September 2011 Archives

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From UCLA:

Norman Powell, a UCLA freshman guard, suffered a concussion at a men's basketball workout on Tuesday, Sept. 27 and received three staples in his forehead to close a small cut. He was driving the lane when he was struck with an accidental elbow by a teammate. He is listed as day-to-day and is being monitored daily.

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UCLA has taken a new approach to defending Andrew Luck. Tony Dye has great stuff about what it's like to play against Luck, aka Mr. Nice Guy.

* Fairly typical Wednesday practice, good tempo on a cloudy, somber day.

* Rick Neuheisel said that Anthony Barr might need surgery for a meniscus tear. He missed practice again today.

* Jamie Graham and Andrew Abbott were back at full-go and looked like they hadn't really missed a step. That'll be huge as Sheldon Price missed practice again with a knee injury and appears doubtful for the game. Dalton Hilliard and Alex Mascarenas missed practice too. This will be a trial by fire for guys like Brandon Sermons, Tevin McDonald and Graham/Abbott.

* Tony Dye, however, saw more action and said he'll return this week. He admitted that his absence last week was not just precautionary and that he's feeling much better this week.

* Some pretty good offensive work today, particularly in the throw-and-catch game by both Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince. Prince had a few beautiful passes in a row at one point, and Brehaut seems more comfortable with the team and his role.

* UCLA coaches talked extensively about the need to "corral" Andrew Luck, who passed for just 151 yards last year but ran for 63, after throwing for 198 and rushing for three yards in 2009. Stanford completed 9-of-16 third downs last year while UCLA went just 1-for-9.

Was the plan against Oregon State to be that conservative? Finishing with 11 quarterback passes and nearly 40 runs?
"If you look at that first half, we had three opportunities where we had guys running down the middle of the field wide open and we couldn't get it off. We had protection issues, guys pushed back in the quarterback's face. That changes the whole game. Had a play with 42 seconds to go, fastest guy matched up against a linebacker, and we couldn't get it off. If you make those plays, you're talking about a 250-yard passing game and a 220-yard running game, and you have proper balance.
Going to Covallis, I thought it was important we stayed in 3rd-and-6 or less - if you look at our third downs, we were better on third down and we had four or five 3rd-and-ones. After the Texas game, when we came out and threw it early, I thought it was important we didn't put our team in that situation.
We were in control of that game for the most part, and when we had to battle back - that touchdown when we got out ahead again, they were throws. There's a time when you have to open it up. From our standpoint of growth of confidence, I think it's important you put them in situations for them to be successful."

Do you have a gripe with the label of conservatism?
"It's not as easy as throw it to Randall (Carroll) or throw it to Josh (Smith). You have to understand the offensive line and who they are. You've got to understand if you put them in too many situations, what's going to happen. You have to understand the growth of your quarterback and flip-flopping the quarterbacks early and not giving one guy all the reps and that situation. It's a culmination of all of that. If you drop back and throw it 30, 40 times, how many sacks are you going to give up?
Then you say, what is best situation to put our offensive line in? We have a defense trying to find its way thats injured. It's important we don't extend their reps. For me, its a total process of putting all that together and making sure you're putting your offense in the best situation to win."

Do you have to approach every game differently in terms of that?
"Every game is different. Against Texas, you have to come out and you had to loosen them up a little and we threw three picks. We didn't execute as well as I would've liked, but I thought it was important to have balance. The Oregon State game we came out and first two or three drives, we took three shots. Didn't hit them - didn't even get them off - because somebody pushed back. Had Randall Carroll running downfield three times, didn't get chance to capitalize. You look at the whole picture, the defense and offense, how are we blocking up front, and you try to put together a plan to go win the game. When you play a team like Stanford, you have to score points. You have to take those chances. You can't be as conservative against Stanford as Oregon State."

Hey guys, Steve Ramirez of our sister paper the Whittier Daily News has a good piece here on La Habra linebacker Aaron Porter, a UCLA commit: Check it out

* Nothing too special today - decent throwing game, but many of UCLA's defensive backs are out or nursing injuries, so that's to be expected. Got some interesting stuff from Mike Johnson about "conservatism" that I'll post, and he addressed some of the questions very directly.

* Cornerback Jamie Graham returned for individual drills and said he was 100 percent and expects to be full-go tomorrow.

* Anthony Barr did not practice and had his right knee wrapped up. He said he had an MRI on Monday and that he was to visit with a doctor tonight.

* Kip Smith missed practice but Jeff Locke had a good day in his absence and told me he saw the flaw that led to two low kicks against Oregon State that were both blocked.

* Sheldon Price was in street clothes - as was Dalton Hilliard - and both are still questionable for Saturday.

* Johnathan Franklin practiced and looked fine after suffering a hip contusion.

* Tony Dye remains out of practice, while Andrew Abbott was back in a red jersey and is expected to make a full return tomorrow.

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.

bruwin5931 came closest with his 28-20 prediction for UCLA v. OSU, so please email me at jon.gold@dailynews.com

Thanks

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

Thanks
Jon

* I know that that UCLA has one of the best backfields in the conference - and it's even better than we thought

Rick Neuheisel called Derrick Coleman the team's most valuable player through four games, and it's hard to disagree. After Johnathan Franklin went down with a hip injury after a good start - six carries for 36 yards - Coleman took over and gained 100 yards on 20 carries. They were impoortant carries, too, punishing carries that paid off in the end.
Coleman had three critical first downs on UCLA's last drive to keep the ball away from the Beavers, running five straight times for eight, five, three, three and six yards.
Coleman could've had two more touchdowns, if not for Jordon James' four-yard end-around and Anthony Barr's two-yard burst up the middle. That kind of variation bodes well going forward for a running game that already ranks second in the Pac-12, and 28th nationally, at 214 yards per game

* I think UCLA's kicking issues have not been solved yet

Jeff Locke admirably manned up to his issues on Saturday - having two kicks blocked, one a field goal, one a PAT - and he was not blaming a vicious hit on an 85-yard touchdown punt return for his problems. Locke is a very bright football player and should be able to correct the flaw that led to two low kicks, but the delirious fog that set in after 51- and 49-yard field goals against Texas disappeared pretty quickly.

* I know the defense will need to play more aggressively against Andrew Luck

UCLA has let the opposition nickel-and-dime their nickel and dime, and that simply won't work against THE BEST QUARTERBACK EVAR. Really, though, Luck is a fantastic quarterback not because of his arm strength or his accuracy or his timing. What takes Luck from great to Heisman-worthy is his pinpoint-precise decision-making. Like Case Keenum in Week 1, Luck will find the open man, for five yards or 50, and he'll be happy to do it.
The Bruin cornerbacks have played surpringly passive for a duo that has the body, speed and mindframe to bully opposing receivers, and that comes from the top down. Through four weeks, there have been countless third-and-short situations when the DBs were seven, eight, nine yards deep, letting the offense dictate the result. Andrew Luck can't have such an easy go of it.

* I think that UCLA cannot continue to play so conservatively

Rick Neuheisel told the media after the 27-19 win over Oregon State that it was his fault on Jordan Poyer's 85-yard touchdown return near the end of the first half.
He should've apologized for putting the Bruins in that position in the first place.
UCLA continues to play with Tea Party conservatism, never moreso than the "two-minute" drive that wasn't. With 1:41 left in the first half and the Bruins leading 21-3, UCLA had a chance to essentially end the game. The offense was clicking to that point, scoring touchdowns on three of its five possessions, though one was just a four-yard drive after a Sean Mannion fumble in the OSU red zone. UCLA had gained 173 yards on just 24 plays - an average of 7.2 yards per play - while Oregon State had gained 31 yards total on its previous four drives, showing very little big-play ability.
So what does UCLA do?
With three timeouts left, the Bruins call two runs up the middle, wasting nearly a minute of clock. Then, almost out of nowhere, they decide to hurry it up. First, a nine-yard pass to Nelson Rosario, then an uncharacteristic deep bomb to Randall Carroll which went incomplete, and a four-yard loss on a Richard Brehaut rush. Then the punt and the touchdown, and thisquick, the Beavers are back in the game.
Had UCLA simply run the clock out, that would be one thing. Forgivable, if conservative. But to go from passive to aggressive in the span of two plays was simply baffling and shows a continual lack of confidence in the offense.

* I think UCLA's season is not over - far from it

The Bruins have not looked very good through four games, but at 2-2 and 1-0 in conference play, September treated UCLA relatively well in terms of bowl hopes.
Home games with Cal, Washington State, Arizona State and Colorado remain, and the Bruins should realistically go 3-1 . Then there are road dates at Stanford, Arizona, Utah and USC. If UCLA can win one of those games - and it can - then the Bruins should be bowl-bound. The Pac-12 has really become a league of 2-7-3 with Oregon and Stanford near-untouchable, Washington State, Oregon State and Colorado in the dregs, and six teams somewhat close together. Obviously Arizona State and USC are a notch ahead of Arizona, Utah, UCLA, Washington and Cal, but they don't look unbeatable. With eight conference games left, the Bruins just need to play to their talent level, and they'll be busy in December.

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said on Sunday night's conference call that all three Bruins who were injured in the team's 27-19 win at Oregon State on Saturday night were expected to play next week.

Cornerback Sheldon Price has a minor knee sprain, safety Dalton Hilliard has a minor AC sprain in his shoulder and Johnathan Franklin has a hip contusion, and none of the injuries are major.

Senior cornerback Jamie Graham (knee) is back and running and should be returning to practice this week. ... Senior safety Tony Dye is expected to return to practice this week after being held out of the game after suffering a stinger. ... Redshirt freshman kicker Kip Smith is expected to return from a hip injury.

More from the call:
Neuheisel said "Richard Brehaut is our starting quarterback," but added that he wants the players to continue competing, and wouldn't guarantee Brehaut the position going forward. Kevin Prince, meanwhile, is 100 percent recovered from sprains to both shoulders, Neuheisel clarified today.

RESULT: UCLA 27, Oregon State 19
RECORD: 2-2
WEEK 4 GPA: B-

QUARTERBACKS
B+
Richard Brehaut executed offense efficiently but needs to be let loose.

RUNNING BACKS
B
Derrick Coleman, Malcolm Jones filled in for Johnathan Franklin admirably, and nice cameos by Jordon James, Anthony Barr

WIDE RECEIVERS
B
Did just about all they could with little action.

OFFENSIVE LINE
B
Solid effort in first game without Sean Sheller, though two sacks allowed.

DEFENSIVE LINE
C-
Bruins might need search-and-rescue to find Datone Jones.

LINEBACKERS
B-
Sean Westgate's interception set up a score, but gap-control remains an issue.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
B+
Held James Rodgers and Joe Halahuni relatively in check in their returns.

SPECIAL TEAMS
F
Had two kicks blocked and allowed a touchdown return. Not good.

COACHING
D
Game-plan, play-calling still too conservative at all times

CORVALLIS, ORE. - For a guy whose major knock has been his play-execution skills, on Saturday afternoon junior Richard Brehaut was a better game manager than a Nintendo executive.

While throwing just 11 times - completing seven passes for 146 yards and a touchdown - Brehaut helped call an offense that gained 211 rushing yards, improving in his check-downs and audibles in UCLA's 27-19 win over Oregon State.

He shined especially during an early second-quarter touchdown drive, moving the ball 46 yards on seven plays following a Sean Westgate interception of a Sean Mannion pass. On 2nd-and-4 from the Oregon State 13-yard line, Brehaut saw the Beavers stacked right and checked down to an inside handoff in the left gap to Derrick Coleman, who picked up eight yards.

On the next play, Brehaut read the defensive end closing in and kept it himself, breaking through the interior for a five-yard touchdown run.

"I've always thought that the more experience I have, the better I have to get at managing the game and making smart decisions with the ball," Brehaut said. "We had a play call to the right, they overloaded that side, and I checked inside zone left and we were able to get the first to Derrick. Then it was a zone read on the next play, the end crashed down, I kept it and got in end zone."

Those were the issues that kept coming up for head coach Rick Neuheisel during Brehaut's preseason quarterback competition with Kevin Prince, which Prince ultimately won. But the Crespi grad went down early in Week 1 against Houston, missed the following week's 27-17 win over San Jose State and returned for a horrid start last week against Texas, throwing three first-quarter interceptions.

Brehaut was named the starter on Sunday night, but it was a tenuous hold, Neuheisel saying that it was going to be week-to-week going forward. Neuheisel lauded Brehaut for his play Saturday, though, saying "he prepared excellently and I thought his execution today was spot on."

Neuheisel said that the team was going to stick with its running identity - "We have games to win, and we have to use a formula that guys us best chance to be successful; that's who we are" - but the Bruins might need to open it up more next week to keep up with a prolific Stanford offense that has scored 138 points in three weeks behind all-world quarterback Andrew Luck.

For now, Brehaut is satisfied with the win, and his management within it.

"Absolutely, 100 percent," Brehaut said. "If we're coming out 1-0 and winning the game, I'd rather throw 11 times and come out with a 'W' than throw it - say like Arizona State (last season) 56 times - and come out with a loss."

CORVALLIS, ORE. - With the defense down after a dreadful performance against Texas and starting senior safety Tony Dye out with a stinger, UCLA needed someone to emerge last week as it prepared for Oregon State.

Yet the Bruins were unenthusiastic, whispering, quieter than a monastery during a prayer service.

Senior linebacker Sean Westgate heard it - or didn't hear anything, rather - and figured he'd need to fill the white noise.

UCLA responded to Westgate's rallying cry and held the Beavers to 88 rushing yards in a 27-19 win at Reser Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

"No one was really stepping up into that vocal spot," Westgate said. "That's not my strong suit, never has been - I'm a lead by example guy, do my own thing, stay quiet, humble - but with Tony down and the morale down, someone had to step up. I sat there and said, 'Why can't I do it?', because I feel I've earned trust of players."

