November 2011 Archives

Forget the record.

Forget even, football, if just for a moment.

The scene we just witnessed at Spaulding Field was one of the most memorable moments I'll ever have as a beat writer: Watching Rick Neuheisel get carried off the field by his players, singing the UCLA fight song.

Neuheisel's last practice at Spaulding field as head coach of the Bruins culminated in a celebration, not for a coach, it seemed, but for a UCLA legend.

It was more than an emotional scene - Neuheisel and some assorted family in tears, players solemnly trudging off the field - but it was one I'll remember.

UCLA could be one of the rare teams to advance to a bowl game with a sub-.500 record, the NCAA decided today.

College football's governing body approved UCLA petition for a bowl waiver if the Bruins lose on Friday to Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference Championship, a loss that would drop the team's record to 6-7.

"As a program, we appreciate the NCAA approving our petition for a bowl waiver," UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero said in a release. "We will be able to give our 18 seniors one more chance to represent their university and end their collegiate careers on a high note, regardless of the outcome of this Friday's Pac-12 Championship Game. We'd like to thank the NCAA for considering the unique situation in which we find ourselves this year and rewarding us with this opportunity."

Bowl pairings will be announced on Sunday, with seven Pac-12 teams advancing to the postseason. Current projections have UCLA going to either the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl or the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco.

Spoke with Scout.com's Brandon Huffman yesterday about the Building a Class story, here are some leftovers:

What do the other UCLA coaches do with their futures in doubt?
"You can't just be polishing up your resume. You have to prove you want to still be on this staff. The reality is that some of these guys might end up at a Pac-12 school, and they want good reputations."

Is a new coach on defense or offense? That is, is he more protecting the commits they already have, or going for new ones?
"It's going to be both. What happened with Neuheisel, when he walked in, they already had 18-20 guys committed. Rahim, Datone, Tony Dye, Patrick Larimore Nick Crissman - those were guys who had committed by June or earlier. Nobody wanted to be that guy who left."

Can this get UCLA in the living rooms of any elite prospects?
"It all depends on who they hire. A lot of it is dependent on if it's an offensive guy - maybe some guys didn't think they can do the Pistol, maybe the new guy runs the spread or the pro-style. Maybe it's a defensive guy, and maybe there can be an outside linebacker who doesn't want to play in a 4-3, but the new guy runs a 3-4 and now he looks at UCLA."

Give me one surprise with this news:
"They're not going to lose any of their elite prospects. I don't think they lose those guys like Hiva Lutui and Aaron Porter. Even though Porter said at halftime of the Arizona game, he had three Pac-12 coaches call him."

As if UCLA's recruiting prospects did not seem dim enough after the Bruins' 50-0 loss at USC on Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum, Rick Neuheisel's firing on Monday morning has thrown a wrench in even the best-laid plans.

Verbal commits now will have to reconsider their decisions, those undecided who might have built a good rapport with UCLA coaches now might look elsewhere, relationships will have to be reestablished, or in some cases, reestablished.

The Bruins currently have 16 verbal commitments, including those from No. 3-rated center Hiva Lutui (Euless, Texas), No. 9 middle linebacker Aaron Porter of La Habra and no. 14-rated guard Lacy Westbrook of Compton Dominguez.

"This is the time when guys become fair game," Scout.com recruiting analyst Brandon Huffman said. "Especially guys like Lutui, Porter, guys who are committed and upper-echelon guys; this is when people can put doubts in their mind."

The volume of those doubts will be turned to 11 after the Bruins big loss to the Trojans, the big, bad crosstown rival who collects five-star talent like they're postage stamps.
After a loss like that, Huffman and Rivals.com's Rick Kimbrel agree, recruiting top talent can be almost impossible.

"It's gonna be tough," Kimbrel said. "It's difficult - this is one of those game where everything that could go wrong did - and you have to revert back to the Arizona State game, Colorado - the positives., Colorado the positives.

Added Huffman: "Actually, if Neuheisel had been retained, I think the USC loss would've slammed the door shut for most guys. Like, 'This is what I'm getting myself into?' Instead, there's always excitement when a new coach is hired."

For all but 12 UCLA football players, Rick Neuheisel is the only collegiate head football coach they've ever known.

But the reality started sinking in for the Bruins around midday on Monday, less than an hour after the announcement that Neuheisel would be relieved of his duties following the team's Pac-12 championship game showdown at Oregon's Autzen Stadium on Friday night, that soon enough, that won't be the case.

Some found out via a special team meeting with Dan Guerrero, one in which the athletic director asked players to raise their hand if they came to UCLA to go 6-6, and "not one of them raised their hand."

Some were not so lucky.

"The feelings that happened when I found out on ESPN, I can't really explain," said tight end Joseph Fauria, who was in class and could not attend the meeting. "It wasn't necessarily shock, it was hurt that I found out that way. It just hurt. You'd be dumb to say it hasn't been floating out there for some time, but he's our coach, he's our leader, a guy who I personally like on and off the field, and it's tough to grasp."

Though Neuheisel started the season firmly planted in a scorching hot seat that only grew more and more scolding with blowout losses to Texas and Stanford, the melting point came with a 48-12 loss at Arizona on Oct. 20.

Facing a Wildcats squad that was playing under recently named interim head coach Tim Kish, fresh off the firing of Mike Stoops, UCLA was thoroughly embarrassed, left particularly red-faced by a midfield brawl that resulted in 10 total suspensions.

Soon after the game, rumors started swirling about Neuheisel's precarious future, and players tried to ignore it, all the way up until Saturday night, when a 50-0 loss at USC seemingly slammed the door shut on Neuheisel's tenure.

"I didn't think about it too much," junior quarterback Kevin Prince said. "Obviously after the Arizona game, you heard rumors, heard talk, but we came back and played a great game against Cal, played a great game against Arizona State, and you kind of forget about that stuff. You're thinking bigger and better things after that. Even after losing to Utah, you don't think about it."

Monday, though, they faced the harsh truth.

They would be playing one last game for Neuheisel.

Monday's practice was louder and sharper than it had been in a long time, players having a little extra zip because of the heightened senses - and heightened emotions - involving the decision.

Nothing refocuses the mind like hard work, they figured.

"It would be easy to say there's an awkwardness about it, but at the same time you can't let it spread, you can't let it be like a cancer," Fauria said. "You have to treat it like any other week. It's not easy. You have to be mature, understand what's at stake, understand what's ahead of us."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel had some interesting things to say to Dan Patrick - their interviews are always good, great chemistry between the two - particularly about the expectations at UCLA and what needs to be changed to meet them: Check it out

Here's a link to my story on Rick Neuheisel's firing: Check it out
Vinny Bonsignore chimes in: Here
As does Jill Painter: Here

From Vinny Bonsignore...

At the end of a long, dreary Monday came a glimmer of hope for UCLA.

The Bruins basketball team showed definite signs of waking up from its early season slumber in a 62-39 win over Pepperdine at the Sports Arena.

Lost in all the drama unfolding across the hall with the UCLA football team, which culminated Monday with the firing of underachieving head coach Rick Neuheisel, is the underwhelming start by the Bruins on the hardwood.

The back-to-back losses to Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State mixed in with some off-court turmoil by temperamental forward Reeves Nelson and a pair of blowout setbacks in Hawaii to Kansas and Michigan created a worst-case scenario for a team looking to rebound from two relatively down seasons.

Then came Monday and the definite step in the right direction the Bruins took against Pepperdine, by far their most convincing, complete performance of the season.

For the first time all year UCLA (2-4) successfully defended the perimeter, especially through a first half in which Pepperdine managed to make just 5 of 19 shots from the field while shooting a dismal 26.3 percent from the field.

Best of all was the 0-for-3 the Waves (3-3) shot from 3-point range, as the Bruins have had particular trouble slowing teams down from behind the ark.

Pepperdine finished the night making 15 of 48 shots and 3 of 9 three-pointers, with Taylor Darby scoring nine to lead the way.

"Our need for a win tonight was exemplified by how hard we played defensively," UCLA coach Ben Howland said. "Our team defense was by far our best effort of the year. That's how we have to play."

Here's what Dan Guerrero told me about specific facility upgrades:

"Spaulding were looking to improve. We've already met with campus architect about facility that can be utilized for a training table, possibly academics for football, really to augment what we have existing in the football program. We're not sure whether the footprint of Spaulding enables to do that. The constraint that we have in a lot of respects is we're on a postage stamp, and there's a master plan for every square inch of this place. But we're working on what we can garner on campus for additional facilities."

Another tidbit from the Dan Guerrero press conference was his revelation that the school would indeed seek a bowl game if the team does indeed lose to Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game. There was some doubt but Guerrero said it was for the players, fans and school.

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel:

On finding out about being fired:
"We all know what we're getting into when we get into this profession. I'm excited for this chance on Friday, and if it's going to be my last time at UCLA, I hope it's special."

On the reasons of the decision:
"I didn't ask. I thanked Dan for the opportunity. I don't need reasons. Certainly when you're UCLA coach, you'd like to play better against USC. When you lose in fashion we did, that's a difficult pill to swallow."

On talking to the players:
"I have not had a chance to talk with players. We have practice at 5 and i'll have chance to make sure they understand it's not about me, it's about us. We get to tee it up against very, very talented Oregon team.

On his future:
"This has kind of hit me between the eyes a little bit. I've been kind of on one track, which is to do the best I can with this particular team. That will be the case at least through Friday. then we'll make decisions about which course to take. I love coaching, I know that."

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero:
Opening statement:
"Decisions like this are never easy, in particular with one of your own. There will always be pain and heartache involved. But there was no doubt in the fact I thought that this move was necessary at this time."

On money for a new coaching staff:
"We will have obviously more resources at our disposal to be more competitive in the marketplace. The new Pac-12 contract will provide some resources in that regard. Have had wonderful support from external community that they're willing to help in that regard."

On what led to Neuheisel's dismissal:
"Most notably, inconsistency that plagued the team this year. The mark of a good program is one that is consistent game in game out. One you can be assured of effort you'd get on game to game basis. We just weren't there. We certainly had some losses of epic proportions."

On the timing of the decision:
"In making this decision, I make no assumptions about outcome of the game. By making the decision today it gives us the opportunity to begin the search immediately."

UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero:
Opening statement:
"Decisions like this are never easy, in particular with one of your own. There will always be pain and heartache involved. But there was no doubt in the fact I thought that this move was necessary at this time."

On money for a new coaching staff:
"We will have obviously more resources at our disposal to be more competitve in the marketplace. The new Pac-12 contract will provide some resources in that regard. Have had wonderful support from external community that theyre willing to help in that regard."

On what led to Neuheisel's dismissal:
"Most notably, incconsistency that plagued the team this year. The mark of a good program is one that is consistent game in game out. One you can be assured of effort you'd get on game to game basis. We just weren't there. We certainly had some losses of epic proportions."

On the timing of the decision:
"In making this decision, I make no assumptions about outcome of the game. By making the decision today it gives us the opportunity to begin the search immediately."

Rarely does a team with a chance for a conference title have just one member on the all-conference first- or second-team.

But Derrick Coleman, named to the second team as a special teams player, was the lone UCLA representative, as announced Monday.

Johnathan Franklin, Andrew Abbott, Kai Maiava and Nelson Rosario were named honorable mention selections for the Bruins, who play at Autzen Stadium on Friday night against the Oregon Ducks.

Obviously Boise State's Chris Peterson is the golden goose for UCLA fans right now, and from what I'm told, the Bruins are going after him, and hard, but if it doesn't work out, which direction would you like to UCLA go?

I'll be on Petros and Money on AM570 today to talk UCLA football and other assorted goodies.

As reported following UCLA's 50-0 loss at USC on Saturday night, Rick Neuheisel is out as UCLA head coach.

The school announced the firing on Monday morning effective following the Pac-12 championship game, which is set to kick off on Friday at 5 p.m. in Oregon's Autzen Stadium, at the conclusion of which, first-year offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will take over on an interim basis.

"I have a great deal of respect for Rick Neuheisel and the manner in which he has run this program during his tenure as UCLA head football coach," UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a release. "Decisions such as this one do not come without a great deal of heartache. However, it is apparent to me that a move was necessary at this time in order to give UCLA the best chance to enjoy the success that we all desire."

Guerrero, who it was announced will be holding a live press conference at 2:30 p.m., addressed reporters briefly following the Bruins' loss to USC and said Neuheisel's status would be discussed after the season.

Neuheisel made his best pitch for continuing as head coach on Sunday during a press conference with reporters.

"I was told that we need to move the needle and if the needle moved that we would be fine and I'd get to continue along my five years of my five-year contract," Neuheisel said. "We have won five conference games as opposed to three last year. We have won the right to represent the South in the conference championship. We've certainly had some unfortunate evenings where things haven't gone our way, but I think the program is headed in the right direction."

Multiple sources close to the program have said that the school is ready to make a financial commitment to football, with Boise State head coach Chris Petersen and Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin atop a short list of desired candidates.

Neuheisel, who will receive a $250,000 buyout, went 21-28 in four season at his alma mater, with two 4-8 finishes and to 6-6 regular-season campaigns. In 2009, the Bruins appeared to be heading in the right direction with a win over Temple in the EagleBank Bowl, but the team regressed to 4-8 last season and suffered five losses of at least 25 points this season.

"Rick Neuheisel's strong personal values, integrity and tenacity made this decision extremely difficult for Dan Guerrero and the University. We wish Rick the best in his future endeavors," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in the release. "UCLA's athletic program has built a rich and proud legacy throughout the years, producing student-athletes who are winners on and off the field. While we insist on emphasizing academic performance by all students--including our student-athletes-- we also have a strong commitment to ensuring our athletic programs are successful overall. I have complete confidence in Dan's ability to recruit and hire a head coach who can revitalize UCLA's football program, and have pledged my full support in this process."

Forget 11 games, forget more turbulence than a Midwest thunderstorm, forget anything about anything prior to 7 p.m. on Saturday night.

That was UCLA's plan.

Win the next three hours and win the Pac-12 South division outright, a defiant showing against crosstown rival USC at Los Angeles Coliseum giving both teams identical 6-3 conference records and UCLA the title.

That was UCLA's plan.

But a 50-0 loss to the Trojans has the Bruins crawling up to Eugene, barely dragging themselves over the state line and into what is expected to be a raucous Autzen Stadium
.
"We didn't want to sneak in there because of a technicality, we didn't want to be an asterisk in the record books," junior quarterback Kevin Prince said. "We wanted to earn it."

Instead, UCLA ekes into the conference's inaugural showcase after suffering its fifth blowout loss of the season, which dropped its record to 6-6.

The mere appearance of the Bruins in what was expected to be a star-studded affair has roundly drawn criticism from across the country. Most had simply thought Utah would defeat heavy underdog Colorado in Salt Lake City on Friday night. Instead, the Utes missed three crucial field goals in a 17-14 loss to the Buffaloes.

Insert UCLA.

Insert punchline.

National media has taken to Twitter to thrash the Bruins, the Trojans sported "2011 South Division Champion" T-shirts and UCLA will likely be fodder for late-night television by Monday night.

The only thing louder than Autzen Stadium on Friday night might be the backlash on the Bruins championship berth.

"I don't care what people think," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "As far as I know, they're sending a plane to pick us up and we're gonna get on it."

Added junior cornerback Andrew Abbott: "It's basically all or nothing. We didn't do it (Saturday), so this is it. Lay it all on the line. Let the chips fall where they may."

The Bruins know the alternative.

This isn't a poker game, it's a high-stakes slot machine, with just two results: Either UCLA advances to the Rose Bowl or it becomes bowl ineligible at 6-7, forced to petition the NCAA for a waiver just to appear in a low-level bowl.

This is no $6 jackpot on the line.

"We're aware of the stakes," Prince said. "It would've been nice to have won this one and not have to worry about the whole petition part of it, and now it's win or go home, pretty much for us. We have to win to make a dream come true."

The players are dreaming because their reality is so dire.

Neuheisel made the rounds throughout UCLA locker room on Saturday night to comfort the players, offering pep talks to the more forlorn.

Minutes earlier he had trudged off the Los Angeles Coliseum field surrounded by four police officers, rushing to catch up to junior tight end Joseph Fauria, whose massive shoulders on his 6-foot-8 frame were drooped to about three inches off the ground.

"What the head coach and I discussed was between he and I, but at the same time, it was positive. He's a positive guy, and right there I kind of needed that, because it it's difficult walking off that field knowing we left some stuff on there."

Neuheisel knows because he's been there.

Four previous times this year, in fact.

The loss to USC was the Bruins' fifth of more than 25 points.

"If you're not careful, you can leave a locker room feeling like the coaches feel it's all the players' fault," Neuheisel said. "I think it's important to realize we're in this together and that we're a team and that we share in victory just as we share in defeat."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel on:

On making his rounds across the locker room and offering words of encouragement:
"If you're not careful, you can leave a locker room feeling like the coaches feel it's all the players' fault. I think it's important to realize we're in this together and that we're a team and that we share in victory just as we share in defeat. The key going forward was to continue was to believe in one another and get the focus on the task at hand. Which meant taking today as a player and getting rid of the sting of last night."

