October 2011 Archives

What up Bruins fans, this is Vinny Bonsignore. I'm filling in for Jon today and we just got finished with Coach Neuheisel, who made it very, very clear the Bruins can no longer accept anything less than the type of effort they delivered against Cal Saturday. Here is a short recap:

One of the stats that rankles UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel more than others is the Bruins 0-3 record this year following wins.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out in order for the Bruins to get on roll, they have to string wins together, but that will never happen if they can't take the effort, resolve and focus from a winning performance into the following week.

That is the objective this week when UCLA hosts Arizona State at the Rose Bowl Saturday after beating Cal 31-14 Saturday.

"It's going to take a week of focus and resolve," Neuheisel said at his weekly media conference Monday. "That's what it took last week."

The trick, of course, is maintaining that same mindset.

"We can't go back," Neuheisel said.

He's counting on the Bruins now understanding the level they can elevate their game to and classifying anything less as unacceptable.

Granted, UCLA beat Cal after a bitter, embarrassing loss the previous week at Arizona in front of a national television audience. There was no shortage of anger and motivation to rebound against Cal, and the Bruins played as such.

But to deviate from that would be extremely upsetting, according to Neuheisel.

"It's exactly what I said to the team, there's good news and better news," Neuheisel said. "The good news is we responded. The better news is we now know what we are capable of. And to accept anything less than that would be absolutely ridiculous on every one of our parts. Coach and player alike have to bring it like we did last week."

(by the way, Nelson Rosario and Dietrich Riley both expect to be goes for Saturday's game.

UCLA redshirt freshman safety Tevin McDonald was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for his three-interception performance in a 31-14 win over Cal on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins made the most of McDonald's afternoon, the team's first three-pick defensive performance since Rahim Moore's three-interception game against San Diego State in 2009.

UCLA scored 24 points off five Cal turnovers, including 17 points following McDonald three interceptions, which tied a Pac-12 freshman record.

It appears even a 17-point win following a 36-point loss can do the impossible: Take some of the sunshine out of Rick Neuheisel.

The relentlessly positive coach was given a stern tutorial on bravado after a 48-12 loss to Arizona on a highly publicized ESPN Thursday night game followed a week of discussion about the Pac-12 South race.

Now, with a potentially race-deciding matchup with Pac-12 South leader Arizona State on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, Neuheisel is being a bit demure, sedated, his passion bucket springing a leak.

"We don't want to talk about that," Neuheisel said. "We're going to talk about playing Arizona State and playing our best and seeing if we can't find a way to get one more point than they can. Our mindset needs to be on what we do rather than what might or might not be. Certainly we learned that lesson the hard way."

This much is true, though: Saturday's matchup will likely determine who faces the Pac-12 North champion, likely either No. 4 Stanford or No. 6 Oregon in the first Pac-12 title game.

The Sun Devils head to the Rose Bowl at 4-1 in conference play, their lone conference blemish coming in a 41-27 loss to the Ducks in Week 7, while UCLA, at 3-2, could pull even with Arizona State with a victory. Though the Bruins are tied with USC in the divisional standings, the Trojans are ineligible for postseason play, and no other Pac-12 South opponent has more than one conference win.

Neuheisel celebrated the 31-14 win over the Bears but is measuring his words a bit more this weekend than after the Bruins' previous win over Washington State. Both beat the Arizona debacle, however.

"This was more fun, I guarantee you," Neuheisel said. "(But there's) still lots to do. We can't sit - we've lost four times this year and responded each time. We've won three times prior to this one and not done the job. What changes this week is our effort and attitude."

Plug Uglies
The UCLA offensive line had its best effort in weeks, even with extensive shuffling up front.
With sophomore guard Chris Ward sidelined with an ankle injury and sophomore guard Alberto Cid suspended for the first half against the Bears, the Bruins went with sophomore Greg Capella and redshirt freshman Wade Yandall at the guard spots.
The mixing-and-matching did not matter as UCLA gained 294 rushing yards, with Yandall playing all but one series.
"Wade played really well," Neuheisel said. "We'll have great competition between he and Alberto this week, and with Chris Ward getting back, we'll have him competing with Capella, who also played well."

Bumps and Bruises
UCLA sophomore safety Dietrich Riley was released from Huntington Hospital on Sunday morning after a horrific collision with Cal running back Isi Sofele in the fourth quarter. Riley was carted off the field and taken to the hospital for precautionary tests, and Neuheisel said he's unsure of his status for this week.
"He checked out fine," Neuheisel said. "He was here today, looked great. Said he's good to go. Doctors want to be careful, see him (today)."
Neuheisel also said that junior quarterback Richard Brehaut was scheduled for x-rays today on his fractured ankle, from which he is recovering quicker than anticipated.

RESULT: UCLA 31, Cal 14
RECORD: 4-4
WEEK 8 GPA: A-

QUARTERBACKS
A-
Kevin Prince was near-perfect in his execution of the Pistol offense

RUNNING BACKS
B+
Derrick Coleman making his case for more time with three scores

WIDE RECEIVERS
B
While passing game was muted with four suspensions, those who played did so admirably

OFFENSIVE LINE
A
Patchwork crew with a fantastic effort against a very good defensive line

DEFENSIVE LINE
A
Could Datone Jones have found a home in the interior?

LINEBACKERS
B
Much-improved effort, and use of Aramide Olaniyan in pass rush was impressive

DEFENSIVE BACKS
A+
Simply a great job against Cal's star wideouts, with Tevin McDonald coming up huge (three picks)

SPECIAL TEAMS
A
Between Jeff Locke and Tyler Gonzalez, UCLA is feeling pretty good about kicking game now

COACHING
A
A week after things appeared to be falling apart, Bruins rebound with tremendous performance

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

Brothers Eric and Mychal Kendricks made their presence known on Saturday.

Eric Kendricks, a backup outside linebacker for UCLA, had five tackles while older brother Mychal picked up four tackles for the Bears.

The elder Kendricks has the season edge with 59 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss, while Eric has played well in a backup role for the Bruins, registering 43 tackles and three tackles-for-loss, including a crucial takedown of Cal tight end Anthony Miller for a 5-yard loss in the third quarter in the UCLA red-zone.

After an Aramide Olaniyan stopped Bears quarterback Zach Maynard on the next play, Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio missed a 42-yard field goal, preserving a 17-14 UCLA lead.

With four UCLA wide receivers suspended and senior Nelson Rosario limping with an ankle injury, former walkon Jerry Rice, Jr., had little time to adjust to his first major game action. Rice Jr. caught two passes for 17 yards, both second on the team to Rosario's five catches for 56 yards, eliciting chants of "Jerry! Jerry!" from a crowd that clearly remembered the name.

"I was trying to zone in," Rice said. "I didn't hear it. What I did was take advantage of my opportunity and make sure I knew what to do in every situation. My goal was to get a win and start off 1-0 in my college career."

Just as the Rose Bowl was starting to rock, a Derrick Coleman 20-yard touchdown giving the UCLA football team a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the Bruins were brought alarmingly back down to earth in their 31-14 win over Cal on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl.

After smashing into Bears running back Isi Sofele on 1st-and-10 at UCLA 26-yard line, sophomore safety Dietrich Riley fell to the ground and did not move.

He stayed on the ground for an extended period before being placed onto a stretcher and carted off the field, at which point he waved to the crowd and gave thumbs up. Riley was taken immediately to Huntington Hospital for tests, which all came out negative, and a UCLA athletics department spokesman said later that Riley had regained feeling and movement in all his extremities.

