevin Craft in for some run plays. It's just different.''

What up, Bruins fans.

This is Vinny Bonsignore, I'm filling in today for Jon Gold.

Just got off the conference call with Rick Neuheisel after the scrimmage today, and I thought you might be interested in a few things.

No, he didn't decide on who is starting quarterback is, although he did say he'll work through some options (presumably this weekend) and inform Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut of the outcome early next week.

He said Kevin looked sharp, but that neither really aired it out much and he's happy with where each guy is.

The scrimmage had a definite smash-mouth feel to it, according to Neuheisel, and among the bright spots was the play of freshman quarterback Brett Hundley, who was getting his first taste of scrimmage action this fall.

Hundley wasn't a live target, but he apparently showed a nice command of the playbook and is on target to play a role this year.

Neuheisel says to expect Hundley to play the Tim Tebow/Terrelle Pryor type role both of those guys played as freshman at Florida and Ohio State.

There were no injuries to report, and as far as guys on the mend, there was some good news to report:

Guard Jeff Baca is progressing faster than expected from the broken ankle he suffered last spring, and Neuhesiel now says there is a chance Baca wil be back by week two against San Jose State.

"He could start practicing as early as next week," Neuhesiel said. "But we'll be prudent as far as when he gets back on the field."

Wide receiver Taylor Embree, who is dealing with a calf injury, went through all pre-scrimmage warm ups and should return to practice Monday.

If anything else comes up I'll hook you guys as fast as I can.

Be sure to check out the full notebook, which should be up around 11:30 p.m. at dailynews.com tonight.

Out.

Since you'll probalby need to know how to pronounce receiver Devin Lucien's name this season, it's `Loo-see-en.'
``My teammates call me Luscious Loo-scious,'' Devin said.
And of course, if you still don't know how to pronounce Richard Brehaut's last name, it's Bree-ho. We still don't know if he'll be the starting quarterback, playing in a two-QB rotation or just the backup. Much to everyone's chagrin.

Here's my story in today's paper and online from UCLA's practice yesterday and the continuedthe continued quarterback controversy.

Odds to win the Pac-12 title and North and South Divisions:

Rick Neuheisel is well aware QBs Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut want to know who's starting already. And fans and teammates and ... well, he assumes there are other interested parties, too.
``I'm sure they do (want to know),'' Neuheisel said. ``Moreover, I think their parents do. Not trying to be harsh on anybody. Just making sure both continue to improve.''
The parents comment seemed interesting, so I asked him if he had any meetings with their parents.
In a word? ``no.''

Rick Neuheisel will name a starting quarterback early next week, he said, but he's not feeling the heat to name one. Been through this a time or two, eh? Even though he said he might use two quarterbacks, one of them has to start the season opener.
``I'll play with that in my own mind,'' Neuheisel said. ``I don't have any real feeling of urgency with respect to that. Both have started. Both have played.''
He did say he would name a starter early in the week so that it's not ''uncomfortable for anybody.''

*Joe Fauria made a nice, one-handed catch in the back of the end zone for a touchdown at the end of a two-minute drill on a pass from Kevin Prince.
*Andrew Abbott was hobbling around after his coverage on a deep route and came out, but then went back in a couple of plays later.
*Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut would rather Rick Neuheisel name a starting quarterback, but both said they'll do whatever is best for the team, even if that means UCLA might play both quarterbacks.
*Neuheisel is most looking forward to the tomorrow's closed scrimmage at the Rose Bowl because of the heat, which he said will serve the Bruins well for their season opener at Houston. It was plenty hot in Westwood Thursday morning, too.

More to come later this afternoon.

Patrick Larimore is not really sure if he was born this way or made this way, frothy at the mouth, frosty everywhere else, ready to deliver all the pain he suffered last year on anyone not wearing a blue and gold jersey.

The UCLA middle linebacker was on his way to a fine sophomore season, all-conference potential written all over his snarling face, before he dislocated his shoulder against Oregon in a 60-13 loss in Week 7. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Now Larimore feels slighted, ignored, embarrassed about how his season ended.

"It was really hard for me to watch my teammates, my brohters, out there fighting without me," Larimore said. "I wasn't able to help them. Losing a starting Mike is hard for any defense - youre making all thee kinds of calls, checks - that has a huge impact how the defense moves, gels, feels, the intensity that can be brought."

No one knows that more than Clark Lea, UCLA's linebacker coach, who had to turn to junior Steve Sloan and ultimately true freshman Jordan Zumwalt after Larimore was lost for the year. Sloan lacked Larimore's athleticism and instincts, Zumwalt lacked Larimore's experience and know-how; Lea recalled late-night cram sessions with Zumwalt just trying to get him to know where to line up, much less call the defense and make checks at the line with authority.

With Larimore back and healthy, that burden is back on his massive shoulders, and now, he's starting to embrace it.

"I'm not that outspoken of a person in general, but I've had to grow into it, and I'm still growing into being even more of a vocal presence on the field," Larimore said. "I think middle linebackers are made in terms of physicality, the grinding, being tough. But you have to grow into that."

That's what impresses Rick Neuheisel the most about Larimore.

Neuheisel takes the diplomatic approach between the nature-versus-nurture debate, understanding that while most middle linebackers appear to walk, talk and bark the same, that wasn't by design, but by work.

"Certainly they are born into the size, but to learn the game and understand the game like a quarterback, it takes some maturation, some development," Neuheisel said. "They are born because you've got the right personality, the right body type. But they're made because of the study."

Lea, though, has come to appreciate the innate personality traits that come out of the middle linebacker, something he sees in Larimore.

"You think of the best MLBs in the game, and you see guys in similar molds, cut from the same cloth," Lea said. "You see their passion, the way they play, the way they interact with teammates - all those things come together for them. It's a heartbeat. That position, calling fronts, making tight calls, making all those checks - that makes you the heartbeat of the defense."

Well, UCLA has its heartbeat back.
And it's getting louder and louder.

* Not much on the quarterback battle, as both were pretty efficient today. I have noticed how well Kevin Prince is running the play-fake lately, as he's juked all 11 defenders twice in the last two days.

* One thing I'm noticing from the receivers: It appears they're using their hands a lot more this year to catch the ball, as opposed to using the body, and while it has led to a decent amount of drops, they're also "catching" the ball better. Shaq Evans and Josh Smith both had grabs over the middle that looked really fluid, in stride and sharp.

* Kicking woes continue. Kip Smith was off today, badly, and Jeff Locke shanked his attempt at the end of a two-minute drill at the end of practice. Someone's gotta turn it on, or this could be an issue for a while.

* Dalton Hilliard saw a lot of time with the ones today, and Neuheisel said that he and Riley were battling it out of the position. Hilliard missed spring and Riley missed a portion of summer, so the two are pretty even as they both have been working back toward full strength.

* Chris Ward is on crutches and in a walking boot, but he said it's a low ankle sprain as opposed to the dreaded high-ankle deal. He said he's still in pretty bad pain, and there's no timetable for his return.

* Taylor Embree's tests were negative and he's still just working back from a strain, though it continues to drag on. There's still no timetable for him, either.

* Nelson Rosario missed practice because of sickness, but Alex Mascarenas was back in full action after recovering from a concussion.

* Neuheiel had this to say about former UCLA F-back Morrell Presley, who was arrested on Aug. 17 in Maricopa County, Ariz., on charges of third-degree criminal trespassing and burglary: "I'm disappointed for him. I enjoyed the young man and I'm sorry he's no longer here. He made the choice that it wasn't in his best interest to be here, and hopefully he can learn from his mistakes and become productive again."

UCLA has had two injury scares in the last four days.
Both resulted in massive sighs of relief for Rick Neuheisel.
After Aaron Hester was thought to have suffered a serious hamstring injury in the Bruins' scrimmage on Saturday at Drake Stadium, only to return on Monday showing no effects, Chris Ward was carted off the same field this afternoon after hurting his ankle.
Luckily for UCLA, Ward's injury was similarly minor, as X-rays came out negative, with Ward listed day-to-day.
Given little depth at both positions, an injury to either would've been very costly.

* It was a pretty grueling practice at Drake Stadium, coming back early for the morning practice. It was hot and muggy, and the players fought through it well.

* Sophomore OL Chris Ward suffered an ankle injury, which the team is calling a minor ankle sprain, but looks far worse. Ward was in serious pain and eventually had to be carted away from Drake Stadium. Rick Neuheisel and Bob Palcic implied it wouldn't be serious, but Ward was to be taken for X-rays today. This could be a bad one for UCLA. They can't lose anyone in the top eight up front.

* Cory Harkey has really upped his game the last couple days, and he had a nice one-handed touchdown in drills on a pass from Kevin Prince. Joseph Fauria also had a one-handed catch later in the day.

* Prince threw the ball pretty well today, displaying better touch on the medium-range passes, and throwing a few nice deep passes. Richard Brehaut was his usual accurate self, but he struggled at times throwing on the run. He did see more time with the first team than he has all camp, though.

* Brett Hundley looked pretty rusty throwing the ball, but that's to be expected as he works on his timing. He ran a little more today, but Neuheisel said trainers are still concerned with the volume with his running.

* There were a handful of egregious drops by the wide receivers, none immune to it, and I assume a lot had to do with the uptick in tempo and heat. That's all a focus deal.

* Eric Kendricks was really active, with a couple of pass breakups and a couple nice fills.

* Jeff Locke again closed practice with a good field goal.

* Tony Dye returned at full strength and the entire defensive backfield seemed to respond, playing at a very high level today. Alex Mascarenas also returned in a red jersey, and the depth is back up to speed.