On why he tunes out negativity:
"It's more than a belief, its knowledge. It happens all the time. You have to be relentlessly positive, and you'll get back to where you need to. Hope is not a strategy. This is a conviction of optimism, and we are going to rise again."

On the postseason:
"We have a right to go to a bowl game, we finished season at 6-6 and that qualifies you for a bowl game. If we're unsuccessful, then we have right to play in postseason like everybody else with 6-6 record."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel:

On the practice schedule:
"It's a little different, but most times the kids have Mondays off. Today's the day off. Gives coaches ample time to give ourselves a plan to put together because you have to play fast against a team like Oregon. We'll try to polish it up tomorrow afternoon until we practice tomorrow night."

On offensive issues:
"We didn't score. There were plenty of opportunities to score lots of points. Poor execution."

On preparing for Oregon's tempo:
It has to be a portion of it, no question. They play at a speed that's unlike any other and we have to understand that and not be worn out by it.

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel on...

On giving players a day off while Oregon practiced today:
"Players are not involved today. The hour of last evening and the emotional cost of last evening, better in my mind to get away from it for a day, and get ready for a great practice tomorrow."

On outside criticism:
"I don't care what people think. As far as I know, they're sending a plane to pick us up and we're gonna get on it."

UCLA QB Kevin Prince...

On the topsy-turvy season:
"We know how the pattern of this season has gone by - we know that when we've had losses, bad losses, we've been able to bounce back pretty strong. We're also aware were playing a very good opponent and it won't be easy."

On stopping criticism:
"Win it. If we win, then people can say too much. They can still say we back d into it but it doesn't take a legitimate win, which that would be."

On the bowl scenario:
"Yeah, it's a unique situation considering its kind of Rose Bowl or no bowl almost. I know we can petition for one. But obviously our goal all season has been to win the Pac-12 championship and we have the opportunity to do so. We still have lots to play for; it's still a somber time because of what happened last night. It's good we have a day off. After the Arizona game, we had a couple days off to sit back and reflect on what we did better, how we can improve individually kind of taking same approach this week."

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince on...

On back-dooring into the Pac-12 championship game:
"It's a little weird. Obviously things didn't go the way we wanted last night. We would've preferred to make the conference championship game by winning it outright. But the situation turned out that we have the opportunity to redeem ourselves. We're still excited about the opportunity. Definitely not the way we wanted it to go down."

On moving the ball but scoring zero points:
"Lack of execution when we got down to the red zone. We got it down within 10 yards three different times. We just weren't able to put it in the end zone. That comes down to me. It comes down to me not executing when I needed to. We had a chance to run a couple in that I didn't take advantage of. I'll take responsibility for that."

RESULT: USC 50, UCLA 0
RECORD: 6-6
WEEK 12 GPA: F

QUARTERBACKS
F
Kevin Prince's first pass of the game was woefully overthrown, and he didn't get much better.

RUNNING BACKS
D
Derrick Coleman's Inability to plug it in from yard out started USC's landslide.

WIDE RECEIVERS
D+
Nelson Rosario was impressive while going over the 1,000-yard mark, but little from elsewhere.

OFFENSIVE LINE
D
Not altogether awful, but needed to have a tremendous performance and it didn't.

DEFENSIVE LINE
F
If Matt Barkley had any more time in the pocket, he could've watched the entire first season of Law and Order: SVU.

LINEBACKERS
F
Just completely lost in pass defense and not nearly impactful enough in the run.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
F
Marqise Lee, Robert Woods ran circles, triangles, squares and parallelograms around them.

SPECIAL TEAMS
D+
Unsurprisingly, punter Jeff Locke was the lone bright spot for UCLA. Thank God punting is winning, then.

COACHING
F-
The 50-0 margin of defeat was the largest in 81 years. Enough said.

Nelson Rosario became the seventh UCLA player to hit the 1,000-yard mark after his seven-catch, 118-yard performance against USC.

Rosario now has 55 grabs for 1,008 yards on the year - moving up to fifth on the UCLA career yardage mark with 2,209 yards - after his fourth 100-yard game of the year.

Multiple sources close to the program are indicating that UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel will be relieved of his duties following the team's appearance in the Pac-12 championship game on Friday.

Dan Guerrero said on Saturday night that Neuheisel would coach against the Ducks but would not elaborate further after calling the loss "devastating."

"He's carried this program all year long; I indicated we'd evaluate this program at the end of the season," Guerrero said. "We have one game left and we'll do that."

If UCLA loses at Oregon, the Bruins would technically be ineligible for a bowl game at 6-7, but the conference is able to apply for a waiver with the NCAA to get the team into the postseason.

"We're talking to the conference office this week to see what options are in that regard," Guerrero said.

Sources have said Neuheisel was on perilously thin ice after the Bruins' 48-12 loss at Arizona on Oct. 20, but that back-to-back wins over Cal and Arizona State prolonged his tenure and eventually changed the opinion of decision-makers.

After the team's 31-6 loss at Utah, though, the ice went back to being just as thin - if not thinner - and sources said that even if the team defeated USC on Saturday, or at the very least put up a good fight, Neuheisel would still be a candidate for termination.

UCLA's pride wasn't the only thing hurt on Saturday night after a 50-0 loss to USC.

A Bruin cheerleader had to be helped away from the Los Angeles Coliseum, carried by friends through the packed tunnel and out of the stadium.

Rick Neuheisel could've used a pick-me-up, too.

UCLA's disheartening dismantling at the hands of USC, the most lopsided score in the crosstown rivalry since USC's 52-0 win in 1930, leaves the Bruins emotionally battered and psychologically bruised.

But the best cure for a bad breakup? Get right back up on the horse, and that's exactly what is on the Briuns' minds with the Pac-12 Championship game approaching on Friday at Oregon.

"We don't have a choice," Neuheisel said. "We can't allow this to detract from what has to be a great week of preparation. We've got to look and find what we did that kept us from being more efficient tonight."

Efficiency ultimately ruined the Bruins, both their lack of it and USC's utter abundance.

The Trojans scored on six of their first seven possessions, averaged nine yards per play on 36 plays by halftime and quarterback Matt Barkley completed 35-of-42 passes for 423 yards and a school-record-tying six touchdowns, which gave him a Pac-12-record 39 on the year.

UCLA, meanwhile, sputtered offensively just when the Bruins needed it most.

On their first drive - following a 42-yard touchdown from Barkley to freshman wide receiver Marquise Lee on USC's first drive - a 4th-and-goal rushing attempt by Derrick Coleman from the 1-yard line was jammed by USC's Juwanna Starling and Co., and the Trojans made it 14-0 on a Curtis McNeal 73-yard touchdown run.

"I thought we were gonna answer," Neuheisel said. "We went for it on 4th-and-1 expecting to answer, and they did a nice job stopping it. We just couldn't stop them and we were too inconsistent as an offense to be in a scoring-fest with them. It just got out of hand."

Against such a prolific offense, the Bruins needed junior quarterback Kevin Prince to be near-perfect.

He was not.

Prince overthrew his first attempt, finished 21-of-33 for 261 yards with an interception and was sacked four times.

Meanwhile, Barkley was hitting receivers all over the field, particularly Lee and sophomore Robert Woods, who combined for 25 catches for 335 yards and four touchdowns.

"They can just attack you with multiple dudes," Price said. "They have a lot of athletes who they get the ball too with a good quarterback. It was pitch-and-catch."

UCLA doesn't have too long to lick its wounds with a visit to Autzen Stadium for the conference title against the No. 9 Ducks.

It's all or nothing," Abbott said. "We didn't do it tonight, so now it's all or nothing."

Here are the uniforms UCLA will wear today against USC/a>

UCLA redshirt freshman safety Tevin McDonald is emerging as one of the team's promising young defenders, and most promising quotes. Here's a conversation we had this week as he prepared to play his brother, T.J., later today, and here's Vinny Bonsignore's column on the two of them and their father, former USC safety Tim.

JG: When did you officially decide on UCLA?
TM: "When I came down here for an unofficial, came to see a game, I'd never really seen UCLA too much. Growing up, that wasn't the school. It wasn't just all USC for me, though. But I came down here, saw the locker room in the Rose Bowl and I fell in love. I had great relationships with the guys here - Sheldon Price and I went to camps together before he even committed here - and I liked Coach Neuheisel and he sold me. I loved it here, and it was a great choice for me."

JG: You committed so early, you might have discouraged USC from recruiting you...
TM: "I don't think their intentions were to recruit me even if I had a great senior year. Who knows? I committed early, so I eliminated that."

JG: Did you ever have interest in USC?

TM: With their tradition and their recent success, how as a young athlete who wants to win, who wants to play for all the things you can play for, going to ignore that? I understand if you want to be a Trojan, they've had great success through the years. But my brother is a Trojan. My dad was a Trojan. Growing up, I was always known as Little Tim or Little T.J. Just getting to Edison, I was Little T.J. My dad was head coach, so to the older guys I was Little Tim. Middle school, T.J. was an eighth grader, I got there as a seventh grader, so I was Little T.J. All of elementary school.
"This seemed like the perfect opportunity to come here and be Tevin."

JG: What were your dad's thoughts on the decision?
TM: "When I got offered, my Dad and I had a long drive home - I actually had to leave the camp early for T.J.'s graduation - so we talked, a long talk, 3.5 hours of my future and what I wanted to do. He was really a huge advocate on me coming here. He thought it would be great. At this point, it's really cool to see how this all panned out.

JG: Describe your relationship with T.J....
TM: "We spent a lot of time together; we have a little sister, but it was really just us two. We found out as we got older that we gravitated toward each other. Our circle of friends got smaller and smaller. Don't get me wrong - we definitely had our battles. Outside basketball in the driveway was my friends versus his friends. We found a way to play two-on-two football. A quarterback, someone counting alligators, and then a 1-on-1 on the outside."
It didn't stop there.
The McDonalds' cousin, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Fresno State return specialist Clifton Smith - whose younger brother, Brandon Breazell, played wide receiver for UCLA - strapped his younger proteges in helmets and shoulders pads, set them five yards apart and said go.
"Outside of sports," Tevin McDonald said of T.J., that's my guy."

JG: This isn't much of a story if you don't have three picks against Cal and 11 tackles against Arizona State. Talk about your season and what it took to get here...

TM: "When I started playing, that's when the ball started rolling. T.J. told me before my first start, 'You know what's out there for us. You know what's out there for you. It's up to you to go get it.' For me to have a game like that, and to have T.J. come celebrate - regardless of the Stanford loss, he came right over to Westwood and celebrated - for him to be that excited...
"It's a dream come true to know that what we designed, how this all would work out, is really happening."

JG: Wow, he came to Westwood? What's it like to hear that from a play like T.J., with that kind of relationship, especially with someone who knows what you go through?
"Hearing that from T.J... (trailing off, shaking head) I have the utmost respect for T.J. I play the position, I know how hard it is, and I know what a good play is. I know what good players can do at the position. To see him make the type of plays he's making, to see him put himself in a position to be a real force back there, a real fear - we both can agree he's the most-feared defensive back in the Pac-12? Maybe the country? - that says a lot about his play and his mentality. So whenever a person like that tells you that's a good play or you had a really good game, it's nice to hear. And that guy just happens to be my brother."

During the past 12 years, UCLA has only defeated USC one time.
It is a game etched in the memories of Bruin blue, those for whom the numbers 13 and nine have a special significance.
A dozen years, 11 heartbreaks, one redemption.
In 2006, sophomore quarterback Pat Cowan, junior defensive end Bruce Davis, junior safety Chris Horton, senior defensive end Justin Hickman and Co. tasted that redemption, their 13-9 win at the Rose Bowl knocking the No. 2 Trojans out of national championship consideration.
Five years later, they still hold on tightly to the memories.
They joined UCLA beat writer Jon Gold for lengthy conversations about the build-up to that day, the game, the win, the celebration, and what it means to them a half-decade later.
Five years later, the Bruins are still hoping for another win over USC.

In 2006, things were looking up for the Bruins once more. A year after Drew Olson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis led UCLA to a 10-2 record, the team was off to a 4-1 start, picking up momentum with consecutive wins over Stanford and Arizona by total a score of 58-7. With an ultra-talented defense and an emerging offense, UCLA was on the verge of being ranked. Instead, they tanked.

Pat Cowan: "We had a four-game losing streak - lost at Oregon, a real tough one at Notre Dame, a bad loss to Washington State and we lost at Berkeley - but coming off a 10-win season, we always knew we had a good team."

Bruce Davis: "We had a team meeting and we talked about where we were at, a players-only meeting. Christian Taylor and I called the meeting; we weren't happy. We had three games to go and we knew we had to win all three."

Justin Hickman: "We were a struggling team. We were mediocre all year. We knew we had to do something or we'd have a very bad season."

Cowan: "We refocused, and our goal was to go 3-0."

In order to go 3-0, UCLA would have to go 2-0, and it did, with wins over Oregon State at the Rose Bowl and over Arizona State in Tempe. It went a long way toward cooling off Karl Dorrell's hot seat, but he wasn't exactly on solid ground.

Hickman: "It was always in the back of our minds and we didn't talk about it. We knew Coach Dorrell was on the hot seat, and closing out the season right and beating USC would get him off it."

Davis: "Going in, we'd won two in a row, and with the talent we had on that football team, there was no reason we couldn't beat those guys. Nobody was like, let's work extra hard. We were already working as hard as we could."

Cowan: "You don't want to say that you focus more during the week for USC - because you want to give the same effort every week - but you always give a little bit more."

Davis: "I remember players-only film sessions. Offensive guys would stay on their own, and defensively we'd have meetings, with all the guys taking notes."

Perhaps no one was studying harder than Cowan. The junior quarterback had taken over for starter Ben Olson in Week 5 after Olson was sidelined with a torn knee ligament in a big win over Arizona. Cowan's first career starts were rough, coinciding with the Bruins' four-game losing streak, but he turned it on late with four touchdowns and one interception against the Beavers and Sun Devils. But his hold on the starter spot was tenuous, and Olson's return was anticipated. Olson fought to regain his spot, but Cowan was named starter Wednesday, and the excitement grew.

Cowan: "I was always preparing for games no matter what. I truly believe you were always one play away from playing. I was prepared to play for that game."

Davis: "We practiced against him every day and we knew what he was capable of. We knew he was elusive and fast, more than people gave him credit for, but besides the physical things you can quantify, we knew Pat had this attitude. There was no doubt in anybody's mind that Pat Cowan could go out and win the game."

Maybe around Spaulding Field that was true, but not everywhere. Probably not anywhere else, to be honest. USC was ranked No. 2 in the nation, 47-3 in its past 50 games, blessed with more talent than some college all-star teams. The Trojans had won seven straight over the Bruins.

Davis: "I remember (defensive coordinator Dewayne Walker) saying, `The only people who think you can win are on this team. Even some of your parents are just being nice to you, telling you you're gonna win. They don't believe it."'

Horton: "That first year I played them, the halftime score might've been 40-2. They were good, man."

Davis: "When you get on a losing streak to a team you see every year like that, that makes you intense. They were super talented, every year. Year in, year out. That year it didn't matter. We were hearing in the paper that it's been seven years, they're going to make it eight. You don't want to go four or five years and not beat USC. That was important to us."

Horton: "We were at home, they were No. 2. This is a national stage. This is a game everyone would be watching, with them playing for a national championship trip. We had nothing to lose and they had everything to gain."

It was more than just intrinsic motivation, though. UCLA had a gameplan. Get to the quarterback, and quick.

Hickman: "We saw things we could take advantage of on film. You get to John David Booty and you hit him, and they cringe under pressure. Me, Bruce, Kevin (Brown) and Brigham (Harwell) took it on ourselves to dominate the line of scrimmage."

Davis: "Justin and I were roommates, and we'd watch College Football Gameday every Saturday, and I remember being rudely awakened by Justin yelling that we were about to be on, and they brought him and I up, and they said there's no way we're going to have an impact on the game. Justin and I are a lot alike, and we hear something like that, and it's going to piss us off. We looked at each other and we said, `That's BS. Let's go out and make our mark.' That was at 7:30 in the morning."

Properly motivated, all that remained was the game. It wasn't exactly one for the ages. The offenses were sloppy, contained, perhaps boring. But a fourth-and-1 stop by the Bruins at their 31-yard line on USC's first drive got the Rose Bowl buzzing.

Horton: "Once the ball was kicked, everything else goes out the window. It' a game. Xs and Os, coaches, players trying to make plays. All that extra stuff is before and after. All you're worried about then is making the next play."

Cowan: "I don't want to make an analogy because I don't know anything about boxing, but the whole idea of, `You have to withstand the first blow,' was here. You just have to keep going back and forth and back and forth. I know that when we stepped up and said we're going to be here all day, and it was evident early with Bruce, and Justin and Reggie that we were gonna hit and get hit, that we were in it."

Davis: "I remember Coach Walker pacing up and down the field and I remember how hot it was. But the thing I remember the most was how much my side was hurting, because I cracked my ribs early in the game. `Whatever,' I thought, `I'll worry about it later."'

It was hot enough, but UCLA kept turning up the heat on Booty, and the Bruins took a 7-0 lead on a Cowan 1-yard touchdown run with 1minute, 29 seconds left in the first quarter. USC got on the board with a safety with 12:09 left in the first half and took the lead with 45 seconds left in the half on a 1-yard C.J. Gable run. But for a team used to scoring in the 40s, a 9-7 lead was a bit of a shock. Not as much of a shock as when the Bruins reclaimed the lead - then added to it - with a pair of field goals.

