SB Nation - Tony Dye

Spaulding Roundup: DC Thoughts, Verner's Views, Finals Week & Other Notes

Nestor — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:42:46 -0000

Can Bruins handle this (if it snows in DC)? Photo Credit: photoal (flickr)

Well yeah. It's not snowing in DC today but it did over the weekend a bit giving us our first snow of the year. The picture above is from another year though, which I think gives a little hint of what folks could expect in late December if we get a legit snow storm in Washington DC. Will the Bruins get to play in their first legit snow bowl (don't really count the one from Washington State during the regular season because it wasn't really snowing during the game) this December? Well as everyone know by now, we are not going to know until the end of Army-Navy game this upcoming weekend.

CRN is excited about rooting for the Midshipmen:

"Although we always support the men and women fighting for our country, on this particular three-hour stint, we're going to be anchor's aweigh ~~away~~," Neuheisel said on Sunday. "We're excited about the opportunity and looking forward to getting into the ball game. We know we need a little bit of help, but we're looking forward to a chance."

Interestingly, from the LAT report today, it sounds like the Bruins did have a chance to accept an invitation to the Humanitarian Bowl. However, the payout for that game ($700,000) wasn't enough for our program:

UCLA officials received interest from other bowls, as Neuheisel said, "I know there were lots of conversations and I was also told that UCLA was a desired team."

Humanitarian Bowl officials showed particular interest, and the Bruins might have gone there if Army lost, but the bowl payoff "wasn't right," said a UCLA official not authorized to speak about the situation.

UCLA officials turned down a Humanitarian Bowl invitation in 2001 after bowl officials asked for a $300,000 sponsorship from the university, a former UCLA administrator said.

Wonder who was that former UCLA administrator talking to the LAT. Anyway, if Navy does come through for the Bruins on Saturday (you never can take an outcome for granted in an intense, emotional rivalry game), Bruins will have interesting decisions to make re. the quaterback situation. CRN seemed to indicate that Prince might be ready for the bowl game:

"He told me it was getting better when I saw him last week," Neuheisel said. Given some rest, I think he would be ready."

Prince of course is still recovering from his mild AC sprain (considered a "slight separation") of his throwing shoulder. I personally think the Bruins should start Craft and prepare Brehaut as the backup option, and let Prince fully heal for spring ball. However, I feel comfortable in having Neuheisel and Chow making the call. More bowl related and end of season notes after the jump.

Players in general sound pretty excited about the bowl game. Taylor Embree "wants it really bad":

"I saw (offensive coordinator Norm Chow) today, too, and he said it looked like we had a really good chance," sophomore wide receiver Taylor Embree said. "We had a meeting with coach Neuheisel last Tuesday, and he just said, 'Focus as if we were going to a bowl.' We're prepared. If we go to one, it won't be a shock. We're ready for a bowl. We want it really bad."

While ATV thinks Bruins could be an "exciting" team to watch during the bowl season:

"We're fortunate to be put in the position to try to get one, though, and that's all we can ask for. I think we did enough to deserve it, showed enough promise through the course of the year with our youth, and we'll be an exciting team to watch come bowl season."

Oh and speaking of ATV, if you haven't done it yet, I think you will want to read the last edition of Verner's views:

[F]our years have gone by way too fast for me as a UCLA Bruin. I remember the times when I used to watch the Bruins play and wearing the #1 UCLA jersey to high school and stuff to now, when I am leaving UCLA with an interception touchdown record and lasting memories to all the Bruin Nation. My experiences here have been top of the line and something I will cherish forever. From academics - competing against the top brains in the world in my math major was always fun - just walking around campus and seeing the variety of people and cultures on campus, it was beautiful to see. Through all this intermingling, you realize that everyone is basically the same and they have the same struggles as you. You can be an athlete, a pre-med student, or grad student - it didn't matter. Everyone is fighting for their education and that is what created so many bonds with people in all areas of UCLA life.

Having the pleasure of being the student representative for the library catalogue a while back to now being spotlighted on UCLA Big Moment spots are two others things that stand out. My time with this sector of UCLA has been difficult, however all the more amazing!

Football, man it's been the craziest roller coaster, but one of those that was worth the wait, but so short that you almost missed the thrills of it. Being in the Rose Bowl with our wonderful fans that were there from the beginning, to putting on the Blue and Gold was just simply amazing. I had the honor to be coached by DeWayne Walker for most of my career and finished up this year being coached by the great Carnell Lake! Many guys have helped me in numerous ways of playing the position. I appreciate their expertise on the field. I had a great time playing with my former killa bees and current ones -- Chris Horton, Rodney Van, Trey Brown, Dennis Keyes, and Bret Lockett to Tony Dye, Rahim Moore, Glenn Love, Courtney Viney, Aaron Hester, Sheldon Price, Andrew Abbott and everyone else. Each player is so good and made my job so much easier and helped contribute to my success. I will definitely miss all my teammates, I really love them all. The hard work and the grind I had to do with all of them makes them all special to me. They are all very talented and that's why I believe UCLA will be back at the top very soon and I can't wait to see that unfold.