* Andrew Abbott had a fantastic practice, with two really nice interceptions, one on a deep Prince pass and one on Brehaut over the middle. Both were good jumps on the ball.

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* It was a good first post-camp scrimmage for UCLA today, highlighted by the return of Brett Hundley and the success of Jeff Locke in the kicking game.

* Hundley's return obviously became the story of the day, and while he saw rather limited action, it's clear that he's ready to play a role in the offense. How big a role is to be determined, but Rick Neuheisel reiterated that he could be in some specific packages. Hundley saw some reps with the first-team offense in 11-on-11 drills, but trainers kept him locked down for much of the day. He did have this to say about his role:

"If I didn't miss two weeks I think I'd have a pretty good shot at (the starting spot). Missing two weeks, surely when it's camp, is a big thing. That hurt. If I would have had the two weeks, I can't go back and say I would have done this and that, but I mean, obviously, I would have had a better chance at starting. It is what it is. I'm going to be patient and when the time comes I'm going to take it and never look back."

Hundley on weighing a redshirt year vs. a package role:
"That's the one thing were sort of thinking about. I guess the question it comes down to is, is it worth playing that many snaps a game, or is it worth me redshirting and learning the offense and coming back next year as a redshirt freshman? That's the one thing me and my family will talk over and then we'll talk to Neuheisel about it. Obviously if I play, there's still a chance throughout the season for me to start. I don't ever keep that out of my mind. If things happen to go wrong, I can easily get a shot at starting. It's a big game right now. We're sort of just talking it through and sort of seeing what's going on. After this week we'll know a little better what's going to happen. We're going to figure out (whether) it's worth playing 10, 15, 20 snaps a game or redshirting or just coming back next years as a redshirt freshman."

* There were a number of false start penalties, perhaps attributed to the fact it was a major installation day. The defense wasn't immune too, with Datone Jones flagged for an encroachment penalty.

* Nothing too intriguing on the starting quarterback front as neither were particularly good in the throwing game. The offense as a whole looked pretty sound today, though, and both players saw first-team reps, though the lion's share went to Kevin Prince. Prince struggled a bit in the two-minute drill with the first team, taking a sack that drew Neuheisel's wrath.

* Locke followed both two-minute drills with field goals to close practice, and it's becoming clear that the kicking situation is even murkier. We could see Locke on punts and field goals/PATs and Kip Smith on kickoffs. Special teams coach Angus McClure said it was a mechanical issue with Smith, that he's hurrying too much. On his successful kicks, he's about 1.31 seconds. On the misses, he's as fast as 1.10. That's a jitters deal, and if Smith can work those out over the next couple weeks, he should be OK.

* Tony Dye is expected to return tomorrow, but as always, it's a fluid situation. Taylor Embree still out.

* Tevin McDonald returned today, and Aaron Hester also practiced, and Neuheisel said his injury was more of a scare than anything else.

* Wesley Flowers suffered a punctured lung in the scrimmage and was hospitalized Saturday night. It was far worse than they'd anticipated. He'll be out several weeks, and can't fly for a few weeks. He won't be traveling to Houston.

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Well, the saga continues...

After being told a week ago that Brandon Willis would not be heading back to UCLA, it turns out...Willis might be headed back to UCLA. He just confirmed the news, as did a source inside the program, but I'm obviously a bit skeptical of the whole situation. There is nothing official yet out of UCLA.

Willis added that he's not sure if he'd be eligible this season, but either way, it would obviously be a boon to the Bruins. Lost in the ongoing ordeal over the last few years - verbally commits to Tennessee, decommits and commits to North Carolina, transfers from North Carolina to UCLA, decides to transfer from North Carolina, now back to UCLA - is Willis' real talent.

Willis was the No. 21-rated defensive tackle in the country out of Duncan, South Carolina's Byrnes High, and is known as a good run-stopper. If Willis were to sit out a year, he would probably immediately slide into the two-deep at defensive tackle, which loses Nate Chandler and Justin Edison this season, and returns a solid group including Cassius Marsh, Donovan Carter, Kevin McReynolds, Seali'i Epenesa, Brandon Tuliapupu and Tre Hale.

So, I have this obvious last name leading to obvious niche features with lame names (Gold Stars, Gold Nuggets, etc.) and I've finally been convinced to use them. I'll be doing Gold Stars after every game/scrimmage for football, unless I stop doing them. Which could also happen. Uh, stay tuned.

The guys who impressed me last night:

* Todd Golper
I'll be honest - I never really realized how highly recruited Golper was out of high school, because in my first two years on the beat he was buried as a true freshman in a really good linebacker corps and then injured. He was rated the No. 9 MLB out of high school though, and I'm starting to see why. He's had a very good camp and is playing with a massive, massive chip on his shoulder. His interception of a Nick Crissman throw over the middle was a thing of beauty, and man, he really wanted a quick-pick-6. He bolted the other way toward the end zone, and if not for lightning-fast Steven Manfro - more on him later - he would've had it. But Golper is also playing the position well, knowing his assignments, and as he continues to gain his coach's confidence, he'll see an increased role.

* Roosevelt Davis
Maybe it's because I'm a Jew and we've been PERSECUTED FOR 3,000 YEARS, but I always cheer for the underdog. And listed at a generous 5-foot-8, Davis is certainly an underdog. But football is a man's game, and the UCLA preferred walk-on plays like a man. You know how they say it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog? That's real. That's absolutely real on a football field. Davis looked great in the scrimmage yesterday, particularly on an electrifying return, and I don't care how big he is: Kid can play. This isn't 1956, and not all football players are 5-11, 205 pounds with buzz cuts. This is 2011, and if you can play, YOU CAN PLAY. He shouldn't be an afterthought.

* Datone Jones
Scary good. That's all. Scary good.

* Derrick Coleman
Use him often, and it will pay off. I truly believe that. Coleman sees the hole better than any UCLA back, and has a good burst in and out of traffic. Being a good running back is not just about out-running people. It's about finding ways out of a traffic jam without being tackled. Coleman can do that.

* Jordan Zumwalt
Looked really active out there, and needs to just continue to mature. I'm in the process of being convinced he'll end up something special. I haven't been all-in yet, but I'm getting there.

* Kai Maiava
Most of UCLA's better runs on Saturday were up the middle, and Maiava plays a key role in that. He is a critical cog, and if he stays healthy, that means big things up front, particularly from a leadership and communication standpoint.

* I know Datone Jones will be one of the best defensive ends in the country
Jones took his game to another level last night, and while I'm usually reserved in crowning guys based on performance against teammates, I saw enough to make me believe that he'll become a national name this year. He is playing with such ferocity, maybe anger, and when an already technically sound and physically imposing player gets that litttttle extra "oomph," big things happen. He has torn up training camp, but I was really convinced last night.

* I think the coaching staff is beginning to trust Richard Brehaut
Aside from getting more reps with the first-team offense in the scrimmage than at any point in fall camp, Brehaut also got good play-calling, which isn't always the case. I've always felt that the coaching staff runs two different offenses with Brehaut and Prince in there. But during an eight-play scoring drive with the ones yesterday, Brehaut did what Prince became so effective at last year: Guided the offense on the ground. It might be funny to hear that a quarterback needs eight straight running plays, but in Brehaut's case, they know he can throw. Throwing the ball has never and will never be Brehaut's issue. Now, I've argued that the whole "he doesn't know enough" thing has been overblown, because I don't think its fair to compare someone who is about average in game management and understanding of defense to someone who I consider exceptional upstairs. But conducting the running game smoothly - including checks and audibles - is key, and the coaching staff still wants to see more of that out of Brehaut. Last night went a long way, as Brehaut's first drive with the first-team offense was a symphony. Guys were in the right place, Derrick Coleman was churning - MORE ON HIM LATER - and they finally figured out what to do with Anthony Barr. For Brehaut, it was a very important drive.

* I think the passing game will be much improved, no matter the quarterback. It's easy to reflect on last year's passing game and think that the whole thing was just cursed, that every facet of every play was poor. The results were that bad. But if you actually break down every cause and effect, you wonder if ANY team could've weathered such quarterbacking dysfunction. First you have Norm Chow, who has long been known as a one-quarterback guy. Once he has "his" guy, he pours absolutely everything into him, 150 percent, 200 percent, and that's why those guys are always so smart. But the problem with picking one guy was displayed last year, and I don't mean when Prince tore his knee.
Last year's fall camp was a lesson in how NOT to handle quarterbacks, as Brehaut never was able to build that confidence with Prince's return looming. Now you're looking at Brehaut play with confidence, and it's night-and-day. It's a real competition. So Prince returns with essentially zero practice time and falters against Kansas State - with no help from his receivers - in a game Brehaut should have started. And Brehaut knows that. Then Prince spends weeks of game preparation that essentially serves as his training camp, and all the little kinks have to be worked out while preparing for a different opponent, a different game plan, etc.
By the time Brehaut moved into the starting spot, his confidence was shot - and again, confidence is just the solidity of your place in the offense - and the receivers' confidence was shot, and the whole thing was shot.
Now, with Rick Neuheisel picking the quarterback and the competition heating up, whoever gets the starting job will believe he earned it, which is critical. Plus, you know, better wideouts.

* I know Joe Tresey held back last night, but when he doesn't...look out Forget the injury bug that's bitten the UCLA defense throughout camp - various guys missing a day here, a day there, Tony Dye out pretty much all camp, Jamie Graham out for a month - the reason the Bruin offense got the upper hand yesterday was because of the vanilla defense. Now, the offense played well, but Tresey seemed to bring little of the heat that he has during drills and live situations throughout camp, and with good reason. He doesn't want to show Kevin Sumlin and Case Keenum ANYTHING heading into Sept. 3. And even with relatively little pressure, Datone Jones still set up camp in the backfield.