Horton: "They weren't scoring points and our offense was moving the ball. We saw right then and there that it could be done."

Hickman: "It was so nerve-wracking. We weren't doing much on offense, but Pat made a few plays with his legs. That gave the whole sideline energy."

Davis: "Justin and I went out there angry, and we did what we did. And my Facebook profile picture right now at this moment is he and I hitting John David Booty extremely hard."

Booty may have been getting smashed, but Cowan's afternoon was not exactly a leisurely stroll through a wide-open park. The by-product of 10 carries for 55 yards and a score? Punishment, particularly the kind doled out by linebacker Rey Maualuga, who absolutely annihilated Cowan in the mid-fourth quarter, with the game still in doubt. Cowan was thought to be left dazed and confused, but he popped right back up and ran, shoulder pads astray, to the UCLA sideline.

Hickman: "I think they saw how quick they hopped up and it kind of demoralized them."

Davis: "I can remember Pat Cowan getting hit by Rey Maualuga and hopping up and running to the huddle like it was no problem."

It was a jarring play, but more important for USC, it gave Booty the ball back with 5:52 left, ample time for a powerful Trojans passing game. And UCLA's nightmare appeared to be coming true, as Booty connected on 6 of 9 passes for 55 yards to move the ball to the Bruins' 19-yard line. Then, Eric McNeal sealed UCLA's - and the Trojans' - fate with a diving interception.

Horton: "I definitely remember the play. I think we were playing Cover-2, and I was right behind E-Mac, I was a little bit deeper, softer coverage, but I just came sprinting."

Hickman: "I was actually a spectator - I was able to watch it. I was happy for E-Mac - a highly touted cornerback who had a topsy-turvy career - for him to make that play."

Davis: "Greatest play ever. Eric's parents are my godparents; we've got pictures of Eric and me growing up and throwing a football around. Knowing him, the situation he went through, moving from safety to linebacker; he was another guy who never complained, went to work, a true Bruin, For him to be able to step up in that game and really make the play to seal the game I don't think there was another player on that field who deserved to make the play like he did."

Cowan: "Even after Eric intercepted the ball, it wasn't over. I remember Chris was an inch away from breaking an 80-yard run, and he didn't and we had to punt and then we had to play defense."

The Trojans got the ball back for one final play, a heave by Booty at the 12-yard line that fell incomplete. Chaos ensued.

Cowan: "I remember Bruce Davis ran up to the camera and he did his Lee Corso, `You're Wrong' speech, and that was all fun, but truthfully, we were just like everyone is writing us off, let's just go beat them."

Horton: Every year it was, `This is the year we're going to go do it.' All those teams fought hard, but we were outmatched. That year, that 2006 year, we found a way to say you know what, this is going to be the year."

Cowan: "I remember after that game, we were just chanting 3-0."

Eventually, in a stupor of excitement, the Bruins made their way back onto the bus. Soon enough, after the long drive from Pasadena, they found their way back to Westwood. More chaos.

Horton: "If you were a Bruin that night, you know what Westwood was like. It was unbelievable. Not only did we beat this team, we spoiled their chances. Pulling back over there, the streets were crowded, people were running around going crazy."

Davis: "I'm gonna say it like this: We got back to Westwood and it was the most ridiculous thing ever. I remember seeing couches on fire, I saw a couch come out of a window. Streets were blocked off. It was ridiculous. It was packed."

Hickman: "We all knew we'd have to hit the streets. It was one of those unspoken things. All the students on campus had never experienced beating USC. They were burning cars. It was madness, man."

Davis: "It was almost surreal."

Hickman: "Walking down the street, hearing, `I love you guys!' People running up and down the street in their underwear. I have no idea what time I went to sleep that night. Very early in the morning."

Five years later, reality has not sunk in: In 12 years, this was the only UCLA team to beat USC. For many Bruins that day, it was a moment they'll never replicate, much less forget. Thirteen-to-nine.

Davis: "I don't say this lightly: My rookie year with the Steelers, we won the Super Bowl, and thats something that's so rare for a football player - Pee-Wee to the NFL, to be at the pinnacle of this game is amazing. To see that confetti fall, to kiss the Lombardi Trophy. It was amazing. That is probably my second-fondest memory. First and always will be beating USC."

Cowan: "All I remember I wanted to do was be jumping around with my teammates. Every single one of us, that's why we woke up at five in the morning to get yelled at and run sprints."

Davis: "At the end of the day, the NFL is a business, a business I respect, a game I love, but a business. There were guys out there when we beat USC that were never going to play football again. It meant so much to them. Growing up for me it was Bruins or nothing. That was just an understanding that was part of my family. I was raised as a Bruin, without question, and this is something you never forget. Some of those USC guys I still talk to. Guys I play with, some of my best friends. They act like, `Oh, yeah, you only won that one time.' I've been in a Twitter battle with Thomas Williams, and we've been going back and forth like we're ready to play in this game. That's going to be my best memory."

Cowan: "I remember at my graduation when I walked two years later, and this dude comes up to me, never met him before. `Pat? That night was the best night of my life. Thank you so much.' I started laughing. He was so genuine. `Best night of my life.' I couldn't stop laughing. I remember another person came up and he said, `You know, I have a family of six or seven and all of them are USC fans, and I'm the only UCLA fan, and I get grief every year,' and he says, `Thank you, I can sit at my house and not get crap."'

Horton: "We won it for every guy who lost before us."

Here was my fun little feature today, folks.

Not sure you're going to be able to handle it, though. It's a scary, scary world. A world of Truins and of Brojans, the two worlds collide. Not for the faint of heart.

Oh, and for some reason, the lede and the center spot didn't transfer over, so:

If you USC fans can put down your spears for just a moment and you UCLA fans can holster your claws, perhaps you can imagine a simpler society, one without rivalry and hatred and lava-hot vitriol.
Imagine, for a moment, if you didn't hate the guy on the other side.
Imagine, for a moment, if there WERE no other side.
The Bruins and Trojans, after all, are separated by just 15 miles, down the 405 and across the 10. What's 15 measly miles? How about just splitting the difference?
What if there were only one team in Los Angeles, the Truins, the jerseys a putrid mix of cardinal and gold and blue and another gold?
Imagine the recruiting bonanza for Lane Neuheisel or Pete Toledo, the city's bountiful talent not up for grabs, but a shoe-in to stay at home.
Daily News sportswriter Jon Gold took the best from both worlds and created one team for the ages. Kumbaya, folks. Kumbaya.


"Center: UCLA's Frank Cornish v. USC's Nate Barragar
In the Running: UCLA's Dave Dalby, USC's Ryan Kalil, Don Mosebar
Verdict: Cornish was a two-time All-American, but Barragar was one of the game's early great offensive linemen"

On Nov. 13-14, I wrote about the Pac-12 South division's extremely weird potential postseason scenario, but come on, there was no way Colorado - which hadn't won a conference road game since 2007 - was going to win at Utah today, right? Right?

Welp.

So now, we're one step closer to bizarro bowl season.

The Buffaloes' upset of the Utes clinched a Pac-12 championship berth for the 6-5 Bruins, who play at USC tomorrow. If UCLA loses to the Trojans to fall to 6-6, then subsequently loses at Oregon (or Stanford, but probably Oregon), the Bruins will finish at 6-7, and, as a Pac-12 spokesman told me in mid-November: "According to conference office, a team that owns 6-7 record after the championship game is not bowl eligible."

Hold the presses! Or stop the blog publishing software from publ...whatever!

As an alert reader pointed out, Page 18 of the 2010-11 NCAA Postseason Football Handbook contains this passage:

2. A conference team that is 6-6 and plays in a conference championship game and
loses to finish with a record of 6-7 may apply for a waiver to allow that team to be
considered for a postseason bowl. Conditions that will be considered in such a waiver
include whether or not all other conference teams under consideration have 6-6 records
and there are not a sufficient number of eligible teams to meet the conference's bowl
commitments.

So, there you go. Even if things end in calamity for the Bruins the next two weeks, they'll still have a shot at bowling.

Sure, pesky USC awaits, but the UCLA football team now has its set on a bigger prize.

The Pac-12 championship.

The Bruins clinched a spot in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game, likely heading to Oregon for a Dec. 2 showdown to determine the conference's Rose Bowl representative, after lowly Colorado shocked Utah in Salt Lake City, 17-14, on Friday.

The Buffaloes' first conference road win in more than four years makes UCLA's matchup with USC on Saturday a moot point; well, except for 364 days worth of bragging rights. The Bruins had been talking a good game about the Trojan tilt, saying things like, "It's in our hands," and, "We control our destiny."

Only, no, Colorado - and Utah, which missed three field goals - controlled UCLA's fate, though the Bruins can win the division title outright with a win over USC.

"One of the goals we established as a team when we entered camop this fall was to play for the first-ever Pac-12 title," head coach Rick Neuheisel said in a statement. "Keeping in mind that we are still focused on beating USC tomorrow night, we are certainly excited to represent the South Division on December 2nd in the conference championship game."

Hey guys and girls,

A sincere thank you to those who visit this blog often. There is a ton of UCLA coverage out there, and I consider it a privilege to have such a readership, especially a (usually) witty and insightful readership. I've read some really great stories about your favorite UCLA/USC moments, and I enjoy the give-and-take I have with some, if not most, of you.

I know these are trying times for UCLA, but sports are supposed to be a diversion from our real, crappy lives. I hope I can at least bring some humor into what I'm sure is a frustrating situation for you all.

Sorry there hasn't been more basketball coverage - though I'm not so sure you'd want to read it - and I look forward to covering the team more in depth once the football season is over. Stick with it.

Again, thanks for reading, folks.

Your loving blog host,
Jonah

Former UCLA special teams coach Frank Gansz Jr. taught junior running back Johnathan Franklin one important message.

"Big front (window), small rear mirror," Franklin said. "You have to look ahead."

Franklin's nickname, Jetski, is a direct reference to his ability to leave things in his wake.
That includes the bad things too, such as his three fumbles in the Bruins' past five games, including a gaffe in the team's 45-6 win over Colorado last Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Because so often, the bad is followed by the good, as in Franklin's season-high 162 yards and a score against the Buffaloes.

"I don't want it to become something mental for him," Neuheisel said. "But there's no question in games like this, turnovers are huge. In both games (against USC the last two years), we gave up turnovers that resulted in touchdowns for them."

In 2010, a year after USC linebacker Malcolm Smith returned a Kevin Prince interception 62 yards for a touchdown, Smith gobbled up a Franklin fumble and took it back 66 yards for a touchdown.

After the fumble, Franklin got one carry the rest of the game.

Running backs coach Wayne Moses implied that last year's results would not trickle into the game plan - and the rotation - this year.

"That's last year," Moses said. "This is this year. I'm not going to go retro to a whole different year. I'm not going back on it."

Forget last year, though.

Franklin does a good job of forgetting one play.

"I think Jetski more than anyone does a good job of one snap and clear," senior wide receiver Taylor Embree said. "It's easy for a player when you fumble, and it's been a recurring thing, to get down on yourself. He never gets down himself. He'll come back the next play and hit a 40-yard run."

Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club

Beat $c Breakfast
Coach Jim Mastro
#22 Sheldon Price, Cornerback
UCLA Spirit Squad
Friday Nov 25th--7 am
Olympic Collection at Olympic and Sawtelle
Price: $30 includes breakfast buffet, speakers, and free parking
For more information contact Claudia Hart @ 310-348-UCLA or claudia4ucla@yahoo.com

Exactly what cost UCLA in the first half helped the Bruins in the second against Kansas.

And then, just as quickly, their three-point shooting deceived them once more.

UCLA fell behind by 20, rallied to close it to within five with some hot shooting, and watched Kansas run away with a 72-56 win in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.

The Bruins fell behind early as they were plagued by turnovers and poor shooting in the first half, trailing 12-2 less than six minutes in and 22-12 less than 10 minutes in.

By halftime, UCLA was down 43-26 and showing little fight.

In the second half, though, the shots started falling, from all over.

Down 51-31 with 15:16 left in the game, the Bruins went on a 21-6 run over the next seven-plus minutes to cut it to 57-52. Reeves Nelson hit a pair of 3-pointers - six of his 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting - to spur the rally - and Jerime Anderson and Tyler Lamb joined the fun, as well.

Eventually, though, the rhythm ended and Kansas surged back ahead as UCLA's defense faltered.

Lamb led the Bruins with 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting and Anderson finished with 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

If playing against cross-town rival USC isn't enough motivation, if a potential division title isn't enough of a dangling carrot, UCLA junior cornerbacks Aaron Hester and Sheldon Price need just peer across the Los Angeles Coliseum field on Saturday at 7 p.m. against USC, and they'll be jolted into consciousness.

"We've got to get up, because if we don't get up...just look at their stats...," Hester said.

Hester is referring to the Trojans' terrific twosome of targets, sophomore Robert Woods and freshman Marquise Lee, a pair of opponents whom the UCLA defensive backs know closely.
At this point, it seems fans across the nation have grown quite familiar with the young wide receivers, whose numbers do indeed drop jaws.

Woods' 99 receptions for 1,179 yards and 13 touchdowns are among the loftiest numbers in the country, and Lee's 60 grabs for 919 yards and nine touchdowns, which ranks second in the country.

"I've seen Marquise and Robert play since they were in high school, and those guys can play," Price said. "We have to bring our A-game. It's challenge, and you get upset because it's like, 'Why aren't you coming to play for us?' but it's also an opportunity because it means you're competing against the best."

Woods and Lee have been so good, they might just end up highjacking their quarterback's Heisman candidacy.

As the Matt Barkley for Heisman campaign reaches fever pitch, the predictable backlash has too grown got louder and louder.

Sure, the USC quarterback might have 3,105 yards and 33 touchdowns, but he has two of the best young wide receivers in the country at his disposal.

Hester ends the debate once and for all.

"They make each other," Hester said. "They're open, but he's hitting the passes. Sometimes he throws them open. I was looking at that on film today - being in position and not giving up on a play is going to be key, because you might have a guy covered, but he can throw them open."

In Dan Guerrero's latest edition of Word from Westwood, the UCLA athletic director included this tidbit about new jerseys for the USC game:

"There have been rampant rumors out there recently that our football team might be sporting a special look when they take the field for the USC game on Saturday evening. I can confirm that those rumors are indeed true. We will be unveiling a uniform that we have been working on with the adidas design team for several months. These new uniforms will provide us with an alternative to our existing road uniforms but will not replace them in perpetuity. That said, I'm not going to tell you everything in this blog - but look for hints the remainder of the week by liking UCLA Athletics on Facebook or following @UCLAAthletics on Twitter."

Lay them on me guys.

Obviously most of the younger readers are going to recall 13-9 in 2006, but I'd love to read - and I'm sure you would, too - about some of the memories from long ago.

Have fun with this, but be civil.

UCLA opened the second half with a 32-11 run and held Chaminade without a field goal for more than seven minutes and the Bruins cruised to the 92-60 win at the Maui Invitational.

After taking hurried and awkward shots for much of the first half, UCLA's backcourt moved around the perimeter much more efficiently in the second half, and it showed.

A Jerime Anderson layup at 17:12 sparked a backcourt bonanza, as UCLA guards Anderson, Lazeric Jones, Tyler Lamb and Norman Powell scored 30 of the team's next 31 points.

Jones led the Bruins with 19 points and seemed to find his stroke in the second half, finishing 8-of-18 shooting and doling out seven assists to two turnovers. Anderson added 18 points, four rebounds and three assists, and Lamb contributed 15 points, five rebounds and three blocks.

The guard success allowed Joshua Smith some freedom late in the game, and he finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Bruins also did a much better job on the perimeter defense than in their 0-2 start, limiting the Silverswords to 17-of-57 shooting and 4-of-18 shooting from 3-point range.

With Reeves Nelson suspended for the first half and David Wear out with a concussion, UCLA's depot of big men was depleted against Chaminade.

But the Bruins still have some post players, right?

Watching the first half, you might not have known, as UCLA camped out on the perimeter and shot 14 3-pointers, making just three.

The last one, though, was a big one, as Jerime Anderson's 3-pointer from the corner gave the Bruins a 40-38 halftime lead over the Division-II Silverswords.

UCLA shooting guard Tyler Lamb had some nice looks and went 4-for-9 for a team-high 10 points, Anderson added nine and Travis Wear and Lazeric Jones had seven points each.

Joshua Smith was not much of a factor with just four points and two fouls, and he looked especially winded coming out of the game with a few minutes left in the first.

Eleven first-half turnovers did not help the Bruin effort, as the team looked a little frantic as Chaminade started hitting shots all over the floor, by several different players, as six have scored more than five points.

UCLA Reeves Nelson is suspended for the first half of tonight's matchup against Chaminade for missing the team bus, and ensuing flight, to Maui.

The Bruins' starting lineup is Zeek Jones, Jerime Anderson, Tyler Lamb, Travis Wear and Anthony Stover.

I'll be following the event via internet feed and writing sporadic updates while updating Twitter and Facebook live.