You need to read rest of ATV's post by going here. ATV and his team-mates will be taking finals this week. Once they are done at the end of the week (per Jon Gold) they will have practices on Friday and Saturday. They are going to practice Saturday morning, have lunch and take in the Army-Navy game. Needless to say we will have an open thread here for that game cheering on Navy.

Lastly, before I end this good luck to all of your students this week. Yeah, I know we are hard on you guys sometimes. However, look at the ideas our discussions generated in last 24 hours. While we get down sometimes during the tough times, it is clear how much passion and dedication we have among a huge core of students and alums here in Bruins Nation. Often times when we call each other out, I personally think it only makes that dedication deeper forcing us to think hard about how we can make our community bigger offline. Hopefully we can keep the discussion that started yesterday going in the coming weeks/months resulting in what I truly believe will be the most rabid fanbase in the Western US. We have had two of the worst weekends in UCLA athletcs in recent history. Yet just look around this community this am. We are still here. Aren't we? Anyway, kick ass in finals and then head down to Anaheim.

GO BRUINS.

UCLA vs. Washington Report Card

Ryan Rosenblatt — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:14:43 -0000

More photos » by Francis Specker - AP

Kevin Craft sure didn't have this much room to throw last season. The offensive line played their best game in the CRN era.

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Let's be honest now. UCLA was far from flawless. While the effort, courage and heart that the Bruins displayed was admirable, you're not going to win many games with five giveaways. Two weeks ago, Arizona was kind enough to keep UCLA in the game before eventually winning. Today, it was UCLA who was kind enough to keep Washington in the game, but the Bruins did do enough to win and a team coming off of five straight losses isn't going to complain about the manner in which they get a W. Here are the grades for each unit, with A being exceptional, C being average and F last season's offensive line.

Quarterback

The Bruin quarterbacks were fantastic from the first toss of the game to the last. Kevin Prince put together a performance that justified all of the pre-season hype I was giving him as he put the ball in all of the right places, used his hot routes to perfection and even an audible. If he could just learn to slide, he'd be in great shape. With Prince on the bench due to injury, Kevin Craft got a shot and showed why he is a capable backup, making just about every throw. He wasn't perfect, but he was good enough and especially good when you consider the lack of snaps he's gotten of late. In his one series, Richard Brehaut proved that he still does have a ways to go. According to CRN in his post-game interview, Brehaut not only took a sack, but he also forgot to bring a guy in motion and was responsible for the illegal formation penalty when the Bruins were in the Wildcat and he did not get on the line. Overall, great day from the QB's, although the two interceptions were ill advised throws. Grade: A-

Running Back/Fullback

You have to hold onto the ball. Jonathan Franklin still hasn't figured that one out. Franklin has had a great freshman season, but fumbling the ball is the number one sin for a back and today was an example of that. Franklin made three great blitz pickups so he did some things right, but hanging onto the ball is number one. Derrick Coleman had a couple nice runs and while he still doesn't have the speed to break one, he picks up solid chunks of yards on just about every carry. Milton Knox was very good with the ball in his hands again, but that was mostly out of the Wildcat. When asked to work as a back in the base offense, he was hesitant, exhibiting why he's had issues getting on the field. Chane Moline is still an adequate blocker at best from the fullback spot, but he was tough running the ball. It was a sub-par performance overall, especially running the ball, but the blitz pickups were great all the way around. Grade: C-

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

It sure is nice to have a go-to receiver and it looks like the Bruins have one in Nelson Rosario. When a guy is 6'5'' and you know that all you have to do is get it up high, it makes things a heck of a lot easier on the quarterback so it's no surprise that Rosario has become a go-to guy. He's showing the focus and confidence he lacked earlier in the year and his second consecutive 100+ yard game is a product of that. Some excellent route running doesn't hurt either and his second quarter deep in that made the DB fall because he was caught by surprise when Rosario cut in is a perfect example of it. Terrance Austin showed some dependability and he's reading defenses better than any of the receivers, becoming a real weapon against zone defenses. Embree had a solid game, while Ketchum made an appearance. Ryan Moya made a good catch and Logan Paulsen had a big 56 yard catch, but for how much longer is the senior going to lead the team in freshman mistakes? Grade: A-

Offensive Line

The unit of the game, bar none. The growth from last season and even the beginning of this season is startling. Last season against a win-less Washington team, the Bruins gave up three sacks. Today, it was just two sacks despite 50% more pass attempts. Kai Maiava was a stud, getting side to side quickly to give the quarterbacks plenty of room to step up, while both tackles, Xavier Sua-Filo and Mike Harris, showed great feet, especially against the blitz. The guards were solid on passing plays, but the lack of surge on running plays has to be a concern for Jeff Baca and Ryan Taylor. The unit gets an A for pass blocking, but they need to be better on the run. The pass was the key to today's win though. Grade: B+

Defensive Line

A poor performance from the defensive line was the low light of the game for UCLA. It's concerning that the front four can't pressure the quarterback on their own, even occasionally and while they've done well to bottle up dive plays, they're not moving well enough side to side to stuff the runs off tackle. A lack of discipline on misdirection plays is also concerning, although they do a good job maintaining their position on the pass rush so even if they did not hit Jake Locker very often, they did keep him from getting the edge too often. At some point, someone needs to make a big play, especially if teams continually double Brian Prince. Two sacks and over six yards a rush for UW points to the defensive line. Grade: D+