* I think UCLA needs to designate a No. 1 receiver soon
I'm all for kumbaya and spreading the love and mixing the ball around, but I'm also a true believer in a No. 1 wideout, and it doesn't really seem like the Bruins are developing that one guy into that role. If it's Nelson Rosario, he has to play his part, and that means bringing a little more urgency and enthusiasm to the position. If it's Shaq Evans, then they need to put him in position to catch the ball more. But either way, if there are two minutes left, and it's no-huddle, and UCLA is driving, personnel packages go out the window, and its mano-a-mano. UCLA needs to have a No. 1 mano.

* I know that the UCLA running game will be top-3 in the conference
Johnathan Franklin returns as one of the top backs in the conference, and in an important scrimmage, UCLA doesn't even give him one carry. And the Bruins STILL dominate the ground game. The depth in the running game is that good for UCLA right now, especially with the forgotten man, Derrick Coleman.
I've always thought Coleman got a raw deal from the fans, especially those who clamored for two true freshmen to overtake him last year. Coleman can run the ball. He can. It's fact. He's averaged 5.4, 4.5 and 5.9 yards per carry in his three years, and showed that when shouldering a load, he can deliver. He got 31 carries against Texas (16) and Washington State (15) last year and gained 279 yards. He didn't get more than nine carries in any other game. THAT MAKES NO SENSE. Yeah, he doesn't have top-level speed. Big deal. How often does a running back breakaway? Twice a game? Big deal.
Then with Malcolm Jones really stepping up his game and becoming a go-to second power back, and electrifying Jordon James in for a few fly sweeps, that's one heck of a 1-through-4. While I don't agree with the Anthony Barr experiment - I don't care about Eric Dickerson and Brandon Jacobs, those are outliers - he could be an effective short-yardage back.
Really this year, it will be about how the players are used, and if their respective talents are maximized, not whether they have the talent.

Aside from the quarterback battle, few other position competitions remain, though one is very important.

With junior Jeff Baca still out until late-September or early October, the UCLA offensive line remains in a state of flux, though junior college transfer Albert Cid and sophomore Greg Capella worked with the first team at guard in the scrimmage, while sophomore Chris Ward did most of his work with the twos.

"I put stock into every practice, whether it's a scrimmage or not," offensive line coach Bob Palcic said. "I'll be interested in evaluating this film, and I'll have about three more days until I make my decision. But I'm looking for eight guys. As long as I have eight healthy bodies, that's all I need."

Perhaps no Bruin is looking forward to Monday's practice - the team takes today off - as much as freshman quarterback Brett Hundley. The second-rated quarterback recruit in the country, Hundley has missed all of fall camp after surgery to repair an injured meniscus. With Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut entrenched in a tough battle, Hundley knows he might have missed too much time to catch up.

"It's going to be hard," Hundley said. "I just pray for patience. When I get my shot I'm going to take it and not look back, but I have to wait."

With Rick Neuheisel trying to maximize reps for those without extensive scrimmage action, veterans such as Datone Jones were scarcely used.

Jones, though, made his presence known in his short time. Jones had a pass break-up and a tackle-for-loss and was a constant presence in the UCLA backfield in only a couple series.

"I wanted to stay out there and play, but the young guys have to get action," Jones said. "We've had our scrimmages. Coach told me I've already proven myself. Cory Harkey and Mike Harris are trying to prove something, though, going all-out on every play for the fans. I have to, too."

Rushing Leaders
Derrick Coleman 6 carries for 51 yards (long of 22 yards)
Malcolm Jones 5 carries for 34 yards (12-yard TD run)
Jordon James 4 carries for 20 yards
Richard Brehaut 3 carries for 12 yards
Kevin Prince five carries for 11 yards
Anthony Barr three carries for six yards (one yard TD run)

Passing Leaders
Kevin Prince 4-11 for 81 yards - 0 TD and 0 int.
Richard Brehaut 7-12 for 75 yards - 0 TD and 0 int.
Maxwell Schuh 5-5 for 67 yards - 0 TD and 0 int.
Nick Crissman 1-4 for 32 yards - 0 TD and 1 int.

Receiving Leaders
Josh Smith 2 catches for 51 yards (long 44 yards)
Devin Lucien 2 catches for 42 yards (long 32 yards)
Shaq Evans 2 catches for 35 yards (long 25 yards)
Logan Sweet 2 catches for 35 yards (long 21 yards)
Nelson Rosario 2 catches for 29 yards (long 17 yards)
Joseph Fauria 2 catches for 24 yards (long 16 yards)
Raymond Nelson 2 catches for 23 yards (long 17 yards)

Scoring Notes
Kip Smith 23-yard field goal
Anthony Barr one-yard run
Kevin Prince five-yard run
Malcolm Jones 12-yard run
Kip Smith 47-yard field goal
Kip Smith 30-yard field goal (miss)
Defensive Note
Todd Golper had one interception (of Nick Crissman)

The scrimmage was 90 plays

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel knows the pressure that exists from two 4-8 seasons in three years cannot be dissipated with one eventful scrimmage.

So while some coaches on the hypothetical hot seat might have looked at their first major fall scrimmage as a chance to assuage some public pressure, Neuheisel is resisting turning tonight's 5 p.m. scrimmage at Spaulding Field into a razzle-dazzle affair.

The Bruins are expected to go about 60-65 plays, with many of the reps going to those younger and lower on the depth chart.

"Lets say we light it up tomorrow and everybody's all excited," Neuheisel said, 'and then we start poorly in the season - none of this will matter. It's all about building a football team. I'm going to do, as overused as it is, the prudent thing, to get us to the dance."

His sentiments are being echoed by a coaching staff that shares his belief in maintaining a semblance of continuity in the scrimmage, just another practice, instead of trying to gameplan teammate against teammate.

With a lot of work to be done - the offensive line continues to mix-and-match, the defense is ailing, the passing game needs tightening - this is no time to pull out the bag of tricks.

"I just want us to execute," offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said. "I'm not going into the scrimmage trying to beat our defense. I'm going to call plays the same way I call plays in practice and I expect us to execute those plays. I'm looking for execution so I'm not going in there and trying to throw the ball 100 times around the field. I'm looking for timing, making sure we're picking up the right people in our protections."

The players, on the other hand, know the lights will be bright and the fans will be looking to see a little extra than in years past. For the players, while getting out healthy is the main goal, so is beating the opposition. Even if they're in the same locker room.

"Off the field, they're my teammates, they're my brothers, but on the field, I can't stand a blue jersey," sophomore wide receiver Ricky Marvray said. "I'm in the white right now. I can't stand the blue jerseys. That's exactly what it is - it's offense verus defense, baby. Straight up."

* Not too much to glean from what was mainly a mental-rep kind of practice in preparation of tomorrow's scrimmage at 5 p.m. at Drake Stadium. Players were in just helmets and jerseys, no pads, and we'll call it a "teaching" practice.

* Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut both saw a lot of time today, and neither was particularly good, but it's hard to look too good on a day like today. Some good throws for both, some bad, most of the good stuff was tight and over the middle.

* I asked Mike Johnson about the wide receiver position and he feels pretty confident that he has six guys who can do whatever he needs on the field between them. That's going to be something I really focus on tomorrow in the scrimmage - personnel packages and how they're used.

* Still, the coaches aren't putting a real premium on the scrimmage in terms of the depth chart or decisions being made. I get the feeling that it's going to be a rather typical UCLA scrimmage, rather than a major "showcase" for the fans.

* Jordan Zumwalt was looking really active out there and he is really excited to be back and competing for the starting linebacker spot with Glenn Love. The whole linebacker corps was looking good.

* Eric Kendricks came flying in on Malcolm Jones, and I'm convinced one of them would've been in pain if they were in full pads.

* Anthony Barr is getting a lot of action out of the backfield, and has looked decent. I still think he runs too upright to be a true running back at this level. He should be used creatively to maximize his strengths.

* Rick Neuheisel wanted to give the first team a bit of a break today, so most of the late-practice team drills were second- and third-team guys.

* Richard Brehaut returned to practice and was again sharp with his arm, shaking off any rust on his first throw of team drills, a 40-yard touchdown to Randall Carroll. Brehaut had a beautiful pass to Anthony Barr over the middle that elicited a "Hell yeah, 12," from a teammate.

* Kevin Prince is nursing a blister on his throwing hand and didn't see too much time, and he was a mixed bag, hitting some and missing some in team drills.

* Chris Ward was working primarily with the twos again, with Albert Cid and Greg Capella seeing most of the first-team action at the guard spots.

* Joseph Fauria again saw several passes thrown his way.

* Saw a couple nice hits from Brandon Sermons, Jared Koster and Todd Golper.

* Sean Westgate had flu-like symptoms and missed practice. Eric Kendricks got extended time with the ones in his absence and had a really good practice. Jordan Zumwalt was also live.

* UCLA's last live practice of camp is tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., followed by a closed walk-through in the afternoon and Saturday's scrimmage at Drake Stadium.

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* Another very, very strong performance by the UCLA offense in team and 7-on-7 drills today, with Kevin Prince taking another big step this afternoon. The offense sagged in red zone drills at the end of the day, but it was a good effort overall.

* Prince worked the sidelines well and displayed more touch than he has throughout camp, hitting guys in stride really for the first time. He was very sharp in 7-on-7 red zone drills, deftly delivering touchdown passes to Joseph Fauria, Randall Carroll and Cory Harkey.