Hope you're feeling the holiday spirit and want to help Kiffin for a good cause.... this is a great time for USC and UCLA to come together to help children. Forget the rivalry for just a minute and help provide some Christmas cheer to kids who are less fortunate!

from USC... Kiffin is hosting the Kiff's Kids toy drive to benefit children from the local community on Saturday at the USC-UCLA football game. Fans are encouraged to bring a toy or unwrapped gift to collection boxes set up around the Coliseum.

It's USC-UCLA rivalry week, so it's a good time to revisit Rick Neuheisel's the-monopoly-is-over-ad and the gap-is-closing with USC.
This is what Neuheisal said on Monday.
``We have closed the gap,'' Neuheisel said. ``We have a chance to win the championship. The gap has closed. I don't know it's all the way done. We'll talk after the ball game.''

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.

SeisUnoNueve won for UCLA v. Colorado, so please email me your questions at jon.gold@dailynews.com.

RESULT: UCLA 45, Colorado 6
RECORD: 6-5
WEEK 11 GPA: A

QUARTERBACKS
A
Kevin Prince rebounded in a major way with 300-plus yards of offense, four touchdowns.

RUNNING BACKS
A-
Aside from another fumble, Johnathan Franklin was electric with season-high 162 yards.

WIDE RECEIVERS
A
Premium intensity in run-blocking, and big-play ability more than evident.

OFFENSIVE LINE
A
Much-improved on the penalty front up front, but simply mauled outmanned Colorado D-line.

DEFENSIVE LINE
B
Better penetration up front but defensive linemen have to feel like they left some sacks on the table.

LINEBACKERS
A-
Sean Westgate's early interception was huge for opportunistic defense.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
A+
A for Andrew and the plus for Abbott, as former walk-on has provided surprise contribution.

SPECIAL TEAMS
B
Tyler Gonzalez' practice struggles continued into game play with short field-goal miss.

COACHING
B+
Despite walloping, offense sputtered in middle two quarters when Colorado adjusted.

The UCLA defense has already had to scheme for four of the top quarterbacks in the country in Andrew Luck Case Keenum, Nick Foles and Brock Osweiler.

What's another future NFL prospect?

Only this one, Matt Barkley, might be the hottest of the lot of them.

The USC quarterback is coming off a 323-yard, four-touchdown performance in a 38-35 upset win at Oregon, two weeks after a record-setting six-touchdown game in a 42-17 blowout at Colorado.

To UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel, those ready to proclaim Luck in a landslide over Barkley as the Pac-12's best quarterback are a bit hasty.

"I think they're very, very comparable; the only thing Andrew has over Matt is he's a little bit more mobile," Neuheisel said. "(Barkley) is almost more dangerous because there's a play I'm watching against Colorado and he could run 10 or 15 yards and he stops, goes down the line and throws a touchdown instead."

But for at least one UCLA defensive back, it's bring it on, Barkley.

Junior cornerback Andrew Abbott is champing at the bit to take on his former Mater Dei High teammate, but it might have something to do with his recent play.

Abbott intercepted two Tyler Hansen passes on Saturday in the Bruins' 45-6 win over Colorado giving him a team-high four on the year, tied for first in the conference.

"Let's do it, Matt, let's do it," Abbott said. "That's my boy, but let's do it."

Neuheisel knows a thing or two about walk-ons-turned-starters, but even he is impressed by Abbott.

"He's a great story," Neuheisel said. "A walk-on who has risen up and proven he belongs. You always admire guys who do that.

"But at the core, he's a pretty darn good player."

Brehaut still sidelined
Neuheisel said he inserted UCLA junior quarterback Nick Crissman late in the Bruins' blowout win over the Buffaloes because junior Richard Brehaut is still not ready for meaningful playing time as he continues to return from a broken leg.

"Richard could play now but he's not at full speed," Neuheisel said. "I didn't want to put him out there and have him limping around."

Slamming the door
Despite winning six games over teams with a combined record of 25-42, UCLA had only one rout on its 2011 ledger, a 31-14 win over 6-5 Cal in Week 8.

Until Saturday, that is.

The Bruins' 39-point margin of victory over Colorado was the team's highest of the Neuheisel tenure, and the 45 points were the most for the team since a Week 1 45-17 win over Stanford in 2007.

"In years past, we've had the chance to be cutthroat when we're up on a team; today, we finally put the pedal to the medal and said we're going to keep going," senior safety Tony Dye said. "I'm proud, I'm happy. That's the way we should've been playing."

Bumps and Bruises
Neuheisel said despite concussions to both Sean Westgate and Isaiah Bowens, he expects them to play against USC. Both will go through the standard concussion protocol.

Just had a quick chat with UCLA coach Ben Howland from Maui (and Los Angeles under about 19 feet of rain...thanks Daily News), and here are the newsiest bits of news.

* Howland said he expects some "good minutes" out of Anthony Stover, and that his return will really be crucial to the defense because how good he is not just at blocking shots, but altering them.

* Reeves Nelson had his best practice of the year on Thursday, Howland said. But he also added that the situation is not an "overnight fix," and that it's going to take work to resolve itself.

* With David Wear out with a concussion, Howland said he expected the opposing defenses to run less zone, which should help the offense get more comfortable from outside.

* He added that, yes, there will be defensive changes, but wouldn't really expand on that, nor did I expect him too.

* Nothing about pina coladas or surfing.

Decided last night to take a look ahead to 2012, because with UCLA going 5-1 at home, I was wondering how much of that was the home-cooking, and how much of it was the competition, and how it lined up for next year.

Here's the schedule:

Non-Conference
At Rice
Home Nebraska
Home Houston

Conference (not scheduled yet)
Home Oregon State
Home Stanford
At Washington State
Home Arizona
At Cal
At Arizona State
Home Utah
At Colorado
Home USC

In terms of the opponents, you would project wins over Rice and a Case Keenum-less Houston and a loss to Nebraska. We don't know when the conference schedule will play out, so for the sake of argument lets take this year's games and just flip them.

So there's an abundantly beatable OSU at home, an Andrew Luck-less Stanford at home, an abundantly beatable WSU on the road, a wholly confusing Arizona team at home, visits to Cal and Arizona State (with Brock Osweiler), a home tilt with Utah (with John White), a visit to Colorado and a home matchup with USC (Barkley or not Barkley, that is the question).

POTENTIAL LINEUP in semi-projected order

QB: RSSR Prince, SR Brehaut, RSFR Hundley
RB: RSSR Franklin, JR Jones, RSSO James
WR: RSJR Evans, RSFR Lucien, RSSR Johnson
WR: SR Carroll, RSJR Marvray
TE: RSSR Fauria, RSSO Young, RSFR Nelson
F-Back: JR Barr, RSJR Thigpen
LT: SO Su'a-Filo, RSSR Bradford
LG: JR Ward, RSSO Yandall
C: RSJR Capella, RSFR Brendel
RG: RSJR Cid, RSFR Wysocki
RT: RSSR Baca, RSSR Downey

DE: RSSR Holmes, RSJR Graham
DT: JR Marsh, RSSR Carter, JR Epenesa
DT: RSSR Jones, RSSO Willis, RSFR McReynolds
DE: JR Owa, RSJR Tepa
LB: RSSO Kendricks, RSSO Olaniyan
LB: RSSR Larimore, RSJR Bowens, RSJR Golper
LB: JR Zumwalt, RSSR Allen
CB: SR Price, RSSR Abbott
S: RSSO McDonald, RSJR Mascarenas
S: SR Hilliard, JR Riley, RSJR McKay
CB: RSSR Hester, RSSO Jefferson, RSSO Sermons

P: RSSR Locke
K: RSSO Smith or ?

In my "projected" two-deep - and we really have no idea how advanced Brett Hundley is going to be next year, so I'm going to leave Prince and Brehaut ahead of him - that's an average of 3.8 years of college football experience per player.

UCLA "projects" to have 13 redshirt seniors in the two-deep, 13 seniors or redshirt juniors, 14 juniors or redshirt sophomores and four sophomores or redshirt freshmen, which is a pretty good breakdown in terms of experience.

That seems like an eight- or nine-win team to me, at least. If you pencil in potential losses to Nebraska, Stanford and USC, and one slip-up game, that's eight wins.

What do you think?

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

OK, so here's the deal:

UCLA beats USC: UCLA in at 6-3 in conference play, 7-5 overall.
UCLA loses (5-4), ASU beats Cal at home (5-4), Utah beats Colorado at home (5-4): ASU in.
UCLA loses (5-4), ASU wins (5-4), Utah loses (4-5): UCLA in.
UCLA loses (5-4), ASU loses (4-5), Utah wins (5-4): Utah in.
UCLA loses (5-4), ASU loses (4-5), Utah loses (4-5): UCLA in.

Kevin Prince was the last one in the UCLA locker room on Saturday night, a perma-smile affixed to his face, friends and family waiting for him after his best game as a Bruin.

Three young fans approached him seeking any kind of memorabilia - dirty socks, discarded game-tape, maybe a hat.

Prince had to go digging into his team bag for a wrist band, the only thing he could find.

He had to pause to take out the play sheet, though.

He'll want to save it for next week.

Prince threw for four touchdowns and the Bruins ran for two more in their most dominating performance of the season on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, a 45-6 dismantling of Colorado that makes the season finale against USC all the more important.

A win, and UCLA will clinch a spot in the inaugural Pac-12 championship game.

"He was taking shots downfield and he was making them," said UCLA junior tight end Joseph Fauria, who caught two of his high school teammate's touchdown throws. "They were beautiful balls, and they were right on the money, and that's all you can ask for."

After being told by offensive coordinator Mike Johnson that he would be firing a deep ball on the team's first offensive play, Prince had to display a little patience on Saturday.

It took two plays.

After a Johnathan Franklin seven-yard run on the Bruins' first play after UCLA forced a punt on Colorado's first drive, Prince let loose a pristine deep bomb into the awaiting arms of a streaking Shaq Evans for a 54-yard touchdown pass.

Prince went on to complete 15-of-19 passes for 225 yards and the four scores while adding 84 yards on the ground, a 309-yard outburst that came a week after the offense sputtered in a 31-6 loss at Utah, where Prince threw two interceptions.

"It was fun, man," Prince said, flashing the smile. "We worked on that all week - just getting the deep balls down, because it's been a struggle for me - but calling that, and being able to execute it gave us a huge boost in confidence."

UCLA finished with 553 yards to Colorado's 229, the Bruins averaging 8.8 yards a carry by keeping the Buffaloes guessing.

With the Johnathan Franklin-led rushing attack opening holes in the passing game - Franklin finished with 162 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries - UCLA scored touchdowns on its first three drives and last three drives, with a Tyler Gonzalez 22-yard field goal in between.

"We had a good flow, had a good rhythm," Johnson said. "We wanted to be aggressive tonight, make sure we kept them out of the box and couldn't load it up to attack us the way (Utah) did last week."

Added Prince: "After that third touchdown, I felt like we were going to score every time. That's an immature thing for us - we got ahead and kind of relaxed, got some stupid penalties. But we were able to turn it back on, and that was big for us."

With the offense clicking early and late, the UCLA defense did something it hasn't done this season - matched the effort.

The Bruins intercepted three passes from Tyler Hansen, who finished just 16-of-31 for 127 yards, and limited running back Rodney Stewart to just 77 yards on 21 carries.

Colorado averaged just 3.8 yards per play and converted just three-of-13 third downs as UCLA got constant pressure up front against an overmatched offensive line.

"Let's be the team that can just start beating these teams by 30," Abbott said. "Let's not be a team that comes in and makes it a seven-point game or a last-minute field goal. Let's be dominant.

"Why be afraid of being great?"

Another lengthy drive was spurred on by big plays, as a Derrick Coleman 34-yard run on the first play of the drive gave UCLA a head start.

After a six-yard gain by Coelman on 4th-and-3 at the Colorado 21-yard line, Kevin Prince found Joseph Fauria over the middle for a 15-yard touchdown to give the Bruins their biggest lead of the season.

Drive Time: 62 yards, 6 plays, 2:35

A 22-yard field goal by Tyler Gonzalez capped off a nice drive by the Bruins that stalled in the red zone.

Johnathan Franklin was a force on the drive, gaining 44 yards on four carries, while Kevin Prince added runs of 19 and 14 yards.

Drive Time: 73 yards, 9 plays, 3:56

After three consecutive UCLA scores, Colorado took the kickoff at its 20-yard line and moved 80 yards in nine plays to put the Buffaloes on the board for the first time.

Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen completed consecutive passes to Toney Clemons for 19 and 20 yards - the latter for a touchdown after he was initially called out of bounds - but Colorado kicker Will Oliver missed the PAT.

Drive Time: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:09

The Bruins offense is playing its best game of the season.
If only every day could be Senior Day.

UCLA moved the ball 80 yards in 12 plays to go up by three scores, and the Rose Bowl crowd is on its feet after Kevin Prince found Joseph Fauria for a five-yard touchdown.

Drive Time: 80 yards, 12 plays, 6:04

After Sean Westgate picked off a ball bobbled by Colorado tight end Ryan Deehan - then got his helmet ripped off by Deehan and picked up a 15-yard personal foul penalty - to give UCLA the ball at the Buffaloes' 14-yard line, Johnathan Franklin took a handoff right and a huge hole opened into the end zone, giving the Bruins two touchdowns in three plays.

Drive Time: 14 yards, 1 play, 6 seconds

The Bruins hit paydirt on their second play from scrimmage.

After forcing Colorado to punt on its first drive, UCLA got the ball back at its own 39-yard line. Following a seven-yard Johnathan Franklin run, Kevin Prince faked a hand off, dropped back and found a streaking Shaq Evans for the 54-yard touchdown.

Drive Time: 2 plays, 61 yards, 40 seconds

UCLA senior safety Tony Dye got the start today against Colorado, his first start since Week 3 against Texas. Dye decided to forgo a chance at a medical redshirt next season with the Bruins still fighting for a bowl berth.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers..

Facing a Colorado offense that is coming off its best performance of the season - a 48-29 dismantling of struggling Arizona - the UCLA defensive strategy is simple.

Play keep-away from Rodney Stewart.

The Buffalo back had 24 carries for 181 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats, the last thing a Bruin defense that ranks 95th nationally against the rush wanted to see.

"When we look at opponent, I think the thing we try to do is always make them play left-handed," UCLA linebackers coach Clark Lea said. "We try to take away what they do best. That can focus around schematics at time, or more time than not it focuses around people."

The problem is, it works both ways, as UCLA discovered last Saturday in a 31-6 loss at Utah, a defeat that dropped them back to .500.

The Utes took away junior quarterback Kevin Prince's zone-read option in the Pistol offense, limiting him to just 10 yards on 12 carries, after he gained 224 rushing yards during the two previous weeks.

With the Bruins struggling in the run and Utah's deficit growing, Prince had to turn to the pass, and he did so with poor results, completing just 12-of-24 passes for 146 yards while throwing two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

"You're passing game is going to suffer a little bit, but you just have to make sure when you do throw it, you're efficient," running game coordinator Jim Mastro said. "That when you're throwing it, you're hitting home runs."

Against a Colorado pass defense that ranks 10th in the conference in defense and 11th in pass defense efficiency, the Bruins will get their shot.

But with an offense that is capable of big plays behind quarterback Tyler Hansen and targets all over the field in Stewart and wide receivers Toney Clemons and Paul Richardson, the Buffaloes are going to swing away, too.

"One thing that's unique about this conference is just really good skill in general," Lea said. "Most weeks you can look on the opposing roster and see an elite receiver, an elite runner, an elite quarterback."

Last week, UCLA saw a heavy dose of Utah's John White IV, who gained more than 150 yards for the fifth time this season with his 167-yard performance against the Bruins.
Now Stewart brings his multi-faceted game to the Rose Bowl, as in just nine games, the senior has 1,528 all-purpose yards, ranking second in the Pac-12 in yards per game with 169.8. Among those in the top-10, Stewart is the only one with more than 700 yards rushing (742) and more than 500 receiving (525).

"It's over looked a lot; the Pac-12 is a quarterback league," Lea said. "But it really has been a running back league, full of really talented special guys. Not just talented, but you see a little bit of everything."

Even with 2-9 Colorado, which should bring a bit of swagger into the Rose Bowl after the big win over Arizona.

"It's that kind of conference, we've known that since we've been here," Neuheisel said. "There's no game you line up for in this conference that you can take lightly. If you do you're gonna get whacked."

For Colorado, there might be ulterior motives at play, even more incentive.

A win on Saturday would go a long way in boosting the Buffaloes' recruiting profile, though with the high level of talent in Southern California, Colorado certainly was mining for gold already. The Buffaloes have 29 players from the Golden State on their roster, but during Pac-12 media day, Embree said he wanted to make sure they got more.

"They were working in extensively in Los Angeles anyway," Neuheisel said. "You don't have to be in the Pac-12 to recruit in LA. Every team in the country is here and for good reason; there are lots and lots of talented youngsters here who are ready for that level."
UCLA has enough trouble with its local rival on the recruiting front.

A win over Colorado will help keep the borders somewhat closed.

A win in the Bruins' regular season finale against USC? That would work wonders.
Neuheisel is not worried his team is looking ahead toward USC, though.