"I think it was a stinger where he felt like he couldn't feel anything and then the feeling came back," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "Caution is the order of the day, and they took care of him."

After a 36-point loss at Arizona on Oct. 20, embittered and emboldened UCLA fans started an Occupy UCLA Athletics campaign, a derivation of the Occupy Wall Street movement protesting big business across the country.

Turns out, the Bruins are still into capitalism.

UCLA scored 24 points off five Cal turnovers, including three deep in Bear territory, and the Bruins rolled 31-14 in front of 55,604 at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.

An aggressive defensive line harried Cal quarterback Zach Maynard into four interceptions - three by redshirt freshman safety Tevin McDonald - and a week after allowing 573 yards to the Wildcats, UCLA gave up just 333 to the Bears.

Junior defensive lineman Datone Jones, playing extensively in the interior because of the suspension of sophomore defensive tackle Cassius Marsh - one of six Bruins suspended for their roles in a brawl with Arizona with four seconds left in the first half of the loss - had a season-high six tackles and two sacks as part of a defensive effort that forced interceptions on three of Cal's last four drives.

"We burned the boats, man," said Jones, referring to the 'BTB' shirts that players wore on the sidelines, a motto that signifies no retreat. "It was a suicide mission we had."

Playing the role of kamikaze, junior quarterback Kevin Prince.

With a directive from Neuheisel to play with abandon despite a history of injury, Prince did indeed embrace contact, shying away from no one while rushing for a career-high 163 yards on 19 carries.

"If it's one-on-one, I'll lower the shoulder," said Prince, who has already suffered two shoulder sprains this season. "If it's a couple more guys, I try to get down and slide. But Coach Neuheisel talked to me about that on Tuesday; running against Arizona last week, I was a little more cautious. Coach Neuheisel told me not to worry about that and just to run as hard as I can."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said all preliminary tests came out negative for safety Dietrich Riley, who crashed into Cal's Isi Sofele early in the fourth quarter on a run and immediately collapsed to the ground. Riley was carted off the field - waving and giving a thumb's up to the crowd - before being taken to Huntington Hospital for tests.

Neuheisel said Riley suffered a neck injury and temporarily lost feeling, but an update from the UCLA athletics department said Riley has full movement and sensation in all extremities.

The opportunistic UCLA defense struck once more.
So did the Bruin offense.

After Tevin McDonald picked up his second interception of the game at the Cal 20-yard line, Derrick Coleman immediately followed with a 20-yard touchdown run, giving the Bruins some cushion once more.

Drive Time: 20 yards, 1 play, six seconds

UCLA got a taste of its own medicine, and it didn't taste good.

Cal recovered a muffed Jordon James punt return at the UCLA 15-yard line, and after a Zach Maynard-to-Anthony Miller 14-yard completion, C.J. Anderson plugged it in from a yard out.

Drive Time: 2 plays, 15 yards, 41 seconds

After another Cal turnover in its own territory, the Bruins again capitalized.

This time, they made it count.

Derrick Coleman ran it in from three yards out after getting a first down on 3rd-and-3 with a nine yard run, and the Bruins went up two scores.

Drive Time: 19 yards, 4 plays, 1:17

After a Tevin McDonald interception of Zach Maynard gave UCLA the ball at the Cal 15-yard line, the Bruins could not muster any yards before settling for a 32-yard Tyler Gonzalez field goal, his second of the year.

Drive Time: 3 plays, 0 yards, 1:22

With Kevin Prince doing damage on the ground, the Bruins got the ball moving.
But it took a nice pass to get it started.
After a holding penalty by Greg Capella on 1st-and-1- at the UCLA-36 yard line, Prince found Nelson Rosario for a 19-yard gain. Prince later picked up a 32-yard run on the drive, and Johnathan Franklin capped it off with a 10-yard touchdown run to tie it up.

Drive Time: 64 yards, 7 plays, 4:01

After a Kevin Prince fumble at the end of a 21-yard run, Cal started with the ball at the UCLA 30-yard line and promptly capitalized.

After a Zach Maynard-to-Anthony Miller connection for 17 yards set the Bears up at the 9-yard line, Isi Sofele punched it in from a yard out two plays later on third down to put Cal up.

Drive Time: 30 yards, 5 plays, 2:29

Doctors may call it short-term memory loss, or even amnesia, but football players have their own way of describing it.

One snap and clear.

What about 150 snaps and clear?

What is abundantly clear to UCLA this week was that to properly prepare for its 4 p.m. matchup today at the Rose Bowl with visiting Cal, it had to completely eradicate the 48-12 loss to Arizona on Oct. 20 in Tucson.

We're talking a Men-In-Black neuralyzer here, complete and utter memory erasure.
This was not a game to stew on, not a game to analyze down to the second. Taking the entire three-plus hours into the equation, it added up to one giant disaster.

After a weekend off to collect their thoughts and to steel their nerves, the Bruins came back to practice on Tuesday barely remembering the Disaster in the Desert.

"Having the weekend to ourselves kind of helped people one snap and clear the game," junior linebacker Patrick Larimore said. "It was hard for me, it was a depressing weekend like it was for everybody, but I think it helped."

To refresh: The Bruins allowed touchdowns on all six of Arizona's first-half drives, afforded the Wildcats 573 yards of total offense and gave up 254 rushing yards to an anemic ground game, while gaining just 37 themselves.

And that wasn't the ugly part.

No, that would be the benches-clearing brawl that erupted with just four seconds remaining in the first half as a streaker darted on the field to distract the referees.

The melee cost UCLA six players to suspension, ranging from one half against the Bears to two full games, with four receivers as casualties.

Now, the Bruins must face a Cal team that allowed just 178 total yards and 13 rushing yards in a 34-10 win over Utah last Saturday without the services of Taylor Embree, Shaq Evans, Randall Carroll and Ricky Marvray.

Despite the personnel losses, offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said don't expect a whole new gameplan.

"You've got to evaluate the whole big picture; you can't just change everything you do wholesale all at once," Johnson said. "You still have to put together a gameplan. They're going to play defense, and they're a good defense."

The Bears certainly were last season in a 35-7 home win.

Cal gained 304 rushing yards while holding UCLA to just 26 on 26 carries, jumping to a 28-0 halftime lead in what would ultimately be Kevin Prince's last game of the season.

Prince is back once again to reverse his fortunes against the Bears, coming off a 286-yard performance against the Wildcats.

He knows such early deficits - like against Cal, Arizona got off to a scorching start - can bury the team quickly.

"That's always kind of been our bugaboo, since I've been here, getting off to slow starts," Prince said. "That's kind of been our 'thing.' We haven't been able to start off strong. When we have, it's been good games for us. That'll be huge for us, especially not to let doubt creep into our team's mindset."

The Bruins have been careful to not let that self-awareness work its way in during the week of practice, team leaders getting together to ensure the short memories.

One snap and clear, after all.

"We spoke about that as a team and as a council; we have to put it on us and go out and fight," Larimore said. "Can't let what happened against Arizona happened again."

Jon.gold@dailynews.com

UCLA freshman wideout Devin Lucien makes his feelings known on redshirting: Burn, baby, burn

Two years after falling to depths almost unheard of at UCLA, the Bruins are right back atop the mountain. At least the media says so.

UCLA was chosen to be the inaugural Pac-12 champion in the preseason media poll, released on Friday at the conference's Media Day at L.A. Live.

The Bruins don't have much hypothetical breathing room, however, receiving 421 points, including 14 first-place votes, while the Cal Bears were tabbed for second at 405 points (13 first-place), one point ahead of 2011 Pac-10 regular-season champion Arizona (404, 11).