* Fauria was particularly involved in the offense, and his role looks pretty defined right now as a primary target.

* Kip Smith was much-improved today, and had a nice little bounce in his step after hitting a couple long field goals.

* Shaq Evans had a couple drops, but his body language afterward was nice, and he's oozing confidence right now. Randall Carroll looked good today, as did Nelson Rosario. The defense, remember, is missing about Tony Dye, Tevin McDonald and Jamie Graham.

* Jordan Zumwalt saw increased action this afternoon but remained in a red, non-contact jersey. Cassius Marsh is back 100 percent and looked good today.

* Alex Mascarenas suffered a concussion and will likely be held out until after the scrimmage, and John Young missed practice.

* Richard Brehaut could return tomorrow and is feeling significantly better.

* UCLA keeps attempting the end-around, but the blocking just isn't there for it. I wonder how long they'll keep that up.

* UCLA had a much better morning practice today in terms of execution, and it was another step in the right direction from a responding-to-adversity standpoint.

* Kevin Prince was much improved today after a poor performance on Tuesday, hitting receivers with more authority and holding himself well. Prince hit Nelson Rosario for the play of fall camp on a deep pass route, Rosario battling Aaron Hester and Alex Mascarenas for a one-handed touchdown catch, falling into the end zone.

* Prince hit the middle of the field well, particularly with nice throws to Shaq Evans, Cory Harkey and Joseph Fauria (who dropped it).

* Richard Brehaut is out of the walking boot, and he hopes to practice tomorrow, but Rick Neuheisel is being typically cautious. They're going to do the prudent thing to do, apparently, with regards to Brehaut participating in Saturday's scrimmage.

* Chris Ward was back up with the ones and called his temporary demotion a "wake-up call," while acknowledging he needs to add more strength. He looked pretty good in practice for the second straight day.

* Cassius Marsh returned to practice and should be good for this afternoon. Jordan Zumwalt said he hoped to return this afternoon.

* The NBA All-Star game descended on Spaulding Field: Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Baron Davis, Keyshawn Johnson and Puff Daddy all at football practice.

* Ishmael Adams, the No. 12-rated cornerback in the country, was at practice.

* Obviously the news of the day was Richard Brehaut's sprained foot, but beyond that, it was not a very good day. Practice lacked a little of the energy that developed yesterday afternoon in response to a weaker morning performance.

* Kevin Prince is still off with his timing and accuracy, and he looked like it was weighing on him after practice while meeting with reporters. He described it as a "slump" and related a story about a similar practice slump before the Oregon State week of his redshirt freshman year, and how he broke out of it with extra work. He and Ricky Marvray stayed after practice to work on the simple throw-and-catch.

* Prince's issues were evident during 11-on-11 drills, when he constantly underthrew and overthrew receivers. Keep in mind, with several in the defensive two deep battling small injuries and sitting out, Joe Tresey isn't sending as much pressure, so many of the miscues were not against a heavy rush.

* Albert Cid stepped in at first-team guard and did well. Kid has some mustard. He smashed Sean Westgate on one block I was watching. Hearing Bob Palcic after practice, I think Cid has a good shot to be in there Week 1.

* Prince had a few nice balls, including one beautiful deep pass to Anthony Barr and one to Nelson Rosario.

* Chris Ward was working with the second unit, and Neuheisel said he's trying to push him to compete harder.

* The kicking game...not good. Knuckleballs, shanks, balls hit the crossbar. Not good.

* Datone Jones beasted once more, particularly on a tackle of Johnathan Franklin that was just textbook.

* Alberto Cid ran with the No. 1 offense at the strong guard spot, with Greg Capella at the quick guard and Chris Ward taking his reps with the No. 2 offense.

* Rick Neuheisel said that Vanderbilt cornerback transfer Jamie Graham has torn cartilage in his right meniscus and needs surgery. He should be out 3-to-4 weeks. Aside from him, the same guys are out.

Richard Brehaut's hopes for the nod at starting quarterback were dealt a blow as he was diagnosed with a sprained foot and is listed as day-to-day.

Brehaut was limping toward the end of practice yesterday, but he said he was fine and it was feeling better walking off the field.

Neuheisel will talk about the injury after practice.

I just got finished reading an enlightening interview with Scout.com national recruiting analyst Scott Kennedy, and one thing he said really stuck out to me.

"Big guys develop more slowly," Kennedy told Fox Sports' Lisa Horne. "Skill players are born, linemen are built. While we are ranking them, they are the farthest from being finished products, which makes them the hardest to project."

That simple fact - and it is fact - means one thing: Get more offensive linemen. If, comparatively speaking, a 2- or 3-star offensive lineman is closer in projectability to a 4-star than a 3-star wideout is to a 4-star, than it's just that simple.

Particularly, as on a football team, offensive linemen account for 23 percent of the starting lineup (5/22). If anything, you need to overcompensate at the position, because line play is so crucial and because devastating injuries occur at an alarming rate.

The problem for UCLA?

Over the past decade, of the Bruins' 214 listed committed recruits, only 16 percent were offensive linemen, and that is simply not enough.

SEE CHART

2002: 26 commits, 3 OL (one 3-star, two 2-stars, the team's two lowest-rated recruits).
2003: 19 commits, 2 OL (one a 3-star, one an unrated 2-star).
2004: 27 commits, 7 OL (one 4-star, three 3-stars, three unrated 2-stars including future starters Scott Glicksberg and Chris Joseph).
2005: 22 commits, 2 OL (one 4-star - Aleksy Lanis, who medically retired after his third year - and one unrated 3-star - Justin Brown, who only played two years).
2006: 22 commits, 6 OL (three 4-stars and three 3-stars).
2007: 12 commits, 1 OL (3-star Mike Harris).
2008: 23 commits, 2 OL (3-stars Jeff Baca and Connor Bradford).
2009: 24 commits, 6 OL (two 4-stars, four 3-stars).
2010: 21 commits, 4 OL (one 4-star, two 3-stars and one unranked JC transfer).
2011: 18 commits, 5 OL (three 3-stars and two 2-stars
(Based on Scout.com's verbal commit list)

Because strength and size is not at a premium among non-linemen, they are able to contribute more immediately. But you reasonably expect an offensive lineman to blossom into a contributor in his third year (junior or redshirt sophomore), into a starter his fourth year (senior or redshirt junior) and a potential all-conference pick as a redshirt senior. That's the hope at least. Well at UCLA, guys like Aleksy Lanis, Justin Brown, Nik Abele, Stan Hasiak and I'm sure others, haven't lasted that long.

Now the situation is a little clearer as to the Bruins' line troubles in the past decade. Rick Neuheisel has four recruiting classes under his belt, with 86 recruits and 17 offensive linemen, a 19.8 percent clip. Karl Dorrell, in his five years, had 102 recruits and just 18 offensive linemen, a 17.6 percent clip.

Neuheisel carries the tag of being a "skill-position" recruiter, someone who focuses - and succeeds at - the marquee positions. Clearly at UCLA, he has done better than his predecessor, though undone in large part to fluke injuries, missions and academic issues. But he's still not all the way there yet. That 19.8 percent should be at least 23 percent.

This year, though, should bring some hope.

So far in 2012, UCLA has 11 verbal commitments. Three of them are offensive linemen, or 27 percent. The key going forward is to not lose that ratio. Given the amount of sheer talent at the offensive line position in this class, particularly on the west coast, UCLA has an opportunity to do that. Anything less than seven offensive linemen in this class, in my mind, is a mistake.

Where else does UCLA not have depth going forward, or at least "the guy"? Or to be put more clearly: The Bruins should make sure they get a seventh - or heck, eighth - offensive lineman this year, instead of a third receiver, if that becomes an issue. Skill players transfer more (hello Shaq Evans, hello Joseph Fauria, goodbye Morrell Presley, goodbye Antwon Moutra), so they're easily replaceable.

But the battle is won on the offensive line.

If you have enough soldiers.

Campus Correspondent Jacob Ruffman has a recap here on UCLA target Joshua Garnett

Specifically on the West coast, the crop of offensive lineman in the 2012 class is among the best in recent memory. There are literally dozens of high-quality linemen, many of whom have garnered 4- or 5-star ranking from the major recruiting services. It takes a lot to stand out, but one of UCLA's top targets is Puyallup High (Wash.) product Joshua Garnett.

Garnett is a big, versatile lineman, considered one of the top prospects in the nation, ranked as a top-50 prospect by all three major recruiting services. He is rated the No. 1 offensive guard by Scout, the No. 5 tackle by Rivals and the No. 8 tackle by ESPN.

At 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Garnett is an athletic lineman with long arms and quick feet who engages blockers well and has a good motor. Garnett can pick up the blitz while still being able to put a defensive end on his back. He comes with a bit of a mean streak as well.

Garnett plays left tackle for Puyallup but chances are he will slide inside for college and that versatility adds to his value. Scout.com national recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman said back in June that he had Garnett penciled in as his No. 1 offensive lineman for the class of 2012 when he first saw him at a camp in 8th grade.

UCLA was the first school to offer Garnett, as a freshman, and he has several relatives who went to UCLA and consider themselves Bruin fans. But Garnett will not be easily swayed, seeing that his list is full of elite programs that currently hold more stability on the field: Auburn, California, Michigan, Miami, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, USC and Washington, among others.

While UCLA is still on the list, California, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Stanford, USC and Washington are all very large players in his recruitment. This past week he took visits to UCLA and USC.

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

* UCLA responded pretty well to a poor throwing morning with a decent afternoon practice.