Not with Senior Day on Saturday and bowl eligibility a win away and the conference championship still somehow within reach.

"None whatsoever," Neuheisel said when asked if he had any worries about his team's mindset. "We have a huge game this weekend and I think everybody knows it. I'd be shocked if anybody was looking past this particular weekend, not with what's at stake."

From UCLA:

Sophomore center Anthony Stover suffered a subluxated left shoulder on Oct. 26 and returned to limited practice this week. He is listed as questionable for the game against Chaminade (Nov. 21).

Sophomore forward David Wear suffered a mild concussion in practice on Nov. 17 and missed practice on Nov. 18. He is listed as day-to-day and is being monitored daily. He is probable for the Chaminade contest.

UCLA legend and a co-captian of John Wooden's first national championship team in 1964 died on Friday afternoon at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

A Wilmington, Del., native, was 69 years old and passed away following a long illness. Recently he was honored by The 100 Black Men of Los Angeles with their lifetime achievement award for a distinguised basketball career that included NCAA player of the year and Final Four most outstanding player awards, as well as an Olympic gold medal.

"This is a sad day for the UCLA basketball family," UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero said in a statement. "Walt was the catalyst for Coach John Wooden's first championship team and played the game with a style that excited Bruin basketball fans everywhere. He contributed to his alma mater in numerous ways, including as a student-athlete, coach and honored alum, and he will be greatly missed by all of us know knew him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Jaleesa, and their four sons."

Added head coach Ben Howland: "Walt was one of the pillars of UCLA's first championship team in men's basketball. He was a great player and an outstanding coach at UCLA. He is a huge part of the Bruin legacy, and he left life-long memories for the Bruin faithful. We will all miss Walt, and we send our love to his family."

Check out the first batch of weekly answers...

I joined Raphielle Johnson of NBE Sports for about 20 minutes of me saying "Y'know" and talking about UCLA basketball. Interesting questions about UCLA's 0-2 start, Shabazz Muhammad, the Bruins' recent recruiting misfortunes and why they can still win the Pac-12.

The on-again, off-again relationship between UCLA tight end Joseph Fauria and his quarterbacks once more steamed up last Saturday in the Bruins' 31-6 loss at Utah.
The towering target had four catches for 64 yards against the Utes, his biggest production since a six-catch, 110-yard, one-touchdown Week 1 performance.

Fauria has snagged three touchdowns since then but hasn't been a focal point in the offense, whether because of the opposing defensive gameplan or simply not factoring into UCLA's run-first offense.

"The best I can do is when my name is called, do the most with it," said Fauria, who has 22 receptions for 307 yards and four scores on the year. "Whether it's stiff-arming somebody, jumping over somebody, catching it over somebody - I'll do whatever I can to show the coaches I want the ball, I need the ball."

At 6-foot-8, the Crespi star is an easy spot for his former high school teammate Kevin Prince.

But Fauria had been used sparingly in the passing game during the Bruins' two previous games before Utah, catching three total passes for 28 total yards in wins over Cal and Arizona State, when UCLA turned to its running game.

"If they put one guy on him, you can still throw him the ball and he'll still catch it," Prince said. "But sometimes they'll put two guys over there and take him away. Sometimes the progression of a play doesn't call for Joe to get the ball. In backyard football, sure, give Joe the ball. But when you're looking at coverages, looking at defenses and how the play fits, Joe doesn't always come as the primary receiver."

Fauria, who transferred from Notre Dame before his sophomore season, has come to realize that all of his blocking in the Pistol offense might just pay off in the long run. Doesn't mean he doesn't want the ball every play, but he concedes that might not be all it's cracked up to be.

"Usually when you have the pro days and the combines and the workouts for scouts, a lot of it is route-running, catching - but most of your film is you on the field with your pads and helmet on, seeing what you can do against a 280-pound guy," Fauria said. "It's definitely helping me; if the naysayers out there still think I can't block, they need to watch more games. That's what I'm doing right now. I'm doing pretty well, and I've been told I'm doing pretty well from the coaches."

Offensive line takes a mulligan
After playing two of its best games of the season in the consecutive wins over the Bears and Sun Devils and then stumbling against the Utes in snowy weather, the UCLA offensive line is vowing to rebound against the Buffaloes.

"Whatever weather we're in, we've still got to play football," UCLA senior center Kai Maiava said. "It was a lot of different things. We were making mental mistakes. It was just dumb. We can't make them again - 1st-and-15 is way harder to convert than 1st-and-10."

Bumps and Bruises
Sophomore safety Alex Mascarenas (head) was back in street clothes on Thursday after practicing without the non-contact jersey on Wednesday and he is listed as out in the team's pre-game injury report. ... UCLA junior quarterback Richard Brehaut (leg), senior running back Derrick Coleman (hip) and senior safety Tony Dye (neck) were all listed as probable.

But this one comes with a free car!

* free car not actually included

UCLA wide receiver Taylor Embree and his father Jon Embree, Colorado's head coach, aren't the only ones with a bit of history going into the Rose Bowl for Saturday's 4:30 p.m. matchup between the 5-5 Bruins and 2-9 Buffaloes.

There's more family history, with tight end Joseph Fauria's uncle Christian starring for Embree - then the tight ends coach - at Colorado from 1992-94.

There's the coaching history, as UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel went 33-14 at Colorado between 1995-98 and led the Buffaloes to three bowl wins.

And there's extensive player history, as three have switched sides: Bruins senior center Kai Maiava and senior wide receiver Josh Smith transferred over from Colorado, and Buffaloes wide receiver Paul Richardson enrolled at the school after being dismissed from the UCLA program before his freshman* (corrected, thanks for the tip) season.

The allegiances once ran deep for all those involved, but come Saturday they all know which side they're on.

"When I first transferred, I was still talking to with the guys back in Colorado, like, 'Man, I kinda miss you guys," Maiava said. "But once you start making friends and teammates and realize this is your new family, you realize all that other stuff is out the window. But you still don't forget about those guys in Colorado."

In the cases of Smith and Maiava, the fact that both of their transfers were amiable makes the matchup with old friends easier.

Smith even left Colorado with a little help.

"Toney Clemons, one of their best wide receivers, is actually really good friends with me because I'm the one who recruited him there to Colorado," Smith said. "I told him this would be a good spot because I was going to be leaving, and they were going to need someone to fill in. At least I didn't leave them empty-handed, you know!? I got someone to rent the apartment I was about to lease. I got someone to fill in the position I was about to leave. They can't hate me as much as they think they do."

No, but emotions will run deep on Saturday. The what-could-have-beens will flash for both sides.

Maiava was a nine-game starter as a true freshman for the Buffaloes in 2007 before deciding to transfer to UCLA in 2008. Smith was an All-Big 12 honorable mention pick at kick returner for Colorado in 2008 after totaling the second-most all-purpose yards in a single-season in Buffaloes history as a sophomore, following 23 receptions for 451 yards as a true freshman along with Maiava in 2007. Richardson, meanwhile, has 32 catches for 494 yards this year after a 514-yard, six-touchdown freshman campaign.

Those thoughts won't matter much on Saturday, though.

"I called a few of them the other day, and we were just talking crap pretty much," Maiava said. "Just kind of reciting the old days. It's going to be real fun to play against them. I never thought I would play them again."

Fate - and money - brought the two schools together during the offseason, when Colorado and Utah joined with the Pac-10 to create the Pac-12.

But even though it's going to be a family affair, Maiava isn't opposed to knocking a few heads.

"I definitely want to get (outside linebacker) David Goldberg, that's my homie, (senior linebacker) Tyler Ahles," Maiava said. "That's it on defense, and I have a couple more boys on offense. Two of them play D-line, so I'm sure I'll run into them sooner or later.
"Hopefully I get the better end."

News and Notes
Sophomore safety Alex Mascarenas (head) practiced without a non-contact jersey for the first time in more than a month. ... The Bruins practiced in just shells - helmets and shoulder pads - as Neuheisel said he wanted to give the players' legs a rest.

UCLA forward Reeves Nelson wasn't gone for long, but he was sure missed while he was gone.

The enigmatic junior was reinstated to the basketball team on Wednesday, head coach Ben Howland announced, and will rejoin the team for practice on Thursday, as the Bruins took Wednesday off following an 86-66 loss to Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

Nelson was suspended for "conduct unbecoming of a member of the UCLA team" on Monday after displaying poor attitude during and after the team's season-opening 69-58 loss to Loyola Marymount on Friday.

"After much deliberation, I have decided to reinstate Reeves Nelson," Howland said in a statement. "Reeves understands that his reinstatement is contingent on his ability to continually meet the high standards we have established for all UCLA men's basketball players. He expressed to me in our meeting earlier today that he desires to be a better person and better teammate going forward, and, given that, I feel as though I should give him that opportunity."

Nelson, the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder from a year ago, had 13 points and eight rebounds against the Lions, but grew frustrated with the lack of attention going his way. Nelson and Howland spoke at length on Monday and Wednesday and came to an agreement that led to the quick return.

"I acknowledge there are corrections that need to be made and I'm grateful to Coach Howland to have this opportunity to improve and work on being a positive force for our team," said Nelson. "I appreciate the support of my teammates and will be there for them as we move forward."

* I know that discipline isn't something you enforce, it's something you instill
Most people think of the term discipline from the outside in, as in: "He disciplines his children." I look at it the other way. You dole out punishment. You don't dole at discipline. I just don't think of it that way. I believe you have discipline, that it is possessive, that it comes from within and with the guidance of a paternal or maternal figure.
That brings us to UCLA.
I've always believed in the idea that midwest kids who deal with harsh elements and absolute boredom have a more ingrained sense of toughness by the time they're 18 than west kids who get the sun and the beach. I've always believed you need to overcompensate for that and not only instill a heightened sense of discipline, but make sure it is maintained weekly.
As we saw so clearly early in the Bruins' 31-6 loss to Utah, this is a team that has very, very little discipline. In a winnable game, UCLA committed 12 penalties for 91 yards, including 10 for 76 in a first half that was ripe for the picking. The Bruins actually were owning both lines of scrimmage early on, and without the penalties, could've taken control early. I know it was a snow game, and I know it was loud, but all those pre-snap penalties were costly, and they can't happen.

* I think the Pistol offense cannot be the primary offense in the Pac-12
I'll expand on this idea in a post sometime in the next couple days, but I've had doubts that the pistol offense could sustain success on a week-in, week-out basis in the Pac-12. UCLA finally proved that to me against Utah, with a drastic drop-off in production after two straight successful performances against Cal and ASU.
The Utes completely took Kevin Prince out of the game, playing a *disciplined* brand of football on the perimeter, with the ends simply not crashing in on the handoff. Even with moderate success early, the Bruins were hampered by the penalties, and there were still openings in the pass game.
Prince's first completion, to Nelson Rosario on 2nd-and-11 on the second drive, was a perfectly designed play and it went for 16 yards. Then UCLA gets a delay of game to make it 1st-and-15, and Johnathan Franklin rushes for one yard, then Jeff Baca compounds the issue with a 15-yard personal foul penalty, and yet the Bruins still run on 2nd-and-29, then run again on 3rd-and-21. They don't complete another pass until less than five minutes were left in the first half.

* I know the Bruins shouldn't feel toooo bad about getting torched by John White IV
One of the perks of covering a Pac-12 team is getting to see so many great running backs over the years. The list is kind of staggering if you think about it: Toby Gerhart, Jaquizz Rodgers, LeGarrette Blount, LaMichael James (and Kenjon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas), Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen, Franklin and Bash, Chris Polk and I know I'm forgetting some. And that's just in my three years on this beat.
But I think White is up there, too. White had 167 yards against UCLA, but his longest run was only 22 yards. That means he gained 145 yards on 32 carries. Some may be underwhelmed by that YPC figure, but I was constantly impressed by how he seemed to gain the extra yard or two almost every single time. UCLA played OK up front for most of the game, and the tackling itself wasn't awful - sometimes the other guy is just really good.

* I think UCLA's defensive line isn't too far away if the right personnel is used
For the first half against the Utes, the Bruins were truly stout up front. At times, they looked dominant. At least four or five times, UCLA defensive linemen were a swim, a rip or a spin away from getting to the quarterback or ball-carrier behind the line of scrimmage. Of course, you can argue that the one extra move, that one fraction of a second, is the difference between good and great or average and good. But UCLA needs to utilize more speed off the edge, and if that means using Iuta Tepa or Aramide Olaniyan more, so be it.

* I know this is the strangest season in college sports history
Forget all of the scandals and forget the Penn State nightmare and just focus on football, and this is still such a weird year. I realized over the weekend that UCLA can win the Pac-12 South - heck, even the whole Pac-12! - and not be invited to a bowl. And that all stems from the mediocrity of the south division.
Who would've thought that in this turbulent season, the Bruins would still not only have something to play for, but actually have lofty aspirations. Tony Dye talked about that yesterday, and while a long-shot, it's unfair to dash those dreams, I think. But what a weird year.

Westwood Bruin Touchdown Club

Breakfast with the Bruins
Coach Inoke Breckterfield
Will Peddie, Dir of Player Development
#82 Taylor Embree, WR
#97 Damien Holmes, DE
#71 Wade Yandall, OL
UCLA Spirit Squad
Friday Nov 4th--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

Hey guys,

Just a reminder to follow me on Twitter and Facebook and Youtube to stay updated, if interested. I post more often there than on here, so you can stay up to date easier.

Twitter: @thecoolsub

Facebook: Inside UCLA page
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Check out Vinny Bonsignore's recap from UCLA's 86-66 loss to Middle Tennessee State: Check it out

A couple of interesting tidbits from Dan Guerrero's Word From Westwood blog:

* Guerrero confirmed that the athletic department is seeking an "affiliated name" for Pauley Pavilion. I'm crossing my fingers for The Tommy's Burgers Pauley Pavilion. Longshot, I guess.
Guerrero did add, "If it comes to fruition, I can assure you that it will be tastefully done," and said that they have received the blessing of the Pauley family and that any revenue brought in will go to debt from the renovations.

* Guerrero also said that in coordination with the Wooden family, the school has commissioned a status of John Wooden for the north side of the plaza. The tribute is being sculpted by Blair Buswell - the head sculptor of the busts at the Pro Football Hall of Fame for 25 years - and Guerrero has already seen the concepts for the statue.

Ultimately, UCLA senior safety Tony Dye determined that two games were more important than 12. Maybe even 13.

Dye's decision to return this season despite missing seven games - a choice that would eliminate the option of a redshirt season - was made with one thing in mind.

A potential Pac-12 championship.

"We had long family discussions about that, but the fact of the matter is I'm a competitor and I really want to be a part of this opportunity I have right now," Dye said. "Coming back would've been an amazing thing, to get to come back with my teammates, but I want to spend the time I have with them right now and try to be Pac-12 champs."

UCLA can win the South division with wins over Colorado on Saturday and USC on Nov. 26, and Dye wants to be a part.

That he's missed so much of what was expected to be productive senior season only makes him want it more.

After leading the Bruins with 96 tackles as a junior, Dye had 19 tackles before being sidelined with a pinched nerve in his neck after the team's 49-20 Week 3 loss to Texas at the Rose Bowl. He had been expected to miss the entire season and was thought to be able to return for the 2012 season, but the pain and numbness subsided recently, and Dye fought to get back on the field.

"I thought my timeframe on being back on the field was perfect the way we did it," Dye said. "Last week was the first time I felt like I was good to go, good to run. Put me in the red just to be safe."

Dye returned to practice fully on Tuesday and inserted right back into the starting defense. His presence had already been felt with the maturation of fellow safeties Tevin McDonald and Stan McKay - Dye said he served as a "bridge between coaches and players since I've been out" - but he said he's relieved to make it known on the field, even if he wasn't sure it would happen.

"The last few months have been rough, I'll tell you that," Dye said. "Just watching from the sideline, win or loss, just knowing you could be out helping. Unfortunately as competitive I am, I can't lose at anything or I'm growing home crying - it's a terrible thing, a real depressing thing. Luckily, I had the opportunity to get back in pads - I didn't feel like I'd be back this year."

Jefferson returns
UCLA redshirt freshman cornerback Anthony Jefferson has seen his practice time increase in recent weeks as he returns from August back surgery to correct a bulging disk. With this season essentially a moot point, Jefferson is just trying to build toward next season.

"It was definitely important to me to return this year," said Jefferson, who also missed nine games last season with a broken foot and received a medical redshirt. "I've been out the past year with surgeries, so I thought it was very important to make sure I start now and play whatever role they want me to do. I want to carry everything I'm doing now into the offseason."

Bumps and Bruises
Senior running back Derrick Coleman (hip) practiced fully on Tuesday and should be fine for UCLA's matchup with the Buffaloes on Saturday. ... Sophomore safety Alex Mascarenas (head) returned to practice in a red jersey.

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.

Gutty Lil Bruin won for UCLA v. Utah, so please email me at jon.gold@dailynews.com.

UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson, the team's leading returning scorer and rebounder and an All-Pac-12 first-team selection last season, has been suspended from the program indefinitely for "conduct unbecoming a member of the UCLA basketball team."
Nelson and Howland were scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the situation, but a new meeting has been set, and Nelson will not travel with the team for its 8 p.m. matchup with Middle Tennessee State.
"This is a very disappointing situation for Reeves and our basketball program," said Howland. "We have a high standard and code of conduct that our student-athletes are expected to adhere to and Reeves has fallen short of our expectations."
Nelson, who recently adorned the cover of a regional edition of the Sports Illustrated college basketball preview, grew frustrated with the lack of offensive attention going his way in the Bruins' 69-58 season-opening loss to Loyola Marymount, when he finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, sources close to the program confirmed.
Nelson has had attitude issues in the past and he and Howland have spoken in private numerous times before, and a UCLA statement said, "Nelson's status with the team will be re-evaluated after he and Howland meet later this week."

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said that senior safety Tony Dye did not play against Utah in a 31-6 loss on Saturday despite being medically cleared because of lack of full contact in practice for weeks, but that he would participate in more team drills during practice this week as the Bruins prepare for Colorado.

"The last thing we want to do is have his first hit come in game action," Neuheisel said. "What we prefer is he try and see what that feels like and we'll see this week. He says he feels fine. Need to make sure the contact doesn't bring back the symptoms."

Dye has been plagued by soreness and numbness in his neck for most of the season, last playing in a Week 3 49-20 loss to Texas at the Rose Bowl. The team's leading tackler last season, Dye was practicing in a red non-contact jersey even before he was thought to have been out for the season.

Neuheisel said as much as recently as late last month, but Dye has maintained that the pain has improved and that he'd like to play again this season.

That would eliminate the option for a medical redshirt, but Neuheisel said that he has spoken extensively with Dye and Dye's father, Mark, about the issue, and that's clear where their thoughts lie.

"He's a bright young man, his father Mark is a bright guy, they know the whys and wherefores," Neuheisel said. "Sometimes you start bringing up a bunch of numbers, facts and figures, it looks like you're trying to coax him to do one thing. I want all the youngsters in the program to know we support them."

Cold footing
While UCLA players tried to dispel the notion that they were affected by a heavy snow in the second coldest game on record at Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium, Neuheisel said the weather did plague the Bruins in one aspect of the Bruins' 31-6 loss.

"We didn't get the quarterback out on the edge as much," Neuheisel said. "Some of that was because of what they did, and some of it because I don't think we were ass agressive as we needed to be. Some of that may have been the footing, the idea that they were not able to outrun people because of the traction."

Neuheisel said he never considered pulling junior quarterback Kevin Prince despite his struggles and the growing deficit the Bruins faced. Prince finished 12-of-24 passing for 146 yards and two interceptions, including one returned for touchdown and ran for just 10 yards on 12 attempts.

Junior quarterback Richard Brehaut said he was about "80 percent" in his return from a broken left leg last week and the Bruins have tried to preserve the redshirt of Brett Hundley.
"No, that was not a situation to put Brett Hundley into," Neuheisel said. "And, it was not a situation, you know, a cold night like that, to put Nick (Crissman) or Richard Brehaut into. I didn't think that was the prudent thing to do either."

Brehaut was upgraded to probable on the team's Monday injury report and he is expected to see more practice time this week as he continues to work out the rust. Depending on his health and performance he'll assume the reps that Hundley has taken in practice with Brehaut sidelined.

"I'll know more about that as the week goes on," Neuheisel said. "But late in the week last week he looked like he was rounding into form."

UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson and head coach Ben Howland met on Monday afternoon to talk about Nelson's recent attitude and actions after the Bruins' regular season-opening 69-58 loss to Loyola Marymount, a source inside the program confirmed.

The team's leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago scored 13 points and had eight rebounds in the loss to the Lions, reportedly growing frustrated with the lack of offensive attention going his way.

Nelson has had attitude issues in the past and he and Howland have spoken in private numerous times before, but the latest flare-up could result in a suspension.

Richard Brehaut - ankle - probable
Derrick Coleman - hip - probable
Tony Dye - neck - questionable
Glenn Love - hamstring - probable
Alex Mascarenas - head - questionable
Dietrich Riley - neck - out
Philip Ruhl - head - probable
Chris Ward - knee - out
Jordan Zumwalt - hip - questionable

I happen to find the situation that the Pac-12 South finds itself in to be downright fascinating, as the circumstances that have led up to this position have been weird enough. First, USC's postseason ban. Then, the divisional split. Then, Arizona State's surprise fall from grace.

Last night, I tried to figure out UCLA's likeliest bowl scenarios - pretty much all signs point to the Maaco Bowl in Las Vegas, if things play out the way they should - and got confirmation that in the *unlikely* event that UCLA advances to the Pac-12 championship game with a 6-6 record - which, though likely for the Bruins, would also mean that both Arizona State and Utah would have to lose one of their next two - a loss in that game would mean a 6-7 season record for the Bruins, and no bowl eligibility.

This is even weirder.

A reader pointed out a very, very unlikely scenario - albeit an actual possible outcome - that is just wild: If UCLA, Utah and Arizona State each go 0-2 the next two weeks, and UCLA "wins" the Pac-12 South title-game appearance by default but somehow wins that game, the Bruins would be 6-7, and STILL ineligible for a bowl, despite being Pac-12 champions.

Here's what I got from the conference:

"That is correct. While the winner of the Pac-12 Championship Game is the
Rose Bowl participant, unless No. 1 or No. 2 in the BCS poll, in this case
an appeal process would need to be made to the NCAA Leadership Council for
our Champion to play in the Rose Bowl Game."

In the weirdest college football season since 2010, how fitting: The Pac-12 champion might not have enough wins to play in the Rose Bowl.

Talk about cruel:

If UCLA goes 1-1 in its next two games but still somehow advances to the Pac-12 championship game, then loses that game, at 6-7, they'd be ineligible for a bowl game.

Ouch.

Update: Yup, confirmed: "According to conference office, a team that owns 6-7 record after the championship game is not bowl eligible."

Somebody get Rick Neuheisel an iPad.
The UCLA head coach remained blissfully ignorant as the murmuring grew while the Bruins de-planed and got onto the bus that would eventually take them home from a brutal 31-6 loss at Utah, which seemingly ended the team's chances for a berth in the Pac-12 title game.
Only Washington State's 37-27 upset of Arizona State later Saturday night breathed second life into these Bruins, who remain tied at second in the South division with 4-3 conference records, behind USC, which is ineligible for the postseason.
His players, active on their newfangled doohickeys, started buzzing - albeit quietly, Neuheisel said - while the not-so-old ball coach had to be "told by some people who were paying close attention.
"The players certainly knew," Neuheisel said. "The players, with all their devices, had been keeping track. But we are not going to deviate from one game at a time."
Neuheisel's battle this week is two-fold: shifting the focus away from the Utes and onto the Colorado Buffaloes, who come to the Rose Bowl on Saturday fresh off a 48-29 stunner over Arizona, while simultaneously not allowing the team to look ahead, tempting as it may be.
And it certainly is a dangling carrot for the Bruins, the elephant in the room being a season-ending matchup at USC.
"Listen, I can talk til I'm blue in the face, but it's not like these kids aren't aware," Neuheisel said. "They know. It's just (about) what we focus on."
Neuheisel would eventually admit, "We're in it. ... and we are excited about trying to stay in it," but the fact that the Bruins do still control their destiny in this up-and-down season is perplexing.
Three weeks ago, UCLA seemed just happy to have rebounded from a blowout loss to Arizona with a win over Cal when the Sun Devils headed to the Rose Bowl. But UCLA did away with Arizona State, 29-28, to pull into a tie, and the Sun Devils were again tripped up by the Cougars.
To make it simple: UCLA will win the division outright with two wins, even in Arizona State wins its last two, by way of tie-breaker. If Arizona State wins both and UCLA loses one, the Sun Devils advance to face the North division champion, likely Oregon, which handled Stanford on Saturday. If Arizona State loses both and UCLA loses one, it would leave Utah as the victor.
Somehow, the vastly inferior South division will send a representative with at least four conference losses.
That doesn't scare Neuheisel off, though.
"I went to the Rose Bowl as a senior at 6-4-1 and we did just fine."

Bumps and Bruises
Neuheisel was noncommittal on the return of senior safety Tony Dye (neck), who returned to practice last week in a non-contact jersey.
"Tony's chomping at the bit to get back in there," Neuheisel said. "We'll look and see how he does, if he gets into practice and starts to see if he can have some contact."
Neuheisel sounded unsure about the status of senior running back Derrick Coleman (hip), saying, "We'll wait and see. But we've got our fingers crossed that he'll be ready to go."

RESULT: Utah 31, UCLA 6
RECORD: 5-5
WEEK 10 GPA: F

QUARTERBACKS
D-
Kevin Prince struggled mightily with arm, legs as Utes limited his run options.

RUNNING BACKS
C
Penalties sapped all momentum, but Franklin, Coleman didn't do much to wrestle it back.

WIDE RECEIVERS
C
Intensity seemed to be lacking in the blocking, route-running department.

OFFENSIVE LINE
F
Performance of senior veterans in crucial game was absolutely dreadful. Seven penalties?

DEFENSIVE LINE
D
Reverted back to bad habits and poor technique; entire unit needs to keep pad levels down

LINEBACKERS
D
Tackling poorly is not just about missing tackles, but letting the guy always squeeze out the extra yard.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
B
Can't fault defensive backs when front seven opens like a Harry Potter movie.

SPECIAL TEAMS
C
Tyler Gonzalez made two field goals, but Bruins lost battle of field position.

COACHING
D
D for discipline, or once again, lack thereof. Overall F for major dud in critical game.

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

SALT LAKE CITY -

All the pregame hype about the reunion of UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel and Utah offensive coordinator Norm Chow culminated in a simple hug at the end of Neuheisel's press conference following a 31-6 Utah win on Saturday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The highly publicized divorce, which dragged out for more than a month and resulted in UCLA buying out the last year of Chow's contract, was much more intense.

Instead, Chow sought out Neuheisel as the UCLA coach was walking out of the special post-game tent, and they shared a brief moment, upon which Chow exited the stadium and Neuheisel headed into the locker room.

No upstaging. No trash talk. Just the congratulations that Neuheisel whispered into Chow's ear.

"We had lots of good conversations about quarterbacking and pass offense and I enjoyed that banter," Neuheisel said of the relationship between the two during Chow's three-year tenure at UCLA. "I learned from him. Whether or not he learned from me, you would have to ask him but I don't think the reason we didn't have as much success was at all because of a rift between Norm and I."

Chow, who refused to discuss the situation with the media this week, won the scoreboard battle but lost in total yardage, as UCLA outgained Utah 295-291. Chow had the benefit of running back John White IV, though, and his 167 yards rushing and three total touchdowns.
UCLA junior quarterback Kevin Prince, who grew close with Chow during their time together, lamented the separation, which seemed inevitable after the Bruins struggled in the Pistol offense in Chow's last season.

"The pistol wasn't Coach Chow's forte, and I hadn't been healthy a lot, so it's tough to say what would've been," Prince said. "After my freshman year, I definitely thought that the sky was the limit in terms of the way we threw the ball. But the way it's turned out with the things I've been through has been a valuable lesson to me and made me a better football player and I think a better person."

By Jon Gold
Staff Writer

SALT LAKE CITY -
UCLA football players looked up, stuck out their tongues and let the snowflakes drift down on them, almost looking like they wanted to drop to the ground and make snow angels instead of play a tough Utah team.

It's not often a bunch of SoCal kids get covered by a blanket of white.
It's not often they get run over by a blanket of White, either.

But that's just what Utah running back John White IV did, almost single-handedly providing the offense for the Utes in a 31-6 win over the visiting Bruins on Saturday night in front of 45,039 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
White's three consecutive touchdowns in the second and third quarters broke open the game, and the shifty bowling ball totaled 167 yards rushing - his fifth 150-plus game of the year - against a reeling UCLA front seven.

"That dude, he's a hell of a back," Bruins redshirt freshman safety Tevin McDonald said. "We saw it on film - he would attack the line, and he would just find the hole. I got a chance to see it from there - from where I'm looking at safety, he's stopped behind the line, and then he squirts out, and it's a four yard gain."

Unlike the snow, White did not cease, gaining a flurry of extra yards after contact and continuing long into the night. White had 100 yards in the second half on 19 carries and finished with 33 carries for the game, punishing the Bruins' interior with an unwillingness to go down on first contact.

Surprisingly, though, his play of the game came through the air.

After a 1-yard touchdown run by White with 5 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first half gave Utah its first lead at 7-3, UCLA was unable to capitalize on a long drive to end the half and senior kicker Tyler Gonzalez missed a 47-yard attempt after the Bruins were set back six yards on a Kevin Prince sack.

Utah received the kickoff to open the second half and quarterback Jon Hays led the offense down the field with his arm, completing back-to-back passes of 16 and 33 yards to move Utah into scoring position. After a sack by UCLA defensive end Iuta Tepa gave Utah a 3rd-and-goal at the UCLA 13-yard line, Hays delivered a beautiful throw to White directly over Bruin linebacker Sean Westgate, staking the Utes a 14-3 lead.

"That dude, man," Utah wide receiver DeVonte Christopher said, echoing McDonald's sentiments. "John White, that guy is a hard worker. All his yardage, his touchdowns, it's all a testament to his work ethic. When you have a guy like John White, who can not only make guys miss but get through those small holes, it opens everything up."

Utah's Conrad Black intercepted Kevin Prince and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown to effectively end the Bruins' chances.

UCLA had its first long drive of the day stall in the red zone, and UCLA settled for a 35-yard Tyler Gonzalez field goal.

Drive Time: 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:01

Utah has broken the game open with only two game-breaking plays.

First, a 25-yard run on a reverse by Reggie Dunn.

Then, a 22-yard touchdown run right up the guy by John White, his third touchdown of the game.

Drive time: 3 Plays, 47 yards, :45

Utah pulled off its first sustained drive of the game, and once again John White did the damage.

After an Iuta Tepa 6-yard sack of John Hays, Hays found White on the left side of the end zone covered by Sean Westgate, and White hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass to put the Utes up 14-3 after a 74 yard drive.

Drive Time: 10 plays, 74 yards, 5:25

A big second effort by John White at the goal line gave the Utes their first score, and it was little surprise it was White who made it into the end zone.

White carried on all seven of Utah's plays after the offense got the ball at the UCLA 39-yard line following more Bruin penalties, and gained all 39 yards.

Drive Time: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:34

Isaiah Bowens made up for a false start penalty on the previous play and recovered a fumble on the next Jeff Locke punt attempt at the Utah 17-yard line, and after the offense couldn't move much, Tyler Gonzalez hit a 30-yard field goal to put the Bruins up 3-0.

Drive Time: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:30

SALT LAKE CITY -

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, American soldiers carried a familiar battle cry into the Pacific theatre.

Remember the Arizona.

It was to remind the soldiers of what they were fighting for after the sinking of the USS Arizona, which dropped to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

Seventy years later, UCLA football players are using that very same message, albeit from a very different source, the day their program was sunk.

Or so we thought.

That 48-12 loss to the Wildcats on Oct. 20 was supposed to send UCLA into a tailspin, the collective follies of three years of rather forgettable football all culminating in that embarrassing defeat.

Only, it hasn't.

UCLA has won two straight heading into today's contest at Utah, including a 29-28 thriller over No. 19 Arizona State last Saturday that put the Bruins tied with the Sun Devils atop the Pac-12 South.

But despite the recent success, the rally cry remains the same.

"Don't ever forget Arizona," offensive coordinator Mike Johnson said. "Arizona is something that you always keep in the back of your mind. You never forget that feeling. You remember that feeling you had in Arizona when we came out of that locker room, and it makes you play hard. If you have any pride within yourself, you have to come out and play hard so you don't embarrass yourself the way we did in Arizona."

But the message throughout this week? Almost the exact opposite.

Forget Arizona State.

The Bruins can ill-afford to rest on their laurels today in a place that has been unforgiving of late, Rice-Eccles Stadium, where Utah won 44-6 in the teams' last matchup in 2007.

They understand that a win over the Sun Devils means little if it's followed by a loss to the Utes, a defeat that would drop the team back to .500.

"It's pretty easy for us, considering we're only 5-4," quarterback Kevin Prince said. "We're absolutely still humble, especially when we're eight-point underdogs. That really humbles you real quick. You beat a ranked opponent and you're still eight-point underdog? There's a lot more to prove to the public and even to people in this program. We haven't deserved to be favorites yet."

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Here's my season preview of the UCLA basketball team: Check it out

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UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel confirmed Aaron Hester's suspension for the first half of UCLA's matchup against Utah on Saturday for comments he made about the officiating of UCLA's 29-28 win over Arizona State in Week 9. Hester received a reprimand from the Pac-12 and issued a public apology.
"You just can't do that," Neuheisel said. "It's not something that he should talk about, it's not something anybody should talk about. Those guys do the best they can, and certainly there's frustration sometimes, but we can't condone that."
Hester missed practice with a twisted ankle, but Neuheisel said, "We were concerned, but he's much better today, and given improvement from yesterday to today, he might be ready to do."
Hester is still listed as doubtful on the team's injury report.