"Our team always has high expectations," said Howland, a year after the Bruins were picked 3rd in the preseason media poll coming off a 14-18 season. "It's the expectations we put on ourselves that matter most. It's always nice to be picked high, but that doesn't guarantee anything. It's where you finish. I don't know who was picked for first last year, but I don't know how many times you guys get it right."

After the disappointing 2009-10 campaign, UCLA rallied to win 23 games last season, finishing second in the conference race, before falling to Florida in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

With a powerful front line led by junior leading scorer and rebounder Reeves Nelson (13.9 points per game, 9.1 rebounds), sophomore center Joshua Smith and North Carolina transfers David and Travis Wear, the Bruins are the pick to emerge from a conference that loses extensive firepower.

Gone are Arizona's Derrick Williams and Momo Jones, Washington's Isaiah Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning, USC's Nikola Vucevic, Washington State's Klay Thompson and Stanford's Jeremy Green.

UCLA was not immune to the mass exit, though, with small forward Tyler Honeycutt and guard Malcolm Lee gone.

"I like our squad," Howland said. "Obviously, it would be great if we still had Malcolm and Tyler Honeycutt. Then we would really be good. But that being said, we are where we are, and I'm still optimistic about our team."

Stover Out
Howland said that sophomore backup center and key defensive stopper Anthony Stover has a small cartilage tear in his left shoulder after having tests done on Thursday before the team's scrimmage against Cal State Fullerton. Howland said Stover is expected to miss a few weeks.

Whereto Wear?
Howland added that David Wear, who averaged 2.9 points in 10.4 minutes for the Tar Heels in 2009-10 and redshirted last season after transferring, played all of his minutes at the small forward position for the Bruins in their scrimmage against the Titans at the Sports Arena.

Wear, at 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, played sound defense, Howland said, and he should give the Bruins a sizable option at the position, along with De'End Parker, who is still sidelined with a concussion.

Breakfast with the Bruins
Coach Wayne Moses, running backs
Coach Tim Hundley, defensive backs
Cory Harkey, TE
Jeff Locke, Punter
Tyler Gonzalez, PK
UCLA Spirit Squad
Friday Oct 28th--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

is not for the faint of heart.

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Rick Neuheisel could barely hold in his excitement.

The UCLA head coach made it barely halfway through his introductory statement to the media on Wednesday night before mentioning the return of sophomore F-back Anthony Barr from a knee injury.

"It was great to have Anthony Barr back out there," Neuheisel said quickly. "Hopefully we can have him in some small role for the weekend."

How much UCLA is to use him is to be decided, although he appeared healthy and able during Wednesday's practice, seemingly cutting with ease.

How much the Bruins will need him? That is without question.

Down four receivers, UCLA is low on weapons, though the possible return of Barr and junior wide receiver Jerry Johnson from a broken ankle suffered last season would be a boon.

"We'll try to see how many (plays) we can get out of him," Neuheisel said. "He's certainly a guy who has played, like Jerry, a guy who can help us. He gives us lot of flexibility. That was one of the great values we had when he was with us, so it was nice to have him running round today."

With seniors Nelson Rosario and Josh Smith expected to see much of the reps at wide receiver and F-back Jordon James and tight end Joseph Fauria able to contribute as well, the hope among coaches is that they won't have to rely too heavily on Barr and Johnson as they work their ways back from injury.

The Bruins found out the flip side of the hurry-back equation on Thursday against Arizona, as cornerback Sheldon Price returned quickly from a sprained knee suffered Week 4 against Oregon State and was punished for it, the Wildcats picking on him often.

"The answer is yeah you wish you would have them all 100 percent," Neuheisel said. "But sometimes in the course of a football season, you don't have that luxury. Certainly in the situation we find ourselves offensively this week, we certainly don't have that luxury. If (Barr) is able to go, and I know he's champing at the bit to go and it's not as if it's unsafe, we'll continue to explore it."

Line Call
With Chris Ward out for practice the previous two days with a knee injury and Alberto Cid suspended for the first half against Cal for his role in the brawl at Arizona, UCLA is expected to go with redshirt freshman Wade Yandall at guard opposite sophomore Greg Capella. Yandall, who has been practicing extensively with the first unit with Cid mainly working the twos, saw extensive time during spring and fall camp with the ones.

Bumps and Bruises
Redshirt freshman kicker Kip Smith (hip) has not practiced this week after practicing more than he has in weeks last week, despite being listed as questionable.
"He's got a more-significant injury that first thought," Neuheisel said. "We've just got to let it heal."

* Other notes - Saw some really good catch-and-runs today, particularly by Barr and Fauria. ... James looks a go for punter this week with Taylor Embree suspended. ... Nate Chandler and Justin Edison got extensive time with the ones as UCLA also has to replace Cassius Marsh, not just for one but two games.

UCLA C Anthony Stover, back from a concussion, suffered a subluxed left shoulder and head coach Ben Howland said he's out for at least a couple weeks.

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Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said after practice that he expects senior safety Tony Dye to miss the rest of the season with what has been described as stingers. When asked to clarify a diagnosis, Neuheisel was non-committal, but he says he expects Dye to be able to request - and be granted - a medical redshirt.

*I knowUCLA's issues run a lot deeper than a 48-12 loss at a 1-5 team
Forget the ugliness that happened when the clock was running on Thursday night at Arizona, and instead focus on the brawl that occurred at the end of the first half. Yes, Rick Neuheisel is right, without the streaker, there probably is no brawl, and UCLA probably doesn't have six player suspended for at least a half-game. But there was.
Now what?
Six guys getting in a petty little shoving match at midfield is one thing. Players pouring out onto the field like a skunk roamed the sidelines is another, and it is a reflection of the complete lack of discipline that UCLA is encountering. As I said in the Two Fat Guys video, false starts are one thing. Dropped passes are one thing. Missed assignments or fumbles or attrocious tackling. Those are all field-of-play issues, and while they too show a lack of discipline, nothing shows utter chaos than a bench-clearing brawl.
All of it boils down to the fact that there seems to be little repercussions aside from a few yelling coaches. Is that enough to shake some sense into a kid? Not to me. Where are the up-downs until a guy pukes? Where are the 50 laps around Spaulding Field. Where it the accountability?
I know this isn't high school football, where you make a mistake and you're punished for it. But this isn't the NFL either, and there has to be SOME kind of punishment for mistakes, much less fighting. I doubt we'll see any.

* I know Sheldon Price wasn't ready to play on Thursday
After one series, it was evident that Price's sprained knee wasn't up to snuff, and Nick Foles sniffed it out pretty quickly. Foles went at the UCLA junior cornerback early, including on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Juron Criner in which Criner simply juked Price to the turf.
That Andrew Abbott played so well in his time, including his interception, only exacerbates the use of Price to such an extent. We saw Neuheisel shy away from using Courtney Viney despite his advanced coverage skills, perptuating the notion that he favors big, tall players over guys who can get the job done. Price couldn't against Arizona, and it proved costly.

I think it's surprising UCLA switched to the 3-4
Oh, they didn't? It must just seem that way, given the utter lack of pressure from the UCLA front four. I made the questionable decision to rewatch most of the game on Friday, and before my eyes filled up with blood, I saw UCLA defensive linemen get pushed off the line of scrimmage like they weighed a collective 12 pounds. They weren't just pushed off the line, they were absolutely smashed. Smashed.
It's not as if it's one player, either. It's all of them. The pad level is absolutely brutal, and that is something UCLA struggled mightily with last season. The thought was the short, compact Inoke Brecketfield would be able to help with some of the leverage issues. He has not.