So Westgate yelled, and his teammates yelled back. He pumped his fist, and his teammates punched theirs, Spaulding Field turning into Rocky's gym. They whooped and they hollered and more importantly, they ran to the ball, turning a week's worth of intensity into a key effort.

While the Bruins allowed 287 passing yards and 8-of-16 third-down conversions, they tackled better than they have all year and a defense that has seemingly bent at the will of its opponents did not break.

"I talked about it last week against Texas - in the fourth quarter, we kept fighting," defensive coordinator Joe Tresey said. "That's gotta be our attitude from kickoff, and it was. We kept fighting. Got in some bad situations, but we bent - it was the old bend but don't break deal. We just kept fighting and kept fighting. Gotta fight, gotta have that blue-collar mentality for 60 minutes. I don't know any way else."

UCLA rebounded from a dreadful Longhorn lashing - Texas gained 488 yards and converted 9-of-15 on third down - with better gap-consciousness and containment. Beavers starting running back Terron Ward had 13 carries for just 26 yards, unable to move past the second unit, while the Bruins finished with a season-high six tackles for loss and added two takeaways.

"Whenever you put so much time and effort and passion into something and it's not going the way you want it, you lose maybe not a sense of pride, but it's devastating," linebackers coach Clark Lea said. "We all pride ourselves on our work ethic, and that hadn't waivered from Week 1 until now. But you want to gain back some of the respectability on the field. I think we saw some of that today."

Perhaps more importantly, though, UCLA improved in the tackling department, which has been a plague the first three weeks.

Oregon State converted just four of its last 11 third downs and did not pick up a single third down on the ground.

"It pisses you off," Westgate said. "If you're a front-seven guy, it just pisses you off. That's your job. That's your baby, the run game. Giving up run plays, especially on missed tackles, it hurts. We wanted to stop that, and I feel we did today."

Not Saturday, though. It started mid-week, with Westgate bringing a little vocal adrenaline.
It carried into game-time, though, as his teammates responded, flying to each other after a good play, dragging each other up by the shoulder pads after a mistake.

"What really excited me, what kept me doing it, was the response I got from the guys," said Westgate, who had the team's lone interception. "I did it, and I had young guys jumping in, jumping on board ready to go, guys who are tired of losing, everybody tired of losing.

"I just got it started a little bit."

CORVALLIS, ORE. - The road has treated UCLA like a jilted lover the past few years, scornful, bitter, hesitant to return a call.

It was a bit friendlier to the Bruins on Saturday afternoon, UCLA coming out with a 27-19 win over Oregon State to move to 1-0 in Pac-12 play.

But it took Rick Neuheisel a trip to the one forgiving spot in Corvallis - that is the Bruins' locker room in Reser Stadium - for a crucial coaching mea culpa to lift the Bruins to victory.

Leading 21-3 with 1 minute, 41 seconds left in the first half, UCLA (2-2, 1-0) squandered a drive with poor time management, wasting nearly a minute on two running plays before trying to move the ball downfield. Unable to convert a 3rd-and-1 with 32 seconds left, the Bruins were forced to punt.

Only Neuheisel forgot to convey his intentions to punt it out of bounds and Beaver returner Jordan Poyer corralled a Jeff Locke punt and took it 85 yards for a momentum-swinging touchdown.

Neuheisel marched into the locker room and instead of lambasting his squad, he offered his apology, putting it squarely on his shoulders, asking his players, 30 years his junior, to lift him up, perhaps to save his job.

They did.

"We got his back," middle linebacker Patrick Larimore said. "All the players have his back. Sh*ts going to happen. People are going to make mistakes. He knows that, but for him to say that to us really fired us up. We knew we came out, had a solid first half - we didn't care, we were gonna come out here and fight for his ass. Fight 'til the end."

And it did take all 60 minutes, a Sheldon Price breakup of a Sean Mannion pass on 4th-and-8 from the UCLA 22-yard line with 2:12 left in the game finally affording Neuheisel a breath.
The Bruins thought they were in cruise control for their first conference-opening win since a Week 1 45-17 win over Stanford in 2007. They were wrong.

The offense stalled in the second half after an impressive first half, three consecutive drives resulting in a missed field goal, a three-and-out and a four-and out before a long touchdown drive gave the Bruins - and Neuheisel - some breathing room.

"I told them, I take full responsibility for the punt return, that's on me, now you guys gotta pick me up, just like you pick each other up," Neuheisel said. "And we're gonna wrestle momentum back from them, and that's what happened."

UCLA got the impetus in the first half by capitalizing on Oregon State miscues, particularly those of first-time starting quarterback Sean Mannion. The redshirt freshman committed two turnovers, both leading to Bruin touchdowns, as UCLA built on a 7-3 lead that was spurred by a 62-yard Richard Brehaut-to-Josh Smith completion that set up a Brehaut-to-Taylor Embree 22-yard touchdown connection.

After Mannion was intercepted by Bruin linebacker Sean Westgate on the team's ensuing possession, UCLA marched 46 yards on the ground, relying on Derrick Coleman after Johnathan Franklin went down with a hip contusion. Coleman had 26 of his 100 yards on the drive before Brehaut scored on a 5-yard run from five yards out, and UCLA added another touchdown less than 30 seconds later after Jordon James took an end-around for four yards into the end zone after a Mannion fumble.

The Bruins finished with 211 rushing yards on the day as Brehaut attempted just 11 passes, completing seven for 146 yards.

"Our gameplan every week has been to pound it," Neuheisel said. "That's the identity that we've chosen by going to this brand of offense. That doesn't mean we can't be explosive."
As good as UCLA was in the running game, the Bruins were perhaps better in stopping it.
UCLA tackled better than it has all year in holding Oregon State to just 88 rushing yards while pounding the Beavers for six tackles-for-loss.

Senior linebacker Sean Westgate said after the game that the defense took on a new mantra on Saturday as the team had been rather unenthusiastic after big plays the first few weeks.

"The motto today was party," Westgate said. "Have fun. If you watch our previous games, people would make a big play and there would be one or two guys around him. It was, 'Survive til next play.' No, party with them, have fun. Why not enjoy the game you've been playing your whole life?"

Neuheisel took it to heart after the game, telling a group of UCLA fans, "Anybody have fun on the flight here? Not as much as you'll have on the flight home!"

After a rare road conference win - just their third during Neuheisel's tenure, following a 27-7 win over 0-12 Washington in 2008 and a 43-7 win over 1-11 Washington State in 2010 - they deserved it.

"While it may not have been pretty to a casual observer, to a guy who's been watching these guys fight and learn how to grow and find ways to win, especially on the road, it was a great, turn-the-page moment," Neuheisel said. "We haven't been 1-0 in conference in a long time."

Oregon State went 77 yards, with Sean Mannion finding Jordan Bishop for a 45-yard touchdown pass. After a false start on the two-point attempt, Alex Mascarenas intercepted Mannion on the second attempt to preserve the UCLA lead.

Drive Time: 77 yards, 6 plays, 2:08

Oregon State marched down the field - aided by a 15-yard late hit on Aaron Hester - and Trevor Romaine hit a 30-yard field goal to bring the Beavers to within eight.

Drive Time: 67 yards, 9 plays, 3:11

After UCLA squandered a two-minute drill with zero urgency, Oregon State punt returner took back a Jeff Locke punt for an 85-yard touchdown return. Locke got smashed on the play by Jevan Stevenson, but walked off the field on his own accord.

After a Sean Mannion fumble on a mis-thrown pass was gobbled up by Keenan Graham and returned to the Oregon State 4-yard line, Jordon James took a fly sweep to the right for a touchdown run, putting the Bruins up 21-3.

Drive Time: 1 play, 4 yards, 5 seconds.

After a Sean Westgate interception of Sean Mannion, UCLA capitalized.

Only this time, on the ground.

After scoring quickly on their previous drive, the Bruins plodded it out for seven plays, running six times, including 26 yards for Derrick Coleman and 16 for Johnathan Franklin, before Richard Brehaut punched it in from five yards out on a beautiful fake.

Drive Time: 46 yards, 7 plays, 3:12

The Bruins had a little quick-strike in them after all.

Two plays after Richard Brehaut found Josh Smith for a 62-yard pass reception, Brehaut hit Taylor Embree for a 22-yard touchdown pass up the middle as the Bruins scored in 1:16.

Drive Time: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:16

Trevor Romaine's 25-yard field goal gave Oregon State the 3-0 lead after a long drive stalled near the goal line.

The UCLA defense continually gave the Beavers the middle of the field, and first-time starter Sean Mannion capitalized, hitting James Rodgers for a 31-yard gain, Markus Wheaton for 10, 12 and 14 yards and Joe Halahuni for eight yards.

Drive Time: 82 yards, 17 plays, 7:46

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UCLA's 12:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday at Oregon State's Reser Stadium is like a rain-soaked horse race between two foals with thorns in their hooves.

As bad as the Bruins have been in limping out of the gate to a 1-2 start with a win over lowly San Jose State and losses to Houston and No. 23 Texas, the Beavers have been even worse, a 35-0 drubbing at No. 8 Wisconsin following a shocking 29-28 overtime defeat to Sacramento State.

These are two teams who could share the side of a milk carton, both lost, both seeking an identity.

Both with full understanding of what is at stake.

"This is our season here anyway," said senior safety Tony Dye, who is questionable after not practicing last week with lingering soreness from stingers. "This is Pac-12 play. No reason to get down on ourselves. We still have the same optimism. I don't care about these past three games because they're over and done with. I just want to win the Pac-12."

That starts today, and it starts with a twist: Both wary head coaches - Rick Neuheisel and Mike Riley - have made changes at quarterback as the incumbent starter has struggled, hoping to inject life into dormant offenses.

UCLA junior Richard Brehaut is in for junior Kevin Prince after Prince's one-quarter, three-interception performance in a 49-20 shellacking by Texas last Saturday, the first time Brehaut has gotten the nod over a healthy Prince.

Riley, meanwhile, chose to go with redshirt freshman Sean Mannion over Ryan Katz after the Beavers' uninspiring start has resulted in just 14 points per game, 110th in the country out of 120 teams.

"You get a little bit more confidence, and it's a little bit of a reward to know that finally, for the first time in my career, Kevin and I are both healthy, and I'm the guy," Brehaut said of being named starter earlier this week. "It's a little bit rewarding, but it's happened, it's been named, and I'm focused on Oregon State."

It seems the only real difference between the two down-and-almost-out teams: Oregon State gets a pair of thoroughbreds back.

The Beavers welcome back two players senior wide receiver James Rodgers (torn ACL) and tight end/H-back Joe Halahuni (shoulder surgery) who have given the Bruins fits in recent years. Rodgers had back-to-back 100-yard games against UCLA in 2008 and 2009 before missing last year's matchup, but Halahuni picked up the slack with five catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.

They'll give Mannion the weapons he needs to replace stud freshman running back Malcolm Agnew, who had 223 yards in Week 1 against Sacramento State but suffered a pulled hamstring just days later and was out in Week 2 against Wisconsin before the team's bye week.

Rodgers is the main concern for the Bruins, a veteran presence who can attack from all sides of the field.

"He's gonna come ready to play," UCLA cornerback Sheldon Price said. "I'm sure he's stoked. I expect some of the old Rodgers, and some of the new stuff - I'm sure he has some new tricks in his bag. I'm expecting his best."

Rodgers' best may scare UCLA, but not as much as the Bruins' own worst does.
UCLA has committed seven turnovers and 22 penalties for 184 yards in three games, has converted just 12-of-38 third downs for 32 percent while allowing 22-of-43 for 51 percent and has given up 66 first-half points in three weeks.

The Bruins know that they must clean up the mess or risk watching a season slip away.
Perhaps offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said it best.

"We are in desperate need of a win."

They're not the only one.

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.

Hogsman has won three straight to open the year!

Thanks

The only major news to come out of practice today was Rick Neuheisel's revelation that senior safety Tony Dye was "50-50" for UCLA's Saturday matchup at Oregon State.

Dye has been plagued by stingers and has sat out the last two weeks of practice after missing much of fall camp with a groin injury.

The team's leading tackler last season has 19 tackles in three games, second behind Patrick Larimore's 21, as he adjusts to the free safety position, after playing strong safety last year.

Losing Dye against the Beavers would be a big loss for a team already thin in the defensive backfield with the absence of nickel back Andrew Abbott to a concussion, and with the return of wide receiver James Rodgers and tight end Joe Halahuni.

* Nothing too major to report today, other than the general success of the passing game.

* Richard Brehaut is throwing the ball with confidence and touch, and he looked sharp in most drills today, aside from a rather uninspiring offensive performance in the two-minute drill. Brehaut seems to have a good connection with Randall Carroll - something they both displayed at the end of the Oregon State matchup last season - and Carroll in particular has looked and said he felt good this week. Brehaut hit Carroll for back-to-back long touchdowns at one point in team drills.

* Shaq Evans and Taylor Embree both had great practices, Embree with a couple nice grabs in the end zone.

* Tevin McDonald is getting most of the safety work with Tony Dye still out - again he didn't participate in live drills and was in a red jersey - and he's a player to watch out for down the road.

* Another scuffle involving Cassius Marsh, this time with Torian White, and it got pretty heated. Cooler heads eventually prevailed, though, as they always do.
"It's football, people angry, people fighting," Rick Neuheisel said. "Warms you're heart...if you're into that."

I got in touch with Paul Buker of the Oregonian to exchange a little Q&A like Houston Chronicle writer Sam Khan Jr. and I did in Week 1. Here are his five questions about UCLA, I sent him five about Oregon State, and we traded answers. Here were my questions for him, with his answers, and after the jump, his questions for me, with my answers...

