SB Nation - Chris Ward

Our Still-Too-Early UCLA Football Depth Chart Projection for the 2012 Season: O Line and D Line

gbruin — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:00:16 -0000

Yesterday, tasser10 got us started with our first post spring football look at the depth chart with his focus on the linebackers and defensive backs. Today, we'll look at the big bodies on the offensive and defensive lines.

As tasser pointed out, Coach Mora has already called this exercise pointless, saying injuries and ongoing competition make the current depth chart "fluid as water" and already obsolete. Aside from invalidating this post, I still think that's really the best approach. We want to see the best players on the field this season, and the opener against Rice is still 3 1/2 months away. A lot will happen between now and then. So consider this post more of a midterm grade or a progress report. There is still plenty of time for players to shine, or get passed up by those who do. In short, read the following at your own risk.

Bellerophon put up a projected depth chart in February for the OLine that you can see here and for the D Line here. Just prior to spring drills, those projections for the OL were revised by me here and for the DL by Odysseus here. We'll take those most recent projections and compare them to the snapshot of the depth chart Mora released at the end of spring drills to see where players stand, who has stepped up, and who has fallen back.

After the jump...

The Offensive Line

gbruin's pre Spring drills depth chart

Left Tackle

Left Guard

Center

Right Guard

Right Tackle

Xavier Su'a Filo

SO 6-4 310

Jeff Baca

R SR 6-4 304

Greg Capella

R JR 6-4 310

Chris Ward

JR 6-4 318

Brett Downey

R SR 6-7 305

Connor Bradford

R SR 6-5 278

Wade Yandall

R SO 6-4 315

Jake Brendel

R FR 6-5 295

Alberto Cid

R JR 6-4 305

Torian White

R FR 6-6 295

Will Oliver

R FR 6-7 305

Casey Griffiths

R JR 6-5 292

Kody Innes

R SO 6-4 285

Ben Wysocki

R FR 6-4 300

Michael Padovese

R FR 6-5 322

Sam Saultz

SO 6-2 315

Mora's post Spring drills depth chart

Left Tackle

Left Guard

Center

Right Guard

Right Tackle

Xavier Su'a Filo

SO 6-4 310

Wade Yandall

R SO 6-4 315

Greg Capella

R JR 6-4 310

Jeff Baca

R SR 6-4 304

Torian White

R FR 6-6 295

Michael Padovese

R FR 6-5 322

Alex Ceachir

SO 6-5, 305

Jake Brendel

R FR 6-5 295

Alberto Cid

R JR 6-4 305

Will Oliver

R FR 6-7 305

Ben Wysocki

R FR 6-4 300

Tre' Hale

R SO 6-2, 308

Chris Ward

JR 6-4 318

Brett Downey

R SR 6-7 305

Kody Innes

R SO 6-4 285

First off, the OL lost 2 players this spring, and not to the typical injury bug. Connor Bradford will graduate early and will transfer to another school. Casey Griffiths took a medical retirement. Wherever they end up, they will always be Bruins, we certainly wish them well in their futures

Xavier Su'a-Filo was the lone consistent spot through the spring, but he had some rust to knock off after his two year LDS mission, and was just beginning to round into form in the last weeks of camp. Jeff Baca was the jack-of-all-trades on the OL, being our most versatile lineman and probably the true #2 at LT. He saw time at both guard spots and RT, before settling at RG at the end of camp. This makes sense as RT is our biggest question mark, and Baca will add some security to the right side of the line. This allowed Wade Yandall to move up to LG upon his return to practice from a concussion that ended his 2011 season early. Chris Ward missed all of spring following surgery at the end of the season, but he and Albert Cid will provide the only semblance of depth along the OL.

The most notable difference is the shuffle at right tackle. RS Senior Brett Downey was unable to capitalize on his veteran status to tie down the right tackle position, giving Torian White a chance to move into the spot. White is young and raw, but was praised by the coaching staff during spring drills as his size and athleticism stood out enough to move him up. Will Oliver followed him up a spot, while Michael Padovese moved across to the left side to play behind XSF.

There was some flux at center during the spring when Greg Capella injured his calf and was out for several practices. Inconsistency marked the position in his absence but did allow Jake Brendell and Tre' Hale some valuable reps. With Capella back, the official depth chart lists him OR Jake Brendel as #1 going forward.

A lot has been said about or O Line this spring, and it is certainly not where we want it to be. But I am pretty comfortable with 4 of the starters. Torian White's inexperience is a concern, but his assertion at that spot is encouraging. The biggest problem is clearly depth. Behind the starters, we have very little experience. After Cid's and Ward's combined 10 starts, Brett Downey is the only other Bruin to start a game. Our favorite Moldovan Alexandru Ceachir is in his second year of football, ever. Two redshirt freshman are lined up at right tackle. Padovese and Hale are currently non-scholarship players. I had thought our incoming freshmen were likely to redshirt, but the thin ranks, especially at tackle, leave room for Simon Goines and perhaps another to see playing time this year.

Coach Adrian Klemm will earn his paycheck getting this unit to mesh and develop. Line wins games. We'll see if this unit is up to the task.