I know UCLA isn't getting the production it expected out of the safeties
The loss of Rahim Moore to the NFL was thought to be softened by the return of Tony Dye and the emergence of Dietrich Riley. Only Dye has been sidelined much of the year, hobbled the rest of it, and is once more listed as out for Cal. And Riley, meanwhile, hasn't lived up to the potential he flashed last season. Riley, Dalton Hilliard and Tevin McDonald struggled greatly against the Wildcats, and they need to grow up fast if UCLA is to turn it around. On one big Arizona play - ignited by a Grand Canyon-sized hole in the UCLA front four - Keola Antolin cut right and comically juked Riley and McDonald before running over Hilliard for a huge gain. Ouch.

* I think the wide receiver suspensions could be a blessing in disguise
Whatever it takes to get Devin Lucien on the field I consider a good thing. Granted, I don't think Lucien is a refined blocker, and he is an emotional kid and perhaps not ready for primetime...but UCLA's other receivers are? The Bruins best wideout drops passes left and right and has the fortitude of the tin man. One senior wideout couldn't break away from a sloth and the other runs imprecise routes - on the Kevin Prince "overthrow" on the first drive, Josh Smith just stopped running - and the junior speedster is inconsistent.
I wasn't the only one championing Lucien for a long time, and the other UCLA beat writers have often grumbled about his redshirting.
Now is the time to correct it. I don't care if it's only for five games.
Brett Hundley on the other hand...that's a redshirt you save.

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.

Rex Griswald won for UCLA v. Arizona (*thanks), so please email me at jon.gold@dailynews.com.

UCLA's basketball team willl have its Thursday and Friday practices at the Sports Arena, where the Bruins will play most of their games this season while Pauley Pavilion is rennovated.
UCLA first opens the season Nov. 11 against LMU at the Sports Arena.

Rick Neuheisel said Jerry Rice Jr., Jerry Johnson have an opportunity to see time at reciever this Saturday. Jordan James should see time outside Saturday against Cal.

``(Rice) has been chomping at the bit to play,'' Neuheisel said. ``We've got other ways we can play 11-man football. We'll use all of them.''

Neuheisel said he wasn't sure if QB Brett Hundley would play against the Bears, but he said he wasn't 100 percent ready to play at Arizona. That doesn't preclude that he couldn't be ready for Cal this weekend.

De'End Parker and Anthony Stover both suffered concussions during UCLA's hoops practices in the last week. Parker sustained his concussion on Saturday. He ran into the elbow of David Wear while he was driving the lane.
Stover suffered his concussion during a drill in practice last Monday, one week ago. He is expected to return to practice on Wednesday.

UCLA's Rose Bowl matchup with Arizona State on Nov. 5 will kick off at 4:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Versus.

Obviously a lot to talk about, so split it into to. Watch one or the other or both ... or neither.

Despite a wide receiver corps depleted by suspension, UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said he was unsure if he would use freshman Devin Lucien against Cal at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

With senior Taylor Embree, junior Randall Carroll and sophomores Ricky Marvray and Shaq Evans suspended for their roles in starting and escalating a mid-field brawl at the end of the first half in the Bruins' 48-12 loss at Arizona on Thursday, the Bruins are down to just seniors Nelson Rosario and Josh Smith, junior Jerry Rice Jr. and Lucien, who has maintained his redshirt.

Neuheisel added that junior wide receiver Jerry Johnson could be available after returning from a fractured ankle suffered last year and that F-back Jordon James can play oustside, as well.

"It's a precarious situation, that's true," Neuheisel said, "but we feel like with our athletes and some of the stuff we can do in the running game we can neutralize the effect of it."
Neuheisel said that the decision to use Lucien, who starred at Crespi and looked ready for the game during fall camp, will be a group discussion.

"No, he's not off the table, but it's important that that be a family decision," Neuheisel said. "Devin has sat for the entire year, we thought for a redshirt. These guys are going to be back after one game so I want to make sure we are doing something prudent for Devin. And making sure that he understands what the situation exactly is. We'll certainly talk about that and talk about it with Devin."

Neuheisel also said he was "not going to second-guess" the league on the suspensions, which also included a two-game suspension for sophomore defensive tackle Cassius Marsh and a half-game penalty for sophomore offensive guard Alberto Cid. Four Arizona players were suspended for their roles in the brawl as well, which broke out after a streak disrupted the game with four seconds left in the first half and the Bruins trailing 42-7.

"I'm disappointed it took place," Neuheisel said. "Circumstances were nothing short of bizarre."

A year after ranking 94th nationally out of 120 teams in total defense and 86th in scoring defense - a performance that resulted in the firing of both defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough and defensive line coach Todd Howard - the Bruins have falled even farther.
After affording Arizona 573 total yards - including 254 on the ground, despite the Wildcats being ranked 119th in rushing yards oer game - UCLA currently ranks 106th in total defense (436.1 yards per game) and 108th in scoring defense (34.43).
"The other night we got pushed off the line of scrimmage," Neuheisel said. "We have to make sure we get our pads down and get off the ball."
Neuheisel also added that poor tackling by the safeties and coverage by the cornerbacks allowed the Wildcats to gain 6.4 yards per play and score on their first six possessions.

‎UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel was asked why he didn't play Brett Hundley against Arizona on the weekly conference call:

"I thought about (using him), but in that kind of game, I didn't think it was the right thing to do. If you decide to go to Brett hundley, you do it the rest of the time, or at least a package. I want to make sure he's ready for that. I want it to be a worthwhile venture. I'm not thinking about me, I'm thinking about him."

The Pac-12 has suspended six UCLA players - and four Arizona Wildcats - for their roles in a brawl that occured with :04 seconds left in Arizona's 48-12 win over the Bruins on Thursday night.

With UCLA with the ball at its own 43-yard line and the half about to conclude, a streaker ran across the Arizona Stadium field, drawing the attention of the referees and school officials. Meanwhile, a shoving match erupted at midfield between UCLA wide receivers Randall Carroll, Taylor Embree and Shaq Evans and Arizona defensive backs Shaq Richardson, Marquis Flowers and Jourdon Grandon.

Within seconds, both benches cleared, several players on each team throwing punches and taking each other to the ground while players on both sides tried to stop the melee.
Embree and Richardson - a former UCLA commit kicked off the team before his freshman season even began - were immediately ejected and received additional one-game suspensions for the Bruins' next game against Cal on Oct. 29 at the Rose Bowl.

Evans, Carroll and fellow wide receiver Ricky Marvray were suspended for the Cal game, defensive tackle Cassius Marsh received a two-game suspension and guard Alberto Cid received a half-game suspension.

In addition to Richardson's one-game suspension for Arizona, Gourdon also was suspended a game and defensive backs Lyle Brown and Mark Watley received half-game suspensions each.

"The Conference is extremely disappointed in the actions of the student-athletes involved in this incident," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said. "It is unacceptable behavior and violated conference rules, as well as NCAA fighting rules. I have taken these actions today because it is imperative that we hold our student-athletes and coaches to the highest standards of sportsmanship."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel issued a statement condemning his players role in the incident, but said after the game that he was unsure if he'd punish the players further.

"On behalf of the entire UCLA football program, I respect the Pac-12's decision to suspend six of our players after the unfortunate incident in the second quarter of yesterday's Arizona game," Neuheisel said. "As a program, we certainly do not condone the actions of our student-athletes involved, no matter what circumstances they found themselves in at the time. As the head coach, I am very disappointed with their actions. I told each and every one of our players as much in the locker room, both at halftime, and at the conclusion of the game. Everyone here understands the expectations and responsibilities we share, and that representing UCLA on the field of play is a privilege."