Thrilling Thursday
Neuheisel was pleased with the team's effort on Thursday, and for an important reason.
The Bruins are trying to pick up just their fourth conference win in Neuheisel's tenure as they head to face the Utes, who beat UCLA in their last matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium, 44-6, in 2007.
"It was a good Thursday, and it needed to be a good Thursday as we get ready to do something we haven't good at over the course of the last few years, which is play a great game on the road," Neuheisel said. "We've done it a couple times, but we've lacked consistency and for us to take the next step on the program, we have to be able to do that on the road."

Dye Return?
After missing the past six games because of neck injury, UCLA senior safety Tony Dye might be available to return for Utah.
Dye was previously thought to be out for the season after feeling pain and numbness because of a nerve issue and would be able to apply for a medical redshirt, but Neuheisel said that discussions with Dye and his family have led to the decision that Dye would try to return this year and forgo the redshirt.
"We would've liked to have Rahim (Moore) and Akeem (Ayers) back, too, and they decided to move on," Neuheisel said. "Those are decisions families need to make and we need to support them."

News and notes
Neuheisel confirmed the return of offensive tackle Xavier Su'A-Filo and said he was registered for the Winter term. ... Neuheisel said Chris Ward would miss the Utah game and might need surgery to repair the patella in his left knee. ... UCLA linebacker Jordan Zumwalt (hip pointer) will travel to Utah but it is still considered questionable.

I got in touch with Michael Lewis of the Salt Lake City Tribune to exchange a little Q&A like I've done a few times this year.

Here were my questions for him about Utah, with his answers, and after the jump, his questions for me about UCLA, with my answers...

1. Utah started off 0-4 in Pac-12 play but has won two straight; were the Utes a little overwhelmed early against the new conference opponents, or have they just played better as of late?
Maybe a little of the first, but probably more the second one. The Utes started off by playing at least three of the better teams in the league -- USC, Washington, Arizona State and Cal -- and had to adjust on the fly to the loss of their starting quarterback throughout that time, and deal with some untimely turnovers. But Jon Hays (the backup QB) seems to have settled down a bit since getting thrown into the fire. He's not making as many mistakes as before, which allows the defense and special teams to do well without being put in horrible situations. Not coincidentally, though, the Utes have most recently played Oregon State and Arizona, two of the three or four worst teams in the league. Combined record: 4-14.

2. Thoughts on Norm Chow?
It's funny that Neuheisel wanted a different offense than the one Norm runs, because the one Norm runs is EXACTLY what Whittingham wanted. He was kind of done with the spread, which I have always believed was just a little too unorthodox for him -- a very prototypical defense-and-field-position coach who played when Norm's offenses were killing everybody at BYU. The Chow offense is effectively very low risk, which I think appeals to Kyle. And Norm's
a pro; he knows there's nothing to be gained by rehashing his departure from UCLA, which is why I heard he froze you guys out this week. He's always been very astute about what kind of media attention can potentially help or hurt him.

3. Where would the Utes be without John White?
Geez, the question I would ask is: Where would they be if they had a quarterback? I bet they'd be contending for the division title. Anyway, I'm not entirely sure how much of a difference White has made for them. Yes, he's had some fine games, is quite a good player and owns a solid rushing average. But the Utes still have the 10th-ranked scoring offense in the league (and the worst one, by yardage), and that's AFTER the wins over OSU and Arizona in which they scored 27 and 34 points. It really is the defense and special teams doing the lifting this season, so it's hard to say they'd be all that much worse off without him, I think.

4. After a 34-10 loss at Cal on Oct. 22, Utah has won two straight, including a 34-21 win over Arizona. What's changed since Oct. 23?
The schedule. They played Oregon State and Arizona. Two of the worst defensive teams in the league. You'd have to say the UA win was more impressive, since it was on the road against a team with a potent passing attack. But still, those teams had beaten only each other (OSU beat UA), Northern Arizona, Wazzu and ... UCLA.

5. With UCLA's secondary so banged up, can Jon Hays have a big game, or does he just not have it in him?
I suppose anything is possible. But he has shown scant evidence of it yet, and I don't think the Utes would even risk it. The Bruins can't stop the run, anyway, and I bet the Utes think they can slow the pistol. (It's really just the triple-option's goofy little brother, right? And the Utes always did OK against Air Force). So I suspect the Utes will figure that it's unwise to ask Hays to try to do more than he usually does or is capable of doing. I think in their view, that risk is far greater than the potential reward. Jon's mission, basically, is to turn around and hand it off to that guy behind him, without fumbling. The defense will do the rest.

6. (Bonus question, most important question) Best meal in Salt Lake
City?
You might get a lot of answers to this question, but I'm telling you, you can't go wrong at Caffe Molise (http://www.caffemolise.com/), on South Temple. Tell Fred (the owner) I sent you. :-) It's Italian. Want Mexican? Hit the Red Iguana (http://rediguana.com/home.html). Sushi? it's Takashi (http://www.yelp.com/biz/takashi-salt-lake-city).
Also, for lunch, Cannella's on the corner of 300 East and 500 South, I believe. Simple stuff, pasta and sandwiches and so forth, but good. Have beers at Juniors on 300 South, Lumpy's (the Utes bar) downtown or up on Highland Drive, or possibly the remodeled and now only
FAUX-divey Bar X (co-owned by Ty Burrell, who I'm told has been known to make an appearance). The brewpubs that others will try to get you to are all fine, I guess, but pretty predictable. Then again, maybe that IS the perfect dining experience in Utah. Predictable!

Good stories here from our Vinny Bonsignore on - Norm Chow - and Michael Lewis of the Salt Lake City Tribune on - Kevin Prince - and both are worth reading.

UCLA had been tinkering around with junior Randall Carroll since its bye week.

Finally against Arizona State in a 29-28 win on Saturday at the Rose Bowl, he was pressed into action.

On defense.

The wide receiver with speed to burn provided depth at cornerback after spending the week practicing at the position, as the Bruins are losing what seems like a defensive back a minute.

"We have had such attrition in the secondary," Neuheisel said. "After losing (sophomore safety Dietrich Riley), we're down to three safeties. You lose one, and it might be (junior cornerback) Andrew Abbott. If he's a safety, who's your corner? That's Randall."

Carroll could be pressed into action quickly, as junior cornerback Aaron Hester, who was reprimanded by the Pac-12 for comments he made about the quality of officiating in the Bruins' win over the Sun Devils, suffered an ankle injury during Wednesday's practice and needed crutches to walk off the field. Neuheisel said he expected Hester to be "fine" and available for the team's matchup at Utah on Saturday.

With junior Sheldon Price only recently on the mend from a sprained knee, senior Jamie Graham lost for the season after knee surgery and Anthony Jefferson likely sidelined for the year after back surgery, the Bruins were already thin at the position, limited to just Price, Abbott, Carroll and sophomore Brandon Sermons.

From the sound of it, Carroll is welcoming the opportunity, though it may take him from the offensive side, where he's caught three passes for 34 yards this season after catching 15 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns last year.

"It was real fun playing on defense," Carroll said. "Get to run around, have fun, get to stop opposing team on third down. It was just basically fun."

Riley Out?
After initially saying that Riley was expected to be fine after suffering temporary loss of feeling following a collision with Cal's Isi Sofele in a UCLA 31-14 win in Week 9, Neuheisel downgraded Riley's status drastically on Wednesday.

"He saw another doctor, probably will see another one - those are his options - but it doesn't look like it's a career-ending injury," Neuheisel said. "It looks like he'll be back, the question is when."

Neuheisel went on to say that the neck injury could "potentially" be season-ending.

Some extra practice notes:

* Pretty good attitude and energy out of the team the last couple days, and they seem to be in a good frame of mind, understand the difficulty that Utah will present on Saturday.

* Anthony Barr had a couple nice grabs today and seems to be moving around well.

* Richard Brehaut is noticeably rusty, but he's throwing late after practice to try to catch back up. He looks like he's moving OK for where he was a couple weeks ago, but I'd still be surprised if he returned this season in a non-emergency situation.

* Senior safety Tony Dye practiced for the second straight day, both in the non-contact jersey, but Neuheisel sounds skeptical about a return.

* Jordan Zumwalt missed practice again with a hip pointer, but Neuheisel said he expects him to play Saturday.

* Chris Ward (knee) again out.

UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson is expected to play in the team's season-opener against Loyola Marymount on Friday at the Sports Arena after X-rays on his left ankle were negative.

Nelson hurt his foot/ankle late in practice on Tuesday and was held out of practice on Wednesday but is expected to return on Thursday. Nelson had 16 points and 10 rebounds in the Bruins' 80-72 exhibition win over Cal State San Bernadino on Sunday.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland said today that Reeves Nelson has a hurt left ankle and was having an X-ray done today. Howland said Nelson is wearing new shoes and that he felt something in his foot about two-thirds of the way through practice yesterday, and that he won't practice today. We should get an update later today.

Ben Howland on signing day:
"I'm really excited about both these kids. Jordan Adams is a really good shooter. He's a team captain for Oak Hill, a very good team, one of the best in the country. We're really excited about him. Watched him play a lot this summer. He can play the wing, play the two, play the three. He's used to winning.
Obviously Kyle Anderson is a very good player when you consider that his team won the national championship last year. He's got unbelievable skills for a guy his size with the ball. He's really improved his shot in the last year. He's really smart. he's way ahead of the game in terms of understanding the game."

On Anderson playing point guard:
"He's going to have the ball a lot. Next year it will be Larry Drew and him playing the point. He can play with, without the ball. He's so good with the ball. He sees the floor so well. They'll definitely be playing together at times."

On Anderson defending the point:
"I hope he can eventually defend the two, the four, the one. Defensively, (the three) is where he'll be most comfortable. He has to get that better at that end. Offensively, hes as good as there is out there."

On Anderson's playmaking ability:
"Kids love to play with him. Kids are excited to play with them. He can go through a whole game and take two shots and be happy as long as his team wins. That's whats fun to have - a guy who totally gets it. He understands you get recognition."

On the Anderson mismatch:
"It goes both ways - he has to be better at the other end. But he's a very difficult matchup against anybody. He's a great passer, anywhere he gets the ball. Out on the post, in the perimeter, pushing it in the break. He sees the floor so well."

On opening inroads at Oak Hill:
"It's more by the individual. Those kids come all from the country to Oak Hill. When you go in his office and see the players he's coached in his tenure - most NBA coaches would be proud. It really is incredible what he's accomplished there."

On Korey McCray's impact on getting Adams:
"It was big. He's known the kid for a long time, has a great relationship with him. There's no question. We don't get Jordan Adams if Korey's not on the staff."

On what he expects for the rest of recruiting:
"We may still sign another here early. ... I expect to sign four."

UCLA's signing class started to take shape this morning with the official signing of Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams to their national letters-of-intent.

The Bruins still have their eyes on a pair of major targets in Shabazz Muhammad and Tony Parker, but in Anderson and Adams, UCLA is getting a pair of proven offensive players who should both have a shot to make immediate impacts. Anderson, in fact, was named by Scout.com as the player expected to make the biggest immediate impact as a freshman next season.

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.

Barney Rubble won for UCLA v. Cal (didn't have one for ASU), so please email me at jon.gold@dailynews.com.

UCLA junior quarterback Richard Brehaut returned to practice on Tuesday, exactly a month after he suffered a fractured lower left leg in the second quarter of the Bruins' 28-25 win over Washington State at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 8.

Brehaut was originally listed as being out 3-to-6 weeks after he was hurt on a quarterback keeper with just less than 10 minutes left in the first half against the Cougars, just three weeks after he assumed the starting quarterback position from junior Kevin Prince after Prince's shaky performance in a Week 3 loss to Texas.

"To be in drills, throwing some individual some routes, it felt good to be out there again," Brehaut said. "Definitely had some rust throwing routes. Just my timing - haven't done any of that in a month. But it's nice to be out here again, to put these pads on."

Brehaut, who estimated he was at about 80 percent of full health on Tuesday, has completed 66-of-119 passes for 935 yards and six touchdowns with zero interceptions in six games with four starts. Prince has performed admirably for much of Brehaut's absence, particularly in the last two games, both UCLA wins. Prince has rushed for a team-high 224 yards in wins over Cal and then-No. 19 Arizona State, while completing 20-of-35 passes for 288 yards and a score.

UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel has been non-committal about who will handle quarterback duties when Brehaut is fully healthy, but Neuheisel did not expect Brehaut to be ready for UCLA's matchup at Utah on Saturday.

"Probably not, but I don't even rule him ever out," Neuheisel said. "He's still sore, and he's rusty. You can't be gone since the Washington State game and not come back rusty. But it's good to have him starting that process."

Brehaut maintains that he wanted to return to practice last week, when he had his walking boot removed, but knows that the questions about his health will linger until he's full-go. On Tuesday, he practiced lightly and he still needs to be reintroduced to team drills and live action.

"The big tell will be how I feel tomorrow," Brehaut said on Tuesday. "We're going to see how moving around on it today, doing the most I've done in almost a month, how it feels tomorrow. Right now, I feel good. I'm not too sore."

UCLA head coach Ben Howland on Brendan Lane's DNP against Cal State San Bernadino:
"He's not ahead of the four guys that are ahead of in. It's based on how each game goes. Right now he's the fifth big guy. He brings a good attitude every day, works real hard."

On Loyola Marymount:
"Their two guards are really good players. (Anthony) Ireland the starting guard, very quick, chagnes speeds, shoots it well. They have a lot of guys with a lot of experience.

On not starting Josh Smith:
"Kind of the same reason we went away from it early in the season last year - lot of times officials are trying to set a tone early. I don't want him to be in foul trouble. Josh was fine with it. He still played his minutes and played well."

On having length, especially with Anthony Stover:
"It'd be nice to get Stover back. His length is the length that bothers more people than anybody. Josh has good length and size combined, but Stover is the kid in our progam who changes more shots."

On defense:
"We had too much standing. Too much relaxation. We've got to do a better job with our shot selection."

From UCLA:

The UCLA/Colorado football game on November 19th will kick off at 4:30 pm and will be televised nationally by Versus.

UCLA junior cornerback Aaron Hester has been reprimanded for comments made after the Bruins' 29-28 win over Arizona State on Saturday.

"Mr. Hester's remarks were a clear violation of the Pac-12's comprehensive restrictions on public comments on officiating and he is being appropriately reprimanded," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said.

* Richard Brehaut is listed at 50-50 this week on the injury report.
Asked what the plan is for the quarterbacks if Brehaut can play, Rick Neuheisel said: `` ``Well, we'll determine that plan when and if he's ready to play, and that will be an ongoing thing. It's a nice thing to have two quarterbacks that are capable of helping us win.''

* Dietrich Riley (neck) is out.

* UCLA coach Neuheisel said Norm Chow called him earlier this year to thank him for a concept he used at #Utah in BYU game. Friends or foes?

``I don't know exactly what's been said about Norm and I,'' Neuheisel said. ``We both feel we know the quarterback position. We've had lots of great conversations. I've enjoyed that banter. I learned from him. Whether he learned from me, you'd have to ask him.''

More to come.

Rick Neuheisel said junior quarterback Richard Brehaut is scheduled to return to practice on Tuesday, though Neuheisel is unsure how much he'll participate.

*Sophomore safety Dietrich Riley was described as "less than questionable" for the Utah game after he suffered a neck injury against Cal in Week 9, and he is scheduled to see another doctor this week.

*Sophomore linebacker Jordan Zumwalt (hip) was listed as questionable.

It's not often that a running quarterback is most often criticized about his feet.

But the knock on junior quarterback Kevin Prince has been just that, as despite huge strides in the running game, his passing abilities have been hindered by poor footwork.

Until Saturday's 29-28 win over No. 19 Arizona State at the Rose Bowl.

Prince completed 11-of-17 passes for 196 yards and a score and delivered two important throws that helped the Bruin offense keep the Sun Devils honest.

"We've worked hard at it, in terms of number one trying to understand what defenses are trying to do to us and so that he can be aware and so forth," Neuheisel said. "And the second thing we've worked really hard on is his feet. Most of the times Kevin's been inaccurate is because his feet have betrayed him. It's that he's not been organized there, and so the ball doesn't fly like it does in practice when he is organized. There were a couple of times yesterday where he was just absolutely beautiful with his footwork and put the ball right on the money."

One play was a 76-yard touchdown pass to Nelson Rosario - the Bruins' longest touchdown connection since 2007 - in which Prince pump-faked, got three defenders to bite and found Rosario absolutely wide open for a breezy jog into the end zone.

The other, also to Rosario, only at an absolutely crucial time and less than half the yards.

With four minutes, 42 seconds left in the game, senior running back Derrick Coleman broke off a 41-yard run - the longest run allowed by the Arizona State starting defense all year - but the next 1:28 could only be described as pure disaster. First, Prince fumbled and had to fall on the ball to salvage a seven-yard loss. Then, a Joseph Fauria offensive pass interference penalty that set the Bruins back 15 yards. Next, a three-yard Prince run that made it 3rd-and-29 at the Arizona State 39-yard line with 2:23 left.

That's when Prince found his feet.