Linebackers

The linebackers are fast, but sometimes too fast for their own good, especially Akeem Ayers. Over-pursuit has been a problem for the UCLA linebackers all year and reared its ugly head again today. Luckily, Reggie Carter looked to be in better health than he was last week and he was able to make up for some of the over-pursuit. Carter did a fantastic job holding the point and keeping big holes from opening up in the second level. The run defense of the UCLA linebackers was adequate at best, but they were fantastic in pass defense. They dropped back quickly to get into their space, were very quick coming up to make tackles and got to Locker when they were actually asked to blitz. Their ability to come up and make tackles after dropping into coverage showed just how much speed they have and their tackling was sure. Grade: B

Defensive Backs

Rahim Moore just manages to be in the right place at the right time. Some may call it lucky, but at some point, with how frequently he does it, Moore needs to get credit for it. Moor has eight interceptions now after picking one off the seal the win for the Bruins and he was very active all game, playing centerfield and making tackles against the run when the front seven didn't get it done. Alterraun Verner is still having issues that nobody was expected, but he's still the surest of corners for the Bruins, even if Sheldon Price made a singular great play on Moore's interception. One player who went largely unnoticed was Andrew Abbott, who did a fantastic job at nickle back. The safety position opposite Moore continues to be a trouble though as neither Tony Dye nor Glenn Love was better than mediocre. Grade: B

Special Teams

Kai Forbath is still automatic and while Jeff Locke has not showed the booming leg he did earlier on in the year, he's still be good. Austin's fumble on the kick is a concern for a guy who had been holding onto the ball, while the other candidates for the job haven't. Austin did have one big return to make up for some of his fumble. Kick coverage is still awful on a good day. Grade: C-

Coaching

Norm Chow called a great game and to the surprise of many, didn't take the foot off the pedal when Prince went down. It proved to be very successful and landed the Bruins a win. CRN's decision to go with Brehaut is questionable at best and his vow to get the freshman some meaningful snaps almost cost the Bruins a win, but the sack that took UCLA out of field goal range did not come back to haunt the team. Chuck Bullough's defense is doing just enough, but not as much as it should. He did show some more creativity and aggressiveness at the end of the game and we can only hope that he's turned a corner. The personal fouls are traced back to discipline and the coaching staff. Grade: B-

Time To Rally Behind Our Team

Nestor — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:38:02 -0000

More photos » by Greg Wahl-Stephens - AP

Bruins sticking behind their head coach and not quitting during toughest moments of long rebuilding period

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Earlier in the week the Daily Bruin attacked Rick Neuheisel in just 19 games into his tenure in Westwood in an article entitled "Neuheisel's Team Falling Apart." I found that kind of funny for a newspaper that was too busy licking Steve Lavin's boots, assaulting Karl Dorrell's critics, and patherically celebrating close loss to Southern Cal all those years. Well unlike those guys, here on BN we are not going to celebrate moral victories. That will never happen. However, one thing we know after another heartbreaking loss in the month of October (which is thankfully over) that our Bruins have not quit on Coach Rick Neuheisel and his entire staff. They made whoever wrote that piece for the Daily Bruin look as clueless as his previous predecessors making himself appear total tonedeaf when it comes to having pulse of the program.

The game was set up perfectly for a classic Bruin nightmarish explosion yesterday. I think many here and all over the greater Bruin Nation were bracing for the worst expecting the kind of humiliating defeats we had suffered in the hands of BYU last year, against Arizona in 2005, and against the Oregon State bunch earlier in the decade. The way the game was going early on when our offense was handcuffing itself with one frustrating mistakes after another, the chances were very good that the Bruins would fall apart. Instead of quitting on the coaches and on each other, not only didn't Bruins came back with a memorable charge, they almost had a chance to win the game in the last mins when senior leader ATV dropped a sure fire pick-6.

I felt sick to my stomach for ATV. If there is one Bruin who deserved that moment more than anyone else, it was him. I got even more upset after watching the defense then kind of fall apart to Roger brothers in that last Beaver drive but still this morning for some reason I am not as frustrated as I had been in last 5 weeks. This Sunday I am taking some form of comfort in the way our boys fought back yesterday. But I believe the only way the flicker of good feelings some of us might be experiencing this Sunday will be validated, is if our team can genuinely grab hold of this momentum by pouncing on the Washington Huskies next Saturday. Right now I cannot wait for the game this Saturday and it's a good feeling to have this deep into this college football season. I think it is time we rally behind our coaches, players and the entire program to help them any way we can to get them over the hump against Washington.

Yesterday's game was a mixed bag. There are some key issues that I find myself extremely frustrated with. On the other hand for the first time after watching that fourth quarter replay of our offense, I had that feeling of looking forward to the next offensive series. The last time I experienced anything close to that was the 2LIVEDrew's last season in Westwood when they carried them team on their backs. We will find out whether Kevin Prince, Nelson Rosario, Taylor Embree and rest of the UCLA offense can build on the clear momentum they gained in the cold and wet afternoon in Corvallis next weekend. I can't wait to find out and as I said above I like that feeling. More after the jump.

