Early look at Bruins in the 2014 NFL draft

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Jack Wang

The 2014 NFL draft is less than a year away! Depending on who does or doesn’t declare, the Bruins could have two first-round picks for the first time since 1981.

Here’s a roundup of some too-early mock drafts/prospect rankings.

Sports Illustrated:
Brett Hundley — No. 8
Anthony Barr — No. 20

Chris Burke is higher on Hundley than anyone else listed here, and is also lower on Barr — whom he calls a potential “Von Miller-type” should he be drafted by a 4-3 team. The analyst does hedge a bit on the No. 20: “Odds are, in the long run, that Barr might be off the board well before this next April.” Continue reading →

UCLA football post-spring: Offense

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Jack Wang

Quarterback

Be happy that you have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference. Brett Hundley isn’t flawless, but not many players in the country have the same level of tantalizing potential. (I don’t think he’ll leave, but if Hundley declares for the 2014 draft, SI already has him as the No. 8 pick.)

A superlative freshman campaign — 3,745 yards, 29 touchdowns against 11 picks — proved that the 6-foot-3 dual threat is the quarterback the Bruins have long sought. Perhaps the biggest knock on him was his decision-making, whether that meant not throwing the ball away when he needed to or not sliding at the right time. In spring, he looked like he corrected some of that, drawing cheers from his teammates once when he slid on a scramble.

He also took 52 sacks last season — second-most in college football, and something that did start to affect him later in the fall. Continue reading →

Brett Hundley cutting off social media

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Jack Wang

Don’t bother tweeting Brett Hundley for at least another week. UCLA’s star quarterback has sworn off all social media for spring practice.

“Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter — everything,” he said. “I’m dying, man. I’m dying.”

The rising redshirt sophomore said he did the same last spring and summer, but has also enlisted some teammates to join him in staying off those sites. Freshman Eldridge Massington, an early enrollee, has already broken the pact. Continue reading →

Jim Mora, Brett Hundley appear in UCLA’s ‘You Can Play’ video

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Jack Wang

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Of the more than 10,000 men playing major college football, none have yet come out as gay. UCLA football coach Jim Mora did his part to try and pave the way, appearing in the school’s “You Can Play” video this week.

Mora shows up at 0:20, while star quarterback Brett Hundley and defensive back Librado Barocio join in at 1:35. Women’s gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field and women’s basketball coach Cori Close open the video, which also features athletes from numerous other UCLA teams. Continue reading →

Quarterback T.J. Millweard trying to secure backup spot

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Jack Wang

Brett Hundley is a lock to start at quarterback, but there’s no clear-cut option behind him. On Thursday, redshirt freshman T.J. Millweard made his pitch for the spot, making a number of sharp throws during scrimmage situations. His most impressive moment was a long touchdown to Tyler Scott, uncorked from near midfield.

“We kind of saw that man one on one out there,” Millweard said. “We had the perfect play call. I just kind of did a play fake, got back, and let it rip.”

Devin Lucien’s talk and other football practice notes

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Jack Wang

After missing most of last season with a broken collarbone, wide receiver Devin Lucien is excited to be back on the field. On Thursday, he made sure to inform anyone within earshot — making for one of the day’s more amusing moments.

“Tell them I’m coming for that starting spot!” he yelled to reporters after making a catch over cornerback Fabian Moreau in one-on-one drills.

“I’m telling y’all right now,” he said after another catch. “Y’all better tell somebody!” Continue reading →

UCLA football spring practice primer

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Jack Wang

Football’s back! As a reminder, here’s UCLA’s full spring practice schedule. All sessions are open to the public and will last approximately two hours.

Tues. Apr. 2 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 4 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 6 – 10:45 a.m.
Mon. Apr. 8 – 6 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 10 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 11 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 13 – 10:30 a.m.
Mon. Apr. 15 – 6 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 17 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 18 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 20 – 10:30 a.m.
Mon. Apr. 22 – 6 p.m.
Wed. Apr. 24 – 7 a.m.
Thu. Apr. 25 – 7 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 27 – 5 p.m. (Rose Bowl)

A quick primer after the jump. Continue reading →

Holiday Bowl post-game press conference

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Jack Wang

Holiday Bowl: How do UCLA and Baylor match up?

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Jack Wang

UCLA offense vs. Baylor defense: Although they give up more yards than every team in the country except Louisiana Tech, the Bears aren’t the second-worst defense in the college football. Baylor has won four of its past five games because it suddenly discovered the ability to force turnovers. In that span, the Bears grabbed 11 of their 18 interceptions on the season. (Meanwhile, quarterback Nick Florence threw just two picks.) However, this still doesn’t mean that Baylor is a particularly good defense. Only two teams in the Big 12 give up more yards per play than the Bears, which partly negates the argument that their numbers are bad due to the offenses they face.

Though Brett Hundley has thrown a pick in three of this past four games, he is still just 60 yards away from Cade McNown’s single-season passing record and could crack that by the end of the first quarter. Johnathan Franklin could conceivably get 300 yards to hit 2,000 on the season. (Great stat, courtesy of ESPN: Franklin averages 4 yards after contact on fourth-quarter rushes. He averages just 2.1 per carry in the first three quarters.) Edge: UCLA

Baylor offense vs. UCLA defense: Florence isn’t the superstar Robert Griffin III was Continue reading →

Franklin’s friendship with Hundley

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Jack Wang

Even a year ago, Johnathan Franklin and Brett Hundley weren’t as close as they are now. Then they became roommates and became more or less inseparable. Franklin said Hundley and redshirt sophomore Librado Barocio — another roommate — will likely be his best men at his wedding.

That sort of relationship is hard to come by, and has certainly helped in a season that have seen both Franklin and Hundley turn into stars.

“It’s great,” Franklin said. “That’s my quarterback. He’s going to give me the ball, so I know that he likes me a little bit. Just being able to keep each other accountable, call each other out on certain things and not be mad about it. …

“I tell them literally every day, I wish I had another year with y’all.”

Said Hundley: “I trust Jet with pretty much anything and everything. Just to have that relationship on and off the field … you’re sort of on the same level.”

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