1) Just how much James Rodgers do you expect to see out of James Rodgers? Is he running with the same abandon he ran with in the past, or do you think he's still working out the kinks? He's been brilliant against UCLA, so his return is a big one.

A few weeks ago, cornerback Brandon Hardin (who is out for the year with his own injury issues) said Rodgers didn't have the "elite'' speed that separated him from mere mortals. But he's getting closer to that, I think. He is "running with the same abandon'' in practice. He's even returned a kickoff or two, although I can't see Riley daring to have him return kicks vs. the Bruins. The big thing here - at the risk of sounding corny - I think these guys just feel much more confident and sure of themselves with Rodgers back on the field, even if it's just for a handful of plays.

2) What went down at the quarterback position? After an 18-touchdown season last year, I thought Katz doing pretty well? Is this just a case of him being over-recruited and Mannion maturing quickly?
I would not have pulled the ripcord on Katz after one half against Sacramento State. I think the Katz who lit up Arizona last season is still there. He was minus James Rodgers and minus an offensive line for much of 2010. Then again, the coaches love Mannion - who does appear to get rid of the ball quicker - and they're the ones who get paid to make these decisions. But in my mind, it was a very clumsy quarterback switch. Katz is being a good soldier, but he's scratching his head over this sudden change. I think we will see Katz again in a significant role before the season is over, but then, I'm also the guy who said it would take "an act of God'' for Sac State to beat OSU.

3) UCLA has had good success against Oregon State, which is going through some similar early season issues. Do you think the Bruins are catching OSU at a good time, or is this Beaver team acting/talking/walking like they're going to turn things around?
Right after the Wisconsin game would have been a great time. Team questioning itself, two straight losses, indecision at quarterback, etc., etc., but the bye week allowed the Beavers to catch their breath and they're getting huge emotional boost from the return of Rodgers and TE Joe Halahuni, who is coming back after spring shoulder surgery. I do know one thing, things will get ugly if OSU loses Saturday, especially if OSU loses and looks bad doing it.

4) How hot of a seat is Mike Riley actually on? UCLA fans hold him in high regard and are certainly interested in his future.

No hot seat yet, although I notice Riley is No. 7 on that Coaches Hot Seat website. I really believe Riley could go 0-12 this season and still be safe, he is held in such high regard by A.D. Bob De Carolis. But a lot of fans are restless, wanting Riley to wield the hammer on his coaching staff (offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf, defensive coordinator Mark Banker) if things don't turn around. If this season turns out to be a grease fire and NEXT season (when OSU should be better) starts out badly, then yes, Riley would be on the hot seat.

5) What is the absolute, bar none, best meal in Corvallis? I'm a former offensive lineman. This question is crucial.

You're asking a guy who is delighted with rubbery chicken strips across the street from Reser Stadium at the Hilton Garden Inn, so long as the beer is cold. But word on the street is that Local Boyz is great for Hawaiian food, American Dream Pizza is excellent, and Evergreen on third street earns four stars. Local Boyz is near campus, American Dream is just a few b locks away. Evergreen is an Indian restaurant and supposedly Riley's favorite place to eat in town.

I've been a little behind on naming the 10 Question winner over the last two weeks, but it doesn't matter too much. Hogsman has won all three weeks for closest score; hopefully his questions will be as entertaining as his first set with Joseph Fauria.

* Richard Brehaut got his first reps as undisputed starting quarterback and had some nice deep balls, and he hopes the loosen things up on Saturday, but he does want to be responsible for the run game better. He understands that the run opens up the pass, and that's a priority, and he discusses it in a video.

* No more tackling or physicality than usual in practice, and I was surprised by the level of ownership the players took when discussing tackling. I had a long chat with Clark Lea, Damien Holmes and Tony Dye about the struggles, and they were all forthright. Videos of Lea and Holmes up tomorrow.

* Donovan Carter saw extended reps with the first team, with Justin Edison actually falling behind Seali'i Epenesa at times, too. UCLA's front line has been a sieve, so we'll see how much they actually shake it up.

* Kip Smith didn't practice today with a hip flexor injury, and Rick Neuheisel said he'll likely be a game-time decision. Plan on Locke kicking again after hitting 51- and 49-yard field goals.

* Earlier today Sean Sheller had surgery on his broken forearm, and he'll probably miss the rest of the season. Greg Capella and Chris Ward are at the guard spots with Jeff Baca at tackle.

* Andrew Abbott's concussion leaves UCLA very thin at cornerback, and walkon Librado Baracio - who gets the team award for effort for working late after every practice - is up in the two-deep.

* In a related note, Jamie Graham is still not practicing and the hope is to get him back in practice next week.

* In another related note, Neuheisel said he hoped Anthony Jefferson could do some running next week.

* Tony Dye sat out of practice with lingering general soreness but was in a red jersey, as was Jared Koster.

I'll be on Petros and Money today at 3:30 p.m. on 570-AM to talk UCLA football.

* I know that Rick Neuheisel needs to act fast, or he'll lose control completely

The UCLA locker room on Saturday afternoon after a 49-20 loss to Texas was not quite a morgue, but it wasn't too far off. When we were finally allowed in after a double-length cooling-off period, those who were left hadn't cooled off. Tony Dye, a stand-up guy and someone the media has always been able to rely upon for a level-headed response, completely brushed us off. "I'm not talking today, guys." That was a first. Then you had players bashing each other and questioning the coaches and coaches nearly in tears. It was the locker room of not just a defeated team, but a defeated team. Neuheisel needs to know that the message that no one has given up, that no one has lost faith, does not play well when players are so openly upset. Things need to change, and they need to change now.

* I think that Richard Brehaut's hold on the quarterback position is tenuous at best, and he'll need to re-win the job week after week

After watching Kevin Prince throw his second interception of the first quarter on Saturday afternoon, I told myself, "Self, if Richard Brehaut doesn't come in now, the quarterback battle was never, ever 50-50." If Brehaut was 1B, and not 2, he would've been in there. He just has to know that by now, and he needs to play as if he's still trying to leapfrog Prince. Neuheisel said "I'm not giving up on Kevin" and named Brehaut the starter only for this week against Oregon State. Once more, Brehaut enters a week of practice under the glaring eye of Neuheisel, who continues to critique his decision-making. He'll need to be better than he has been through three weeks to really claim hold to the position, but even then, who knows? I wouldn't be surprised to see Neuheisel turn to Brett Hundley late in the season as a last-ditch attempt at excitement, so Brehaut needs to take his game to another level if he wants to stay in the game. Brehaut has been good, he needs to be great, it seems.

* I know this team needs to start being more physical in practice...now
I've harped on the tackling issue before, and will continue to do so, but this isn't just about thudding up in practice. It's about Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price playing nine yards deep on a 3rd-and-3. It's about defensive linemen dancing and spinning instead of holding their gap. It's about linebackers who take angles of pursuit that leave them seven yards short of the ball-carrier. UCLA doesn't just need to be more aggressive in its play-calling and game-planning, but in its actual practice time. They are not ready to play on Saturdays, it's clear.

* I think the talent on this team is being held back
I think this, and I don't know this, because I am not in the coaches' rooms and I am not watching hours of film. All I know is what my eyes tell me, and the little voice in my head that sounds like Patton Oswalt mixed with Abe Vigoda, but what they all say is: Start playing the playmakers more.
This is what Randall Carroll told me in the locker room: "Honestly, sometimes I do think we're not used right. We have a lot of potential, we just have to cut it loose like we should. They do it at Oregon. They have all these athletes, everybody is cutting loose. We need to find a way to get the playmakers involved here."
Now, Carroll isn't the most fine-tuned receiver on the team, and he'll admit that, but I don't think what I saw in spring and summer was a fluke. He struggled at times in fall camp, but he also shined at times, and like I wrote last week, you'll take a guy who can't get open for 12-yard outs three out of four times but can catch an 80-yard bomb any day of the week. Same with Devin Lucien and Ricky Marvray and Josh Smith. What I saw in fall camp was a unit that had balance and talent almost from top to bottom. There was really very little difference between 1-through-6, in terms of receiving ability. Downfield blocking? No, the starters are better. Two-minute drill? Stick with the same guys.
But if Nelson Rosario is going to drop passes and Taylor Embree isn't going to be open, and the defense is going to give up 49 points, who cares if a guy's downfield block can lead to an extra three yards in the running game.

* I know the loss of Sean Sheller is devastating
UCLA can't afford injuries to two positions - offensive line and cornerback - and where do they lose two key players on Saturday? Offensive line and cornerback. The loss of Andrew Abbott to a concussion hurts, but the Bruins have other guys who can play nickel. The loss of Sheller? Ouch. The sixth-year senior was the team's second-best multi-purpose lineman, next to Jeff Baca, and now UCLA is perilously thin on the outside. I haven't seen enough from Brett Downey or Connor Bradford to think either is game-ready, so UCLA is down to Baca and Mike Harris. Woulda been nice to have Xavier Su'a-Filo and Nik Abele right about now. Instead, the Bruins have to cross every finger and every toe that no one gets hurt the rest of the way.

Kyle Anderson, Scout.com's No. 4-rated player in the class of '12, has announced on Twitter that he will be attending UCLA.

Anderson is one of the nation's premiere offensive players, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound point forward who can play three positions. He becomes the Bruins' third verbal commitment from the class of 2012, joining No. 9-rated point guard Dominic Artis and No. 15 small forward Jordan Adams, and the Bruins now hope Anderson's commitment leads to another - his friend Shabazz Muhammad.

Also, check out this fantastic video with Anderson and Kenny Smith

From UCLA:

UCLA women's basketball senior forward Jasmine Dixon, a pre-season member of the Wade Trophy Watch List, will undergo surgery on Thursday to repair a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Dixon suffered the injury on Monday during a team workout. She is expected to miss the 2011-12 season.

Dixon, who participated in the USA Basketball World University Games trials in May, was named an honorable mention Associated Press All-American following the 2010-11 season after helping lead the Bruins to a 28-5 record and a second-place finish in the Pac-10 conference. She was a first-team All-Pac-10 Conference selection and an honorable mention pick to the all-conference defensive team. In addition, Dixon was listed among The Wooden Award Midseason Top 20 and Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30. She ranked second on the Bruin team in scoring and led the squad in rebounding (7.3 avg. was eighth in the Pac-10) and steals (74). The Long Beach Poly HS product ranked 17th in the league in scoring (12.1), fourth in field goal percentage (.554), third in steals average (2.4), fourth in offensive rebounding (3.4) and 14th in defensive rebounding (3.9).

DE Datone Jones has made just six tackles this SEASON, making this one of the most disappointing seasons of anyone on the team...and they're are a lot. As for what's going on with Jones, Neuheisel offered this:
``I think he's pressing,'' Neuheisel said. ``I think he's trying to make too many SportsCenter plays, rather than just playing the defense.''

From UCLA:

LOS ANGELES - Jerime Anderson, a senior guard on UCLA's men's basketball team, has been suspended for the first two games on the Bruins' schedule -- the exhibition game against Cal State San Bernardino (Nov. 6) and the regular-season opener versus Loyola Marymount (Nov. 11), head coach Ben Howland announced today.

"Now that the legal proceedings in conjunction with Jerime's arrest have been finalized, I am re-instating him to the team with a two-game suspension," said Howland. "Jerime has been very remorseful in acknowledging his mistake and accepting responsibility for his actions. I believe he has learned a valuable lesson."

Last Thursday (Sept. 15), Anderson pled guilty to two misdemeanor charges, appropriation of lost property and trespass. The plea agreement, according to Anderson's lawyer Jon Artz, was based on evidence demonstrating Anderson's good conduct and moral character from members of the community and Anderson's prompt acceptance and responsibility of his mistake, as well as his embarrassment and remorse.

Anderson must complete 300 hours of community service in a two-year period. On Sept. 15, 2013, assuming completion of the community service requirement and, if he has had no other legal issues, the plea of appropriation of lost property will be withdrawn and that charge dismissed, leaving only a misdemeanor charge of trespass.

Currently, because of the manner of the disposition of the case, Anderson has suffered no convictions for any criminal offense.

Anderson was arrested on campus on the evening of July 26.

Don't count on it but don't count it out, either.
HOws that for being wishy washy?
``There's still some things that happen in the course of practice that show (for example) he didn't know he'd be hot on that guy or didn't know there was protection required here,'' Neuheisel said. ``It's not a knock on him. Most (new) kids don't. Unfortunately, I have played guys since I've been here that weren't ready.''
And more....
``We'll see where he is as we get to the end of every week. I'm also mindful I don't want to squander a year. If he's not worth the investment with where his maturity is with respect to the offense, we want to be prudent there.''

Neuheisel hasn't decided, but I'm guessing live tackling isn't going to be included in practice gameplans this week. He hasn't done it in his coaching career during the season. And with the number of injuries UCLA has suffered in the past on that field, it doesn't seem prudent.
But sure, the Bruins need to figure out how to tackle better and do so quickly.
``We'll wait and see if it's in drill work or actual tackling,'' Neuheisel said. ``The problem with live tackling is you put your team at risk. While we understand the need to do it in actual fashion, there's lots of bodies around and it may not be the right recipe. We'll continue to talk about that...''
And more...
``Live (tackling) is something you do in training camp and spring ball. You don't often go live in the course of the season. I know some teams do it and live to tell about it, but it's not something I've done in my career.''

Rick Neuheisel concluded his presser recently, and one of the things he wanted to highlight was: ``I want to make clear there's zero giveup in our program. There's zero panic in our program. We're looking forward to going back to work.''
*Neuheisel already made his starting quarterback decision on Sunday, so that question was off the table Monday. A rarity.

