Tag Archives: Jake Brendel

UCLA offensive lineman Tevita Halalilo out with broken ankle

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UCLA offensive lineman Tevita Halalilo is out for the season with a broken ankle.

The true freshman made his first career appearance on Saturday during a 37-3 win at UNLV, but went down in the final 50 seconds of the game. Head coach Jim Mora said Sunday that Halalilo suffered a fibula fracture, and will need to have a metal plate inserted.

The four-star recruit out of Moreno Valley (Calif.) Rancho Verde should qualify for a medical hardship waiver and enter next season as a redshirt freshman.

Senior center Jake Brendel sat out the second half against the Rebels, but Mora said the move was precautionary. The fourth-year starter bruised his foot during practice on Wednesday, and was stepped on again during the game.

While the injury does not appear to be serious, losing Brendel for any amount of time would be devastating to UCLA’s offensive line. The Bruins currently use right guard Alex Redmond as their backup center, though they could also turn to true freshman Fred Ulu-Perry, who made his career debut at nose tackle in Las Vegas.

Center Jake Brendel returns as one of UCLA’s six captains in 2015

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UCLA has announced its team captains for the 2015 season, and unsurprisingly, center Jake Brendel is one of the six.

The redshirt senior was a captain in each of the past two seasons, and has started in 39 of 40 possible games in his career — only missing the 2014 season opener at Virginia with a sprained knee. Offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch called Brendel “the glue that holds not just the offensive line, but the whole offense together.”

Running back Paul Perkins was voted by his teammates as a captain for the first time, as were cornerback Fabian Moreau, defensive tackle Kenny Clark, and linebacker Cameron Judge.

Fullback Taylor Lagace is serving as a captain for the second straight season.

UCLA players weigh in on freshman quarterback Josh Rosen

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Jim Mora announced last Wednesday that Josh Rosen would be UCLA’s starting quarterback. A day later, Rosen and backup Jerry Neuheisel talked about how they each took the decision.

This week, their teammates shared some of their thoughts.

Linebacker Myles Jack, to Sports Illustrated’s Campus Rush: “Don’t be surprised if Josh wins the Heisman. I believe in Josh. Josh is going to be great. Nobody needs to worry about Josh. … Josh is really a cool guy, very about his business, very serious. I like his swagger on the field. He’s not really rattled. Like you can run your mouth at him and he’ll just kind of look at you and smile.”

Center Jake Brendel: “There’s spurts of greatness in him. There’s spurts in greatness in everyone on this team. The coaching staff must have seen those things and decided to go with him. … He’s very intelligent. That’s one of the great attributes about him. Continue reading “UCLA players weigh in on freshman quarterback Josh Rosen” »

UCLA camp notes: Injured players could return to practice Monday

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» Defensive end Takkarist McKinley suffered a head injury during Wednesday morning’s practice and has not dressed or been out on the field since. Offensive lineman Tevita Halalilo is also suffering from a concussion, but head coach Jim Mora said the true freshman is now asymptomatic.

Both could return as soon as Monday, when UCLA will resume practices on campus in Westwood.

The same timeline goes for both left tackle Conor McDermott (knee) and center Jake Brendel (calf), both of whom have been dressed for practice but held out of team drills. Mora said McDermott, who underwent an MRI on Tuesday, could have participated today if necessary.

Receiver Tyler Scott appeared to pull his groin during a one-on-one drill.

» The quarterback competition finally seems to be shrinking down to one that includes just true freshman Josh Rosen and returning backup Jerry Neuheisel. Redshirt junior Mike Fafaul has only taken third-team reps for the last couple of practices. Continue reading “UCLA camp notes: Injured players could return to practice Monday” »