I will start with Kevin Prince. His team-mate Embree saw something yesterday:

"Kevin showed today that he is ready to be the guy," Embree said.

His head coach is now a little more hopeful:

"He calmed down and made some plays," Neuheisel said. "Hopefully, this was a precursor to more consistent play."

Prince finished having completed 22 of 34 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns, directing an offense that had scored only two touchdowns in the previous three games.

Richard Brehaut like both Kevins have done throughout this year put this team first and was excited about his team-mate's afternoon:

"Kevin did a great job," said Brehaut, a freshman. "He was doing everything he could to help this team win. That's the most important thing right now."

I really don't have anyhing to add in terms of Brehaut/Prince discussion. I think Brehaut possibly deserved another series in the first half. But Kevin got it done in the second half and I think sealed the deal in terms of having the starting job rest of this season. I just hope he can build on it and show the same confidence he did in those last two quarters. I am also not going to look back at this point and wonder what would have happened if Prince hadn't gotten hurt. That kind of looking just doesn't help.

Prince wasn't the only bright spot in offense yesterday. Nelson Rosario had the best game for a UCLA receiver in years. In face his game reminded me of J.J. Stokes' coming out party against Oregon in Eugene in 1992 (the game before "Barnes Burner") when he showed of his surreal athleticism as a college receiver. Again the key for Rosario right now is to build on yesterday afternoon and put together a complete performance next weekend when he is running aggressive routes and also executing the easy catches.

In addition to Prince and Rosario's performances, I was encouraged by the offensive play calling in general. I think the play calling at the outset of the game was interesting. Chow certainly was making an earnest effort to get the ball in the hand of our athletes. I loved that double reverse call with Randall Carroll (for 5 yard game). Wished we had seen more of that. I think if we didn't have problems holding on the ball in the first half (was it weather related?) the outcome might have been a little different. Then when Prince got in his grove Chow really opened it up. Loved the 4 WR sets and QB draws when the opposing defense was least expecting it. It was fun to watch.

Now I am still perturbed by Coach Chow's call on 3rd and goal early in the second half. He said during the post game that he made that call because of the coverage. I would definitely like to hear more on that point. And I'd like to know not because I dont' trust Chow but more because I'd actually like to learn about it. I was pretty upset with the decision not to go for either the first down or TD in that sequence. The more I have thought about it, the more I have come around to Roger's line of thinking:

I also wanted to add that I thought the decision to go for the field goal on 4th and 1 was definitely the right decision. With the way our offense has been struggling running the ball there was probably about a 40% chance they wouldn't have made the first down (and even making it wouldn't guarantee a subsequent touchdown). The chances of Kai Forbath making a field goal from there were about 98%. Most importantly it could have been disastrous to go for it and not make it by demoralizing the offense and maybe the whole team playing on the road. By taking the 3 points they put something on the board and established some momentum. And there was plenty of time left in the game. Playing to win doesn't necessarily mean going for it on fourth and short. Playing to win means playing the percentages in the smartest way.

Guess I think that's a fair explanation. Still have to say at the time it was extremely frustrating and in the back of my mind I was thinking what kind of message it would send to rest of our offense. Clearly it didn't hamper their fire given how they came back in the fourth.

As for other negatives on offense, it's tough to say this but our seniors haven't really shown leadership on the field. Paulsen once again disrupted drives by taking more penalties. Austin had the dropsies and he seems so snakebitten that even when busts lose for a big return TD, it gets called back by dumb penalties (although Austin can't be blamed for Sloan's bad play). Still it would be awesome to see one of our seniors step up and make a play. They just haven't and it perhaps tells us something about the level of talent recruited by the previous coaching regime.

Moving to the other side the defense choked in that last drive. There is no other way to describe. It certainly sounds like Chuck Bullough is facing intense scrutiny from the fanbase (at least all over online). Our defense is extremely frustrating to watch. They make their share of plays and I guess we have to give them some props for holding a fairly explosive Oregon State offense to 26 points. However, the bend don't break philosophy is not going to win us many games.

I think in today's world of Pac-10 football which features so many explosives offenses with multi-dimensional athletes we need a defensive philospophy that should be centered around making the trigger man (QB) uncomfortable. It's a broken record now. Every week we seemed to write and discuss how our defense needs to come out and exert serious pressure on the opposing QB to throw him off his rhythm and get him uncomfortable. We talked about how Bullough needed to mix in some blitzes (not after we fall behind) and get Canfield rattled early on. It didn't happen as we saw the defense once again sat in its base 4-3 scheme and played with a strategy of containing the other guys to FGs. It only works to a certain extent but it also faciliates the classic death by a thousan cuts that can demoralize the entire team.

At this point with just 4 games left in this season is Bullough even capable of shifting and adjusting his philosophy? I have no idea. What I am seeing though on a week to week basis is how the opposing team keeps burning our defense with the same plays. Last weekend it was Arizona screwing us with reverses, this weekend we once again looked hapless against the Rogers brothers. Even us novices pointed out the "wild beaver" formation earlier during game week, yet we looked thoroughly confused and lost when Oregon State scored their TD out of that play. No other words to describe except that it's just frustrating.