RESULT: UCLA 29, No. 19 Arizona State 28
RECORD: 5-4
WEEK 9 GPA: A-

QUARTERBACKS
A-
Kevin Prince again great in the run game, but added longest UCLA TD pass in more than four years

RUNNING BACKS
B
Derrick Coleman making his case for starting role with clutch performance

WIDE RECEIVERS
A-
Nelson Rosario once again flashed that tantalizing talent, and this time he delivered big-time

OFFENSIVE LINE
B
Too much quarterback pressure, but ground game worked when it mattered most

DEFENSIVE LINE
B-
Not the same statistical output, but ASU's massive quarterback Brock Osweiler was pressured all night

LINEBACKERS
B-
Improvements in tackling, assignments, pass coverage very noticeable from entire corps

DEFENSIVE BACKS
B
Tevin McDonald did not have three picks, but his 11 tackles were impressive

SPECIAL TEAMS
B+
Long return by Josh Smith, sound punting by Jeff Locke did the trick

COACHING
A-
Bruins were motivated for tough Sun Devil squad, and game-plan was very good

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

Kevin Prince is a man of faith.

In himself, though that was certainly bruised, and in his teammates and in his coach.
Sometimes, it's all that's left.

And with 21 seconds left in a game that UCLA absolutely had to have, he needed to call on a higher power.

Minutes that felt like an eternity later, as Arizona State kicker Alex Garoutte's third field goal attempt fell woefully short, Prince looked up.

And then he sprinted onto the Rose Bowl field along with the rest of his teammates.

Two weeks after a 36-point loss at Arizona left the Bruins seemingly dead and buried, all of a sudden their season has found the light, UCLA moving into a first-place tie with the Sun Devils by way of a come-from-behind 29-28 win in front of 65,438.

How high are these Bruins now?

If they win out, they are bound for the first Pac-12 championship game.

How low were these Bruins just 17 days ago, how far down, how many feet deep?

"Five-and-a-half?" Prince responded with a smile, one that projected all the relief in the world.

For a team that has been battered and bruised and left on the side of the 10 Freeway, UCLA sure played with a ton of life on Saturday night.

Never more so than late in the fourth quarter, when the defense came up with a crucial stop and the offense responded with the game-winning drive.

After kick returned Josh Smith fumbled at the 27-yard line following a one-yard touchdown run by Arizona State quarterback Brock Osweiler, the UCLA defense forced the Sun Devils into a three-and-out, punctuated by Garoutte's second field goal miss of the evening.

The Bruins started at their own 21-yard line, and Derrick Coleman took over.

Coleman gained 67 yards on seven carries - including a 41-yard run that brought UCLA to the ASU 20-yard line - before punching it in from a yard out to put the Bruins up 29-28.

"There were a lot of mistakes, and we couldn't worry about the last play, we had to worry about the next one," said Coleman, referring to his fumble on the first play of the drive, which he recovered. "Whatever happened, happened, worry about the next one. There were a lot of ups and downs, but if you worry about that last play, you're not going to be there for the next one."

After a two-point conversion attempt missed, the UCLA defense still had some work to do.
And facing one of the conference's top quarterbacks in the 6-foot-8 Osweiler, that was a tall task.

Osweiler, who completed 22-of-38 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns, moved the Sun Devils swiftly down the field, completing passes for 20 and 12 yards and benefitting from a 15-yard pass interference call on Aaron Hester.

After the Bruins called a timeout to ice the kicker, Garoutte strolled onto the field to give his team the win, before the kick fluttered without a chance.

"That's just resolve," Holmes said. "That's all that is. That's all that is. Guys in the locker room believed we could do it. We didn't pay attention to outside noise. We kept coming."

The Bruins kept coming, at times in spite of themselves.

UCLA committed eight penalties for 75 yards including two holding penalties that negated long runs, and the Bruins turned the ball over twice.

When it mattered most, though, UCLA bore down responding to adversity in a way it hasn't during much of Rick Neuheisel's tenure.

It just took a little faith.

"After the pass interference, with 21 seconds left, that's exactly when I started praying," said Prince, who completed 11-of-17 passes for 196 yards, including a crucial 33-yard completion to Nelson Rosario on 3rd-and-29 that kept UCLA's game-winning drive alive. "I was just hoping. I knew how big this win would be for us, and I know how crushing it would be to lose it. It was two complete opposite sides of spectrum. I definitely keeping the faith."

After a crucial holding penalty brought back a long Johnathan Franklin run, Arizona State was given ample field position to begin its drive.
The Sun Devils capitalized.
Brock Osweiler moved ASU 44 yards in five plays, with an Osweiler-to-Jamal Miles nine-yard touchdown connection bringing the Sun Devils to within two.

Drive Time: 5 plays, 44 yards, 1:28

Kevin Prince did not just fake out the Arizona State defensive backs, he seemed to fool the entire field, and Nelson Rosario was left absolutely wide-open for a 76-yard touchdown connection, the Bruins longest since 2007.

Drive Time: 74 yards, 2 plays, 47 seconds

Derrick Coleman capped off 13-play, 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, but he did much of the dirty work himself on the drive.

Coleman had 38 yards on the drive, including a 20-yard run to jumpstart the possession, and the Bruins reclaimed the lead.

Drive Time: 80 yards, 13 plays, 6:09

After a 78-yard kick return by Josh Smith, the Bruins could do little with the excellent field position, as three plays went for -7 yards and UCLA settled for a 43-yard Tyler Gonzalez field goal.

Drive Time: -7 yards, 4 plays, 1:31

Arizona State drove down the field once more, even after Jeff Locke gave them a loooong field.

Punting from the ASU 34-yard line after a decent drive stalled, Locke's kick was downed at the 3-yard line.
No matter.
The Sun Devils went 97 yards in 10 plays, including a 35-yard pass from Brock Osweiler to Gerell Robinson, and they capped it off with a nice 14-yard touchdown run by Cameron Marshall.

Drive Time: 97 yards, 10 plays, 3:28

Arizona State struck back pretty quickly, as a rather ordinary slant up the middle to A.J. Pickens went for a 35-yard touchdown.

After the Sundevils marched down the field with six straight running plays, ASU quarterback Brock Osweiler hit a one-yard pass to Mike Willie, followed by the pass to Pickens, who went to the house as Tevin McDonald, Stan McKay and Andrew Abbott all were burned with poor angles of pursuit.

Drive Time: 81 yard, 8 plays, 3:29

UCLA took control on the ground early, rushing for 69 yards on six carries, including an 11-yard Johnathan Franklin touchdown run, to take a 6-0 lead.

Kevin Prince was dangerous on the ground, rushing twice for 47 yards, with a clutch 26-yard run on the team's first third down, on 3rd-and-4 at the UCLA 17-yard line.

Prince also had back-to-back completions to Nelson Rosario and Joseph Fauria for 19 yards to set up the touchdown run.

Drive Time: 89 yards, 8 plays, 3:52

Kevin Prince's knee was still hurting when UCLA played Arizona State last season, but pretty quickly into the matchup, his neck was getting a bit sore, too.

Probably not as sore as Richard Brehaut's right shoulder.

Like a tennis spectator scanning back and forth, Prince watched from the sidelines as Brehaut set UCLA records for pass completions (33) and attempts (56) in a 55-34 loss to the Sun Devils, as Arizona State rallied from a 17-0 deficit.

Now the scripts are flipped - Brehaut nursing an injury and on the sidelines, Prince off the bench and, the Bruins hope, to the rescue - and Prince is expecting things to go a bit differently.

"I was surprised, first of all, very surprised," Prince said. "At that point in the season though we were kind of desperate. We were 4-6, we needed a win bad, and the way that they came back, we felt like we needed to continue to throw the ball. At the time, maybe it was the right thing to do, but definitely we don't want to put ourselves in that position this year. We want to be able to control the clock. Make sure their offense doesn't get the ball."

Kind of like they did last week, in a 31-14 win over Cal at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins rushed for 294 yards while Prince attempted just 18 passes, completing nine for 92 yards, and ran for 163 yards UCLA while maintained a five-minute advantage in time-of-possession.

"You would like to be balanced but if you're having success running the football, you don't need to do much else," Neuheisel said. "But we understand that against a defense as talented as they are, we're going to have to run and pass."

Last year, though, Brehaut was coming off a concussion suffered against Washington, and UCLA didn't want to put him in harm's way in the Pistol offense. The Bruins were set to throw early, former offensive coordinator Norm Chow calling for passes on the first play of four consecutive drives to start the game.

But then it quickly became an arms race - ultimately won by Arizona State's Brock Osweiler - and as the coaches said this week, the gameplan dictated what they had to do.

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Check out the latest batch of weekly answers...

Here's my feature in today's LA Daily News about the suspended UCLA wide receivers returning: Catching Up

From UCLA:

Sophomore forward Travis Wear sprained his right hand in practice today. X-rays were negative and he will be reevaluated tomorrow. He is listed as day-to-day.

UCLA picked up a verbal commitment in a position of need tonight as Punahou (HI) High kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn made the call around 6 p.m. Hawaiian time.

He is rated the No. 4 kicker in the country by Chris Sailer and joins Punahou teammate Steven Lakalaka, who verbally committed to UCLA earlier this year.

He joins Compton Dominguez OL Lacy Westbrook , who also verbally committed to UCLA on Wednesday night, and Trinity (Texas) High safety Laiu Moeakiola, who committed to UCLA on in late-October, to give the Bruins 15 commits.

Fairbairn is preparing for a "huge game" as he said, and we're scheduled to talk on Friday.

Here's some video of UCLA's recent commits:

UCLA safety Dietrich Riley said that he is feeling no lingering pain from a devastating hit in UCLA's 31-14 win over Cal on Saturday that left him temporarily without feeling, but also said that he would be sitting out against Arizona State at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

"I think it's smart to sit out," Riley said. "I think we have great enough depth at the safety position, and we have guys who are willing to step in and carry on. I'm just being safe for precautionary reasons."

In the fourth quarter with the Bears driving in UCLA territory, Riley rammed into Cal running back Isi Sofele and slinked to the ground, motionless. Riley said he had no feeling in his upper or lower body until the UCLA training staff rushed to tend to him, and he flashed a thumbs up and waved to the Rose Bowl crowd as he was being carted off the field before being taken to Huntington Hospital.

"It was scary," Riley said. "I really didn't know what to expect. I couldn't feel anything, couldn't feel my upper or lower body at the moment. Once the training staff came out to field, that's when I began to get feeling back. I'm just thankful to be here today, thankful I'm walking, thankful I'm alive. It could've been more severe. I'm just thankful the man above was watching over me."

Riley, who starred at St. Francis High, took the blame for the hit, saying that he led with his head, a problem that has plagued him in his tenure at UCLA.
"It's not high school where you can lead with your head and knock guys out," Riley said. "You have to play safe and use the fundamentals of tackling."

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Breakfast with the Bruins

Coach Angus McClure
Greg Capella, #64 Off Line
Datone Jones, #56 Def Line
Tevin McDonald, #7 Free Safety
Kevin Prince, #4 Quarterback
UCLA Spirit Squad

Friday Nov 4th--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

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Aramide Olaniyan may be a hybrid, but he sure can press the gas pedal: Check it out

* UCLA head coach Ben Howland was hopeful that De'End Parker (concussion) would practice today for the first time in nine days without contact. Parker has practiced just four or fives times out of 16.

* Center Anthony Stover is still 10-14 days from practicing even without contact, Howland guessed, and said he's expected to miss the season opener at least.

* Howland said Tyler Lamb would likely backup at the point guard spot in the team's exhibition matchup with Cal State San Bernadino with Jerime Anderson suspended.

* Howland on playing the scrimmage against Cal State Fullerton and the exhibition with focus: "We actually played the scrimmage against Fullerton like a regular-season game. That's what we're trying to prepare for.

* On Norman Powell playing the point:
"His biggest issue with me is his ability to stay in front of the ball. He's athletic so he should be able to do it, and be better than he is right now. The other thing is better passing."

* On the team's condition:
"We've had good comp, guys comepting real hard. Guys have doing a good job pushing in that respect. We just have a lot of areas (to improve). Since the scrimmage, I've been really conscious of getting us up and down more and more to increase our conditioning."

* On David Wear:
"He's done a really nice job. He's 6-10, so he's matched up with much smaller players and will be most of the year. That's my biggest concern is him defensively being able to stay in front. He's always going to have a disadvantage from that standpoint. He has to focus on staying low and really do a good job of staying in front of the ball."

* Howland on the key to utilizing David Wear:
"Get him posted up. Most three men will have a hard time guarding him in the post. We've got to start scheming to get things in. He's also a pretty clever passer."

* Howland on backup center:
"We'll play Travis (Wear) there some, even Brendan (Lane) there some. But we're going to miss Anthony. A real defensive presence. The thing I really like about Anthony is he really has a great motor in games. He plays as hard as anybody we have. Thought he really displayed that last year, doing the little things - boxing out, playing the shot, almost playing too aggressively at times. We're gonna miss that for sure."

* Howland on the potential trip to China:
"I would really love for our team to have that opportunity. Fitting into the timeline we want - after Session C so we don't miss class - I would really like it for next year's team. It would be great for the school, everything that's going on between our university and that country. There's a lot of benefits not just to our team but to the university as a whole as a good-will gesture."

* I know that the risk/reward paid off against Cal, and I know that UCLA will have to keep betting
Kevin Prince said after his 163-yard rushing performance against the Bears that UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel and running game coordinator Jim Mastro mandated a 100-yard performance from their junior quarterback. More interestingly, he said that it was a reversal from the loss at Arizona, before which, Prince said, the mandate was to run with caution.
Now that we've seen how effective the Pistol can be with Prince in kamikaze mode, I don't see how UCLA can go against that formula. The downside, obviously, is injury - and we all know Prince's history in that department - but with Richard Brehaut's return looking like an actual possibility and with Brett Hundley coming along and Nick Crissman in reserve, if Neuheisel is really coaching for his life here, he'll have to continue to take that risk.
Prince was great in the run game, both in his handling of the offense and his execution - Cal defensive ends seemed to bite down every time - and he rightfully credit his performance as being the catalyst to opening the middle of the field for Derrick Coleman's three touchdowns. He also said, "This is how the Pistol is supposed to look," and that he felt like Colin Kaepernick out there. He'll need to continue to be, if the offense is going to work. I've had my doubts about the Pistol working in the Pac-12, but if it can continue to look like that, you can't really deny its effectiveness. However...

* I think UCLA can't play that kind of offense without that kind of defense
What must just eat at Rick Neuheisel is that I'm sure in his mind, that exact kind of performance is what he expected all season long. And he might have gotten it, had the defense held up its end of the bargain.
So much of UCLA's offensive success on Saturday came directly off turnovers - 24 of the 31 points, in fact - but even moreso, the Bruins were making stops behind the line of scrimmage. Obviously aided by the five takeaways - including three interceptions by Tevin McDonald in a conference player-of-the-week performance - UCLA controlled the clock and forced Cal into relying way too much on Zach Maynard, who faltered. Neuheisel thought he would get that kind of defense all season, but he hasn't, and the Pistol has suffered because of it.

* I know UCLA is starting to develop some real offensive line depth
Given the Bruins' recent history at the position, it's kind of shocking to see that. In my three seasons on the beat, this is the first year that Bob Palcic had a well he could actually dig down into, pulling out Wade Yandall to replace Alberto Cid. The result? A game-changing 294-yard rushing performance.
A year ago, two years ago, UCLA did not have a Wade in which to turn. Now, you look at what the Bruins are building there, despite the graduation of Sean Sheller, Mike Harris and Kai Maiava, and it's on the upswing. If Xavier Su'a-Filo returns as expected and plays at even 75 percent of his freshman-year form, UCLA is set at tackle with Jeff Baca and him, and Connor Bradford and Brett Downey should be serviceable backups. At guard, the Bruins return Cid, Yandall and Chris Ward, and Greg Capella should take over at center, with an improving Jacob Brendel as backup. If UCLA can hit on at least one of its other linemen from the class of 2011 - Ben Wysocki, Torian White, Will Oliver - plus continue to add one or two decent prospects and a couple decent projects a year, things will have moved out of threat-level orange.

* I think it doesn't just start up front on one side
The defensive line, for reasons too many to discuss, played its best game of the season against the Bears. The plays in which Datone Jones moved inside, the unit looked very good. Aramide Olaniyan and Keenan Graham offered speed, and production, off the edge and Jones was able to use his strength in the interior and benefitted from Olaniyan's edge rush. When Cassius Marsh returns for the Utah matchup in two weeks, UCLA would be better served not to revert to the old rotation.

* I think punting is winning...OK, no, but Jeff Locke is a winning punter
Rick Neuheisel gets ragged on for that punting is winning thing, but really, Jeff Locke has become almost indispensable for the Bruins. Forget the fact that UCLA has just one other punter listed on the roster in freshman walk-on Michael Leamy.
Locke's back-to-back punts inside the Cal 5-yard line - the first to the 1-yard line, the second to the 3-yard line - set the Bruins up with the good field position they needed to tie the score at seven in the second quarter. He later had another punt at the Cal 5-yard line, and another that was returned to the 11-yard line, and let the Bears return just one of six kickoffs.
While Cal's Bryan Anger - another phenomenal punter - won the individual battle with a 49.6-yard per punt average, Locke had those four inside the Cal 20-yard line, while Anger had three inside UCLA's 20. His shoulder injury sent chills down UCLA fan's backs and for good reason, but he should be fine for the Sun Devils.