The Defensive Line

Odysseus's pre Spring drills depth chart

Defensive End

Defensive Tackle

Defensive End

Datone Jones

6-5, 280, RS Sr

Ellis McCarthy

6-5, 295, Fr

Cassius Marsh

6-4, 295, Jr

Owamagbe Odighizuwa

6-5, 278, Jr

Kevin McReynolds

6-3, 310 RS Fr

Brandon Willis

6-3, 275, So

Sam Tai

6-4, 275, RS Fr

Donovan Carter

6-2, 313, RS Sr

Iuta Tepa

6-2, 268, RS Jr

Seali'i Epenesa

6-2, 323, Jr

Brandon Tuliaupupu

6-2, 331, RS Fr

Mora's post spring drills depth chart

Defensive End

Defensive Tackle

Defensive End

Datone Jones

6-5, 280, RS Sr

Brandon Willis

6-3, 275, So

Cassius Marsh

6-4, 295, Jr

Owamagbe Odighizuwa

6-5, 278, Jr

Donovan Carter

6-2, 313, RS Sr

Owamagbe Odighizuwa

6-5, 278, Jr

Sam Tai

6-4, 275, RS Fr

Seali'i Epenesa

6-2, 323, Jr

Iuta Tepa

6-2, 268, RS Jr

Kevin McReynolds

6-3, 310 RS Fr

Wesley Flowers

6-5, 254, RS So

Brandon Tuliaupupu

6-2, 331, RS Fr

As usual, Odysseus knows what he is talking about. Both Datone Jones and Cassius Marsh solidified their spots at defensive end this spring. Though this was a disappointing position for the defense last season (the Bruins ran a 4-3 defense last season), there were a lot of factors which compromised the success of our DL, and there is reason to think that some of those issues will be addressed this season. Hopefully Datone will become the force that we hoped for last season, when comparisons to Brian Price were being floated. Marsh was singled out on a couple occasions this spring for his marked improvement in maturity and play. If he can become a force on the right end (versus the opponent's left tackle and a right handed QB's blind side), opposing lines will have to pick their poison between Datone and Cassius. Besides, they own the coolest pair of names at DE you will hear anywhere this season.

The addition of Owamagbe Odighizuwa to that name game makes it an all-timer. And Owa's play is looking even better than his name. Owa had a great spring and the coaches are anxious to get him on the field on either side, as evidenced by the depth chart. With the DL rotation that will likely be employed, he will get his share of playing time.

Incoming freshmen aren't listed on the depth chart, but Odysseus sees a monster on the horizon, and his name is Ellis McCarthy. I don't know that he'll jump into the starting spot from day one. It may take a whole week. McCarthy's mere attendance at some of the spring practices elicited oohs and aahs from the spectators. If he is the player we all believe he can be, then our DL is in great shape. And if McCarthy isn't ready to jump right into the DT spot, there is great depth with Carter and Espensa both seeing time last season, and McReynolds being the outstanding defensive scout team player of the year as a redshirt. Leading the pack on Mora's depth chart is Brandon Willis, who is well known for his transfers back and forth from UNC to Westwood and then there and back again. This time he has made the much simpler and shorter move from DE to DT. Willis is home to stay now, and looks to be a great piece to the DL rotation.

The defensive line is the deepest unit on either offense or defense, and looks to have as much talent as any other position as well. The DL's inability to apply consistent pressure last season really hurt the Bruins in pass defense (combined with the soft coverage and the rarity of blitzes) and let other teams move the ball and score a lot of points. The move to the 3-4 this season should help the defense by allowing more (any?) creative blitz packages, and the names along the DL look like they should be a mess for any opposing OL to handle. If this unit lives up to its potential, the D will be in really good shape this season.

Spaulding Roundup: Prince Starting At QB, Hilliard At Safety, Cid Misses Half Of Practice

Ryan Rosenblatt — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:38:15 -0000

The big news out of Spaulding Field (or after the Bruins' time at Spaulding Field) yesterday was Rick Neuheisel's announcement that Kevin Prince would start at quarterback for UCLA, but that Richard Brehaut would also get snaps. I know. It's taken years and years of football watching for me to be able to pick up on what the most important news is. It takes a keen eye to realize that naming a starting quarterback is very important. For further detail on Coach Neuheisel's announcement as well as comments from the starter and the number two, go here.

And though it was hard to tell, that wasn't all that happened yesterday. The most recent depth chart was released (HT captainqtp) and can be seen here. Of particular interest was Dalton Hilliard being named the starter at strong safety over Dietrich Riley. Evidentally, the defensive coaching staff has elected to go with Hilliard's experience as a junior over the true sophomore Riley's freakish athleticism. But despite the ranking in the depth chart, it is likely that Riley will get playing time, too. From Peter Yoon with ESPN-LA:

"He was just really consistent," Neuheisel said of Hilliard. "I think coach Tresey has shared with all of those kids that they're all going to play. This competition doesn't need to stop just because we're going to play a game."

Yoon also rightly points out that the Bruins, for a pleasant change, have some luxury of talent and depth throughout the defense this season, and that the of interchangability of the players ensures that everyone in the two-deep will see playing time. That may be a very important factor this weekend in the heat and humidity and heat and humidity and still more heat and humidity that is Houston in summer. Other interesting listings on the receiving side included Shaquelle Evans moving up to share one top receiver spot with Randall Carroll, and Cory Harkey still getting the nod at starting tight end over Joseph Fauria, who has had a monster camp by all reports.

There were some other interesting issues yesterday buried beneath the QB question...

Alberto Cid was also a notable yesterday, for a pair of reasons. First, the brand new JuCo transfer missed the first half of practice. From Jon Gold's Inside UCLA report:

Transfer offensive lineman Albert Cid came late to practice. Neuheisel said they were clearing up a paperwork issue but that he's good to go now.