* The offense didn't have the pop of the previous few days, but the unit has responded to adversity quite well in this camp, and tomorrow will be a good test.

* Shaq Evans, if he doesn't start, he's at least going to be targeted a heck of a lot this year. I don't know how much separates the ENTIRE receiving crew right now. Really, Nelson Rosario, Taylor Embree, Josh Smith, Ricky Marvray, Randall Carroll, Devin and Lucien look like they could start for the Bruins. Smith also had a nice day, with a beautiful touchdown catch from Richard Brehaut fading out of the end zone, and Mike Johnson is very, very excited about some potential unique personnel packages.

* On personnel packages: I thought the Bruins missed a big opportunity with that last season, or at least didn't capitalize when they were creative with the groupings, but things bode well. Go big? Rosario, Embree, Barr, Fauria. Speed? Carroll, Smith, Rosario, Marvray, James. Sidelines? Evans, Lucien, Rosario. There is some real potential there.

* Brehaut had a better afternoon than Kevin Prince, throwing for two touchdowns in a short scrimmage. Prince missed all three of his throws, but faced a very heavy pass rush.
"Kevin uncharacteristically missed some throws," Neuheisel said. "Richard saw an opportunity and had a great deal. That's what competition has to do."

* Had a nice chat with Kip Smith, and he's surprisingly forthright about his struggles, and this could just be a matter of him breaking out of his funk. He had a chat with Justin Medlock and with Christian Yount this weekend, and both imparted some words of wisdom. Medlock told him about his attempt in college being a miss and feeling awful. Smith had a decent day today, and I think he'll start to stabilize pretty soon.

* Jeff Baca was doing some sprints, but I don't think the timetable has changed on him.

* Cassius Marsh (groin) and Patrick Larimore sat out, but are expected back tomorrow.

A-Barr (hamstring) returned to practice today.

Earlier had a quote attributed to QBs, but Neuheisel was actually talking about kickers... so, I just took that down.

LOS ANGELES - Rex Peters has been named assistant baseball coach at UCLA, as announced Monday by head coach John Savage. Peters, who spent the last nine seasons as head coach at UC Davis, will serve as the Bruins' hitting and outfield coach.

Peters guided UC Davis from NCAA Division II to Division I status during his nine-year tenure (2003-11), helping the Aggies advance to the 2008 NCAA Tournament in their first year as a Division I member and Big West Conference program. He arrived at UC Davis after having spent nine seasons (1994-2002) as head coach at Chapman University (Orange, Calif.).

"Rex is a great addition to our program," Savage said. "He brings a wealth of experience to UCLA and is very familiar with players and programs on the West Coast. We are very fortunate to be able to get somebody as talented as Rex to join our program as an assistant coach. He is a very accomplished offensive coach who I know our players are looking forward to working with."

No quarterback has pulled away in the competition, which must cause much angst for Rick Neuheisel. Both quarterbacks were inaccurate in practice this morning, and they seemed to take one step back.
``Just missing balls, balls they haven't missed,'' Neuheisel said. ``We've got to be sharper. We're going to demand that. The whole day was not as crisp as it's been. When you're in a competition, you can't afford to take days off. They've got to understand that.''
Days off doesn't mean lack of effort, because Neuheisel said later he's getting maximum effort from both Brehaut and Prince.

As of this morning, neither was looking good in the eyes of Rick Neuheisel. Bad practice for both Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince.
``Not crisp from my position,'' Neuheisel said. ``The quarterback position didn't play well. We weren't as sharp as we've been. We'll figure out why. We need to learn to relax when pressure is coming. We'll get there. We can be better than we were today.''
Relaxing when pressure is coming from the defense is easier said than done, but something you have to master if you're a quarterback.
More on this....

Midway through UCLA's fall camp, here are the five things the Bruins must resolve immediately:

1) The kicking game
After a mediocre spring with Jeff Locke sidelined, the UCLA coaching staff was in panic mode regarding the kicking game. Now they're in full-on Defcon One (thanks, Dallas Bruin). Kip Smith has looked nothing like a former No. 1 recruit, not just missing kicks but doing so with real fundamental flaws. Joe Roberts has been OK, and perhaps more impressive because he was a walk-on, but he hasn't been the model of consistency. And the coaching staff realizes that adding PAT and FG duties to punting and kickoff responsibilities for Jeff Locke might be too much to ask. For a position that hasn't just been locked up for four years, but seemingly for years before that, the Bruins really have their work cut out for them.

2) The starting quarterback
You thought that'd be first priority, huh? Well, with the way both Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince are playing, and the resulting increased fluidity in the passing game, there's reason for optimism and perhaps less pressure. Neither player has been perfect, but both have pushed each other to be better, and you're looking at two very, very different quarterbacks who will give the coaching staff some interesting options. They play the position SO differently - Brehaut a more classic passer, Prince more able to mix in the running game - that they're really not making this an easy decision for the coaching staff. Prince's issues throwing the ball could be blamed on rust after really being curtailed for almost a year, but if things don't get better in that department, he could fall behind Brehaut. Brehaut, on the other hand, still needs to improve his zone reads and not take sacks, but he's put together three very impressive days in a row when stacking practices is crucial.

3) The offensive guard spot
Greg Capella has probably been the biggest surprise in fall camp just from an out-of-nowhere department, but it's not as if the offensive line has looked fantastic. If Capella is the guy with Baca sidelined, then another week with him in the starting unit will pay massive dividends in terms of cohesiveness and confidence. If Albert Cid is flashing enough, well then he needs to move up soon, so he can maximize the two Cs. Chris Ward has looked good and Sean Sheller looks improved in pass protection, so really if either Capella or Cid can hold the fort until Baca returns, then you have the makings of a passable line.

4) What exactly is the F?
With Anthony Barr and Damien Thigpen out, Jordon James has been on display, and it's been a marquee show. Last year I was extremely high on James and even said he might be the best back on campus with the ball in his hands. Problem is, that's only half the battle, and F-back requires advanced blocking skills. Does James have those? Not yet, and perhaps not ever, given his frame. He is an absolutely electric player - his cuts and rhythmic moves are at a plus-plus level - but unless he takes massive leaps in the blocking department, I can't see him as a starting F-back. That is, if the position requires that much blocking. The key is to either involve Barr more in the offense when he returns, thus making defenses account for both of them (and Thigpen), or to lessen the blocking responsibilities of the position. Rick Neuheisel said the team couldn't tip its hand on every play by going back and forth between Barr and James, but he also said James in the blocking department was taking "baby steps." Going forward, as we're clear he NEEDS to be on the field, it might take some philosophical changes on the part of the coaching staff.

5) The Con Game
I saved the most important, the most ethereal discussion for last.
UCLA is playing with higher confidence than last season - a result of player returns, simple maturation, and two new fire-breathing coaches and coaching staffs - but the Bruins are absolutely not all the way there yet. Some might dismiss some of what Mike Johnson says about confidence as "coach-speak," but I've never met a coach who understands the value of that one trait as much as Johnson does. Maybe only in basketball among all the other sports does confidence factor into the equation, but even that is more a personal confidence - I am GOING to make this shot - as opposed to the confidence I'm talking about. The confidence at hand here is more a confidence in trusting the system and the boys around you to lift you up when you're down.
Confidence on a football field is what makes good teams great. It can't make a good player great, but it can make an entire team. Lacking confidence, on the other team, can make an average team bad. Last season, obviously, was a prime example. The players had zero confidence in themselves, even after a 3-2 start, and that was reflected in practice habits, focus, accountability and ultimately, the win-loss column.
Why does Oregon turn 3- and 4-star recruits into a national title contender? Absolute CERTAINTY among ALL players that what they are doing is right. How does Boise State do the same? TCU? These aren't world-beaters, here. It's not as if the Broncos or Horned Frogs on-field success has translated in the recruiting department. TCU could beat Texas four straight years and the Longhorns would win the recruiting battle every time. So why then? Confidence.
As of now, UCLA is still developing it. Some guys are jogging to the line instead of sprinting there. Some guys let a dropped ball turn them into Eeyore, shoulders slumped, face drooped. Some defensive players miss an assignment and then go into a funk. The quarterbacks are not immune to it, too, letting bad plays sometimes carry over.
Ultimately, I do think Johnson wins out, or at least he plays the guys who do have that confidence. To watch Johnathan Franklin on the field right now, you'd absolutely think he was Herschel Walker. Kid STRUTS right now, he oozes swagger. And that's from a HUMBLE kid. That's what confidence does for you. Devin Lucien has it, Shaq Evans has it, Joseph Fauria has it. Nelson Rosario sometimes has it. Randall Carroll had it and is now fighting for it back.
But forget what you see now - if the Bruins go to Houston and don't just handle business in the win column, but look crisp in doing so, you're going to see a big jump between weeks one and two.

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* Another very good practice highlighted by a sharper, more refined passing game that has taken strides in the last two days. Mike Johnson called it the best passing day the team has had in his tenure.

* Particularly working the outsides well, Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut took a step up in the accuracy and catchability departments, hitting guys out of breaks and with good timing. Since a poor Thursday practice, the wideouts have responded well, particularly Nelson Rosario. In 11s and 7s, I don't recall a drop.

* Still, Devin Lucien is really becoming the highlight of camp. He had a rather innocuous catch on the run, but I noticed the hands especially. He snatched the ball out of the air on a pretty Brehaut pass, and it was all hands, no body.

* Jacob Brendel got an earful from Jim Mastro and Co. for missing an assignment on an inside zone block, but he made up for it on the next play with a good block.