I am not sure what it is going to take but I would love to see the UCLA defense come out and play with the same aggression we haven't seen since Tennessee. I still remember how Courtney Viney was coming after Crompton in corner blitzes to destroy him in that last series. Feels like haven't seen any of that since those moments in Neyland stadium.

Anyway, as mentioned up top, despite the frustrations from yesterday I believe this team has a chance of really coming together this November. We all kind of felt it and sensed it in the fourt quarter. Now collectively we need to will our team to a victory this Saturday. Thank fully the players and coaches seem to be in the exact mindset. Here is Tony Dye:

"To be honest with you, there's no such thing as a moral victory to me," sophomore safety Tony Dye said. "The only stat that ever matters is the wins and the losses. We came out with another `L' today. It's heartbreaking to get so close."

Reggie Carter:

"I don't even know what the hell that is," UCLA senior linebacker Reggie Carter said. "That ... don't mean nothing. Ain't no such things as moral victories. There's victories and there's losses. We just took a loss."

And Rick Neuhiesel:

"We're not in the business of moral victories. But there were some positive signs."

Let's rally and will our team to real victory this Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Shakeup In Defensive Backfield, Competition At RG & Other UCLA Practice Notes

Nestor — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:40:11 -0000

Bruins continue to prepare for their Arizona roadtrip with some tinkering with their defensive secondary. It looks like coaches are thinking about shaking up the defensive backfield a bit by trying out Glenn Love at strong safety. From the LA Times:

Strong safety Glenn Love spent most of practice with the first team. Tony Dye started all six games at strong safety.

"This week we flipped them, made sure they both got time with the ones and the twos," secondary coach Tim Hundley said. "We needed competition. We need to be more consistent and to make plays. Basically it's tackling. We're capable of doing it and we've done it, but not as consistently as we need to be."

Would be interested in hearing from the guys who might have seen the replay of Cal game on this. I am speculating here that perhaps coaches are trying out Love because of issues with clean tackling and staying within assignments from our secondary. Check out what Reggie Carter told Robert Kuwada of Bruin Report Online (article not behind subscription firewall at the time of this post):

So what did Saturday look like? They had some really big plays, but also a lot of negative yardage plays …

‘’Yeah, we watched it. Jahvid Best, he had like 108 yards and he had 93 on that one. That one was a few missed tackles, which caused that one. The other running touchdown, we were in a man coverage and the safety didn’t come over to get his man. He was supposed to be the extra fitter. That one. Then it was deep balls. They had big plays and scores, never once did they drive all the way down the field and score on us. We gave up too many big plays and we hurt our offense, we hurt our team.’’

Is there any question with the scheme, what you guys are trying to do, or is it just execution?

‘’Schematically, we were supposed to have somebody to fit every gap, to fit every run. It was just missed tackles and a guy not being where he was supposed to be. Schematically, everything was fit up to work, we just didn’t execute the scheme to perfection, how we were supposed to.’’

So perhaps sitting Dye out for a bit will allow the true sophomore to get better perspective of the defensive scheme. Another thought into this. Perhaps coaches are thinking about trying out Love at SS and then sliding over Dye to the other CB slot (Sheldon Price's slot) until Hester is fully ready.

Either way, I kind of like this move on our coaches part. It is always good to shake things up just a bit to look for potential solutions. Moreover, I don't consider this as a negative slight on Dye. Again, remember the kid is a true sophomore. The growing pains he is experiencing is a natural part of college football player's development process. I think the key is for his coaches to make sure they do what they can to give him a better understanding of their defensive schemes while also making him fight to get playing time on the field. More after the jump.

Staying with the defensive secondary, Aaron Hester was back in action in terms of getting reps against the scout team:

"It felt good getting back out there," said Hester, a 6-foot-1, 203-pound redshirt freshman. "That's what I was looking for. All I asked for was some reps so I can get a chance to prove myself."

Whether Hester will play Saturday against Arizona remains to be seen, but he said, "It is the coaches' decision. I feel I got my speed and I got my aggression, everything necessary to play."

Lake said he would watch and evaluate. Sheldon Price, a first-year freshman, has started the last three games.

"I need to see more," Lake said. "Today [Hester] got more work. He's rusty on things and we've made some adjustments. He needs to catch up in that regard."

I think some of the local reporters made a mountain out of mole hill (nothing new for these guys who are always looking for easy story lines) when Hester wasn't immediately worked into action on his first day of returning to practice. It appears that Carnell Lake was easing him into the mix and taking a "cautious approach":

"His first day was (Tuesday) for him but after being off for weeks with a broken leg, I wanted to eye him down myself to make sure that he was OK," secondary coach Carnell Lake said. "The first day back, I didn't want to do too much with him. Just do some individual drills and get off the field without setting him back."

Whether that plan was efficiently communicated to Hester might have been the reason for his displeasure Tuesday.

"Maybe I should have vocalized that for him but in my mind, a good first day was to let me evaluate him," Lake said. "I did that.

"What I really want to see is for him to keep his head in and keep working and keep competing. We've got a lot of guys out there that compete and he needs to be one of them."

I don't see what is wrong with UCLA coaches taking a cautious approach when it comes to he health of our football players. Lake's approach IMHO was perfect. It was the right thing to do on his part. It's too bad the reporters made it a big deal by playing on the quotes of a 18-19 year old sophomore. Guess not a surprise considering what we have seen from the press corp. that follows UCLA over the years.