Some Bruins ran onto the field and began pulling teammates away, but several punches were landed.

"There's only so much some guys can do to hold a bunch of guys back," UCLA junior tight end Joseph Fauria said. "We tried. Some guys and myself tried to hold everyone back. There were also guys who made the wrong choice of trying to fight back. That's not what we need right now."

UCLA is now in a precarious position at wide receiver, with only Nelson Rosario, Josh Smith, former walk-on Jerry Rice, Jr. and true freshman Devin Lucien - who has not played a snap this year and was expected to redshirt - available against the Bears.

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

RESULT: Arizona 48, UCLA 12
RECORD: 3-4
WEEK 7 GPA: F

QUARTERBACKS
C-
Kevin Prince missed an important throw on UCLA's first drive and didn't improve much

RUNNING BACKS
F
Perhaps the worst rushing effort in three years against a horrid run defense

WIDE RECEIVERS
F
How long can coaches stand for Nelson Rosario's drops, lax effort?

OFFENSIVE LINE
D
Not an altogether dreadful performance, but running game in tatters

DEFENSIVE LINE
F
Toddlers playing pattycake have more strength, moves up front than UCLA

LINEBACKERS
F
out of position so often that glaring mistakes while in position are overlooked

DEFENSIVE BACKS
D
Hard to blame defensive backs when gameplan is to provide more cushion than a sofa wearhouse

SPECIAL TEAMS
C
The one unit that didn't completely collapse against poor Arizona team

COACHING
F--
At some point, UCLA has to change how it practices, game-plans and, well...everything

TUCSON -

A streaker sprinted across the Arizona Stadium field with just four seconds left in the first half of UCLA's nationally televised matchup with the Wildcats.

He was only partially exposed.

UCLA, on the other hand...

Facing an Arizona team that had just fired its head coach, that hadn't had a lead in more than 300 minutes, that was 119th in the country in rushing yards, that was ranked 100th or worse in all four major defensive categories and that was 0-10 in its last 10 games against FBS opponents, the Bruins did not just make the Wildcats look good on Thursday night.

UCLA simply wilted into a corner and whimpered, save for a bench-clearing brawl between both teams while the streaker was being subdued, and the Bruins eventually succumbed to the woebegone Wildcats, 48-12, in front of an announced crowd of 45,565.

"Today it seemed like everybody didn't come out with the same amount of intensity...as usual," junior wide receiver Randall Carroll said. "That's what happens. First six drives, they scored, and then the offense, we lost all momentum. I don't think we were enthused as much as they were."

It took a 42-7 deficit for UCLA to show some fight, and that was just the halftime score.
By then, the Wildcats (2-5, 1-4) had effectively knocked the Bruins out, and it lasted just one round.

On its first possession, Arizona simply danced down the field, as standout quarterback Nick Foles was his typical efficient self, completing 3-of-5 passes for 42 yards, including a four-yard touchdown pass to Juron Criner.

More surprising: the success of the Arizona running game.

The Wildcats gained 38 yards on two carries to open the game, gaining more than half of the team's season average of 71.3 yards per game, before finishing with 254 yards rushing.

"We didn't fit the runs right," Tresey said. "We had enough people in the box to fit it. Obviously we didn't fit it right. It got to the second level and third level and we missed tackles. You can't give them a 25-yard run. God, I wish I had more answers."

Coming out almost exclusively in the hurry-up offense, Arizona would not slow down, playing with raw emotion for interim head coach Tim Kish, promoted from co-defensive coordinator after last week's firing of head coach Mike Stoops.

Benefitting from two UCLA fumbles, Arizona scored on its first six possessions, each drive spanning more than 59 yards as the Wildcats gained 416 first-half yards and averaged 8.2 yards per play. Coming into the game, Arizona had gained 416 yards in a game just twice, 417 against Northern Arizona in a 41-10 Week 1 win and 425 in a 48-41 loss to USC in Week 5.

Foles, who came into the game with the nation's second-most passing yards, piled it on even as Arizona continued to build its lead. After missing the Wildcats' 29-21 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl last season, Foles completed 26-of-39 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns, all three going to Criner.

With the UCLA secondary still bandaged - junior cornerback Sheldon Price was clearly hampered by a knee injury after missing two games and safeties Tony Dye (neck) and Alex Mascarenas (head) missed the game - Criner capitalized, catching 10 passes for 101 yards.

"We failed," said junior middle linebacker Patrick Larimore, who had just two tackles. "Couldn't stop anything they did. They were very ready for what we were doing. I don't know what to say. We couldn't stop s***. We came out flat and it started off downhill and we didn't recover."

UCLA, meanwhile, sagged after Arizona jumped to the ultra-quick 14-0 lead less than eight minutes into the game on a Ka'Deem Carey 18-yard touchdown run.

The Bruins (3-4, 2-2) responded with a 10-play, 73-yard drive - capped off by a Kevin Prince-to-Johnathan Franklin 16-yard touchdown connection on 4th-and-5 - but the momentum was short-lived.

After a 39-yard missed field goal attempt by Tyler Gonzalez midway through the second quarter capped off a five-play, 59-yard drive, the Bruins managed just 48 yards on their next 23 plays, spanning seven series.

"We need to come out strong and fast," junior tight end Joseph Fauria said. "Arizona did that, and we need to do that on our side of the ball."

I caught up with UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero briefly in the locker room. Had a quick conversation:

Will there be a press conference in the next week...
"No. No, not at all. I don't know why anyone would think that we would pull the trigger like that. My philosophy on early terminations may be different then some. That's not to say I disrespect anyone else that makes a decision they have to make. Every situation is a little bit different. In our case, we have a coach who is working hard, assistant coaches who are working hard, kids are doing their best. Obviously we didn't have the outcome we wanted to day. We got thumped pretty good. We knew we were coming into a stadium that was intense, knew their team was gong to be motivated. We needed to come in and match that and we didn't do it today. We get a shot next week. I want to see us come out this week and practice hard and have a great game against Cal. I have a lot of respect for the coaching profession, and obviously Rick is a great Bruin. I brought him in here to turn this program around, and obviously we're still very much a work in progress. But we get another shot next week, and I want to see how we do."

After seven games, has this team played one game you consider to be at UCLA's level?
"If we're talking about the standard I want set, I want us to be a national contender, I want us to be Top-25 every year and to play for something. From that perspective, we're clearly not there. Proir to this game, we lost three games to teams that are nationally ranked, and we're not at that level right now. We've played well in spurts this year, had some very bright moments. But we've also played inconsistently and tonight was a good example of that. We couldn't stop anyone in that first half. Good programs, great programs get to the point where they know what they're going to be game in game out. They can have expectation of how they're going to perform. We're just not they're yet."

Do you need to talk to Rick about his future?
"Rick and I talk a lot. We talk obviously every week. Right now were going to get in a plane and go home and we'll talk about the game. We've already talked a little bit tonight to this point. Different games give you a different conversation. Obviously, this one was one where we never got it rolling. We'll talk about that. We could not stop them. Could not contain them. We need to figure out why that happened and how we can stop it from happening again."

Sorry I didn't have time for more on deadline.

As a streaker ran onto the field in the background, UCLA and Arizona erupted into a massive brawl with four seconds left in the first half, resulting in the ejections of Taylor Embree and former UCLA defensive back Shaquille Richardson.

Order was restored after several minutes, and a Kevin Prince attempt to the end zone was batted down.

A meager crowd at Arizona Stadium is being treated to quite the showing by the Wildcats.

