Wide receiver Alex Van Dyke makes a fingertip catch at practice. Photo by Brad Graverson // Daily Breeze
No grand, final conclusions can come from three days of practice, especially when two of those days were not even in pads, but the Bruins got some good work in during the first week. Some freshmen flashed (Theo Howard and Mique Juarez) and some returners showed they are eager to take on new challenges, whether its stepping into a larger leadership position (Josh Rosen, Jayon Brown and Eli Ankou) or a new field positions (Ishmael Adams).
A pressing issue is the snap count/false state conundrum that plagued the offensive line.
Another thing to keep an eye on this week will be the pace of practice. Jim Mora said he has purposely slowed the tempo to more easily teach the changes on both offense and defense. As the team becomes more comfortable with the changes, we can expect things to speed up and we’ll be able to see some of the changes for real.
What things interest you the most for the second week of camp? I’ll keep an eye on them and try to report back.
The team heads into the second week of spring camp on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Check here for the full spring schedule. Here’s a handy collection of links to get you caught up on anything you may have missed in the first week:
- Camp previews
- 5 questions for the team
- Chart: How Rosen stacked up with other true freshman quarterbacks last year
- Day 1
- Don’t call Jim Mora‘s offense “pro-style”
- Notes/observations: Offense sloppy in first scrimmages
- Video interviews with Rosen, Mora, Brown, Ankou and Conor McDermott
- Photo gallery of day 1 action
- Day 2
- There could be some fighting at spring practice this season and why that could be a good thing
- Notes/observations: Defense wins scrimmage
- Video interviews with Tom Bradley, Marques Tuiasosopo, Eldridge Massington and Kenny Young
- Day 3
- How Mora balances competition and coaching during spring
- Notes/observations: First day of pads
- Video interview with Mora
- Extra analysis
- Chart: UCLA rushing defense (extra chart here)
- Chart: Breaking down Rosen’s freshman turnovers
Here’s a cool, short clip from UCLA with scenes from the first week