Neuheisel did not go in to further detail as to what this meant. There were some concerns regarding Cid's eligibility as a transfer at the start of camp which looked to have been rectified. Cid's appearance for the last half of practice was reassuring though, and suggests that his paperwork issues were happily resolved. So with that issue in the past, Cid then made an appearance at the top of the depth chart beside Chris Ward at starting right guard, with the two listed together with an "or" between them. The rapid rise of Cid to the top spot on the chart speaks highly to his ability to quickly adapt to the speed and complexity of D-1 football, and to understand the intricacies of the playbook. While Cid deserves a load of credit for getting up to speed so quickly, credit also goes to injured tackle Jeff Baca. Cid, whose raw skills were praised early on by OL coach Bob Palcic, previously noted that Baca had taken him under his wing to help get him up to speed with the Bruin offensive line. It appears the coaches and mentors have done a great job with Cid.

Getting up to speed also has meaning for Baca himself. His ongoing rehabilitation from a lower leg fracture in spring ball has been progressing ahead of schedule, and he has been running at practice. Originally pegged to be back after the Oregon State game on Sept 24, there is now discussion that he could be back by the second game of the season against San Jose State. While the OL will certainly be better off with its best tackle returning to the lineup, there is no need to hurry Baca back until his ankle is 100% ready to go. The Bruins should be fine against San Jose with or without Baca, and he will be needed when Pac-12 play begins. We will have to rely on Baca and the medical staff to make the smart decision before he gets back into game action.

There may be some good news emerging from the ongoing kicking question marks. Place kicker Kip Smith is starting to show more reliability, which would free punter Jeff Locke to focus on his primary repsonsibility. Again, from Yoon:

Kip Smith figures to get the first shot [at starting place kicker] after looking pretty good over the last couple of days, especially since Jeff Locke seems to have faltered after a good start. Locke is already handling the punting and kickoff duties and Neuheisel would like to use Smith for field goals and extra points to save Locke's leg.

So with the QB issues, and depth chart issues, and the kicking issues seeming to make some progress, the Bruins can really focus entirely on getting ready for the Houston Cougars. Gold noted that yesterday's practice went well and the team is looking sharper every day.

The crowd noise continued today and the players seemed to respond well to it. With just two more practices until gameday, everything looks crisp and polished, leaps and bounds ahead of the first week of camp.

The season opener is in 4 days. The Bruins are looking ready. How about you, Bruin fans?

2011 U.C.L.A. Football - Previewing the Offensive Line

gbruin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:00:33 -0000

Fall practice is getting closer and closer. BN has brought you great pre-camp previews of the offense, defense, special teams, and the linebackers, defensive line, and defensive backs. Now let's continue with a look at the offensive line.

Plenty has been written on BN here, here, and here about the travails of the OL during Neuheisel's tenure in Westwood. Starting with a lack of talent and depth when he arrived, to the subsequent injuries, and suspensions, and injuries, and mission trips, and suspensions, and injuries, the OL has consistently been the most inconsistent unit on the field. Some games have been impressive. Many others have been a disaster. The challenges along the OL have contributed to the unreliability of our QB's and to the offensive output as a whole. OL Coach Bob Palcic's ability to make the most from his piecemeal lineups has been impressive, but it is hard to replace talent and experience with good coaching alone.

Fortunately, there is some reason for optimism in 2011. While starter Jeff Baca recovers from a leg fracture suffered in spring ball, barring further injuries (or suspensions or missions or general bad voodoo) the starting OL will feature more experience than it has in some time. However, depth is a real concern, as the second and third players on the depth chart have very little experience amongst them.

Let's take a look at the depth chart from the Official Media Guide:

(note, the media guide lists the line positions as Strong and Weak, depending whether a rightie QB or a leftie, with the strong TE side of the line changing sides. For the rest of my article, I'll consider the weak side as the traditional left side of the line. I don't want to use the word weak. If a leftie plays, then just read today's article backward, and it should make sense. The * denotes redshirt)

Left Tackle

Left Guard

Center

Right Guard

Right Tackle

*Jr, 6-4, 304

*Sr, 6-5, 315

*Sr, 6-1, 318

So, 6-5, 325

*Sr, 6-5, 334

*Jr, 6-5, 278

*So, 6-5, 301

*So, 6-4, 310

*So, 6-4, 329

*Jr, 6-7, 305

*Fr, 6-2, 322

*Fr, 6-4, 285

*Fr, 6-2, 303

*So, 6-4, 286

Oh, but what a difference a couple months makes. More analysis after the jump...

The first note is that this was published in May, and Stan Hasiak was actually listed in the media guide as the #2 left guard. We know now he will not be part of the Bruins' plans for 2011. Also, our friend Jon Gold believes that Baca will likely miss the first 4 games, and should be back against Stanford on Oct 5. Until then, we expect Sheller will take the LT spot (as he did for most of last year). Baca will likely resume the left tackle position once he is fully ready to go. However, if Sheller is playing very well, Baca could return at guard. Thus, the long-term future of our quarterbacks' blindside is still fuzzy. Pun intended.

So to start the season, with Sheller moving over to left tackle, and Yandall moving across center, the projected starting OL today and backups look (unofficially) like:

Left Tackle: Sean Sheller, Redshirt Senior. In a line clouded by bad luck, the Bruins' got a break when Sheller, who missed 2 entire seasons due to injury, was granted a medical redshirt and was given a 6th year of eligibility. Without Sheller returning, things could be pretty bleak on the left side. Sheller brings 13 career starts and a lot of experience under Neuheisel and Palcic. His ability to pass protect will be key if the Bruins' passing game ever hopes to get off the ground. The fact that the coaches moved Sheller over to LT instead of moving up RJr Connor Bradford, who has no game experience as a Bruin (you will read this line again), suggests that Bradford is not ready for the position yet, and shows how thin the Bruins are along the line.