Anyway, going back to the personnel shakeups, following Eddie Williams injury it looks like Neuheisel and Palcic are making Hasiak and Ekbatani compete for the right guard spot on our OL:

"We're competing in there," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "We've had a few guys come into my office wanting a spot. The guys want to play, want to get in there and help this team."

Hasiak particularly wants to regain the momentum he built during the summer, when he worked with the first team for much of training camp. With the emergence of sophomore Mike Harris at right guard, though, Hasiak ended up in a rotation with left guard Jeff Baca.

"Now I think I kind of got my aggressiveness back," Hasiak said. "The time in between when you're off, you kind of get too relaxed. That's what I did. I got too relaxed. But I'm getting it back. I'm real confident now; I feel I can go up against any front. I wouldn't even fret - I'm confident in my skills."

He is especially confident in his abilities lined up next to fellow true freshman Xavier Su'a-Filo, UCLA's standout left tackle.

The two behemoths played in postseason all-star games last year following their senior season, growing a friendship that has blossomed for months.

"Me and X kind of had a natural chemistry," Hasiak said. "It was something I noticed when we played in those two all-star games together. Being next to him, I'm comfortable. I know he's got my back if something's going that way; I never have to worry about him missing it."

Hasiak was in the trenches when Jet Ski exploded for that 74 yard TD sprint. From what I have seen it seems Ekbatani brings the experience and he also provides Palcic options because he is multidimensional. But I really like the nasty streak Stan seems to bring to our OL. When you mix him up with the X man and Kai Maivia, it gives us an OL life with an "attitude" we haven't had for years. So, would love to see more of Hasiak in there.

Lastly, as we are on the topic of attitude and offensive mindset Jon Gold from the Daily News has an nice profile on Kai Forbath. He sounds like a great kid who is working his reard end off to get better ... but really ... I hope we don't have to see his awesome kicks unless it is in a situation when we have to tie or win the game. Touchdowns not field goals will get us where we neet to go at the end of this season to call this year a successful one.

GO BRUINS.

This Feels A Little Different

Nestor — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:47:43 -0000

I am still having a hard time setting aside my emotions after last night. Thanks to wsmontano1994 and others for helping to maintain all of our perspectives and keeping our collective eyes on the big picture after one of the more stirring wins in UCLA’s recent football history (which has been dotted with one heart break after another).

Montano and others are right. In the big picture last night represents nothing more than a building block. Yes, it was something special because time after time, in situations like that on national stage our guys have come short even with legends such as _____ Aikman and Cade McNown. I didn’t expect the Bruins to win last night (and yeah the CROW was the most delicious meal I have ever had) and was fully embracing a funky and somber Saturday of reflections after another hard loss. I was mentally ready for heart break when Tennessee was driving in for what looked like the go ahead TD and then going for it on the FG. I wrote last night how I was having visions of Brady Quinn and Dewayne Walker’s prevent defense when Tennessee went on that last drive. When we made the goal line stop and then Viney rushed from the Corner to once again rattle Crompton, it felt like something changed in the collective Bruin psyche. Something feels different today about UCLA football.

I don’t what is that "difference" yet but we will know next week when we see how our coaches and players prepare for Kansas State and in the following weeks against one tough Pac-10 team after another. We still have a long way to go. Our offense is a work in progress with a young (but fearless) leader and skill players, and our defense still needs to figure out a way how they can show that ferocity and aggression (with discipline) right from the first drive. We have played two games and there is a lot of room for improvement.

That is I guess what is so fun (I told everyone this year was going to be fun even if it will a roller coaster ride) about this team right now. These are young kids playing their heart out and giving everything they have to represent those magical four letters on those gold helmets. It is fun to see them play with so much fire, aggression. It is fun to see a coaching staff operating in a way they know what they are doing and then have it reflected in their game plans. It is a fun feeling to have a sense of growing confidence that our guys are going to come in and fight with everything they have. We were getting the same feeling with those Ben Ball warriors in Coach Howland’s second season when they were going into Arizona and giving the Wildcats everything they can handle. We are now seeing it on football. Now the trick is for these guys to do it every game and bring it in every play. With those macro thoughts out of the way let me share some of my game notes and interesting reads from today’s paper.

I will start with Kevin Prince. Kurt Streeter of all people encapsulates it perfectly:

UCLA learned much in this game. It now knows, for certain, that its defense can apply the brakes, which is what happened during a goal-line stand late in what became a 19-15 win. And it now unquestionably also knows that at quarterback, the most important player on the field because the ball is in his hands so often, UCLA is manned by a kid who has something special burning inside.

"Guts," said teammate Terrence Austin in the locker room when the game was done.

"Heart," said another teammate, Rahim Moore.

"Composure," added offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who compared his 19-year-old pupil to one he coached at Brigham Young many years back: Ty Detmer. "Kevin discovered he can control a game today. Stats don't mean everything and this game was proof. It wasn't always pretty, but he showed through his body language he will to do what it takes."