* I'm told classes didn't start today... but I can attest to there being a million students on campus. was it registration day?

Multiple recruiting outlets - including CBS' Jeff Borzello - are reporting that Kyle Anderson, Scout.com's No. 4 overall prospect, is UCLA's to lose going into his verbal announcement tomorrow.

Getting Jordan Adams is very nice, adding a skyrocketing Dominic Artis is very, very nice, but a commitment from Anderson would really change things for UCLA. Anderson is an incredible college prospect, a 6-8, 215-pound Swiss army knife, with the ability to play multiple positions at plus-plus level. Pairing the long, lithe Anderson with the ultra-quick and shifty Artis would give UCLA incredible options at point guard going forward. Anderson's versatility could be what takes the Bruins over the top at some point, though Arizona's class is becoming incredibly strong, too.

Then there's the ancillary benefits, otherwise known as Shabazz Muhammad. Muhammad and Anderson have talked publicly about a desire to play together in college as their friendship has grown, and while UCLA is already in a good spot for Muhammad - but not a sure thing, with hometown UNLV presenting a threat - but certainly this is another reason for Bruin fans to smile.

Paul Buker of the Oregonian is reporting that James Rodgers, wideout/returner extraordinaire for Oregon State, could be returning this week from a devastating knee injury: Check it out

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said on his conference call with reporters on Sunday night that junior quarterback Richard Brehaut would get the start against Oregon State, but qualified the statement by saying it was a week-to-week decision.

Brehaut completed 8-of-19 passes for 150 yards after coming in for Kevin Prince in the second quarter of UCLA's 49-20 loss to Texas on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, after Prince threw three first-quarter interceptions.

Neuheisel said that Prince was nursing a sore shoulder after possibly reinjuring the separation suffered Week 1 at Houston and that Prince had X-rays during halftime against Texas. Prince said he was fine after the game and healthy.

When asked if the naming of Brehaut as starter was a result of earning the job or Prince's injury status, Neuheisel said, "He deserves to play. He deserves to play."

Brehaut has completed 37-of-68 attempts for 559 yards and three touchdowns this season with zero interceptions and a quarterback rating of 138.0. Prince is 6-of-10 for 84 yards and three interceptions with a rating of 70.6

Freshman Brett Hundley, meanwhile, waits in the wings, having not seen any action yet this season after missing much of fall camp with a knee injury. Neuheisel said that they would "continue to develop him" and that he would not make any determinations this early in the preparation for Oregon State.

RESULT: Texas 49, UCLA 20
RECORD: 1-2
WEEK 3 GPA: F

QUARTERBACK
Three interceptions in a quarter? What's worse than an F?
F-

RUNNING BACKS
Not a bad effort from UCLA's only consistent unit.
C+

WIDE RECEIVERS
Nelson Rosario still hasn't reached his massive potential.
D

OFFENSIVE LINE
Admirable effort despite loss of Sean Sheller.
C+

DEFENSIVE LINE
Neutralized again, Datone Jones has just one tackle.
F+

LINEBACKERS
Angles of pursuit have been trivial at best.
C

DEFENSIVE BACKS
At some point you have to think they'll let two big defensive backs play physically.
D

SPECIAL TEAMS
Jeff Locke's big leg make you question decision to go with Kip Smith in Week 1.
B+

COACHING
The message, if there is one, is being lost and might not be found.
F-

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:

Cornerback Andrew Abbott's CT Scan was normal. He has been released from the hospital and is resting at home.

Texas' venerable team mascot Bevo, a 1,300-pound Longhorn steer, could have plodded onto the Rose Bowl grass and fertilized the field for the UCLA football team, and it would not have stunk more than the Bruins did on Saturday afternoon.

It would have been a nice steaming present for UCLA, Bevo doing the dirty work, a return for all of the gifts the Bruins gave the Longhorns.

Spotting Texas 21 first-quarter points - with three touchdowns following three Kevin Prince interceptions - UCLA fell to the No. 23-rated Longhorns, 49-20, in front of 54,583.

It wasn't just on Prince's right shoulder Saturday; the Bruins' ineptitude spanned the team.
UCLA committed four total turnovers, had numerous dropped passes and could not tackle a Girl Scout troop, much less the Longhorns. Worse, when the Bruins seemed to find a spark, they imploded, committing six penalties for 50 yards, including an illegal substitution penalty on 3rd-and-1 coming out of a timeout.

Maybe even 12 men on the field wouldn't have helped UCLA, which fell behind 28-10 at the half.

"When you're playing efficiently and playing well, those things don't show up as often," head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "I'm disappointed in the line of scrimmage penalties; those are absolutely ridiculous. ... We have to do the little things right. It's a little-thing business."

Texas was able to physically dominate the Bruins in a way similar to UCLA's manhandling of the Longhorns in a 34-12 win in Austin last season, when Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman helped lead a rushing attack that totaled more than 260 yards.

This time around, it was Texas doing the wrangling, holding UCLA's running back duo to 105 yards while gaining 284 yards rushing itself, 110 from freshman Malcolm Brown.

"We could do a better job of tackling in practice," defensive tackle Cassius Marsh said. "I don't think people know the difference between thudding up and tapping them. That's something we should emphasize this week. We need to practice tackling in order to execute in the game."

Prince certainly helped the Longhorn effort before giving way to junior Richard Brehaut.
The Crespi High product was intercepted by Carrington Byndom on his first pass of the game on a 2nd-and-2 coming off a punt on Texas' first drive. Three plays later, Case McCoy found third-string tight end D.J. Grant wide open for a 45-yard touchdown.

After getting the ball back at the Texas 19-yard line following a muffed Longhorn punt return later in the first quarter, Prince was again intercepted on 3rd-and-7, the ball batted in the air and into Adrian Phillips' hands. Eleven plays later, Texas running back Fozzy Whitaker took it in from eight yards out for a 14-0 lead.

Then, more heartache for Prince, as Longhorn Kenny Vaccaro intercepted a pass on 3rd-and-11 at the Texas 43-yard line as the first quarter expired.

"What hurts the most is those three interceptions really hurt the team," Prince said. "You take those three interceptions out, and it could be a completely different game. That's what bothers me the most. Not the quarterback race. It's the effect I had on the ballgame."

Brehaut relieved Prince after the third pick and led UCLA to four scoring drives despite little help from his receivers, the second time he has come in as relief this season. Much like the teams' 38-34 season-opening loss to Houston, Brehaut had better success moving the ball but could not pull out a win.

"When you got guys lining up in the neutral zone and dropping passes, that's stuff we can control," Brehaut said. "If we're going to be the team we can be, that's got to be fixed. This is the third week in a row I'm saying this."

If it sounds like a broken record, it's because it is, as UCLA has stumbled out of the gate with three uninspired performances. Surprising, considering Neuheisel's precarious spot on the hot seat coming off of a second 4-8 season in three years.

Heading into Pac-12 play with a road date at Oregon State next Saturday, the Bruins know it is not about everybody getting on the same page, but even reading the same book.

"Everybody wants to try and blame someone," wide receiver Randall Carroll said. "That's why we get the slumped shoulders. Somehow we always find something to try to spark us. Today we couldn't stop them. The spark was gone."

Question is, can the Bruins get it back?

Sean Sheller has a broken right forearm and will likely have surgery in the next week. He is probably going to be lost for the rest of the year.

Andrew Abbott was taken to Huntington Hospital for precautionary tests after suffering a concussion.

More to follow later, including my gamer and notebook.

After UCLA responded with a long touchdown drive, the Longhorns did the same

Texas continues to pound UCLA on third-down, with Malcom Brown coming up with a crucial conversion on 3rd-and-2, before Fozzy Whitaker took it 35 yards out of the Wildcat formation for a touchdown.

Drive Time: 79 yards, 7 plays, 2:42

Just when UCLA thought it had the Longhorns shut down, Texas got another gift.

Sheldon Prince batted a Colt McCoy straight into the air, wideout Mike Davis let it fall into his hands for a 45-yard gain to the 2-yard line, and the Longhorns followed with an end-around reverse touchdown pass from Jaxon Shipley to D.J. Grant for his third touchdown of the game.

Drive Time: 71 yards, 6 plays, 2:51

Jeff Locke hit a 51-yard field goal as the first half expired, then capped off a long UCLA drive
with a 49-yard field goal.

Richard Brehaut set the play up with a 36-yard completion to Jordon James.

Drive Time: 44 yards, 6 plays, 2:14

Case McCoy escaped what seemed like 16 defensive lineman for a sack to convert a 25-yard pass on 3rd-and-18, and a play later, he found D.J. Grant for the second time for the score from two yards out.

Drive Time: 59 yards, 11 plays, 3:20

UCLA made a switch at quarterback and it paid immediate dividends.

Richard Brehaut led the Bruins on an 11-play, 74-yard drive with a little help from Derrick Coleman, who had 40 yards on the drive, including a 27-yard run, a 12-yard run and a 1-yard touchdown run.

Drive Time: 74 yards, 11 plays, 4:32

Following a third Kevin Prince interception, Texas once more drove down the field and scored against a reeling UCLA defense.

Malcolm Brown, who has 61 yards so far, ran for a 16-yard touchdown to put the Longhorns up three scores.

Drive Time: 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:24

After Kevin Prince's second interception, this one in Texas territory, the Longhorns drove 71 yards to make it a 14-point lead.

Fozzy Whitaker took for an 8-yard touchdown after a drive that featured plenty of Malcolm Brown.

Drive Time: 11 plays, 71 yards, 4:42

The Longhorns intercepted Kevin Prince's first pass and after a huge four-yard tackle-for-loss by Datone Jones on first down, quarterback Case McCoy found third-string tight end D.J. Grant for a 45-yard touchdown in broken coverage.

Drive Time: 45 yards, 3 plays, 1:15

There came a certain point in UCLA's 34-12 win at Texas last season when it became obvious that the Bruins were not just beating the Longhorns, but manhandling them.
Read that again.

The camembert soft UCLA Bruins physically dominated the beef-eating, snot-rocketing, mouth-frothing Texas Longhorns, not just ekeing out a win but bending the then-No. 7-ranked good ol' boys into submission.

Offensive line coach Bob Palcic realized it around the second half, as his unit was imposing its will over a more experienced, highly touted defensive line.

Running backs coach Wayne Moses needed until after the game to review the film of the win to be convinced.
Johnathan Franklin, though, knew it on Tuesday. Not the Tuesday following the game, but before it.

"It was no surprise," Franklin said of the team's then-shocking throttling of the Longhorns. "The Tuesday we came out for practice, we believed it, we knew it. We went out there, and we wanted to do it. We wanted to prove a point. We wanted to turn this program around. We knew we couldn't just barely win. We had to do something magical to prove a point."
Point made...temporarily at least.

It turned out, the Horns weren't quite so long last season, cut down to size in a year of transition, falling to 5-7 after being the toast of football for more than a decade. After the season, the Longhorns welcomed six new coaches.

Now as the Bruins prepare to face a vastly different team at 12:30 today at the Rose Bowl, a team that like them, features two new coordinators in defensive guru Manny Diaz and co-offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, they see even more new faces.

"They're the same guys, but they have a different scheme," offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said. "They're playing faster, a little harder than they did last year. It's a new game. A new season. Everything is new over there. We have to go out there and establish ourselves again to have the same result."

While the UCLA defense is preparing for a Texas offense that features new quarterbacks in Case McCoy and David Ash, who will split duties after the benching of Garrett Gilbert during a 17-16 win over BYU last weekend, the Bruin offense will have to adjust to a Texas defense that won't be caught by surprise.

Kevin Prince returns from a near-seven-quarter absence - he's been sidelined since early in the second quarter of the team's season opener at Houston with a shoulder sprain - to lead a unit that exploited the Longhorns' unfamiliarity with the Pistol offense to the tune of 264 rushing yards.

"Schematically we had a head start," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "But they have a year to look at that film. Schematically I don't think they'll be in the positions they were last year. It's going to require much better execution and a much more complete plan."

Execution has not been the Bruins strong suit in their 1-1 start.

Against Houston in Week 1, the UCLA defense tackled horribly and was often found out of position as Case Keenum picked it apart in a 38-34 loss. Last week in a 27-17 win over San Jose State, the Bruins sputtered offensively for much of the game and let up three big runs to the Spartans.

Facing the No. 23-ranked Longhorns who will surely be ornery from last year's loss, that kind of execution is unacceptable.

"This year, they're going to be coming back with that taste in the back of their mouth," senior wide receiver Taylor Embree said. "They got punched in the mouth last year. They have all those five-star recruits...we know they're going to battle this year."

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

During the past two recruiting classes, UCLA has only brought in just one wide receiver
prospect, freshman Devin Lucien.

With seniors Taylor Embree, Nelson Rosario and Josh Smith set to graduate, UCLA will look to bring in at least two wide receiver signees come February.

One of the top targets on their radar is Lakewood (Calif.) prospect Darius Powe, a big, physical receiver - something that UCLA will need once Embree and Rosario depart.

As a junior, Powe had 822 yards and six touchdowns as a receiver while doubling as a safety, where he accumulated 38 tackles and two interceptions.

Powe is rated as the 85th overall prospect and 13th best receiver by ESPN, the No. 84 wide receiver by Scout.com and the No. 38 receiver by Rivals.com.

Campus Correspondent Jacob Ruffman caught up with him and had a chat about his
recruitment after the jump and here's some video...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

My crowning achievement.

* All signs point to Kevin Prince getting the start on Saturday against Texas. Prince again got the lion's share of reps with the first-team, including the 11-on-11 two-minute-drill-ish period before special teams. He's looked really sharp this week, and Rick Neuheisel said for the first time that he's finally back to 100 percent.