Left Guard: Wade Yandall, Redshirt Sophomore. A 3-star recruit from Carson HS with good size for a guard, Yandall will have to come up to speed quickly, being the lone starter on the OL with no game experience as a Bruin. Luckily, he has been through two spring camps due to graduating HS early, and this will be his second fall camp, so Palcic has had his hands on him more than most. With Hasiak gone to a JC for a year, RFr Sam Saultz who has no game experience for the Bruins will need to step up as the #2 at that spot.

Center: Kai Maiava, Redshirt Senior. Maiava, a pre-season Rimington watch list player, missed last season with a broken ankle suffered in the fall scrimmage. As the most talented and heralded of our OL, his is return will be a huge boost to the unit, where he will be tasked with calling blocking schemes and audibles for the line. Maiava has 21 starts, including 9 from his freshman year at CU. Backup Greg Capella saw limited action against Texas last year, and again shows the lack of depth along the line for the Bruins. RFr Kody Innes has no game experience for the Bruins.

Right Guard: Chris Ward, True Sophomore. Ward played in 3 games last season as a true freshman, so he brings some bit of game experience with him, despite his relative youth on the line. As a good basketball player in HS, Ward is athletic, and was considered a top-10 guard prospect out of HS. With these attributes, Ward was looked at as a possible starter this year, and he won the top spot on the depth chart in Spring. His backup, Wade Yandall, has not seen any game action for the Bruins. Oh wait, Yandall isn't his backup anymore. RFr Jay Barlow is his backup, and he has no game experience for the Bruins.

Right Tackle: Mike Harris, Redshirt Senior. On a line marked by inconsistency, Harris is the anomaly. He is the most experienced OL, and returns to his RT position with a total of 28 starts for the Bruins. His experience and size are key to anchoring the right side of the OL, and with Ward and Maiava joining him on that right side, look for the running game to be strong going right. RJr Brett Downey, a 3 sport player in HS played 18 snaps against Wazzu 2 years ago, which sadly gives him as much experience as any other #2's along the line. Behind him, RSo Casey Griffiths, who missed spring practices with back issues, has no game experience for the Bruins.

The incoming freshmen Jake Brendel, Will Oliver, Torian White. and Ben Wysocki were all initially expected to redshirt, but the lack of depth will likely force more than one of them into action this year, and we will keep you updated as we learn more about their future. Also, Citrus College transfer Albert Cid is hoping to enroll this fall, so we will look for him in fall practice. His 2 years of JuCo experience and maturity should help provide some much needed depth along the line. Where the staff plans to slot him is still unknown, but I'm rooting for him just so I can use some El Cid references.

As you can see, the starting 5 looks to be a promising unit, with Yandall's lack of game time being the wild card among the group. Staying healthy will be crucial for the line, as there is a precipitous fall in experience moving down in the depth chart at each position. However, Neu and Palcic have recruited players with a lot of size, and many of whom are very good athletes, and they all have the potential to become very effective offensive linemen.

Some bit has been made about the apparent drops in weight amongst the OL when comparing last year's numbers to the current ones in the media guide. I am not concerned about the loss of a few inefficient pounds if it is accompanied by a quicker first step and more explosion off the ball. I mentioned last week that the 1997 and 98 Denver Broncos had by far the smallest OL in the NFL. The also had a dominating offense, a 2,000 yard rusher in Terrell Davis, and two Lombardi Trophies. When the weight difference is small, technique and strength are the big winners when it comes to line play.

If Palcic can develop good basic skills with these guys and good teamwork within the unit, then the Bruins' inconsistent offense should show some gains. Providing our QB's with another second of pass protection will be very helpful, as the QB's have rarely had the luxury of playing the position a their own pace, instead of the opposing DL's pace. JetSki Johnathan Franklin is already a proven explosive runner. With a legit passing game to keep the D honest, and some holes from a more mature and healthy OL, he will be incredible.

There are a lot of if's in those last three paragraphs. If they all hold true, (yes, there's one more), then this unit will be a key reason the Bruins rebound with a successful season. Cross your fingers. Go get 'em, Filthy Five. Line Wins Games!

Disclaimer: As my previous discussions of the OL have a bad track record of jinxing our players, let me just say that with the publication of this preview, I fully expect each and every one of these players to immediately have their homework eaten by a dog, sprain their left ear lobes, get cited for double parking outside Diddy Reese, and then depart on a medical mission trip to Antarctica, leaving us with 5 starting walk-ons on the OL for our 2011 opener. And Palcic will get the most out of them as anyone. I called it. Prove me wrong.

U.C.L.A. Spring Football: Pushing Forward with the Offensive Line

gbruin — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 13:00:18 -0000

Let's continue with our preview of the 2011 U.C.L.A. football team with a look at the offensive line. With all due respect (which usually means you're about to disrespect someone) to my fellow front pagers, you can forget the excellent previews of the D Line, Linebackers, Def Backs, and Special Teams. The Offensive Line will be the key to the Bruins' success in 2011. Line wins games.

