Tag Archives: Jake Brendel

UCLA camp notes: Jim Mora berates quarterback Josh Rosen

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» UCLA’s practice on Wednesday morning was another uneven one for the offense, with quarterback Mike Fafaul throwing four interceptions in the span of about 10 minutes.

Still, it was true freshman Josh Rosen who got the biggest earful. The five-star quarterback out of Bellflower St. John Bosco was running situational drills at the end of practice when head coach Jim Mora took issue with his sense of “urgency.” Mora yelled at him for a few minutes, telling him he wasn’t in high school anymore before remarking, “The anointed one!”

The coach eventually turned toward reporters and said: “You can tell all your readers! This is why there’s no starter named!”

Rosen did not appear to say anything back. Safety Jaleel Wadood, who also played with Rosen in high school, figured the outburst wouldn’t be a major issue for the quarterback.

“He never gets rattled,” Wadood said. “That’s what I like about him the most. Even when things are going tough, and everything’s not going his way, he’ll find a way to dig it out. He’s a pretty strong kid.”

» Left tackle Conor McDermott (knee) and center Jake Brendel (calf) both dressed for practice today, but spent most of the time working on the exercise bike. The same goes for running back Bolu Olorunfunmi, who had a pack of ice wrapped around his right ankle after practice.

Defensive end Takkarist McKinley left with an undisclosed injury, and was sitting in the medical tent for part of practice.

UCLA left tackle Conor McDermott undergoes MRI on knee

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UPDATE: McDermott’s MRI showed no ligament damage.

UCLA left tackle Conor McDermott was scheduled to undergo an MRI on his knee Tuesday evening, but the injury is not expected to be serious.

“He has no swelling,” said head coach Jim Mora. “He really has very little pain. He felt a tiny little pop, so we just wanted to get it checked out. … He’s got no instability. Nothing like that.”

McDermott went down during Monday night’s practice, but walked off the field without a significant limp. Jake Brendel and Alex Redmond were the other offensive linemen who were also left practice on Monday, but Mora said there are no injuries or issues concerning the latter. Brendel is day-to-day with a calf injury. Continue reading “UCLA left tackle Conor McDermott undergoes MRI on knee” »

UCLA camp notes: Three offensive linemen go down during practice

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» UCLA lost three starting offensive linemen on Monday night when center Jake Brendel, right guard Alex Redmond and left tackle Conor McDermott all left the field with undisclosed injuries. None of them appeared to be limping significantly, and Brendel was smiling and laughing after the end of practice.

While the Bruins’ have improved depth on the offensive line this year, even the loss of one starter for an extended period of time could have a significant effect on the ceiling of this offense.

» Josh Rosen has not looked as consistently good as he did in spring, and the three-man quarterback competition has not been particularly compelling for the last few practices. Still, he is the one player that has the ability to make a truly head-turning play. On Monday night, those included a beautiful deep ball that went over right over Kenny Walker’s shoulder but off his hands, and a long touchdown pass to Nate Starks.

Rosen is slated to make his first media appearance this camp tomorrow afternoon.

» Hands down the most impressive play of the night belonged to Octavius Spencer. The freshman defensive back ran across the field and made a leaping interception to nab Mike Fafaul’s pass — one he held on too even as the receiver took out his legs mid-air.

UCLA plans to redshirt offensive lineman Scott Quessenberry

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UCLA is planning to redshirt offensive lineman Scott Quessenberry, who underwent surgeries on both shoulders this offseason.

Quessenberry had started 19 games through his freshman and sophomore seasons, playing guard in all but one of those appearances. Head coach Jim Mora said he was unsure whether or not the former three-star recruit will switch to center when he returns in 2016. Quessenberry started the 2014 season opener against Virginia at center in place of Jake Brendel, who is now a redshirt senior.

Even without Quessenberry, the Bruins return plenty of game experience in the trenches, including Brendel and his 39 career starts. Five other linemen have combined for 73 starts.

Offensive tackles Caleb Benenoch and Simon Goines were also limited by injuries in spring, but project to be ready for at least part of preseason camp at Cal State San Bernardino. Linebacker Kenny Orjioke and running back Steve Manfro are also on track to be healthy this season.

UCLA center Jake Brendel makes Rimington Trophy watch list

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For the second year in a row, UCLA offensive lineman Jake Brendel is on the Rimington Trophy watch list.

The Bruins’ fourth-year starter is one of 63 potential candidates up for the award, which has been given to the top center in college football since 2000. No center from the Pac-12 — or from any school west of the Rocky Mountains — has ever won it.

Brendel, who has started 39 out of 40 possible games, also had a spot on the preseason watch list heading into the 2014 season. The Dallas-area native is one of the most important members of UCLA’s offensive line, which appears to have some stability after being ranked near the bottom of the country in sacks allowed in each of the past three seasons.

In addition to Brendel, who had a strong spring camp, UCLA returns left tackle Conor McDermott, whose introduction to the starting lineup last season dramatically improved the unit’s performance. The rest of the first-string line is still somewhat fluid, but guards Alex Redmond, Scott Quessenberry and Kenny Lacy as well as tackles Simon Goines and Caleb Benenoch all have starting experience.