* Saw a lot of reps for Dietrich Riley with the first team defense, and he might be headed to a start. Expect both he and Dalton Hilliard to play extensively, either way.

* Kip Smith again missed practice - didn't even dress out - but either Neuheisel is extremely hopeful or extremely naive. He hasn't practiced since early Tuesday. Jeff Locke would kick if he can't go. Neuheisel said he's considering adding Tyler Gonzalez, who got a one-day tryout yesterday, but needs to figure if it makes roster sense.

* Greg Capella looked good at guard and got a lot of time with the ones.

* Tony Dye still in a red no-contact jersey, but he'll play Saturday without question.

* Neuheisel said this week was comparable to last year's Texas prep in terms of focus and energy and much better than last week's.

Congrats to Hogsman for winning the first weekly poll. Here are his 10 questions for Joseph Fauria.

One of my top three feats in my brief journalism career is convincing my editors for several months that my first Johnathan Franklin/Derrick Coleman feature should be headlined Franklin and BASH. I can't possibly contain my excitement about this. Here's the story. I hope MP Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer are proud: Franklin......AND BASH

* A fairly typical Wednesday practice today, with good focus and a sharp passing game.

* Kevin Prince got the majority of reps at first-team quarterback, including the entire practice-closing two-minute drill. He looked really crisp today, as did Richard Brehaut.

* Kip Smith missed practice today again with a hip flexor injury, but Neuheisel said he expects him to be good for Saturday. Jeff Locke got more kicking reps as Joe Roberts remains out with a leg injury. UCLA also had a one-day tryout for Tyler Gonzalez, who is involved with the club soccer program at UCLA. Gonzalez had 22 PATs and six field goals as a senior at Fullerton High in 2006 and is a senior at UCLA. Neuheisel was pleased with his effort, which included a short field goal at the end of two-minute drill.
"By rule we can have a couple of day tryouts, so we'll see how it works," Neuheisel said.

* A ton of rotation today on the offensive line, including Brett Downey seeing some first-team reps at tackle throughout the day.

* Tony Dye was once again in a red no-contact jersey.

If you are interested in college sports, you need to read this. Something needs fixing, now.
Check it out here (also...it's super long. Just a caution.)

Breakfast with the Bruins

Coach Mike Johnson, off coord
Coach Joe Tresey, def coord
Mike Harris, OL
Derrick Coleman, RB
UCLA Spirit Squad
Friday Sept 16--7 am
Olympic Collection at Olympic and Sawtelle
Price: $25 includes breakfast buffet, speakers, and free parking
For more information contact Claudia Hart @ 310-348-UCLA or claudia4ucla@yahoo.com

Enjoy this breakdown of UCLA's win over San Jose State and upcoming matchup with Texas between Sam Strong, my nose and my chins. Some interesting information, if you can stand to look at us for 10 minutes...

* A pretty sharp practice from an execution and energy standpoint, much better than last week.

* Rick Neuheisel is again mum about the starting quarterback duties, but the time seemed pretty split between Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince. In most drills, Brehaut got the first reps, but in two-minute at the close of practice, Prince was in there before Brehaut. Both worked with the first team.

* Prince had a nice practice and seems to be coming along well as he recovers from a shoulder sprain. He threw the ball with a lot more authority today.

* Saw a little more of Derrick Coleman in practice than usual, and you have to assume that his big game against San Jose State and against Texas last season will play a factor in his role Saturday.

* Sean Sheller had a pretty nice practice at guard with Jeff Baca primarily working as first-team weak tackle, and the line is starting to take shape. Kai Maiava got the majority of work at first-team center as was to be expected, but Bob Palcic had a lot of praise for Greg Capella when I chatted with him at the end of practice. If he continues to mature at the pace he's been, UCLA's line looks pretty good going forward, with the expected return of Xavier Su'a-Filo next year.

* Senior linebacker Glenn Love returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time since dislocating his shoulder in Week 1 against Houston.

* Redshirt freshman kicker Kip Smith exited practice early with what Neuheisel called a hip flexor issue, but he's expected to be fine for Texas.

* Senior safety Tony Dye practiced in a red no-contact jersey with lingering soreness from the San Jose State game.

* Redshirt freshman defensive lineman Wesley Flowers (punctured lung) returned to practice in a red no-contact jersey. F-back Damien Thigpen remains out of practice (hamstring).

Dominic Artis is just...smooth. No other way to put it. I haven't seen a player like this for UCLA in my tenure on the beat, and given Howland's half-court offense, Artis should thrive. It's a mixtape, so there's not a ton of defensive footage, but he should be fine in a league that often favors smaller point guards. His offensive skill set is really impressive though. Check it out:

Here

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are a thing of the past, according to Rick Neuheisel, who is no longer doing those post-game victory/loss speeches at the microphone following games at the Rose Bowl. He didn't do one Saturday. He said he thought they had become a ''distraction'' and all about him and not about the team. He said he went to administrators, talked about it and they came to the same conclusion.
Who is this guy and what has he done with Rick Neuheisel?

UCLA's matchup with Oregon State in Corvallis on Sept. 24 (sorry, typo) will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and will be televised on Prime Ticket.

Tommy Lasorda. He'll talk to the Bruins Saturday at the team hotel before the game against Texas.

Neuheisel's not saying. Don't be surprised. Kevin Prince is healthy and ready to compete for the job, Neuheisel said.

* I know UCLA set the tone by not going for it on fourth down on its first drive
I am not a go-for-broke, balls-to-the-wall kind of football theorist, but I do believe that conservatism is crippling. UCLA had a 4th-and-2 at the San Jose State 37-yard line on its first drive, and the coaching staff elected to punt.
That sends a real message to the offense, from the first drive, that they believe they're going to need to grind out a win. This is San Jose State, not Alabama. No knock on the Spartans, who played admirably, but they've lost 30-plus straight to BCS schools. They are not a threat. They cannot be considered a threat...unless you begin to play tentatively and meekly.
The coaching staff is supposed to make you believe you can run through a wall, not see a wall, negotiate with it, see if you can walk around, maybe look for a door. You're supposed to run through the wall. Instead, you punt from the opposition's 37-yard line, and instantaneously, the offense doesn't feel the confidence of the staff, and all of that pregame energy and insanity - trust me, there is a level of insanity that builds up before the start of a game - is completely drained.

* I thinkEric Kendricks should play more
When Kendricks came in as a relatively unheralded recruit in the loaded class of 2010 - Kendricks was the No. 42 MLB by Scout.com in a class that included the No. 9 MLB in Jordan Zumwalt and the No. 14 OLB in Aramide Olaniyan - I wondered how quickly he'd see the field just because of his linebacker body. He's build like he was made to play the position, and he's played it well so far. He led the team with seven tackles and a sack against San Jose State, but more importantly, he kept Sean Westgate much fresher.

* I knowTexas is just as befuddled by its quarterback play as UCLA is
The Longhorns announced today that they'd be going with Case McCoy and David Ash over incumbent starter Garrett Gilbert, and now Saturday's matchup will likely be an arms race - which two quarterbacks on each side simply make fewer mistakes. Everyone expected Gilbert to be just the next in line of talented Texas quarterbacks, but he hasn't shown the fortitude or consistency to succeed.
UCLA, meanwhile, enters the rematch of its 34-12 win last year at Texas with just as many questions. Rick Neuheisel said Kevin Prince was a healthy scratch, but I'm not so sure how healthy he actually was. Is 70 percent healthy? Sixty percent? He was probably playing coy as usual with the media, and we'll get a good look at Prince on Tuesday. If he is fully healthy by then and throwing with better zip than last week, I'd be surprised if he didn't start.

* I thinkI don't know what's wrong with the defensive line
That headline is a copout, but really, I'm a little baffled by the defensive line play. Against a vastly inferior San Jose State offensive line, UCLA's front four combined for 11 total tackles. No sacks, no recorded quarterback hurries, one tackle for loss. Not the effort you'd expect out of a highly touted unit. I see too much dancing up front, too much stunting still, and an inability to remain gap-conscious. Worse, they are not shedding blocks. Something needs to be fixed, and fast.

* I knowit's time to see some special personnel packages
During the course of a game I'm writing, chatting and blogging so I don't pick up 100 percent of what I'm seeing (some would argue 10 percent...) but I can't remember seeing too many reps for Randall Carroll or Josh Smith or Ricky Marvray, at least not in the passing game. Only Nelson Rosario, Shaq Evans and Taylor Embree had receptions among the wide receivers during the game, and this marks the second straight week we haven't seen much of Carroll, Smith or Marvray. During camp, the reps were split pretty evenly within the entire group, so it's a little surprising to see so many targets going to three guys.

It's not Garrett Gilbert, who has already been benched after his two-interception debacle vs BYU last week. The Longhorns will start Case McCoy - younger brother of former Texas QB Colt McCoy (now quarterbacking for the Cleveland Browns). Case was one of two QBs who rotated in and out of the game last week after Gilbert was benched, leading the Longhorns to the comeback win after Gilbert was booed by fans in Austin.

RESULT: Texas 49, UCLA 20
RECORD: 1-2
WEEK 3 GPA: F

QUARTERBACK
Three interceptions in a quarter? What's worse than an F?
F-

RUNNING BACKS
Not a bad effort from UCLA's only consistent unit.
C+

WIDE RECEIVERS
Nelson Rosario still hasn't reached his massive potential.
D

OFFENSIVE LINE
Admirable effort despite loss of Sean Sheller.
C+

DEFENSIVE LINE
Neutralized again, Datone Jones has just one tackle.
F+

LINEBACKERS
Angles of pursuit have been trivial at best.
C

DEFENSIVE BACKS
At some point you have to think they'll let two big defensive backs play physically.
D

SPECIAL TEAMS
Jeff Locke's big leg make you question decision to go with Kip Smith in Week 1.
B+

COACHING
The message, if there is one, is being lost and might not be found.
F-

Juniors Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince have spun around the merry-go-round so many times, it's a surprise they're not motion-sick.
The spinning continues.
UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said he won't name a starter during the week for the team's 12:30 p.m. matchup against Texas next Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Brehaut completed 12-of-23 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in the Bruins' 27-17 win over San Jose State on Saturday night while Prince didn't play a snap.
Neuheisel said Prince was "absolutely" healthy, but that he didn't play the Crespi High product because he "didn't see a need to make change given he didn't have practice."
A week after throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 87 yards and a score in a 38-34 loss at Houston, Brehaut struggled on third down, as UCLA converted just 4-of-13 opportunities, but added 44 rushing yards.
"It was lack of production on third down that I was most disappointed offensively," Neuheisel said. "It was everybody taking turns."

Baca returns
UCLA senior offensive lineman Jeff Baca saw his first game action since December 2009 on Saturday as he returned weeks early from a broken ankle suffered in spring camp.
Baca slid in at weakside tackle for a significant portion of the game, bouncing Sean Sheller to weak guard. With sophomore Greg Capella at center for the suspended Kai Maiava, sophomores Albert Cid and Chris Ward started at guard before Baca entered.
"I thought (Baca) was good. He's a little sore," Neuheisel said. "Other than that holding (penalty), I thought he was terrific."
Neuheisel added that Maiava would not necessarily regain the starting center job from Capella, who played well and handled the snapping duties with ease.

Facts and Figures
Through two games, UCLA ranks 22nd nationally out of 120 teams in total offense (485.50 yads per game) and a conference-leading 16th in rushing offense (252.0) but just 88th in rushing defense (180.50) and 78th in total defense (393.0).

Bumps and Bruises
Neuheisel said the team emerged unscathed from the game besides some minor nicks. ... Senior linebacker Glenn Love will return to practice on Tuesday.

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

This was supposed to be the gimme, the patsy, the welcome reprieve in a non-conference Texas two-step that would test UCLA.

This was supposed to be the coming out party for the Bruins, a chance to build some momentum and excitement heading into an important Week 3 rematch with the Texas Longhorns, whom UCLA handled 34-12 on the road last year.

This was supposed to be a highlight debut for the renovated Rose Bowl, which hoped to reveal Phase One of a three-year plan, including a new scoreboard, to much fanfare.
Only there were very little fans and San Jose State didn't play fair, giving UCLA much more than it expected.

The Bruins survived with a 27-17 win in front of an announced crowd 42,685 at the Rose Bowl after coming in as three-touchdown favorites, relying on a potent running game to put the team in position to win and Kip Smith to capitalize on that position.

Running backs Derrick Coleman and Johnathan Franklin combined for 216 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries, with Coleman gaining tough yards in the fourth quarter as the Bruins broke a 17-17 tie with a 10-point fourth quarter.

"That's what my job is," said Coleman, who had 74 yards in the fourth quarter. "When they call in me in the fourth quarter or whatever, I'm gonna go out there and do my job. They gave me the role to go out and get the tough yards, and that's what I'll do."

The hero, a week after being the goat, freshman kicker Kip Smith.

Smith hit two field goals, including a 20-yard attmept with 7 minutes, 31 seconds left in the game, after missing a field goal and having an extra point attempt blocked against Houston in a 38-34 Week 1 loss.

Brandon Rutley made a beautiful cut up the middle and sprinted past a bevy of UCLA tacklers for a career-high 65-yard touchdown run to tie the game for the Spartans.

Drive Time: 3 plays, 74 yards, 1:34

Kip Smith nailed a 37-yard field goal to complete a 60-yard drive and put the Bruins back up a touchdown.

Derrick Coleman had a 42-yard run, but UCLA stalled near the red zone with a negative-1 yard pass, a short Johnathan Franklin run and an incomplete pass.