The offensive line was an enigma last season. Injuries, academic problems, a Mormon mission, and a lack of stability and consistency from 2009 prevented the Bruins from starting their ideal top five players. Despite that, OL Coach Bob Palcic deserves a ton of credit for converting a patchwork line into the most overachieving unit on the field last season. In adapting the new Pistol offense, the self-named Filthy Five vastly improved on a feeble running game from 2009, as evidenced by their utter dominance in the Texas game. However, pass blocking remained a major problem throughout the year, and that inability to pass allowed opposing defenses to stack the box and bottle up the Bruins' run game, and the offense sputtered as the season progressed.

If all goes as planned this year, the Bruins should not suffer the same problems. Though the OL lost 4 seniors who saw significant playing time from last year's squad, this year's unit will benefit from the return of 2 starters from the 2009 team who were unavailable last year. They will join 2 regulars returning from last season, and there are guys with playing time battling for the fifth spot. The result for 2011 will be an OL that is improved on talent and better for experience. This should by the best OL that Bruin fans have seen during Neuheisel's tenure in Westwood. That said, the play of the OL as a single well coordinated unit is crucial. While our projected starters have all seen time on the field, these 5 have not lined us next to each other in this manner before. The coaching staff has its work cut out getting this group to come together as a cohesive unit that can communicate well and read and react off each other. There may be a learning curve for this OL, but unlike previous years, the ceiling should be very high.

Extended thoughts on the projected depth chart, players, the coaches, and the prospects for this unit after the jump.

My projected depth chart (subject to review by the actual coaching staff and an official depth chart) looks like...

Left Tackle

Left Guard

Center

Right Guard

Right Tackle

Jeff Baca

*Jr, 6-4, 304

Sean Sheller

*Sr, 6-5, 315

Kai Maiava

*Sr, 6-1, 318

Chris Ward

So, 6-5, 325

*Sr, 6-5, 334

*Sr, 6-5, 315

*So, 6-5, 301

*So, 6-4, 310

*So, 6-4, 329

*Jr, 6-7, 305

Connor Bradford

*Jr, 6-5, 278

*So, 6-4, 286

*Fr, 6-4, 285

*Fr, 6-1, 246

*Fr, 6-2, 322

*Fr, 6-2, 303

* denotes redshirt

Redshirt sophomore Casey Griffiths will miss spring practice due to back issues.

Our incoming freshmen, Jake Brendel, Will Oliver, Torian White, Connor McDermott, and Ben Wysocki are all expected to redshirt for the 2011 season. White, you may recall, was the prized OL recruit who shocked the Bruins on Signing Day by committing to *$c on TV, and then changing his mind and recommitting to U.C.L.A. when his family realized where his heart truly was. Of these 5, Wysocki likely has the best chance of moving up to the playing squad in the fall.

The Bruins OL prospects for 2011 got some very good news this past January. Last year's starting left tackle Sean Sheller, who missed the 2006 and 2008 season due to knee injuries, was granted a medical redshirt and will return for a 6th season. His experience on the field and in the locker room will be a steadying influence on the developing unit, and Neuheisel said he is "looking forward to him becoming a real leader for us". Though he started at left tackle last season, Sheller is likely to move over to left guard to make room for the return of redshirt junior Jeff Baca.

Baca was a 2 year starter at tackle and guard during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, but missed last season when he was academically inelligible. This was not an case of bad ballroom dancing, however. Baca, a physical sciences major who plans to be a doctor, took on too heavy an course load in the spring and was forced to drop a class, which caused him to fall below the yearly total needed to remain eligible by the NCAA. Respect the South Campus. He redshirted last year to correct his academic issues and also to heal a stress fracture in his leg. Back on track now, Baca will bring added talent and depth to the critical left tackle position, and looks to regain the form that won him extensive playing time as a freshman and sophomore.

The OL took a hit in last year's fall scrimmage when starting center and Rimington Award watchlist center Kai Maiava suffered a broken ankle on the third play of the game. After surgery and a year of rehab, the starter from 2009 is set to regain his previous form when he was one of the top young centers in the country. Maiava began his college career at Colorado in 2007 and started 9 games there as a freshman before transferring to Westwood, so he brings two seasons of playing time back with him as well.

The right guard positon seems to be the least clear at this point, with true sophomore Chris Ward looking to be the leading candidate to fill the position. However, Wade Yandall, Casey Griffiths, and Stan Haisak will be competing for playing time and could see some action at this spot. As for Hasiak, the rocky start to his U.C.L.A. career with personal issues and academics have limited his opportunities. However, he remains one of the OL's more talented and acclaimed recruits in Neuheisel's years, and we are hopeful he will put it all together soon and become a major contributor on the OL. Jay Barlow, Luke Gane, and Sam Saultz come off the scout team and will add depth along the OL.

While the rest of the OL has looked like musical chairs, right offensive right tackle has been a position of consistency for the Bruins. Mike Harris has filled the spot for the last 2 and a half years and returns for his senior season. At 6-5 and 334, he is the biggest body on the line, but that still makes him smaller than Josh Smith. With the other four line positions showing a new face in the starting lineup, the returning presence of Harris on the right end will be most welcome.

Jay Barlow, Luke Gane, and Sam Saultz come off the 2010 scout team and will add depth and competition along the OL.

Coach Neuheisel admits the lineup is not set...

"The offensive line has grown and developed together the last few seasons," Neuheisel said. "We have some veterans with starting experience to form the nucleus and some young, talented guys eager to get a look. We will identify our best unit and combinations this Spring and work to solidify the line for the upcoming season."