Nick Foles found Juron Criner for his third touchdown of the evening, and Arizona has now racked up more than 370 yards of offense in less than two quarters.

Drive Time: 10 plays, 79 yards, 3:14

Arizona now has 293 yards in four possessions and doesn't appear to be slowing down.

After a Johnathan Franklin fumble gave the Wildcats the ball at midfield, Arizona once again toyed with the Bruins, going 63 yards in eight plays, with a Taimi Tutogi one-yard touchdown dive for the score.

Drive Time: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:33

Arizona strikes again, and once more it's Nick Foles.

Foles led a 10-play, 80-yard drive, giving the Wildcats a 14-point cushion once more with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Juron Criner, the duo's second scoring connection of the night.

Drive Time: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:22

UCLA finally got something going on offense, moving down the field in 10 plays to cut Arizona's lead to seven.

In addition to a beautifully designed screen pass from Kevin Prince to Johnathan Franklin, Prince again found Franklin for a 16-yard touchdown on a nice play call, with the offense all moving right and Franklin weaving his way left into the wide-open flats.

Drive Time: 10 plays, 73 yards, 4:40

Turns out Arizona does have a running game.
Or UCLA is just that bad.

The Wildcats once more waltzed down the field, gaining 76 yards on 10 plays - giving them 156 yards on 18 - and building a 14-0 lead.

Ka'Deem Carey capped off the long drive with an 18-yard touchdown run, giving the Wildcats 79 yards on eight carries.

Drive Time: 10 plays, 76 yards

In front of a small crowd in Tucson, Arizona started the fireworks early.

And not just when they ran onto the field.

The Wildcats torched the UCLA defense on the game's first series, moving 80 yards on eight plays, including two rushes for 38 yards by Keola Antolin, capped off by a Nick Foles-to-Juron Criner touchdown pass.

Drive Time: 80 yards, 8 plays, 2:17

Two years after falling to 14-18, the UCLA basketball team has rebounded. All the way back into the top-25.

The Bruins are ranked 20th in the just-released ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, joined in the rankings by Pac-12 rivals No. 16 Arizona and No. 24 Cal.

UCLA returns all but Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee from a squad that advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and adds North Carolina transfers David and Travis Wear, as well as recruits Norman Powell and De'End Parker.

TUCSON -

Smack in the middle of the arid Arizona desert stands a mirage, an optical illusion that has made the national college football conscience dismiss the Wildcats as an afterthought and the Arizona administration dismiss Mike Stoops just the same.

The Wildcats may be 1-5, may be coming off a shocking 37-27 loss to woeful Oregon State that eventually resulted in Stoops' firing, may be reeling from a defense ranked among the worst in the country, but UCLA isn't buying it.

As the Bruins prepare to travel to Tucson for a pivotal marquee contest, a nationally televised 6 p.m. tilt at Arizona Stadium that could very well determine their ultimate December destination, they know full well the gauntlet that the Wildcats have traversed, a murderer's row, as Rick Neuheisel called it.

While the Bruins are 3-3, having beefed up their record with wins over San Jose State, Oregon State and Washington State, the Wildcats have fallen off considerably after losses to No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 6 Stanford, No. 10 Oregon and USC.

"They're a much better team than their record would indicate," Neuheisel said. "If you stop to analyze who they've played over the last 11 games, it's a murderer's row. They've put up a lot of points and lost a lot of close games. There's not a game that they weren't in at some point. That's a proud program and a bunch of kids that have great character. It's going to be a whale of a ball game."

First step for UCLA: harpoon Nick Foles.

The Arizona quarterback ranks second in the country at 375.8 passing yards per game, with 15 touchdowns to just four interceptions. While the Bruins have just one player with more than 200 yards receiving - wide receiver Nelson Rosario has 480 yards on 26 catches - the Wildcats have six, led by Dan Buckner's 487 yards on 33 receptions.

Foles missed last season's matchup between the conference rivals with a sprained knee, but Arizona did not miss a beat, with backup Matt Scott accounting for 390 yards of offense in a 29-21 win at the Rose Bowl, the Wildcats last win over an FBS opponent.

Foles, who broke Westlake High (Texas) passing yards and touchdowns records once held by Drew Brees, could find similar success against a UCLA defense that currently ranks 95th nationally in pass efficiency defense.

"I don't know if there's anything specific with him; he's a good QB, gets the ball out of his hand fast," senior linebacker Sean Westgate said. "We have to hope our coverage is strong enough to give our defensive line enough time to get some pressure on this guy. Without getting pressure in his face, if we let him sit back there and throw the ball, we're not going to have success against him."

Second step for UCLA: match Arizona's intensity.

The Wildcats are sure to be a motivated bunch, fresh off Stoops' firing early last week, a dismissal that surprised many despite the team's struggles. Defensive coordinator Tim Kish took over as interim head coach and immediately shifted some things around, switching kicker Alex Zendejas for John Bonano - the Wildcats' third kicker this year, matching UCLA - and adjusted some of the coaches' responsibilities.

"I think for sure they're going to come out with a lot of new energy," middle linebacker Patrick Larimore said. "When Coach Dorrell was fired, there was a lot of energy around UCLA, a lot of new life. Guys thought they'd get a new look to play. That's what they're going through, and they're going to come out fired up."

Third step for UCLA: rise to the occasion.

UCLA has been dreadful in marquee games during Neuheisel's regime, just 1-4 in mid-week games and 0-2 on Thursday nights, both defeats coming last year, to Oregon and Washington by a combined score of 84-20.

"Playing on Thursday night always adds pressure," Larimore said. "It's hard to play on Thursday nights, especially for us in the past. Looking at the upcoming schedule definitely adds emphasis to this game, too. We're not treating it like any other game."

Added Neuheisel: "You like to put on your best when people are watching. It's one of those games in that time slot where it's kind of the only game in town. When people are channel surfing, we want them to say, 'Hey, look at the Bruins. They've improved.' This is our opportunity to get that message across."

* UCLA knows going into this game that they can't be in awe of the Thursday night crowd as they have been the last few years. The Bruins lost three times last year in weekday games after going 1-1 in Rick Neuheisel's first year.

"Being dazzled by a crowd, geting ourselves behind early - if we can come out and get off to a good start and let the game settle in to being a good game and feel good about ourselves with the way we begin the game, we'll have enough to stay in for 60 minutes," Rick Neuheisel said.

* Stan McKay has looked good the last couple days, picking off passes both days.

* Tyler Gonzalez really seems to be gaining more and more confidence in himself and his role. He had a couple big field goals and the mystique of the whole "manager-turned-kicker" storyline has seemed to wear off.

* Albert Cid and Chris Ward continued to rotate at guard, and Neuheisel wouldn't name a starter going into Thursday.

* Kevin Prince had a solid two weeks of practice and seems to have gained some confidence going into the crucial matchup.

* Not too much to report on the injury front: The Bruins expect to get Sheldon Price back, and Tony Dye and Alex Mascarenas were officially ruled out.

Midway through a critical season for head coach Rick Neuheisel, the Bruins are an enigma, more difficult to grade than a trigonometry term paper. The Bruins stand at 3-3, halfway to bowl eligibility and markedly improved from the 4-8 record of a year ago. Yet even in victory, the team has looked subpar, unable to execute with consistency or precision.

Wins over San Jose State, Oregon State and Washington State have not been without stress, and blowout losses to Texas and Stanford have exposed major weaknesses. Perhaps the team's best performance came all the way back in Week 1, when they lost by four points by virtue of a missed field goal and missed PAT to a now-6-0 Houston team.