Drive Time: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:02

After a quick drive ended in little for UCLA, San Jose State got its first possession of the second half and marched down a short field and hit a field goal after the Bruins came up big on third down.

Drive Time: 9 plays, 34 yards, 4:20

Richard Brehaut found Joseph Fauria wide open in the back of the end zone and the Bruins regained the lead in six plays.

Brehaut hit Nelson Rosario for a 42-yard catch and Taylor Embree for an 18-yard completion before hitting Fauria for the score.

Drive Time: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:14

San Jose State tied the game with a long drive capped off by a 1-yard David Freeman touchdown run.

The Spartans converted four third downs and a fourth down against a UCLA defense that continues to suffer massive lapses of concentration.

Drive Time: 88 yards, 16 plays, 7:53

Johnathan Franklin pushed it in from a yard out and the Bruins got up on San Jose State 7-0 with 3:39 left in the first quarter. UCLA got off to a good start on the drive, getting a pass interference call on the first play before relying on the running game primarily on the rest of the drive.

Drive Time: 69 yards, 9 plays, 3:44

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* Pretty uneventful practice, though there was better momentum and focus. Energy seemed to be up.

* Rick Neuheisel, interestingly, came out and told reporters that in hindsight, his frustration might have been a little misplaced. He said the team actually did play well on Wednesday, but that his ire was with the small mistakes and missteps.

* Neuheisel still wouldn't name Richard Brehaut starter - "I want to play my cards close to my vest" - but it's as much of a done deal as it can be. What will be interesting is coming out of the game if the Bruins dominate San Jose State the way you'd expect them to, what happens against Texas. Kevin Prince barely practiced today as he continues to recover from a shoulder sprain, but Neuheisel insists he'll be available against the Spartans.

* Saw some nice blocking today, and the addition of Jeff Baca so early is really going to be huge. And you have to think all the extra fall work for the guys who were fighting for the starting spots is going to have a good trickle down effect, because even guys like Wade Yandall, Connor Bradford and Brett Downey saw decent time during the fall.

* Damien Thigpen missed practice again as he continues to heal from a hamstring injury, and there really still is no timetable for him, and Jamie Graham is still limping. Both of their returns will be a boost.

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.

Hogsman won last week's poll; please email me at jon.gold@dailynews.com
Thanks

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Here is today's feature on Cassius Marsh becoming a man: Check it out

* Not a good end to practice at all, with UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel drilling his team for a lengthy period, including shouting: "I can't be the only one who cares!"

* At times it looked that way, as players got to the line slowly, committed numerous false starts and jumped offsides, and generally just didn't have it today. The closing period was pretty rough, and it led to Neuheisel's tirade.

* Kevin Prince was much more involved today than yesterday, and he appears pretty close to full-go for San Jose State. The concussion is fully cleared, and now it's a range-of-motion and comfort issue for the shoulder, which still has some pain. Neuheisel didn't name Brehaut starter for Saturday, but it'd be a shock if he wasn't. Brett Hundley continues to see most snaps at second string, but Neuheisel still doesn't sound too insistent on using him in a package.

* Jeff Baca saw extensive time at weak tackle, with Sean Sheller moving into guard, but Neuheisel is going to do the...prudent...thing and play Baca only as much as he can handle. He's still working into football shape, and the conditioning is not there yet.

* There were some highlights to practice, such as when Joe Tresey sprinted across the field to high five Sean Westgate after Westgate got good air while deflecting a pass to Joseph Fauria.

* The passing game looked really good early, with Fauria a prime target. Shaq Evans had a couple real nice plays and moves early, too.

* Notable: A lot more guys were working after practice than usual, including Greg Capella with his snaps and Kip Smith with the kicking game.

* Pick up a copy of the Daily News tomorrow for what should be a really good feature on Cassius Marsh.

Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club

Breakfast with Coach Neuheisel
UCLA Football Players
Johnathan Franklin, RB
Sean Sheller, OT
Tony Dye, SS
Patrick Larimore, LB
UCLA Spirit Squad
Friday Sep 9th--7 am
Olympic Collection
11301 Olympic Blvd(at Sawtelle)
Cost $30 (includes buffet breakfast, speakers, and parking)
For more information contact Claudia Hart at 310-348-UCLA or claudia4ucla@yahoo.com

* A good practice tonight with good energy, and a pretty good tempo. The passing game looked really sharp, but Rick Neuheisel had some issues with the reads with Richard Brehaut and let him have it. Overall, not bad.

* Brett Hundley got second-string reps as expected and his passing was much-improved over recent weeks as he recovered from knee surgery.

* Big news today was the one-game suspension of Kai Maiava for a violation of team rules. Sophomore Greg Capella will start in his place on Saturday, with freshman Jacob Brendel as backup.

* Other big news: Jeff Baca returned, albeit in relatively light action, and he says he's still working his way back into football shape, and intimated that he's a ways away:
"I'm in running shape, not football shape. ... It's six-second bursts. You block for six second and you go all out; running shape, you're striding here, sprinting the first 10, striding the rest. The only way to get into football shape is to play."
Bob Palcic, though, insisted Baca can and will play on Saturday, and that we could see Brendel in the game.

* Also, as has been written ad nauseum, Brandon Willis has rejoined UCLA and began practicing today. He said he's held up in relatively good shape - video on him later - but understands he's gonna take a while to get back and going.

The ongoing saga of the college football career of one Brandon Willis has once more officially taken west.

Westwood, to be exact.

The here-and-back highly rated defensive tackle enrolled at UCLA and is practicing with the team today. Willis decided to transfer from North Carolina - from which he transferred to UCLA before last season before deciding to head back to the Tar Heel state in the spring - but the firing of Butch Davis made Willis reconsider once more.

Willis now waits to find out if a waiver will be accepted by the NCAA to let him play this season; if not, he'll need to redshirt this season and will have three years of eligibility.

Here's a nice one from ESPN's Andy Katz about UCLA and Ben Howland, with the intriguing tidbit about Jerime Anderson.

Howland told Katz that Anderson "will miss a few games" after being arrested on suspicion of theft in July.

Check it out here

UCLA got an early start on their 2013 recruiting class when Westlake (Calif.) CB Dashon Hunt committed earlier this month. Last season Hunt was named a first-team sophomore All-American and first-team All-CIF after racking up 60 tackles, seven interceptions, five pass deflections and a fumble recovery. Hunt also doubles as a running back, and he scored 11 touchdowns last season.
Here's a quick Q&A between Jacob Ruffman and Hunt:

Jacob Ruffman: What made you commit to UCLA so early in the process?
Dashon Hunt: The decision really hit me a couple weeks after two-a-days ended. I was just thinking: I'm going into my junior year, I've been sitting on this UCLA offer since my sophomore year, I might as well take it seeing that they have a great academic program. Plus, their corners are going to graduate when I get there so their depth chart is looking good. It's close to home and I'm already used to the weather so it was one of those opportunities where you just have to take it.

JR: Do you think you'll continue talking to other schools or will you stick with UCLA the whole way?
DH: I didn't close off all of my options but I did a verbal to UCLA so I didn't have to worry about any colleges right now and I can just focus on my junior year. When I get to be a senior and that time comes and if I still want to go to UCLA, I'll go to UCLA. I'm not going to close off all of my other offers - of course I'm going to keep my ideas open about other schools, but for right now I'm thinking UCLA.

JR: Are you going to continue thinking about recruiting during your junior year?
DH: I'm going to think about it but I'm not going to focus too much on it. Right now my main focus is to have another season like I had last year if not better. Then going on from there, I'll start worrying about all of the colleges after the season ends.

JR: Who's recruiting you at UCLA and how often do you talk with them?
DH: Coach Lea is recruiting me and when they first offered me I was talking to them about twice a week and then it slowed down until I committed, then it picked back up. I'm not talking with them too much during the season though because now we're both so busy, but they told me I can call whenever so it's all good.

JR: Now, last year you had seven interceptions as a sophomore but judging from your highlight reel, you can really hit some people. What do you like to do more - Hit or pick?
DH: Getting interceptions is really fun. It's one of those game-changing things and I love getting those, but hitting is one of those feelings that you know gets the crowd into the game. It gets everyone hyped, it gets your teammates hyped and the momentum of a whole team goes through the roof. I'd say I like getting those hard hits more but when I come across an interception that always gets me going too.

JR: Are you going to play corner in college or do you think you can play safety?
DH: I'm not to sure at this point but I think I'll play corner. I'm 5-foot-9, 5-foot-9 and a half and I'm still growing so I could probably get to a point where I could be a safety. Honestly if I get there and they want me to play safety I know I can do it. Whatever position they want me at is the position I'm going to play. I have a feeling though that I'm going to play corner at UCLA.

JR: What are your expectations/goals for this upcoming season?
DH: Going into this year, I know that people aren't going to pick on my side like they did last year so my whole thing is to try and get the same stats or better than last year even though I'm going to see the ball less. I'm looking forward to getting more tackles this year than I did last year and interceptions-wise, I dropped a couple last season and I can't let that happen again. I have to convert on every opportunity I get.

JR: What are you looking forward to most when you get to UCLA?
DH: I'm looking forward to just playing. That's always been my dream to play at a top division one college. That's what I'm looking forward to the most - just getting on that field for the first game. I'm trying to start as a freshman so that's what I'm looking forward to most.

Check out his film: Here

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Every road trip, I'll pick a restaurant in the host city or thereabouts to write up. This week - Kenny & Ziggy's Deli in Houston.

Finding the country's best New York-style Jewish deli in Houston is like finding the country's best pizza joint in Tulsa, the best barbecue spot in Seattle, the best pad thai in Pensacola.

The best New York deli belongs among the hustle and bustle of Broadway, under the bright lights, three doors down from a place where Vic will sell you two solid gold watches for $40, and he swears, they're real. It does not belong among the rolling sagebrush and cacti, among 10-gallon hats and certainly not among y'all.

Kreplach is not supposed to be ordered with a twang; it's kreplach, not craplock, and you're supposed to spit from the back of your throat when you say it.

So to find Kenny & Ziggy's Deli in a strip mall in West Houston, nestled next to a Sports Authority and down the row from a DWS, is a bit jarring.

But here is Ziggy Gruber, doing his best impression of Oliver Platt mixed with your grandmother.

A third generation deliman, a guy who oozes schmalz and schvitzes chopped liver, Gruber and partners Lenny and Kenny Friedman brought authentic deli to Houston in 1999, 72 years after his grandfather Max and brothers-in-law Morris and Izzy opened the Rialto in New York City. Later, Gruber's father, Eugene, opened Genard's on Madison Ave. And eventually, they passed down their knowledge to their grandson.

It was his turn. He was 10.

"In New York City, the best babysitter is the deli," Gruber said. "I'd sit there and watch, and when I was 10, my grandfather said, "It's time for you to make a living."

By 12, Gruber knew his calling. But at 15, he lost his grandfather, his best friend, "the sweetest man who ever lived," and he took it harshly.

During a trip to London with his English mother, Gruber found out a cousin was enrolled in culinary school. Only problem, Gruber was 15; he didn't have a high school diploma. Gruber met with the school administrators, asked, 'What if I make a sizable donation?' and was accepted soon after. He finished the top of his class.

"I can take you to my house and cook you the best French dinner you'll ever have," Gruber said. "I've worked at restaurants, I've been a pastry chef. But this...this is what I was meant to do."

A few years in England suited him just fine, but he longed to return to New York, and upon his return, he took over the Cresthill Kosher Deli in Spring Valley, NY. After opening and operating Ziggy G's on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, Gruber was eventually called to Houston. Gruber had resuscitated delis in New York and Los Angeles, but this was a challenge. Ninety percent of new restaurants fail, and all of those owners have an idea that they consider a cash cow. Here Ziggy was bringing farfalle and kugel to a place where they smother their steak in cheese and onions, where the chicken is friend thrice, where it's about grits, not gristle.

It was an overnight success.

"We wanted a soft opening," Gruber said. "I said look, 'Let's not tell anyone, we'll do it nice an easy. That didn't work. After a half an hour, everyone was, 'They're open, they're open, they're open.' When the Jewish community came in here, the line started, and the line's been busy ever since."

Not when the first sight is a dessert carousel that borders on criminal, the smell enough to cause a toothache; not when the large staff - for whom Gruber serves as "psychologist, friend, father, loan officer and bail bondsman" - brings out a bowl of goulash that smells like it comes straight from Budapest; not with stuffed cabbage that harkens back to the old country, any old country.
But the food at Kenny & Ziggy's isn't what makes you want to come back later in the same day.

It's the feeling of being in two places at once, in a New York City deli where Groucho Marx and Henny Youngman are going to march right in, and right in your grandmother's kitchen.

"Everyone says how do you like living in Houston - I say, to me I'm in New York every single day," Gruber said. "'How can you say that?' Well, I'm behind the counter working, and look at this place. You don't feel like you're in Texas here. 'What about everyone with accents?'
"I look at them as tourists."

Those are the two things that motivate Gruber: To recreate New York, and to recreate the old world.

"I'll tell you something; I have one of the biggest compliments that has bestowed on me personally was a holocaust survivor who came in here, ate my stuffed cabbage and told me the last time he had a taste like that was his mother's stuffed cabbage," Gruber said. "I can't tell you that I didn't have a dry eye after that. I have never been bestowed such an honor. When people say stuff like that, that's what makes me happy."

* I know UCLA never had a chance against Case Keenum playing that kind of defense
From the first two plays of the game, Houston and Keenum established there modus operandi, and it was up to UCLA to stop it. First play was a six-yard completion to E.J. Smith, second play was a five-yard pass to Tyron Carrier, and with that hurry-up offense, the Bruins were immediately on their heels. Now, you can only go by what you've seen, and given UCLA's film on Houston, I can understand starting off daring the team to beat you underneath, but once it starts rolling like that, you better respond. The Bruins didn't, until too late. Houston already had a 31-14 lead, and despite allowing 5.97 yards per play in the second half vs. 7.05 in the first, the Cougars were able to overcome a crucial fumble in order to outlast the Bruins.

