Aloha, friends! If you have questions about UCLA heading into Saturday’s game against Hawai’i (2 p.m., Pac-12 Networks), then leave them below — or email me at thnguyen(at)scng(dot)com — and I’ll answer as many as I can. I’ll post answers THURSDAY.
Hawai’i running back Diocemy Saint Juste attempts to get past Nevada defensive end (90) in the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, in Honolulu. (Eugene Tanner/AP)
UCLA (1-0) vs. Hawai‘i (2-0)
Saturday, Sept. 9 | 2 p.m. PT | Rose Bowl
TV: Pac-12 Networks (JB Long, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage)
Radio: AM 1150 (Josh Lewin, Matt Stevens, Wayne Cook)
Scouting report
Hawai‘i is in its second year under head coach Nick Rolovich, who has his alma mater off to its first 2-0 start since 2009. The Rainbow Warriors defeated Massachusetts on the road in the season opener and won their home opener against Western Carolina last weekend. The Rainbow Warriors blocked a school-record three field goal attempts last week during their 41-18 win. Defensive lineman Meffy Kolamatangi had two blocks, tying a school record.
Hawai‘i hasn’t beaten a Pac-12 team on the mainland since 2009, a 38-20 win over Washington State in Seattle. The team is coming off its first bowl win since 2006 and trying for its first winning season since 2010.
The Hawai‘i defense was one of the worst in the country last year, ranking 113th in points allowed per game with 37.3. New defensive coordinator Legi Suiaunoa, the team’s former defensive line coach, has the team surrendering 26.5 points per game in its first two weeks. Continue reading “First look: Hawai’i at UCLA” »
Dru Brown (front) returns as Hawaii’s starting quarterback after winning the job as a sophomore last year. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Hawaii at UCLA
Saturday, Sept. 9 | Rose Bowl
2 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks
Hawaii grabbed most of its headlines this offseason by offering a scholarship to an 11-year-old quarterback. Now the Rainbow Warriors are also trying to make noise on the field.
As a rookie head coach last year, Nick Rolovich led Hawaii (7-7, 4-4 MWC last year) to its first bowl win since 2006. The Rainbow Warriors are now gunning for their first winning season since Greg McMackin’s 2010 squad that went 10-4 overall. Rolovich, a 38-year-old Hawaii alumnus, was the offensive coordinator for that team, running a system that combined the run-and-shoot and pistol.
The Bruins will be coming off a short week after a Sunday season-opener, but aren’t expected to face much trouble against a Hawaii team still rebuilding in Rolovich’s season year.
Game storylines Continue reading “UCLA football 2017 season preview: Hawaii” »
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the UCLA women’s basketball team had stressed the importance of defense.
It backed up that talk on Saturday, stifling Hawaii in a comfortable 66-50 win to advance to the second round of the postseason. The third-seeded Bruins limited the Rainbow Wahine to making a fifth of their attempts from the field, including just two in the final eight minutes.
Senior guard Nirra Fields led UCLA with 16 points and eight rebounds, and dished out four of the team’s 16 assists. She was one of three Bruins to score in double digits, joining Kennedy Burke (15) and Jordin Canada (10).
Megan Huff paced Hawaii with 18 points, accounting for half of that total from the free-throw line.
UCLA will play No. 6 seed South Florida on Monday.
UCLA will lose offensive linemen Fred Ulu-Perry after just one season.
According to both the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Bruin Report Online, Ulu-Perry has been granted a release by the Bruins and is expected to transfer to Hawaii to be closer to home.
The former St. Louis High standout was one of the top centers in the class of 2016, and likely would have pushed for a starting spot as a sophomore. He saw action at offensive guard, defensive tackle, and fullback in his only season at UCLA.
The Bruins are set to lose senior center Jake Brendel, who has started a school-record 51 games in the last four seasons. The team could turn to Scott Quessenberry to fill the void. The sophomore started 19 games in 2013 and 2014, including one appearance at center, before redshirting this season to recover from shoulder surgeries.