Against the Cougars, the Bruin defense was exposed. Since then, they've been stripped to the bone. UCLA ranks in the bottom third nationally in 11 categories, with the defense particularly suspect, 86th or worse out of 120 teams in all four major categories - run, pass, total and scoring defense. Offensively, despite an improved passing game that has only accounted for four interceptions, the Bruins are still averaging only 198.67 passing yards per game, 89th in the country. The running game, though good, hasn't been able to pick up the slack, and UCLA ranks 62nd nationally in total yardage (393.17 yards per game) and 78th in scoring offense (25.83 ppg).

For the Bruins to advance to the postseason, the defense will have to improve vastly.

For the team to stay in the conference race, the offense will have to step it up a notch or two.

And for the fans to start valuing the wins - and for Neuheisel's seat to cool down - the Bruins will have to start to look better doing it.

Quarterbacks
C+
Despite the instability of a fault line, the quarterback play has been improved this season for the Bruins. Still, Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince have a long way to go before being considered in the Pac-12 top tier.

Running Backs
B
Erratic usage has been perplexing, but Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman have delivered when called upon. The duo has combined for 839 yards and eight touchdowns and has been pivotal in all three wins. Franklin's going to break one sooner or later.

Wide Receivers
C+
If Mike Johnson's message finally clicks, this unit is primed for a big second half. The talent is there between Nelson Rosario (480 yards), Joseph Fauria (196 yards, four touchdowns) and Co., but the consistency and effort has been lacking.

Offensive Line
B-
Four sacks in six games is a massive upgrade over last year, but there is still pressure on the quarterback and a hesitation to open the playbook fully. The run blocking has been good but inconsistent. A healthy Sean Sheller would've been crucial.

Defensive Line
D-
What was expected to be a much-improved unit has instead regressed considerably. The Bruins have been simply blown out up front at times, and the opposition has gained 181.5 yards per game on the ground. Then there's the pass rush, which has disappeared.

Linebackers
D+
Lapses in coverage, missed tackles have plagued unit, particularly in the short passing game. Eric Kendricks looks like a good one in the making, but his playing time has been inconsistent. Patrick Larimore has been better in recent weeks, but needs to make bigger impact.

Defensive Backs
B-
Passive coverage has inflated the opposing passing numbers, but overall impressive starts for Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price. Tony Dye's absence at safety has been crucial, as has relative lack of depth with several others bumped and bruised.

Special Teams
D
An upswing in recruiting was supposed to have a trickle-down effect on the coverage and return game, but it most certainly has not. Add to that a kicking game that has been comedic at times, and the once-special unit is bordering on mediocrity...or worse.

Coaching
D
In what is a make-or-break year for the entire coaching staff, the group has been shockingly conservative at times, seemingly playing not to lose. Defensive passiveness, offensive indecision has both units playing well below the talent level.

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.

Hadenough won for UCLA v. Washington State, so please email me at jon.gold@dailynews.com.

Thanks

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel had a bit of good news and a bit of bad news for UCLA fans on Monday.

Neuheisel said that junior cornerback Sheldon Price (knee) could return for the Bruins' Thursday matchup with Arizona, but added that the team is considering a redshirt for senior safety Tony Dye.

Dye has battled neck issues for several weeks, last playing against Texas in Week 3, but the team could apply for a redshirt if the pain and numbness persists, as Dye would have played in less than 30 percent of the team's games.

"The big question is Tony Dye; Tony is in a situation where he's got stingers a neck issue, and obviously no one wants him to be hurt any more than he currently is. (It is) where he hits something, he gets partially numb. Obviously that's dangerous, and we have to make sure that folks that know, do what's right for Tony."

Dye has practiced sporadically over the last month, often in a red non-contact jersey. Dye ranks 10th on the team with 19 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss after he came into the season as the team's most experienced defensive leader.

Dye, who was listed on several preseason award watch lists, has played an integral role in the defense since he was a true freshman in 2008, when he played in 11 games. He's started 28 games for the Bruins since.

Neuheisel added that sophomore safety Alex Mascarenas is questionable to return for Arizona, while Jamie Graham is out.

The first installment of BCS standings is out, and the Pac-12 has two teams in the top 10, although Stanford is just No. 8, followed by No. 10 Oregon.
Here are the standings.

Sunday is (like) Tuesday this week since UCLA is playing at Arizona on Thursday night.
*Shaq Evans was wearing a red jersey, but he was back in practice and caught a long TD pass from Kevin Prince, streaking down the sideline, in the end-of-practice scrimmage.
*Evans, Sheldon Price and Nelson Rosario are all expected to be ready to play Thursday. Tony Dye still is not practicing.
*Even though Arizona is 1-5 and it fired its coach, UCLA is preparing for a lively atmosphere as it pumped crowd noise into practice. Nationally-televised games will do that.
*kicker Tyler Gonzalez made his 27-yard field goal to conclude practice. Then he was heading over to Drake Stadium for UCLA's soccer game. He managed the team about a month ago.
*Brett Hundley said his progress has ''shot through the roof'' over the last four practices now that he's getting second-string reps with Brehaut's injury.

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What up UCLA fans, this is Vincent Bonsignore, I'm covering for Jon Gold today,

I just finished up with Kevin Prince, talking about the importance of staying healthy now that Richard Brehaut is out for three weeks,

Obviously Prince never wants to get hurt, but now more than ever the Bruins need him on the field, and he seems to get it.

The trick is finding the proper balance between playing smart and still playing hard. Playing confident, not scared.

Based on our conversation, I think he appreciates that line, especially after going through so many injuries over his career.

FYI, the Bruins are off until Sunday - well, the players are, anyway. The coaches are hitting the recruiting trail in what could be a very big weekend for them to make some head way with kids.

Anyway, here my talk with Prince:

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAYING HARD, BUT ALSO STAYING HEALTHY

It doesn't really change my mindset toward the game but it definitely makes me more mindful of getting out of bounds and things like that," Prince said "But I'm not going to not hold the ball on reads, and I'm still going to run the ball and play the way I like to play.

Obviously it's a little more important now because we don't have an experienced quarterback backing me up, like we had with Richard.

I'll just try to be smart and get out of bounds when I can and slide when I can and protect myself.

ON THE LESSONS HE'S LEARNED ABOUT TRYING TO AVOID INJURY

I learned pretty quickly you can't withstand much abuse on the college level. These guys are strong and fast and great athletes.

I'm not that young kid going into Neyland Stadium trying to take on Tennessee linebackers anymore.

With experience comes a little bit of wisdom and I feel like I'm a little bit smarter when it comes to those decisions.

ON THE ART OF PLAYING SAFE

I'm not too good at it, but there's a little bit of art to it. More than anything it's trusting your instincts, knowing when to get down, feeling the pressure and just knowing when to avoid hits.

Richard (Brehaut's) pretty good at it, watching him I've picked up some things. He does a little spin move, so I might try and incorporate it into my repertoire.

* Ben Howland would not name a starting lineup, but Tyler Lamb did indeed confirm he'll start at the two, and Howland and David Wear both said he'd be playing a lot of three.

* The players really glowed about the arrival of De'End Parker, who strained his patella tendon in the weight room and will miss some practice. The Bruins raved about his athleticism and burst, and that's something UCLA has missed the last two years.

* Joshua Smith said he's 10 pounds lighter than he was at the end of last year, so that's around 315. He should get down to about 305 by the time the season starts, and that's a good number for him right now. The key will be for him to keep it off during the season. He said his goal is to play 30 minutes a game, and seemed more concerned about his penchant for fouls than his conditioning limiting his minutes.