* I think too much stunting up front proved costly.
I don't have the benefit of having watched film, but from what I saw, UCLA took up way, way too much time stunting on the defensive line early. Keenum was throwing the ball lightning fast, taking quick drops and getting the ball out. The best pressure UCLA had? Straight-up, man-to-man football, when Cassius Marsh bull-rushed his way to a sack and Eric Kendricks followed with a nice quick blitz. I would've thought we'd see more 3-4 when the times were right, but there wasn't a ton of it. Now, if all that spinnings and dancing was on the players, that's another story. That's something that will have to be coached up, not schemed differently. But something's got to change against an offense like that.

* I knowthe margin for error is slimmer than we thought
As well as the offense played in scoring 34 points, you have to take into account the back-breaking errors that almost single-handedly cost the Bruins three drives. On the Bruins' first series, a bad snap by Kai Maiava on 2nd-and-2 nullified a nice eight-yard Johnathan Franklin run, making it 3rd-and-17. A Kevin Prince to Nelson Rosario connection for 15 yards was not quite enough, though it was a very good effort.
Late in the second quarter, after Houston scores to make it 24-14, the Bruins are driving, with Franklin picking up 12 yards on the first play of the series. But three plays later, on 3rd-and-3, Chris Ward gets a false start, Richard Brehaut can't connect with Rosario for a first, and UCLA is forced to punt. Houston scores in three plays after the punt to go up 31-14.
Then in the fourth quarter, with a chance to take the lead, UCLA gets a false start on a double-hike by Maiava. At 1st-and-15, the Bruins are pinned, and three plays later after two runs and an incomplete pass make it 4th-and-6, Jeff Locke punts again.
Consider: Those three drives ate up a total of 5 minutes, 1 second, and on three post-punt drives, Houston scored two touchdowns and a field goal as the huffing UCLA defense tried to catch its breath.

* I thinkJohnathan Franklin needs more carries
On Saturday night, Johnathan Franklin had 16 carries for 128 yards, an eight-yard average, and Derrick Coleman had seven carries for 17 yards, for 2.4 yards per carry. I asked Neuheisel about Franklin's relatively light load last night in the conference call, and first he said that the game's ebb-and-flow necessitated more passing at times, and then I asked why Franklin didn't get some more of Derrick Coleman's chances, and Neuheisel said that Coleman deserved the opportunities. I've always been of the thought that performance deserves opportunities. I like Coleman as a running back, I've defended him before, and I think he can be productive. He has been.
But when he's not he's really kinda...not. Last year, Coleman had 276 yards on 31 rushes against Texas and Washington State as UCLA fully committed to the running game, for an average of 15.5 carries and 8.81 yards per carry. In the other 10 games, Coleman had 51 carries for 200 yards, an average 5.1 carries and 3.9 yards per carry. So what it confirms to me is that Coleman either needs a lot of carries or very few carries, but not seven.
Coleman is the kind of running back who wears defenses down. He's a hard tackle, and he runs well, and eventually defenses start approaching him a little differently. What makes him good is the exact opposite of what makes Franklin good, one is power, one is elusiveness. So a back like that needs to keep punishing the defense, as Coleman did last year in those two games against Texas and WSU, and he'll eventually break off something. Or he needs to be situational, like in goal-line or short yardage packages.

* I know and knew Joseph Fauria had that in him
I've long said Fauria is simply a matchup nightmare, and in my season preview box I called him the offense's breakout player. After six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, and three of those catches on third down, we all saw what he can really do. Fauria's somewhat of a double-edged sword, though, because his frame just lends itself to nagging injuries, but if he can stay healthy, he is a true threat. Not just an escape valve - though he played that role very well - but an absolute threat.

* I think Neuheisel might have to start thinking like...Lane Kiffin?
There was a difference in the two biggest fall camp competitions: the quarterback position was making both better, the kicking competition was making both worse. I don't buy into the idea that having two quarterbacks means you don't have one, not if they played at the level of Prince and Brehaut in fall camp, which is to say, much better than last year. We all nitpicked on the mistakes because we kept hearing about them from coaches, but I thought both quarterbacks looked much-improved.
Both kickers...not so much. It wasn't as if Kip Smith and Jeff Locke were pushing each other to get better, it felt more like either one was just praying the ball went in and they could keep the job for another kick. Neuheisel's unwillingness to just hand over the keys to Smith, kinks and all, probably cost Smith a ton of confidence, and took away from Locke's focus on punting and kickoffs, though his pedestrian numbers yesterday also had a lot to do with wind.
But now, Neuheisel really is in a bind, and it might be time to start thinking crazy and going for two every time as Smith rights himself in the head.

* I know that Sheldon Price and Aaron Hester will be better this year if put in the right position
Despite 310 passing yards for Case Keenum, I thought Price and Hester played pretty well, and they'll only get better. Patrick Edwards is one of the best wideouts in the country, and UCLA held him him to one catch for 16 yards. Price did a fine job in physical deep coverage. Some have said he got away with too much, but I think that's what good cornerbacks do. Just like good offensive linemen hold every play and don't get caught, good cornerbacks know just how to toe that line.
Hester played well, too, but I think he should see more press coverage. He's a big, strong, cornerback and he moves well. Let him send a message. In college football, a pass interference is only 15 yards. Well, Houston averaged 10 yards a catch - despite not having a completion of more than 26 yards - and I think giving up an extra five yards on one pass would be worth it to send a physical message.

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 head coach Rick Neuheisel got mixed news in junior quarterback Kevin Prince's injury report on Saturday.
The oft-injured Crespi product cleared his concussion symptoms and will resume the standard protocol, but he also suffered a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder on the same play early in the second quarter of the team's 38-34 loss at Houston.
On a 2nd-and-6 from the UCLA 31-yard line, Prince took a keeper to the right sideline but was leveled and upended by Houston defender D.J. Hayden.
"The concussion cleaered last night, no lingering effects this morning," Neuheisel said. "There will be a protocol, but that portion of the injury will be fine by saturday. The question then is the shoulder, and we'll just have to wait and see."
It was a disappointing turn of events for Prince, who emerged as the starting quarterback after a heated fall camp battle with Brehaut, though they were expected to split time.
Prince missed three games during his redshirt freshman season because of myriad injuries, and he was sidelined for seven games last year with a knee injury after missing most of fall camp with a back injury.
"It's very frustrating," Prince told reporters on Saturday night. "Going through camp, being able to participate the whole time, then to play one quarter and be done with it that quick."
Brehaut relieved Prince and played admirably, throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 87 yards and a score and not surrendering a sack while bringing the Bruins back from a 31-14 halftime deficit.
Neuheisel also said that freshman Brett Hundley would move to No. 2 on the depth chart if Prince were unable to play.

Franklin off to the races
Returning 1,100-yard rusher Johnathan Franklin got off to a good start with a 128-yard, one-touchdown effort against the Cougars. He also added two catches for 17 yards.
Franklin only got 16 carries, though, despite averaging eight yards a carry, and Neuheisel said the need to pass the ball took precedence.
"It's a game situation; we held the ball for 22 minutes in the second half, and we're trying to fight back into the game," Neuheisel said. "If we're ahead and chewing clock then we can certainly add more carries. Johnathan is gonna carry somewhere between 20 and 25 in a game."
Franklin only had four games with 20-plus carries last year despite having the highest individual rushing total for UCLA since Skip Hicks in 1997. He averaged 17.8 carries per game last season.

Bumps and Bruises
Neuheisel said that senior linebacker Glenn Love has a dislocated shoulder and would be out "a couple of weeks."

Rick Neuheisel said in his conference call with the media that junior quarterback Kevin Prince has a sprained shoulder and his timetable is unknown, but that his concussion has cleared and he will go through the protocol. His status for Saturday's game against San Jose State in the Rose Bowl is undetermined, but it looks like Richard Brehaut will get the start.

RESULT: Houston 38, UCLA 34
RECORD: 0-1
WEEK 1 GPA: D+

QUARTERBACK
After Kevin Prince went down, Richard Brehaut stepped in superbly.
B+

RUNNING BACKS
Johnathan Franklin was productive, but got little help and Jordon James fumble proved costly.
A-

WIDE RECEIVERS
Typical on-off performance from unit, but Joseph Fauria is a budding star (110 yards, 1 TD).
B-

OFFENSIVE LINE
Costly penalties, poor snaps held unit back from fine performance.
C+

DEFENSIVE LINE
Too many stunts caused defensive line to be mostly nullified.
D+

LINERBACKERS
Missed tackles galore, and what's worse, simply blown out of plays.
D

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Game-plan did not suit skills, but poor tackling unforgivable.
D

SPECIAL TEAMS
Kai Forbath don't live here anymore.
F

COACHING
Surprisingly passive defensive performance, and offense not well-prepared for hurry-up.
D-

HOUSTON -

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel vowed to use a two-quarterback system in the Bruins' season opener at Houston on Saturday afternoon.

Here's guessing he didn't expect to do it this way.

Junior quarterback Kevin Prince suffered a concussion on a jarring, flipping tackle by D.J. Hayden early in the second quarter, staying motionless on the sidelines for several minutes while being tended to and giving way to junior Richard Brehaut perhaps earlier than expected.

"I blacked out," Prince said. "I just remember I flipped and the next thing I remember I'm on the bench. I don't know where I landed."

He landed where he so often has during an injury-plagued UCLA career: on the sidelines.
He was visibly upset after the hit, which he tried to avoid by running out of bounds, and was stoic after the game. Finally fully healthy after missing seven games last season as a sophomore (and three as a freshman), and building confidence after a back-and-forth fall battle with Brehaut, Prince hoped to last more than one quarter.

"It's very frustrating," Prince said. "Going through camp, being able to participate the whole time, then to play one quarter and be done with it that quick."

Prince was playing well to that point, completing 3-of-3 attempts for 58 yards and coming off a scoring drive that cut the Houston lead to 10-7. In came Brehaut, who completed 17-of-26 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns while adding 87 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Brehaut received praise from Neuheisel, who lauded his decision making, but criticism for a late-game communications miscue, as he had trouble reading the calls from the UCLA sidelines which led to a miscalled play and a burned timeout.

"There were a couple miscommunications when we got to the 20 that we need to fix," Neuheisel said. "Richard didn't see the signal and it wasn't as smooth as it needs to be. He confused it. He didn't get the right signal."

Check out more notes after the jump...

HOUSTON -

Whenever UCLA junior quarterback Richard Brehaut was lost, scrambling, with no one to turn to, all he had to do was look up.

Approximately 80 inches and straight down the middle of the field.

There he would find 6-foot-8 tight end Joseph Fauria towering over his defender, his long frame an ample target.

Fauria had 110 yards on six catches, including a 5-yard touchdown pass, in a 38-34 UCLA loss at Houston's Robertson Stadium, living up to the promise he showed in a productive fall camp.

After watching his Crespi High teammate and good friend Kevin Prince go down with a concussion early in the second quarter, Fauria maintained the chemistry with Brehaut.

"We didn't skip a beat," Fauria said. "We have a rare, good thing to have in college football and that's two starting quarterbacks that can lead us to victory. Richard did his job and I trust Kevin, too. It's a shame that he got hurt but we're going to wish him a speedy recovery. He's one of my best friends. (But) Richard did his thing. He led us."

He was particularly effective on third down, as Brehaut hit him for first downs on three occasions, the passes going for 29, 26 and 21 yards, respectively.

On the 26-yard grab, Fauria played the role of safety valve to perfection, as Brehaut essentially alley-ooped it to himself, dropping the ball and then caroming it after it bounced off the ground before scrambling to find a streaking Fauria down the right sideline.

Fauria showed on Saturday what he can do without a limp in his step, as he entered the season fully healthy after being nagged by a bad groin last season after transferring from Notre Dame and redshirting.

"I was hurt - you can call it improved, you can call it whatever you want - but it's me finally being healthy," Fauria said. "Finally coming into the scheme of things, earning my trust with the coaches and my teammates. In the past, the quarterback probably wouldn't have thrown it to me. Now, I've earned my trust in camp and it's just going to carry on."

Fauria showed glimpses of his potential last season - two of his three catches went for touchdowns - but he was mostly targeted in specific packages or used as a decoy.
Now, he's clearly a focal point of the offense.

But even with his expanded role, Fauria was not happy after the Bruins' loss, though he sounded resolved to make a big statement next Saturday against San Jose State at the Rose Bowl in the team's home opener.

"Horrible," Fauria said about his post-game emotions. "But you see the feeling around the locker room is way different than it was last year. Guys are hurt. When you have it so close in your grasp and you let it go ... we know, the defense and offense know, we have to come together and respond."

HOUSTON -

UCLA took the bait, but it certainly couldn't tackle.

Allowing quarterback Case Keenum to surgically maneuver all over the field, the Bruins were done in by the Houston short game, falling 38-34 in the teams' season-opener at Roberton Field on Saturday afternoon in front of 31,144.

The Bruins were reeled in by a rope-a-dope offense that was more than happy to take what they could get as opposed to stretch the field deep, which the UCLA defense expected and for which it prepared.

Keenum, in his first game back from a season-ending torn ACL suffered at UCLA last season in Week 3, was methodical and patient in leading the Cougars to six scoring drives. The Heisman candidate - who should finish his Houston career as the NCAA's most prolific passer - completed 30-of-40 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns while not completing a pass of more than 26 yards.