While Neuheisel and Palcic have a lot of returning parts to evaluate and slot, they are still missing one of their best offensive linemen. Sophmore Xavier Su'a-Filo started every game as a freshman, then left school to go on a two year Mormon mission. With the changes in the coaching staff this offseason, there was speculation that he may seek a transfer after completing his mission. However, Gold wrote last month that XSF reaffirmed his plan to return to U.C.L.A. for the 2012 season. So while our OL will miss the outstanding young player this season, he will be an excellent addition when he returns the following year.

The OL will again be led by Coach Palcic who enters his 4th year in Westwood. This is actually Palcic's second tour of duty with U.C.L.A., as he also coached the Bruins in 1993 when they featured some guy named Jonathan Ogden. Palcic has coached football for 40 years in both the college and NFL ranks. As I said above, Coach Palcic should get a lot of credit for putting together and coaching an OL that has struggled with consistency of personnel, and getting them to play at a level few of us expected. But there is still a long way to go with this unit, and Palcic will have to continue to develop this unit in all aspects of play.

Some important goals for the OL this season will be a continued familiarity and fluency with the Pistol offense, as well as incorporating more Pro Style sets under our new OC, Mike Johnson. Hopefully, more cohesiveness in the offensive coaching staff will translate for a smoother system for the offensive unit as a whole.

The single most important factor for the OL, however, will be improvement in pass blocking. U.C.L.A's pass offense ranked last in the Pac-10 by a literally a quarter of a mile behind 9th place Cal, and even worse, #116 in the country, which was 4th from last in the nation. Great Bruin QB's like Beban, Aikman, McNown, and well, Neuheisel, should be embarrassed by this. The 4 teams below us included Air Force, Army, and Navy, (and Ga Tech), so I guess we could claim the Commander-In-Chief's passing trophy, if such a thing existed. Some of the passing woes could be attributed to inconsistent play from the quarterbacks, and the consistently poor play from our receiving corps. However, our QB's never enjoyed the luxury of sitting comfortably in the pocket and having time to find open receivers. Better pass protection must be priority number one for this unit. The Bruins have a talented host of running backs and the running game enjoyed a fair amount of success in 2010, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. However, the Bruins must have a balanced passing attack to keep opposing defenses honest. Providing our QB crew with sufficient time is the first step in achieving that.

The Bruins spent a lot of 2010 playing from behind. This was partly due to the defense's penchant for giving up early scores and the offense's inconsistency, especially in the red zone. As a result of playing catchup, the Bruin offense became very predictible and easily defensible. Looking forward, the play of the OL will be key in controlling the line of scrimmage, managing the clock and winning the time of possession battle, and converting touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. If the line can do this, the opponents will have to chase the Bruins, and our defense's job will be that much easier.

It all begins and ends with the play of the big guys up front. As Coach Neuheisel said when discussing the unit and expressing optimism that the years of question marks with the OL are in the past,

We're about ready to become a good offensive line.

Let's go, Filthy Five! Line wins games.

Notes/Observations On UCLA's "Tentative" Depth Chart For Kansas State

Nestor — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 22:00:53 -0000

So UCLA released its "tentative" depth chart for Kansas State game (PDF) earlier today. Let's dive right into them because there are number of interesting developments after more than two weeks of an eventful preseason camp:

Let's start right at QB. As of right now first string is either Kevin Prince or Richard Brehaut. From the reports today it looks Kevin Prince is heading towards the right direction:
* Kevin Prince looked good in his most action since Day 2 of fall camp, displaying a nice zip - at times too much zip - on his passes. Prince and Brehaut rotated with the first unit, with Brehaut sometimes with the twos, and Darius Bell leading the second- and third-units.

* In drills against the scout team defense, Prince threw several passes, including some medium-to-deep routes. Moved around a lot and looks fine on that front, and at this point, I'd have to assume he'll be ready for Kansas State.
That is good news but we will have to see how he feels tomorrow. I am guessing we are not going to have any definitive answer at least till the end of the day tomorrow.
From QB moving on to OL, looking at the chart our "depth" issues stand out right away. We have two true freshman - Chris Ward (6-4, 318, Fr.) and Wade Yandall (6-4, 329, Fr.) - prominently featuring in the 2 deep. Chris Ward is listed behind Darius Savage at LG and also behind Sean Sheller at LT. So, guess it's suffice to say that he is likely in Bob Palcic's 8 men rotation. Wade Yandall is a little ahead of Ward in terms of Spaulding "experience" (as he checked in during spring) but still a first year player. He is listed behind Eddie Williams. Crossing my fingers that we don't have to rely on those guys.
The starting OL averages around 317bs. As noted previously they are all seniors who have been around for a while (with two JC starters in Ryan Taylor and Eddie Williams). While we are weary of absence of Kai Maiava and Jeff Baca, we will at least have some size.

Lot more after the jump.