No, it wasn't pretty. Prince had one touchdown. He had 11 completions in 23 attempts. He threw for 101 yards. Maybe his greatest statistical contribution was that, facing a team with a Heisman candidate at safety, he did something that last year would have been unthinkable: There were no interceptions, no picks for 70-yard returns. This from a UCLA quarterback -- yes, you read that right.

The stats weren't great but what Prince did do, with a calm look that belied his admitted case of nerves, was help stare down a team bent on revenge for last year's loss in Pasadena. And help silence more than 100,000 fans whose lives clearly hang on the fate of Tennessee football. And help wipe the perma-smirk from new Volunteers Coach Lane Kiffin.

"I just tried to hang in there and keep us in the game," said Prince when it was done. Blood dripped from his lips. There were cuts and scrapes and cherry-colored welts on his chin, neck, arms and legs. "I struggled as far as passing, but I just wanted to do what it would take to win this game. . . . I just wanted to protect the ball and give us a chance because they were coming. I've never heard it so loud, never been hit this hard."

You have to read the whole piece here.

Not sure what else I can add to that in terms of admiring what this kid did yesterday. Again, he pulled out a win at a place where Maddox and McNown melted. Now to keep it in perspective I think both Maddox and McNown went against much better and more importantly better coached Tennessee Volunteers. So we have to be again – keep it all in perspective – in terms of getting carried away with Kevin’s performance. But Kevin is showing us something. He is showing us promises and he is built on last week’s performance.

He still made some mistakes. He and Kai need to put in some extra time on communications and exchange of snaps, because we have had three of them in two weeks. Also, he needs to learn to slide. At this point I think he has showed us and his team-mates enough on how tough he is when he is on the run. But no need to get into those brutal collisions (and I am not talking about the play in the end zone) when he is running out on the open field. Slide Kevin, slide! It will be very interesting to see how he comes out against Kansas State.

Just like Kevin, our young OL had their moments. I think they really helped to set the tone in that first drive when they helped take advantage of good field position, by opening up some running lanes, get some first downs, and get us three to start the game. That was huge. However, then we saw the kids make freshman mistakes when they were getting overwhelmed by the Tennessee rush. Especially, in the second series (I believe it was the second series after Tennessee scored three), Hasiak and XSF absolutely got blown up on the left side which led to the Prince sack and fumble (and subsequent TD, the only one of the game for the Volunteers).

That said, they did all right. I am not going to complain too much about the OL, given the coaches kept the game plan conservative. From Jon Gold in the Daily News:

The two-face UCLA offensive line seemed to alternate between perfect protection - as when redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince found senior tight end Logan Paulsen with a pristine, 14-yard pass near the beginning of the third quarter - and awful blocking, as when Prince found himself on his back more often than a tomato-can boxer.

But the Bruins did enough.

In the third quarter, with the score tied at 10, Forbath rang off field goals on three consecutive drives, providing a little cushion for the young Bruins offense. On the three drives, Prince attempted just six passes, while UCLA ran the ball 11 times.

"The second kick gave us a six-point lead; the third one gave us a nine-point lead, which means two scores," UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said. "With a freshman quarterback and a hostile environment, we don't need to do that to him. We can keep pounding and take care of the ball."

Instead of passing, UCLA handed it off - not to its running game, but to its defense.

And I was OK with that. Also, it was clear that coaches went into conservative mode of play calling in second half particularly after the picks. Tracy Pierson from Bruin Report Online, in his post game reflections (which is not behind a subscription firewall) explained the reasoning behind it:

There are surely some UCLA fans out there who weren’t pleased with the play-calling. It was a very conservative game plan, with very few running plays going outside the tackles, and very few throws going beyond 10 yards or in between the hashes. But what the critical UCLA fans aren’t getting is that the game plan isn’t a result of short-sightedness by the UCLA coaches, but vision. Or self-awareness, more accurately. The coaches quite soberly realized what UCLA had on offense, and what it could do, and what it would take offensively to win this game. Last year, they attempted the same approach, but with a game plan that only intended to minimize mistakes and turnovers, last season’s offense couldn’t pull it off. This year, at least, in this game, it did. Also, the play-calling in this game changed in a couple of ways. In terms of the running game, UCLA ran tackle-to-tackle for most of the first half, and that set up some of the off-tackle runs in the second half that were key in sustaining some drives and retaining the ball. Also, early on, with Tennessee blitzing and pressuring Prince on just about every play, UCLA wasn’t utilizing any screens to offset the pressure. In the second half, it did, to relative effectiveness.

It will be interesting to see, as the season progresses, if the coaches attempt more offensively, as Prince settles in more and the offensive line grows and matures. You can see maturity from the first to the second game, especially in Prince. Heck, you could see development in this game between the first and second halves; the UCLA offensive line was far more effective in pass protection as the game wore on.

It makes sense to me. Now shifting our attention, let’s talk about our D. Tracy called our defense a "revelation":

It held Tennessee to 208 yards, 115 rushing and 93 yards passing -- a team that gained 657 yards and 380 rushing last week. Yeah, it was against Western Kentucky, but the one thing we thought we could actually take from the Volunteers’ performance against WKU was that they were going to have a good running game. They averaged just 2.6 yards per rush. Their bull of a tailback, Montario Hardesty, gained 89 yards and averaged 3.4 per carry.