* Jordon James really is flashing at F-back, and I could see him growing pretty comfortable in that role, especially with Damien Thigpen down. I wonder how James will do with the blocking aspect of the position - he struggled with pass blocking at times last season - but he certainly fits the mold in the finesse department. UCLA opened an 11-on-11 drill with consecutive James possessions, a catch and a run.

* Neuheisel on James: "James is an electric player - kind of what Damien Thigpen brought to the position. It's nice to have some depth there. It's been fun to have him there."

*James on James: "The coaches are doing a great job of just putting everybody in the right position to help this team dominate. (I'll play) wherever I can. Tailbacks need to be able to catch the ball to survive in this game."

* UCLA seems to be opening up the book a little more, including a pitch-perfect end-around option touchdown pass from Josh Smith to Shaq Evans.

* In 7-on-7 drills, right after Prince hit Nelson Rosario streaking on what looked like a skinny post, Brehaut hit Ricky Marvray over the middle, getting Mike Johnson to run on the field pumping his fist and saying "Yes!" A few plays later Brehaut missed Stan McKay creeping over and McKay made a nice pass break-up, followed immediately by a Nick Crissman-to-Andrew Abbott interception that then had Johnson none to happy.

* Dietrich Riley, Joseph Fauria, Jerry Johnson and Jared Koster all missed practice with food poisoning. Jordan Zumwalt (concussion), Tony Dye (groin), Taylor Embree (calf), Barr (hamstring), Thigpen (hamstring), Tevin McDonald and Aaron Wallace missed practice.

* Neuheisel said Mike Orloff has a torn meniscus and further ACL damage and will have knee surgery and redshirt. Orloff had a previous knee surgery and the ACL is still loose, with swelling to extensive, to keep working on it.

* Rick Neuheisel said Brett Hundley is running on a treadmill and could return as soon as next week.

* UCLA's first day in pads was one of its best in a while, with a pretty crisp offensive performance in 11-on-11 drills and a lively Okie drill featuring mainly freshmen and backups. Highlights of the Oklahoma drill: Uche Amajoyi v. Jacob Brendel and Devin Lucien v. Anthony Thompson.

* Devin Lucien had a fantastic practice, as did Shaquelle Evans, both with several catches. Lucien had a beautiful long touchdown catch from Kevin Prince, adjusting to an underthrown ball to make the grab between Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price. Lucien's grab was all the more impressive coming directly after a dropped long bomb from Richard Brehaut to Nelson Rosario. Evans was consistently working the outside of the field, and their performance certainly stood out.

* The offense as a whole was a lot crisper, setting the tone well from the beginning in 9-on-7 drills.

* In 11-on-11 drills, Ricky Marvray had a nice diving catch and Joseph Fauria had a handful of good blocks - something he's improved much at - along with a fluke touchdown catch on a ball that popped into the air. I swear I heard the Joker cackle over the loudspeakers.

* If the coaches really are going to play guys at wideout based on camp performance, Lucien really has a shot at some major time.

* Malcolm Jones, about whom I'm writing today, continues to impress so far, and there's some deserved optimism about the four running backs.

* Speaking of RBs, Jordon James has looked pretty good the last couple days at F-back with Anthony Barr and Damien Thigpen down. James has had a number of nice catch-and-runs out of the backfield.

* Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt was sidelined by a concussion and is going through the protocol.
Tony Dye (groin), Taylor Embree (calf), Barr (hamstring), Thigpen (hamstring) and Aaron Wallace missed practice.

A UCLA's offense faltered last season, dropping from 88th nationally in total offense to 100th out of 120 FBS teams, there were times that it seemed as if the players didn't even know what they were supposed to be doing, much else why they were doing it.

Turns out, that extended to the coaching staff, as well, as the Pistol offense newbies struggled to exploit the inherent mismatches caused by the unorthodox formation. As much as the players battled inexperience and know-how, the coaches did as well, offensive gurus like Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow sounding downright dejected and dumbfounded after blowout losses to Stanford and Oregon among others.

As the offense bid goodbye to Chow and hello to new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson and running game coordinator Jim Mastro, this season's fall camp has been just as important for them as the players they're coaching.

"I don't know that it will look different but I think the production can be much different because we've got expertise now in how to formation teams, how to line people up and how to get the quarterback to get us to where the advantage is," Neuheisel said of Mastro's arrival from Pistol originator Nevada. "A lot of that, even though we were working hard at it, was a little bit of guess work. Trying things just because it looked like it would work or copying people rather than knowing exactly why we were doing it."

Mastro's mastery of the offense should pay dividends particularly in the game-planning and philosophical areas, as he has been able to share 11 years worth of wisdom gleaned from Pistol conceiver Chris Ault, whose Wolf Pack found great success after switching to the formation in the mid-2000s.

Mastro spent much of spring ball acclimating to his new position and trying to assess his talent and the roles they played within the offense. Now, he's trying to convey some of the intricacies of the offense to the team, from coaches to players.

"They do (understand the offense) now, now that we were able to get through a spring, put some formation cut-ups together," Mastro said. "Now they understand. And last year, they understood it, they ran well last year. But I've been explaining the principles to it, the reasons behind it, and they understand it."

Like Chow a year ago, Johnson is new to the Pistol offense but feels prepared to call plays and handle the offensive direction. But even he believes he's learning by the day.

"I'm better today than I was in the spring," Johnson said. "I think I understand exactly what we're doing from an offensive standpoint better than I did in the spring. It doesn't take me that long to learn football."

* I missed the beginning of practice because of a work meeting, but what I saw wasn't too pretty, and the offensive coaches weren't happy after practice.

* Part of the problem with the offensive cohesiveness and energy was because of the absence of starters Taylor Embree and Anthony Barr to minor tweaks - calf for Embree and hamstring for Barr, both small issues - but the second- and third-team guys need to be ready now for the offense to click, and it appears they're not.

* The defense, particularly the defensive line, really looks good right now, and I don't think it's a product of the offense looking bad. The defense is just playing at a fever pitch right now, and there seems to be a really good dynamic going on between the defensive linemen, as the play doesn't seem to drop between the top eight guys in the rotation. Inoke Breckterfield has really stressed the four-play-of-fury maxim, eliciting isolated bursts of energy from his guys that has been lacking. Donovan Carter looked good today, and he's a guy to keep an eye on.

* In the later session 11-on-11 red zone drill, there were a couple of really nice offensive plays, including a Joseph Fauria-and-Chris Ward tandem block that broke Malcolm Jones for a touchdown.

* Tevin McDonald, Dalton Hilliard and Alex Mascarenas got a lot of time with the first-team defense today, and they shined.

* Something interesting: Because sports is often a zero-sum game - one team wins, one team loses, one play is bad for one side, good for the other - fans and the media in particular tend to rate football plays and practices based on success or lack of success. If a defense makes a stop, they "won." If the offense makes a completion, they "won." But after yesterday's practice didn't look very good on offense, I was surprised to hear Mike Johnson and Rick Neuheisel call it one of the best they've had, despite drops, missed throws, etc. Johnson and I had a great chat after practice today about how different things look on film, and how yesterday was some of the best "execution" that the unit has had, in terms of being in the right place and doing the right thing. I think it's easy to judge just based on if the play works or doesn't work, and it's easy to be critical when it doesn't work, but he really opened my eyes about how the coaches see things a little differently with the benefit of film. I'll keep that in mind.

The common knock on UCLA heading into the 2011 season was how thin the Bruins are on the offensive line.

Greg Capella is taking that to heart. And his heart is thanking him for it, although his tastebuds probably want to have a word or two with the UCLA sophomore.

Capella, who has run with the first-team offensive line at strong side guard the past two days while playing second-team center, found himself heavier than he's ever been last winter and set out to not only change his body, but potentially his prospects at UCLA.
Now he's down from 335 to 295 and he said he's feeling better than ever.

"I just didn't like the way I was moving, the way I looked," Capella said. "I was up to 335 pounds going into last winter, and I just decided that I didn't want to do that anymore. I watched what I ate, I trained my hardest, and I got down to where I actually had to gain weight for the first time in my life."

Switching from his favorite food - from Fat Sal's "Fat Jerry" to the less-cheesestick-and-chicken-tender-filled "Glorious Grilled Chicken" sandwich - helped. Working with strength and conditioning coach Mike Linn just hurt.

But it worked for Capella, and it could work out beautifully for Rick Neuheisel and Bob Palcic.

With projected starting tackle Jeff Baca sidelined with a broken ankle until late September at the earliest and Sean Sheller sliding over from guard, the Bruins have a big gap at guard. Capella, who didn't play center until college and said that the problems with the quarterback-center exchange were difficult to overcome, now figures into the guard equation along with redshirt freshman Wade Yandall and Citrus College transfer Albert Cid.

Capella is relishing going back to his roots, particularly with regards to pulling, a guard's best chance to get out and run.

"It's all about athleticism," Neuheisel said. "There are a lot of big men who can move. But if your girth is keeping you from being the athlete you need to be to compete, you need to slim down."

Neuheisel gave credit to Capella for first resolving to change his body, and then following through.

"When you get into a position that you're seeing some results with that hard work, it encourages you to do more," Neuheisel said. "He's really worked his butt off to get himself in great shape. He's a mutt."

* Not a very sharp practice on Wednesday, and the coaching staff has to be concerned by some of last season's bad habits creeping in.

* Not only were the quarterbacks consistently indecisive and inaccurate, but UCLA wideouts weren't a help with several just crushing drops. Devin Lucien muffed an easy touchdown catch over his shoulder. Randall Carroll dropped one across the middle that was textbook, and got a good earful. Ricky Marvray followed with a drop of his own. Taylor Embree did have a nice grab across the middle though.