Morrell Presley (6-4, 222, So.) and Anthony Barr (6-5, 228, Fr.) tops the FBack position with Christian Ramirez behind. This is not a surprise after what we have heard in recent weeks.
At the tailback spot both Derrick Coleman (6-0, 231, Jr.) and Johnathan Franklin (5-10, 198, So.**) are listed as starters with Malcolm Jones (6-0, 223, Fr.) right behind them. It will be interesting to see how JetSki performs this game coming in healthy.
Interestingly Ricky Marvray is listed above Josh Smith at the flanker position. I am guessing this is a combination of Marvray's camp success and Smith's injury. Regardless, I am guessing Smith will get his chances plus he is listed as one of the two key returners along with Taylor Embree (Randall Carroll and Damien Thigpen didn't make that list).
Over at defense, looks like Dietrich Riley went past Stan McKay for the number 2 spot at FS. However, Tony Dye held him off as Dye himself finished strong during pre-season camp.
It still looks like a dead heat between Steve Sloan and Patrick Larimore for the Mike LB position. As for Will, Sean Westgate is still ahead as Glenn love missed few days from injury.
Really interesting to see Jordan Zumwalt listed at the second strng spot at Sam right behind Akeem Ayers. I thought for sure Zumwalt was headed towards a RS season. We will have to keep a close eye on that. Also, speaking of LBS, sounds like Todd Golper is out for few weeks after getting "a second epidural for back pain." Good luck to the young man. Hope he hangs in there. He is certainly a loyal Bruin and he will get his day in the sun sooner or later.
Elsewhere, Nate Chandler is now listed as a starting LE ahead of Iuta Tepa and Reginald Stokes. It will be interesting to see what kind of pressure Chandler can generate on the opposing QBs. He will have to step up in Datone Jones' absence who was expected to complement Akeem in our defensive front-7.
Not surprisingly Cassius Marsh (6-4, 285, Fr.), Owamagbe Odighizuwa (6-4, 240, Fr.), and Seali'i Epenesa (6-2, 320, Fr.) are listed in the depth chart. I am betting on Marsh and and Owa getting action right from our first weekend.
The defensive front-4 averages around 287.5. Not sure when was the last time we had this kind of size in our defensive frontline. It was just yesterday when we had one of the Moline brothers getting an emergency start as DT at UCLA weighing around 240lbs. Yikes. Those were not fun days. Of course just because we have size doesn't mean everything is going to be all right. Remains to be seen the kind of technique and fundamentals we see from lot of our new guys. I am sure Todd Howard is going to have his hands full heading into our first game.

Those are my quick observations from looking at today's depth chart. Looks like captainqtp already posted his 2 cents in the fanshots. If there are other notes we should take into account please chime in the comment thread.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: End Of Two A Days, Big Tex's Transition, Prince Update & Other UCLA Notes

Nestor — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:14:06 -0000

Today is the official "final day of camp" before UCLA starts getting ready for season opener against Kansas State on September 4th. Yesterday marked the last day for two a days in Westwood for the 2010 preseason camp. Coach Rick Neuheisel and his players sounds excited about finishing this part of the preseason grind and moving on to the preparation phase for Kansas State Wildcats.

Kevin Prince returned to practice in a black jersey yesterday but remains to be seen if he can go in full speed in this Friday's (closed) scrimmage at the Rose Bowl. Bruins also have few more nagging injuries to deal with in Sheldon Price's finger, Rahim Moore's groin, and Malcolm Jones' ankle. Coach Rick Neuheisel talked about all of those issues and about the Wildcats when he met the reporters after practice yesterday:

CRN looks at ease with where his team is right now. Perhaps some of that has to do with Richard Brehaut's ongoing development even though he is still making his share of mistakes out in Spaulding. As far as Brehaut has come along in recent weeks, we should keep in mind he is still only a sophomore, who only recently has been able to take advantage of extra reps in the revolver formation. More notes including updates on Prince after the jump.

As mentioned up top UCLA finished its two a days yesterday. Ralph Earvin caught up with David Carter, Micah Kia, Akeem Ayers, and Taylor Embree after practice to get their closing thoughts on "dawg days" of training camp:

As for practice, the official blog has the following account of what took place:

On offense, the Bruins looked to their steadfast receivers Nelson Rosario and Taylor Embree for big plays down the field. Rosario provided what has come to be standard for him in great catches he makes look effortless. A lot can be expected from this talented wide out. Taylor Embree caught a deep post during team drills but paid for it has he got crushed in triple coverage. Nonetheless, Embree popped up and proved he had the reception. Morrell Presley also had a nice day on offense. During a 3rd down emphasis period, Morrell made two solid grabs in the flats and turned to work up field for the first down. Great awareness, intelligence and effort by Presley.

Defensively, Patrick Larimore had perhaps the play of the day. During the same 3rd down period, Larimore was taking his drop in coverage after reading pass and with incredible athleticism and reaction jumped about 3 feet off the ground to bat down a ball thrown to an open receiver. The defensive line also had a great day; in particular, freshman Cassius Marsh seemed to be in the backfield on almost every play. He's just a guy that is fun to watch!

As for the offense, as expected Ryan Taylor took over for Kai at center yesterday. Taylor who worked a little at center last year, spring football and also at JC doesn't sound all that worried:

He played center at Tyler, where they ran a spread offense and used many shotgun formations, and he said he worked with quarterback Kevin Prince a lot during the last few months.

"It's a little different, but it's all good," Taylor said. "Shoot, me and Kevin were out here every Saturday just getting extra snaps in. I feel like I've put in enough work and I feel like I'm ready for the role."

Taylor also spoke to Jon Gold after practice:

As you can see from the interview the "Big Tex" makes it sound as if the transition has been effortless. No wonder CRN sounds at ease when he is talking in public. Of course Taylor acknowledges that we can't afford to lose any more key guys from our lines. Guess only recourse for us is to follow tasser10's suggestion and tell JOBU to go Cheney himself.

Also on the offensive line Darius Savage is relishing his return to the starting lineup. Savage has gone through a lot in recent months after recovering from a back surgery in January. He has worked his tail off to get back in shape losing 40 lbs (down to 328) from last season:

"I had to give up a lot of things," Savage said. "You know us big guys, we try to get that bedtime snack in."