* Anthony Stover told me he really worked extensively on his offense this summer, spending some time with trainers in Las Vegas to work on his moves. If he can add any offense to compliment his sound defense, that's an important piece behind Smith.

* Lazeric Jones' play is going to be crucial this year, and he knows it. He admitted to never feeling right after injuring his wrist in February, but he's been 100 percent for a while now and has had a good summer, many players said. If he can play 25-percent better, he'll be among the better point guards in the conference.

* Reeves Nelson got more tattoos. So did Tyler Lamb.

* Speaking of Lamb, Howland said he worked on eliminating some of the side spin from his shot this summer. Lamb sounds very excited to take on the role of defensive stopper from Malcolm Lee.

* I'll have videos from a half-dozen basketball players tomorrow throughout the day, as well as some football videos for the next two days (including a great one with Tyler Gonzalez), and I'll be off until Monday. Vinny Bonsignore is covering practice tomorrow, then the team is off for two days, then Jill Painter is covering Sunday. Please show them respect.

* Started a new feature on Two Fat Guys Talkin' Football with reader questions, so send them to either Jonah Hill (Me) or Chaz Bono (Sam Strong). We'll take a few of the best ones. Fun stuff. Be crazy.

While Ducks practiced against Ducks and Sun Devils squared off against Sun Devils and the Cardinal tried to clip the Cardinal, the UCLA basketball team spent the offseason training against Knicks and Lakers and Celtics.

Heading into what is sure to be a difficult season with Pauley Pavilion under renovation, the Bruins feel a bit better having fine-tuned against Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and a host of other NBA players in Los Angeles during a lockout that drags on.

"When you work out with those guys, you see how serious they are about it," junior forward Reeves Nelson said at the team's media day on Wednesday. "Once they come in this gym, that's all they cared about. They mentally helped us a lot because they tell us how to do a certain thing that you wouldn't get from a guy who's just a D-1 athlete. You get it from someone who has been in the league 12, 13 years."

With sky-high expectations, UCLA hopes that second-hand knowledge will sink in.
Though they lost two key perimeter players in shooting guard Malcolm Lee and small forward Tyler Honeycutt, the Bruins are thinking big because, well, they are big.

UCLA returns leading scorer and rebounder in Nelson (13.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) as well as mammoth center Joshua Smith (10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg), plus valuable reserves Anthony Stover and Brendan Lane and North Carolina transfers David and Travis Wear.

That 489 inches has UCLA looking all the way to the top.

"I feel like if we don't win (conference), it's a let-down," Smith said. "Last year, we had our expectations about winning, people didn't think we could. We saw the magazines that had us fourth, third, fifth ... we finished second, basically a game from winning it. ... We feel this year if we don't win it, it's a let-down."

In a league that is always filled with quick, diminutive point guards and typically up-tempo play, the Bruins are hoping to force their will on the opposition, not the other way around.

Senior point guard Lazeric Jones returns to lead the charge, bolstered by the return of the function of his left wrist, which severely hampered him after he suffered a sprain in early-February. Jones is joined in the UCLA backcourt by senior point guard Jerime Anderson, who is suspended for two games (one exhibition) after being arrested on charges of theft, sophomore shooting guard Tyler Lamb and newcomers De'End Parker and Norman Powell.

"Rather than looking at it as we're going to have to guard smaller people that are quicker," Nelson said, "they're going to have to guard big people who can do just as much as the small people can do."

Coming off a big turnaround season - the Bruins advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament a year after finishing 14-18 - UCLA just hopes it is able to withstand the grind of playing the entire schedule on the road.

"It's something that is actually going to feed this team," Stover said. "Not having a home court, always having to be the away team - the road show is what we're named now - it's really feeding our team. It's given us a little hunger, a little more strength, because we're going to have to fight every game."

* Kevin Prince generally looked sharp in practice on Tuesday, albeit on a day of what Rick Neuheisel called "fundamental" work. As I wrote in Think/Know he appeared to be more comfortable and relaxed against Washington State, and that's something Neuheisel talked about today. I'll have a video with Prince up later.

* Seemed to be a concerted effort to involve Joseph Fauria, who was shut out against the Cougars. Fauria had a bad drop but came back with a couple of nice catches in the team drills.

* On the Brett Hundley front: He obviously saw commensurate reps as the No. 2 quarterback, and he looked good throwing the ball...when he threw the ball. Still see him tuck and run too often, but with his legs, that could be a good thing, though he was forced to do extra pushups for holding the ball too far from his body.

* Jerry Rice Jr. also had a nice day, with a couple really nice grabs.

* Anthony Jefferson was back at practice in shorts and shells but still walking gingerly and didn't participate.

* Glenn Love was dressed but jogging on the sidelines.

* Kip Smith was dressed and working on accuracy drills

* Tony Dye wasn't even in a red jersey, not even dressed out. Neuheisel said they're just "resting him up." Alex Mascarenas also did not dress out.

* Johnathan Franklin (shoulder) and Justin Edison (head) were in non-contact jerseys.

* I know Mike Johnson is right: UCLA needs to adjust the Pistol

When talking with Mike Johnson in the locker room after the Bruins' win over Washington State, I was surprised how candid Johnson was about the need to alter the offense with the injury to Richard Brehaut. He implied that changes would need to be made, and while some might ask, 'What took so long?', in this now-six-game season, UCLA will definitely need to do all it can to protect the quarterback.
Kevin Prince bounced back in a big way on Saturday, not just from the three-pick performance against Texas, but also from the costly end-zone interception in the first half. He played well and threw the ball better than he has in a while, but he still has a ways to go. Rick Neuheisel remains committed to the idea that Prince is a running quarterback, but I still think he - and Brehaut - are quarterbacks who run, not running quarterbacks. Prince needs to be protected going forward because Brett Hundley hasn't had the reps or growth needed to play a major role right now, though I may be underestimating his improvisational skills. But the last thing UCLA needs is any more quarterback injuries, so perhaps they will heed Johnson's judgment.

* I think the Bruins might have found the defensive line combination they need

To be sure, UCLA did not dominate a Washington State offensive line it should have dominated, yet it did play one of its best games of the season. With the stout Seali'i Epenesa and Donovan Carter complimenting Cassius Marsh and Nate Chandler better, the line should grow going forward, as well. Carter had six tackles, Epenesa two including a TFL, and the line as a whole was more productive than its been all year against the Cougars.

* I know UCLA's cornerbacks haven't gotten enough credit this year

Sheldon Price was playing very good football before he went down, but there hasn't been a ton of talk about Aaron Hester. Hester was very impressive Saturday night, picking up a team-high tackles, including a TFL, and playing great defense on one of the conference's top receivers, Marquess Wilson. Wilson had 10 catches for 88 yards, and Washington State barely attempted anything over the top. Hester finished with two pass breakups, and with a hobbled Juron Criner coming up next for Arizona, he'll need to play good man-to-man again.
Andrew Abbott, meanwhile, came up with a heady game-saving interception in place of Price, who is questionable for the Wildcats.

* I know that UCLA needs to find a No. 2 wideout
Nelson Rosario has been a highly productive enigma this season for the Bruins, making what is beginning to seem like a weekly appearance in the Sportscenter highlight reel. But he can't reasonably be expected to be counted on for circus catch after circus catch, and with Joseph Fauria once again perplexingly faded into oblivion, the Bruins need to continue to develop another top wide receiver. I thought Shaq Evans could grow into that role, but his production has fallen off despite the game-winning touchdown catch, and there are times when Randall Carroll looks like a stud.
There just seems to be no rhyme nor reason to the UCLA passing game so far, and you wonder how long that can last.