* Rick Neuheisel specifically mentioned the quarterback-center exchange as being a disappointment on Wednesday, as the Bruins constantly fumbled the snap.

* I've never played or coached college football, so I don't know how it's supposed to be done, but I'm surprised at the lack of attention in 11-on-11 work to specific pass plays. I expected - and Rick Neuheisel spoke in a way that led us to believe - that there would be a premium focus on the throwing game, and I don't see much difference from last year in terms of dedicated practice time. Maybe I'm missing something, but it's pretty curious.

* Neuheisel said after practice that Damien Thigpen has a hamstring injury that will keep him sidelined indefinitely. Look for a wideout or two to slide over to F-back No. 2 in the meantime. We'll find out who tomorrow.

* Greg Capella has looked pretty good at first-team guard the last couple days, and I'll have a story up on him soon. He's cut a ton of weight and looks really good.

* The downfield blocking out of the wide receiver position looks improved so far, at least in terms of angles and aggressiveness. Marvray had a heck of a block on a Malcolm Jones run.

* I'll have more on Jones tomorrow, but he's really opened some eyes the last couple days. He is noticeably leaner and has a nice little burst now, something he lacked a bit last season. Whether it was because of tentativeness or just being unsure of the situation, Jones seemed to force plays to develop too much last year instead of instinctively going, and he's been much improved in that area so far. Wayne Moses had some pretty good things to say about him: "He's increased his knowledge of the game. In terms of pass protection now, he's salty on that. He understands what everybody else does as well as his job. That kind of gives you the overall scheme of things. Last year he didn't have that. He wasn't sure what he did, let alone everybody else."

Unlike fellow 2012 target Shaq Goodwin, Shabazz Muhammad doesn't have dual-sport aspirations for the next level, but that didn't stop him from a tour of the UCLA football practice today.

Just saw him come in along with Ben Howland and Co.

* As Rick Neuheisel pointed out after practice, early in fall camp it is natural for a defense to have a leg up with the shoulder pads off, but the offense had its flashes on Tuesday, particularly early up front.

* Kai Maiava and Mike Harris had a really good series in early 11-on-11 work, with Maiava looking particularly quick on a pull block that freed Johnathan Franklin. Mike Johnson was really excited about that one.

* Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut haven't done anything to answer any questions yet, especially as they continually look to the check down and haven't really opened things up yet. Neuheisel said after practice that some of that was by design to avoid the pass rush, something that plagued UCLA last season, but even 7-on-7 drills were full of check-downs. By my count, 11 of Prince's 12 throws in the drill were either to running backs or tight ends, and the lone deep ball to Shaquelle Evans was intercepted by Tevin McDonald, with Eric Kendricks following the next play with another interception.

* Brehaut didn't do particularly better, albeit attempting a few more downfield throws, but neither quarterback was particularly sharp.

* Later in practice the defense came back strong, frequently in the UCLA backfield. We did see some Greg Capella at guard, though, and he held his own.

* Looked like Andrew Abbott tweaked his foot a bit at the end of practice, but he was walking OK.

* One thing I noticed: After a big play by Cassius Marsh, Inoke Brecketfield jogged over and shared a little "coaching moment" with Marsh, playfully slapping him in the pads as he walked away. Theirs was a tenuous relationship in spring as Marsh tried to adapt to Breckterfield's coaching style, but things look very smooth now, and the two were chatting together as practice ended, too. Breckterfield will play a very important role in Marsh's development.

* Another thing I noticed: After the last play of the practice-ending scrimmage, both sides were shouting "one more play," and clamoring for another shot at each other. I'm not sure I've seen that in my two years on the beat so far.

The woefully thin UCLA offensive line got a bit heftier on Tuesday as Citrus College transfer Albert Cid, all 6-foot-3, 330 pounds of him, joined the Bruins on Day 2 of fall camp.
With the admissions process behind him and the prospects of contributing immediately directly ahead, Cid was all smiles after practice.

A smile almost as wide as the one sported by offensive line coach Bob Palcic, who could've used a lucky break or two this time, after losing projected left tackle Jeff Baca to a broken ankle in spring camp.

With Baca sidelined likely until October and sixth-year senior Sean Sheller sliding from guard to tackle, Cid could have an Eddie Williams-like impact on the UCLA offensive line.

"I thought he was very comparable to Eddie Williams and (fellow former junior college lineman) Ryan Taylor coming out of junior college," Palcic said. "We just put him in there for a couple plays today, and he flashed. He's got it. It's just going to take some time for him to learn the system."

The Bruins execute a relatively similar zone-blocking scheme to which Cid grew accustomed at Citrus College, but he'll need to learn the pass protection and line calls quickly if he hopes to contribute as Palcic believes he can.

With redshirt freshman Wade Yandall playing much of the first-team reps at strong-side guard and sophomore Greg Capella getting a look as well, Cid will need to spend the next couple weeks playing himself into shape - he said he hoped to get down to 315 pounds soon - and getting over the jitters a new city, a new team, a new level.

"It was crazy (being out there); I thought, 'I'm actually going to play some D-1 football now," Cid said. "My heart started beating really fast, like what is this?!"

cid thinks itll take two or three weeks for him to acclimate himself with the physical conditioning of the higher level, but he's already getting some help with the mental side, relying on Baca for guidance.

"Jeff Baca, yeah, he's been looking out for me," Cid said. "He spends time with me on the playbook. He's showing me everything. He's really helping me out."

UCLA two-sport target Shaq Goodwin dropped by UCLA football practice for a cameo appearance today, albeit briefly.

Goodwin is being targeted by the Bruins primarily in basketball, but he's made his intentions to play both football and hoops abundantly clear, and the UCLA football staff is getting involved in his recruitment as well.

Citrus College transfer Albert Cid has been cleared by admissions to practice and will begin today with the Bruins, the school announced.

Cid instantly figures into the offensive line equation with Jeff Baca sidelined until at least week five, and it will be interesting to see where he starts off today. He could have an Eddie Williams-like effect on the team, as Williams came in and started for the Bruins for two years after transferring in. With Cid in the mix, UCLA has a little more flexibility, and when Baca is finally healthy, the Bruins should have a relatively solid eight-man rotation, which Bob Palcic covets.

* UCLA's first fall camp practice was a good one, and they seemed to respond well to the coaching staff and the tempo of practice.

* Kevin Prince ran with the ones to start and looked pretty good, especially throwing on the run, something that offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said the team needed to be much better at. He's right - the team was not good in play-action, and especially with ball fakes, and that directly feeds into the running game. Prince showed a bit of rust in the rhythm department, foiled a few times by a quick, aggressive pass rush.

* Richard Brehaut also got many snaps with the ones, and it's really too soon to tell who'll come away with the position. I asked Brehaut if he truly felt it was 50-50 going into camp, and he said he does feel that he'll get a fair shake, but I wonder how much better Brehaut does have to be to get the nod.

* First impressions of size changes: Justin Edison looks huge, absolutely huge; Patrick Larimore seems to have put on some good weight; Torian White is smaller than I expected (Will Oliver is way bigger than I expected); and Sheldon Price and Aaron Hester are a pair of formidable DBs.

* Wade Yandall got the first-team reps at strong-side guard, with Chris Ward at the weak-side guard spot, and if Yandall can hold on tight, he should be the guy moving forward, depending on Albert Cid's production.

* Glenn Love is running with the ones at outside linebacker, and I expect him to win the position. If you remember, he narrowly lost the starting safety spot to Tony Dye in 2009 when both were sophomores, and that experience could seal the deal.

Rick Neuheisel had an interesting bit on chemistry, or lack thereof, last season in the coaching staff, and I pulled him aside to talk about the issue more after media day:

Explain the chemistry situation a little more...
Rick Neuheisel: "Leadership on a football field; there's a voice on a practice field. There's an offensive voice and a defensive voice, and it's important to me that those voices are eager, energetic and are hugely postiive. I'm not saying anybody wasn't. I'm just saying it didn't feel like I felt like it needed to feel."

Football is a lot about feel and intangibles, so when did it start not feeling right? What finally made you make the decisions?
RN: "It's easy to talk about it after the fact. Ultimately the decisions that were made here with regards to the staff here are mine. I wish everybody here that was here a year ago the absolute best. I think they're all wonderful guys. I think they're all very good football coaches. I just felt we needed to reorganize the chemistry."

Sometimes people think chemistry is two guys grabbing a lunch before practice and laughing it up, but isn't it more about that unified voice? You mentioned that pessimism seemed to seep in...
"Therein lies the magic of it - it's important for me to impart my belief and my optimism into the coaching staff, and that's an easier thing to do if they're already bent that way. I just want these players to realize were as eager as they are. We have young coaches, we have older coaches - it doesn't matter - you're in this business because you wanted to stay a kid. You love the game, everything about it, and there's a freshness to it. As long as the personality stays fresh, the players will respond, whether you're young or old."

Hey guys,

With fall practice starting, here's a reminder to follow me on Twitter and Facebook for the quickest information, and to subscribe to Youtube for automatic links to UCLA video interviews...

Twitter: @thecoolsub
Facebook: Inside UCLA page
YouTube: Inside UCLA Channel

Here are some things I'm looking out for especially during fall camp:

* There's not much that can be gleaned from watching the line play during fall camp, because we don't know how good the offensive line is, and we really don't even know how good the defensive line is. What can be picked apart, though, is technique and that's something UCLA defensive linemen lacked last season, for various reasons - Cassius Marsh because of strength and experience, Nate Chandler because of switching positions, Justin Edison because of strength, Sealii Epenesa because of experience. Now with a new defensive line coach, Inoke Breckterfield, who has drawn rave reviews elsewhere for his technical and technique-al coaching skills, perhaps UCLA will find a solid four-man rotation that will produce.