Offensive line coach Bob Palcic said that a lighter Savage is "moving a lot quicker."

Also it appears that Chris Ward is getting a shot with the second team at LG:

"There really isn't much difference to playing guard," Ward said. "I already knew what the guard is supposed to do. I had to know what everyone was doing to do my assignment anyway. I'll pull some now, that's about the only difference."

Ward sounds like a pretty talented freshman, however I am hoping he will not be needed against Kansas State. Once we get Mike Harris back from his suspension Palcic will have little more options to shift his rotation around and get some continuity from last season.

As for other OL details you guys already know about the news about Kai possibility making a comeback by the end of the season. It appears that Nik Abele is also eying a possible return to the team. Per the LA Times Abele has been "working with a chiropractor" and "feeling better" in recent days. It will be up to his neurologists who will have to look at MRIs to determine whether his "two bulging disks" around his neck has receded enough before making any determinations whether he can play again. Either way best of luck to Nik (and Kai).

Speaking of injuries, Kevin Prince watch goes on. Prince was back in black (jersey) yesterday at Spaulding but he is still having issues with throwing. From Jon Gold:

"I'd probably say I'm about 80 percent right now," Prince said. "I can do everything except for throw the ball without pain. I can still throw the ball, but there's going to be pain and obviously we don't want that." [...]

"It just gets you in that mentality," Prince said. "But more than that for me, just getting back in that psyche was from earlier this morning, when I was able to go eight straight plays with offense.

"Getting the signal, calling the play, getting the flow of doing that - that helped me mentally."

Guess as of right now Friday is the key date for Prince. As mentioned above Bruins are having a scrimmage at the Rose Bowl on Friday. If Prince can't go full speed and fully integrate himself into the offensive flow by Friday, then I am guessing coaches will be seriously contemplating preparing Brehaut for the Wildcats.

GO BRUINS.

Re. Kai Maiava: Closing Ranks & Rallying Our Bruins

Nestor — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:10:18 -0000

Predictably the beat writers in Los Angeles covering UCLA have been going a little crazy (some almost sound a little giddy) over the injury of Kai Maiava during Saturday's scrimmage. Most of these guys quit on the Bruins a long time ago not giving us much of a chance despite showing clear signs of improvement during the closing weeks of this past season. If you have been closely following their "coverage" of UCLA in recent years, you'd know by now they are just pouncing on any opportunity to weave the storyline of a "doomsday" scenario around Coach Rick Neuheisel's program.

So it's not a surprise to see these guys hyperventilate over Kai's injury in their effort to push the narrative that the season is over even before it begins for Rick Neuheisel's Bruins. Fortunately for us we do have a head coach who has been through his share of adversity and one of the most experienced offensive coaches in the entire game, who has seen it all.

The loss of Kai is no doubt disheartening. Put it simply, it sucks for everyone who loves the blue and gold and follow this program on a day by basis (sometimes on an hourly basis) as we do. I got the news from reading the comment threads while on vacation. My heart sank immediately for Kai who has had his share of adversities in recent months, looking to bounce back from academic issues and other nagging injuries this season. Yet from what I have learned about this guy by reading about him over the years, I have a feeling he is not going to let his team-mates get down. I am sure he is going to do his part to close ranks and rally his guys, so that they are ready to come out and give their best shot on September 4.

With loss of Kai, it appears that we will essentially go into KSU with our second team OL from last season without Jeff Baca (who is out with stress reaction to his foot and academic issues), XSF (mission), and Mike Harris (one game suspension). Eddie Williams should come back from his concussion this week. When Eddie returns, Ryan Taylor will step up at C, Darius Savage will move over to LG and our rotation will look like this:

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Sean Sheller (6-5, 300, Sr.**)	Darius Savage (6-4,330, Sr)	Ryan Taylor (6-3, 298, Sr.**) (2 at RG)	Eddie Williams (6-1, 329, Sr.) (6)	Micah Kia (6-5, 321, Sr.)
Brett Downey (6-7, 302, So.**)	Chris Ward (6-4, 318, Fr.)	Greg Capella (6-4, 320, Fr.**)	Wade Yandall (6-4, 329, Fr.)	Kody Innes (6-4, 279, Fr.)
Jeff Baca (6-4, 305, Jr.)(13)		Kai Maiava (6-1, 298, Jr.) (12)	Casey Griffiths (6-4, 280, Jr)	Mike Harris (6-5, 319, Jr.) (13)

() game started
** indicates redshirt season
Italic indicates player who are currently suspended, questionable for season opener or out for the season.

Note I have Casey Griffith at RG. It is possible that Coach Palcic might try him out at center position as well. Coach Ryan Taylor didn't practice at center during camp last few weeks but he did step up and did well when called upon to replaced injured starter last year. Williams is expected back this week.

Of course this situation is not ideal, yet I am sure coaches like Bob Palcic and Norm Chow, under CRN's leadership are not going to wallow over it. They are going to do everything they can to get these guys ready for Wildcats and rest of the season. One of the interesting storylines of this pre-season camp has been the development of Richard Brehaut, who has taken advantage of additional reps due to Prince's injury. While there is a good chance that Prince will ultimately start in the first game, I think our OL should take their cue from the effort we have seen from Brehaut last couple of weeks.

Brehaut clearly took advantage of his opportunity and stepped up in a big way, coming up with his best performance in a Bruin scrimmage. If the whole offense takes on that attitude, I think our guys will have a decent shot in rallying and building on the positive results from this past season, despite being surrounded by a toxically cynical media hovering around them every day.

GO BRUINS.