"I'm pissed off about the way we played," said senior safety Tony Dye, who led the team with 10 tackles. "The offense did an amazing job. You put up 34 points for us, that's a win. That's a win. That should be a win every time."

Only it wasn't, as when the Bruins weren't tripping over each other, they still could not trip up the Cougars.

Repeating a sore subject from last year - a theme that helped contribute to the firing of defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough - the Bruins took poor angles of pursuit, whiffed at air and allowed 6.2 yards per carry to running backs Bryce Beall and Michael Hayes.

The most egregious miss? A Hayes 34-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter in which three Bruins converged on the Cougar ball carrier, only to be shucked off like flies at a picnic. Houston would add another touchdown with less than a minute left in the half as the offense moved 64 yards in three plays, culminating in a 23-yard Keenum-to-Tyron Carrier touchdown pass.

"We missed a lot of tackles," acknowledged senior linebacker Sean Westgate, who battled a bad arm bruise for much of the game but finished with nine takedowns. "They got us in space with good athletes. I feel like we can practice better. You fit the tackle right, you finish your tackling. We've been coached to do it. We've just got to practice better."

Case Keenum has been so good today against UCLA, even his offensive linemen are scoring touchdowns.

After Patrick Larimore jarred the ball loose from Tyron Carrier at the 1-yard line, offensive lineman Chris Thompson recovered the ball at the one and rolled into the end zone for a touchdown, capping off a 9-play, 63 yard touchdown drive.

Keenum is 30-of-39 for 310 yards and two touchdowns, but it should be three with the Carrier gaffe.

Drive Time: 9 plays, 63 yards, 3:13

After Iuta Tepa caused and recovered a fumble at the UCLA 5-yard line with the Cougars driving to possibly put the game away, the Bruins marched down the field to close it to three.

With a steady dose of the running game, and some key completions mixed in, UCLA went 95 yards. Johnathan Franklin had 40 yards on the drive, going over 100 for the game, Richard Brehaut hit both attempts for 27 yards, and Brehaut ended the drive with a 21-yard run and a 1-yard touchdown.

Drive Time: 9 plays, 95 yards, 4:44

Derrick Coleman capped off an 11-play, 76-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-1 at the 1-yard line, and the Bruins cut the Houston lead to 10.

Richard Brehaut - who is 10-14 for 152 yards - had a beautiful 54-yard completion to Nelson Rosario, with Rosario making a one-handed, leaping grab over two defenders.

Drive Time: 11 plays, 76 yards, 6:32

Kevin Prince is being evaluated for a possible concussion suffered on the second drive of the second quarter. His return is questionable.

That was fast, Pt. 2: After getting the ball back with 56 seconds left in the first half, Case Keenum was once again pitch-perfect, completing two passes for 49 yards, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to Tyron Carrier. The Cougars also picked up a pass interference on Sheldon Price to bring the ball to the 23.

Drive Time: 3 plays, 64 yards, 27 seconds

That was fast: Houston's Michael Haynes broke three tackles, emerged from a scrum, and broke off a 34-yard touchdown run to put the Cougars back up 10.

Drive Time: 4 plays, 63 yards, 53 seconds

Joseph Fauria, all 80 inches of him, is coming up huge for UCLA today.

The Bruins junior tight end has four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, his last catch on a nice 5-yard drag from Richard Brehaut that brought UCLA to within three.

Brehaut is 6-of-8 for 69 yards and a touchdown after taking over for Kevin Prince, who was sidelined on a big hit.

Drive Time: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:48

Houston continues to exploit UCLA with the short pass, and now they've added a run component, with Bryce Beall reeling off a 12-yard touchdown run up the middle to put the Cougars up 10.

Case Keenum has led Houston to 7-of-9 on third downs, completing 16-of-20 passes so far for 123 yards, but his nine-yard scramble on 3rd-and-3 at the UCLA 31-yard line was a killer for the Bruins.

Drive Time: 7 plays, 55 yards, 2:22

UCLA's Johnathan Franklin talked about making a statement in the team's season opener at Houston.

He's doing his part.

Franklin scored on an 18-yard touchdown run to bring the Bruins to within 10-7, a play after Kevin Prince hit Joseph Fauria up the middle for a 29-yard pass on 3rd-and-4. Franklin also added a 14-yard catch on the drive.

The Bruins went 68 yards in six plays, atoning for a first drive that went three-and-out.

Drive Time: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:31

Case Keenum continues to play surgery on the UCLA defense, and the Cougars keep moving the ball down the field, an 11-play, 60-yard drive culminating in a 35-yard Matt Hogan field goal.

Keenum was 7-for-7 for 49 yards, making him 12-of-14 for 91 yards in two drives.

Drive Time: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:08

The Cougars took an early lead by consistently going underneath the UCLA defense, Case Keenum mechanically working with plenty of time in the pocket.

Houston drove 80 yards in 16 plays with only a 17-yard pass from Keenum to Carrier going for more than eight yards. Carrier had two catches for 22 yards, and Keenum went 5-of-7 for 42 yards on the drive.

Drive Time: 16 plays, 80 yards, 5:54

Jump on in, folks...

Just announced 92-degree weather would be the sixth hottest game played in Houston history, tied for the second hottest home game.

The Bruins seem to be moving pretty well in pre-game though, but this is something to pay attention to throughout the game. Perhaps that much-discussed depth the coaches have been raving about will play a factor for them. It will need to.

Great idea from fantastic Houston beat writer Sam Khan Jr. of the Houston Chronicle - he sent me five questions about UCLA, I sent him five about Houston, and we traded answers. Here were my questions for him, with his answers, and after the jump, his questions for me, with my answers...

1. How has Case Keenum looked in fall camp in terms of mobility and confidence? That is to say, is he running tentatively or with freedom? Same with his passing? Is he slinging it around like he was pre-injury?
Keenum has looked good. So far, he doesn't seem to be showing any ill effects. During their first live scrimmage of fall camp, the first pass he threw was a 65-yard touchdown to Patrick Edwards so, needless to say, folks were excited to see that. I don't really see any tentativeness with his running or his passing and he was able to operate the offense at a pretty good tempo during their scrimmages. I think you'll see as close to a pre-injury Keenum as you can get on Saturday.

2. What exactly happened to the Houston offense early against the Bruins last year, as when Keenum went down they were already trailing 21-3?
Plainly put, they were getting beat physically. UCLA's defensive front won the battle at the line of scrimmage which is why UH had trouble getting a running game going and was forced into a lot of third-and-longs. The receivers had trouble getting open with frequency, making matters worse. The coaches have said that this year's offensive line is as big as it has been in years, so perhaps that will make a difference. But they simply got beat by a team that was bigger, stronger and in some spots, faster than they were.

3. Johnathan Franklin and Co. ran all over the Cougars last year, to the tune of 266 yards, a breakout performance for the Pistol offense. Should we expect more of the same?
I would expect UCLA to still have success running the ball, but I don't know that I'd expect that kind of performance again. For one, the Cougars have upgraded their talent, size and depth on the defensive line and their linebacker depth is solid. Plus, they're now in the second year of the 3-4 scheme under defensive coordinator Brian Stewart, so guys are no longer thinking about where they need to be and what they need to do, they just know and are able to play faster. In addition to that, the two new coaches on defense --- defensive line coach Carlton Hall and linebackers coach Jamie Bryant --- have brought a new attitude to their position groups. UCLA's offensive line is so large that it's hard for me to think that the Bruins won't be able to open some lanes, but I'd expect a better performance from the Cougars this time around.

4. How much of a difference will the game location play? What should we realistically expect from the weather?
The Cougars being home at Robertson Stadium will be a big deal for them. They play well at home (26-5 at Robertson dating back to 2006) and even when they've struggled out of the gate against some teams, they've shown a penchant for late rallies in front of the home fans. Plus, the home crowd is going to be fired up for this one because Los Angeles is where it all went off track for the Cougars last year and it's the only BCS-conference opponent on UH's schedule. So the fans are putting a lot of stock in this one and I'd expect UH to feed off of their energy. If the weather cooperates, it should be a packed house. As for the weather, there's a chance of rain and cloudy conditions this weekend, so it could knock the temperature below triple digits (which would be ironic since it's been over 100 almost the entire summer). As of Friday afternoon, the forecast called for partly cloudy conditions with the highs around 100 and a 20 percent chance of rain. So if that holds, it'll still be steamy, but perhaps not 105-degrees-unbearable, like it has been for much of fall practice.

5. Houston is favored despite losing by 18 last year. Are you surprised by that? How has the tone of the team been in that regard?
Am I surprised? Yes and no. Yes in that UCLA handled UH pretty well last season, but no in the fact that the return of Case Keenum is a big deal in the eyes of those around the nation who maybe don't follow the Cougars as closely. Because of what he's accomplished, throwing for more than 5,000 yards in his sophomore and junior seasons, the preseason Heisman talk last year and his leading UH to wins against nationally-ranked teams, his presence lends a bit of national credibility to the Cougars. I don't know that it's worth 18 points, but if you factor in the return of running back Charles Sims (who wasn't suited up for UH last season) and being at home, that gives them a boost in the eyes of many. The tone of the team has been one of confidence, but I don't think they feel like the favorite necessarily. The Cougars feel UCLA is a quality team and they're hungry to get another chance against them.

6. Gun pointed to your head, someone's about to pull the trigger, life or death, man, life or death: What's the best BBQ in Houston? Best steakhouse? Clearly I'm already hungry.
Jon, I have immediately grown an even greater respect for you because you asked this question, because it's something every traveling beat writer should know. I think I might steal it for my Q&A next week when the Cougars have their first road game.

But to answer your question, the best BBQ in Houston for my money is Gatlin's. It's a tiny place on 19th street near TC Jester, northwest of downtown. It's a little out of the way if you're going to be around UH, but the brisket is moist, the ribs fall off the bone and the sauce has a little kick, which I like. They're very hospitable there and will treat you right. Because it's small and lots of folks go, you might have to wait a little bit for your food. In my opinion, it's very much worth the wait.

As for steakhouses, I love Taste of Texas on the west side of town. You get to choose your own steak, it's good quality, a nice setting, a large seating area and the salad bar is probably the best I've ever had when it comes to fresh ingredients and variety of choices. Again, a place you might have to wait for a little bit but very much worth it. I've never left that place less than stuffed.

Campus correspondent Jacob Ruffman chimes in here with a quick recruiting reset based on some recent news, and we'll have a Q&A with recent UCLA 2013 commit Dashon Hunt later today...

With the season only a few days away and high school football already in action, recruiting has taken a backburner in recent UCLA news. There has been some movement over the past month, though.

In August, the Bruins received two commitments - one from four-star offensive lineman Hiva Lutui from Trinity high school (Tex.) and the other from 2013 defensive back Dashon Hunt from Westlake (Calif.).

Lutui, a cousin of fellow Bruin commit Isaiah Folasa, is a mauler who plays guard for his high school team. Chances are he'll stay at guard but there is potential that he could move to center if needed.

Hunt enters his junior year as one of the top defensive backs in southern California. While he is a bit undersized at 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, he is extremely physical, a sure tackler and has excellent anticipation. He had sixty tackles, seven interceptions and four defensive touchdowns last season as a junior.

Comparisons ould be drawn to Bruin great and current Tennessee Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner, as Hunt plays the game cerebrally. If this season resembles his sophomore campaign, Hunt should be one of the top-rated corners on the west coast for the 2013 class.

Just win, baby
Several top prospects checked out UCLA's summer camp and fall practices over the past few weeks including DT Ellis McCarthy, CB Kevon Seymour, QB Devin Fuller, LB Jeremy Castro, CB Brandon Beaver, OG Joshua Garnett among others.

There is an overwhelming feeling that UCLA is on the verge of getting deeply involved in the recruitments of a lot of these top prospects, but most are apprehensive about the future of the program. It's been well documented that several Pac-12 foes are negatively recruiting UCLA because of the perceived instability at the top. This has hindered Rick Neuheisel and Co. for the time being, but if the Bruins win eight or nine games, they could pull in a group reminiscent of the 2010 class that signed more than ten four- and five-star prospects.

Potential official visitors after the jump...

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Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

* Contrary to what he said earlier this week, Rick Neuheisel said he's made a decision at kicker, and it's Kip Smith. Smith continues to struggle with confidence issues, but knowing a couple days before the game should help ease his nerves a bit. He knows that both Justin Medlock and Kai Forbath both struggled early and that he's still working through his issues, but this is a good thing for him.

* Smith shanked a kick early that was just...wow...but came back with a PAT and two short field goals. Later in team drills Smith hit a medium kick that got Mike Johnson to fist pump.

* Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut looked very good in drills, with Prince's deep ball continuing to have more zip and more accuracy. He delivered some nice deep passes in drills today, as did Brehaut. A couple of drops by Randall Carroll and Devin Lucien, but overall, a good effort.

* As posted earlier, the team voted on team captains for the season and the selections are senior safety Tony Dye, junior running back Johnathan Franklin and junior linebacker Patrick Larimore.

* Chris Ward and Greg Capella saw extensive action with the first team, but the starters have not been revealed.

* I spent a lot of time watching the linebackers in positional drills, and what a group UCLA has. It's a tight-knit corps that I think will take a big leap this year, as a whole. They're legitimately two-deep at linebacker right now.

* Raymond Nelson missed practice but Damien Thigpen saw more action out there.

Senior safety Tony Dye, junior linebacker Patrick Larinore and junior running back Johnathan Franklin have been named team captains in advance of UCLA's season opener at Houston.

Join inside...

We'll be chatting UCLA football today at noon, talking about fall camp, our predictions for the season and specific players. Join us. Stay civil.

Hey guys,
Here's a link to my UCLA season preview feature: Check it out