* It's pretty much the same with the offensive line, but the big question there is who comprises the first unit? With Jeff Baca sidelined a month into the season, there is a big gap on the left side - presumably the right side is solid with Chris Ward and Mike Harris to go along with Kai Maiava - and someone needs to actually step up and take the position. Going into fall camp, the Bruins don't really have anyone who has staked claim to be in the starting lineup alongside those three and Sean Sheller, and there are plenty of options. Connor Bradford or maybe even a freshman could slide in at tackle, Wade Yandall or Albert Cid in at guard, or maybe Greg Capella is good enough at center to push Maiava to guard. But someone is going to have to convince the staff he's the answer.

* While you can't accurately predict line success early in fall camp, you can get a pretty good feel for the passing game, and that's priority No. 1 for UCLA, as well. Rick Neuheisel said that Kevin Prince would get first-team reps at the beginning of camp, and the longer he keeps those first-team reps, the better for him. At this point, it looks like Richard Brehaut is going to actually have to press the issue to nose his way into the starting nod, as in, the coaches aren't expecting Prince to fail, so Brehaut is going to have to prove incontrovertibly that he should be starting.

* What everyone needs to see out of the UCLA passing game this year is timing, and that will be evident from the beginning. If anything, that's what seemed to doom the Bruins so often. Players zigged when they should've zagged, or the offensive line let in a flood, or the quarterback paused for half a second. Another year in the Pistol offense should help all parties, especially the coaching staff, which needs to better mask the deficiencies with creative play-calling.

* With timing comes swagger, and UCLA definitely lacked that last season. Mike Johnson seems to instantly have instilled a little into the offense with his act-as-if mentality, and it's going to be very interesting to see how the players respond. Will they cower or will they rise up? UCLA has talent at the wide receiver position, but it is unrefined talent, and that goes from top-to-bottom. I truly believe that one good fall camp can propel one of the guys into a prominent role, but like that one offensive lineman who has to seize the day, so too does a wideout.

* The only other real positional battle, at outside linebacker, should be decided pretty quickly. Clark Lea is a sound fundamentals coach, and he needs to see that reflected in the linebacker play. With an often ailing but experienced fifth-year middle linebacker in Reggie Carter and another experienced outside linebacker in Kyle Bosworth, the Bruins could afford to use Akeem Ayers as a wild card in 2009, knowing that only one of the linebackers would be out of position, hunting the ball. That's great, when you have the discipline to make up for it at the other positions. Last year, we saw what happens when your wild card is your first option - disarray. Now with steady Sean Westgate and the ever-improving Patrick Larimore, this third linebacker spot could go in a number of ways, as it did in '09.

* Much like how Ayers was allowed more freedom in 2009, so was Rahim Moore. With Alterraun Verner at cornerback locking down his man, Moore could take more risks, and they paid off, with 10 interceptions. Last season, especially early on, when Sheldon Price and Aaron Hester faltered, the safeties paid the price. Price and Hester both looked solid over the summer, both in play and in size, as both are filling out nicely. Price in particular has made some noticeable strength gains. I'm looking to see if they translate that increase in size to an increase in physicality as both are looking to be nastier this season. Maybe Joe Tresey will actually let them bump-and-run a little? Neither Tony Dye nor Dietrich Riley play like Moore, too - they both play more deliberately - and the unit as a whole should be much more sound.

* Lastly, the kicking game is going to have to show a whole lot better than it did in spring. Perhaps it was nerves, but Kip Smith did little to stake claim to the position, and he could get a real push from Jeff Locke and even Joe Roberts this fall.

A year ago heading into fall camp, UCLA was bubbly, brimming with confidence, perhaps overconfidence, coming off a three-win improvement from Rick Neuheisel's first-to-second year. An EagleBank Bowl win over Temple on a frigid December evening in Washington, D.C., was cause for celebration, and the excitement carried on for the next seven months. Where could the Bruins go from there?

Turns out, right where they started, and now here is UCLA once more down, once more out, once more coming off a 4-8 season.

The tone of the team is much as it was heading into the fall of 2009, tempered and simmering. The faces are different - not just on the roster but in the coaching staff, which underwent a massive overhaul - but the looks are the same.

Looks of anguish over the defense, which had talent - albeit youthful talent - but saw poor results. Looks of frustration about the offense, which was decimated by injury and ineligibility while trying to learn the new Pistol offense.

"I think there's enough blame to go around for everybody," said Neuheisel, whose Bruins begin training camp tomorrow at 3 p.m. at Spaulding Field, after hosting Media Day earlier in the afternoon. "I don't think you can point at one factor. My own instincts on it are we spent so much time practicing the newness of the (Pistol offense) that we didn't do the fundamentals, whether it's throwing or protecting and when we needed those fundamentals to show up on game day, they were not there. Then you lose your experience and you lose your continuity whether it be the injury to (Kai) Maiava, (Jeff) Baca not being eligible, a quarterback going down and not being there for any of fall camp, it's one thing after another but at the end of the day it just didn't work.
"So we've got to fix it."

The Bruins have the tools, with 18 starters returning, including Maiava and Baca, who both started in 2009, and the talent of Neuheisel's first three recruiting classes beginning to mature. Perhaps more importantly, each unit returns either an upperclassmen or a returning starter.

The tools are there, but the task is a lofty one, as the Bruins must improve an offense that rated 100 of 120 FBS teams in total offense and a defense that ranked 94th in total defense.
Improve on that, and the wins will come, and they'll need to. It's postseason or bust.

"If you're a front-running team that's riding high and then you go down to losing three or four games a year, then your perception changes," Neuheisel said. "I look forward to having that problem someday. It used to be a problem but right now, we've got to get over the hump of mediocrity and I've got a bunch of kids that are poised to do it and I've got some coaches that are ready to lock arms and do it as well."

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

From UCLA:

Rafer Johnson, Olympic gold medalist and the epitome of the UCLA student-athlete, is returning to his alma mater as a special assistant to Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, it was announced today.

"Rafer represents all that is great about UCLA Athletics," said Guerrero. "During his days at UCLA, he was an outstanding scholar, president of the student body and a two-sport performer in track & field and basketball. He is an Olympic champion and has spent most of his adult life in the service of others, as illustrated by his commitment to the Special Olympics. It is a thrill to have Rafer on our staff."

In his new part-time role, Johnson will work primarily in the areas of External Relations, which includes alumni outreach, and Student-Athlete Development. Included in his responsibilities will be representing the Athletic Department at various events, such as alumni and donor functions. In addition, Johnson will be working closely with the Bruin athletic teams and coaches, as well as speaking with parents and current student-athletes about what it means to be a Bruin and represent UCLA's tradition of excellence, both on and off the field of competition.

Often referred to as the world's greatest all-around athlete, Johnson held the world record in the decathlon and won a silver medal in the same event during the 1956 Olympics while attending UCLA. In 1960, he completed a remarkable athletic career by earning a gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Olympic Games by defeating Bruin teammate C.K. Yang in a memorable finish in Rome. Johnson then earned the Sullivan Award as nation's top amateur athlete that year.

Following his athletic career, Johnson appeared in several motion pictures and was on television as a sportscaster. In the 1970's, he was a member of the President's Commission on Olympic Sports.

Johnson, a member of the National Track & Field and U.S. Olympic Halls of Fame, held the prestigious role as the final torchbearer for the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, lighting the torch at the Coliseum in a moment captured worldwide.

Johnson's daughter, Jennifer Johnson-Jordan, was a star student-athlete for the UCLA women's volleyball team and a member of the U.S. Olympic volleyball team for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. His son, Josh, was also a Bruin student-athlete and excelled on the UCLA men's track & field team.

Johnson, a charter member of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1984, is Chairman for the Board of Directors of the Southern California Special Olympics and will continue to serve in that capacity during his tenure at UCLA.

First off, thanks to all who have sent well wishes to my mother, who was recently released from the hospital. We had a pretty big scare there, and the support and prayers we got from family, friends, fellow writers and especially the UCLA community was in a word, overwhelming. But there's never just one word from me, so: Thank you all, again.

Secondly, as some of you know, I had to head north to help her for the week, returning Friday or Saturday hopefully, so Jill Painter and Daily News intern extraordinaire Sam Strong will be handling most of the blog. I'll be back for the start of fall camp.

Thirdly, Kai Forbath signed with the Dallas Cowboys today, per his Facebook page, and the Tennessee Titans UCLA connection is sticking together.

Update: Just got off the phone with basketball team spokesman Ryan Finney. He confirmed that Arnet is leaving the team to focus on school and his career and he doesn't want to talk to reporters.

Finney also said Howland has not been made aware of the situation as he is on vacation but he expects Howland to persuade Arnet to stay upon his return.

Blake Arnet will not be returning to the UCLA basketball team for the 2011-2012 season, according to his Facebook profile.

Arnet posted the following message Tuesday at 2:43 p.m.

"won't be back playin ball next yr, not having fun with it.. will miss parts of it but it's time to move on - u can catch me on the ping pong table doin work!"

If Arnet leaves, Ben Howland is left with a precarious situation at the point guard spot. Last year's back up, Jerime Anderson, has been suspended indefinitely after being charged with suspicion of grand theft. Playing Lazeric Jones 40 minutes a night doesn't appear to be an option for Howland, although incoming junior college transfer De'End Parker may be able to provide some valuable minutes.