We said before the game that whoever won the battle between Tennessee’s running game and UCLA’s rushing defense would probably win the game. UCLA won the battle, and won the game.

But the UCLA passing defense was also superb. Crompton was 13 of 26 for 93 yards, with three interceptions. His longest completion from scrimmage was 26 yards, which occurred when a UCLA defensive back fell down. Tennessee receivers were blanketed, and couldn’t get behind UCLA’s coverage.

Tracy went on to single out Reggie Carter, Rahim Moore (more on him below), Brian Price, Alterreaun Verner, Courtney Viney, Tony Dye, David Carter for their incredible play. He also specifically mentioned the solid defensive game plan of Coach Bullough:

Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bullough put in a very effective game plan, and called a very good and creative game. UCLA blitzed far more against Tennessee than it did against San Diego State, and far more imaginatively. Blitzes came from different parts of the field, from different positions. A big element to UCLA shutting down Tennessee’s offense was, after Crompton had thrown the three interceptions, Bullough went after him. You would think Tennessee would go to the ground, since Crompton was throwing the game away, and instead of sitting back, Bullough got aggressive and run blitzed. It was key to Tennessee going three-and-out on its next two possessions.

Yep. Probably the biggest satisfaction from watching our defense was how Bullough didn’t sit back. He unleashed our guys after our secondary set the tone. Not a lot of DCs have the courage to send in corner blitzes on last drives when they revert back to prevent defense. Bullough went for it and I am going to think this is something recruits will take note from all over Southern California and beyond. I still want to see better results from the first drive though in terms of setting the tone and I think Akeem Ayers can play lot better than he has in last two games to complement the efforts of Bosworth and Carter. But then again these are correctable issues, which give me more hope for the coming weeks.
As for Rahim Moore, here again is Jon Gold from the Daily News:

Forget the picks, because Moore made his presence known beyond the takeaways.

Moore had six tackles, two coming on UCLA's game-defining, goal-line stand with less than two minutes remaining. With Volunteers tailbacks Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown running the ball up the gut on four consecutive plays, Moore stepped up and filled the gap.

Even as a noisy Neyland Stadium crowd tried to mess with the Bruins' heads, Moore kept his in the game.
"The fans can't do anything for us," Moore said. "They can't make a tackle. All they can do is be loud. We came here, we came prepared, and it paid off. I told the defense, 'We have to win this field position.' We knew coming in, it would be a defensive game."

And it was, as both teams had less than 210 yards of total offense, combining for just 194 passing yards. Each lost opportunity was more important than the next, each turnover leading to heartbreak. That is where Moore led the way.

He is a freak of nature. There is no other way to put it and I am going to just enjoy him play because I am guessing that if he keeps this up, he will be gone after next season. Question for the geezers here on BN. Can you remember the last time UCLA had this kind of powerful combination (ATV/Moore/Dye and even Vinney is holding his own) in the defensive backfield? The only comparison I can think of is going back to early 90s when we had Carlton Gray and Marvin Goodwin in the backfield. IIRC Darby and Turner also played together (but I could be wrong on that). However, what we have here is something special, and these guys are now creating all kinds of options for Coach Bullough. It’s freaking delicious.
Some other notes from yesterday:

Blocks from TEs: I saw some great blocks from our TEs – Harkey and Paulsen – early on opening up room for our RBs.
Knox's Big Play: Speaking of our RBs, Knox I thought had the best run of the game on that screen pass when he just faked out a Vol for chunks of yardage and first down. The guy also has a motor. He is just fun to watch.
Kicking Weapons: How about our kickers? Again they are weapons. Kai is the best kicker in college football. Locke for the first time gives us a kicker with ability to boom kicks into the endzone and get our specials teams enough time to run down with hang time on his punts. Except for that goal line start (resulting from Tennessee’s failure to convert), our team had an average starting position at 36 yard line.
Oh Lane! Lane made a bone head move deciding to burn his TO by challenging the fumble at the endzone when it was clear Franklin had recovered it. Then again he probably thought he would get yet another favorable call from the homerific refs, who had pining me for some SPTRS.
Neuheisel's Questionable Call: I also didn’t like our coach’s move to have Prince roll out on 3rd down from the end zone. I am still not sure why we did that instead of having Coleman rumble for a year and then burn up the clock to take the safety on 4th. Oh well. It worked out.
The Joke That Is ESPN: The game was broadcast on WWL. However, after the game was over, there was no sign from the blowhards from College Game Day (perhaps the most overhyped, worthless sports show on television) or the idiots on the set, that UCLA-Tennessee had played a football game. Why do I get the feeling that if Tennessee had won, we wouldn’t hear the end of Lane building a clone of Pete Carroll dynasty in Knoxville. Whatever who cares about those jackholes from Bristol. I don’t and it’s a good reason why I don’t waste my time watching those shows except when I have to after or right before UCLA games broadcast on that worthless east coast pimping, Big-12/ACC/Big-10/SEC hyping and U$C* worshipping network.

Before I go to my last note, once again I want to tip my hat to our friends at Rocky Top Talk. Pretty clear that the class and passion they showed online is reflective of one of the best fanbases in the country offline. Let’s wish them luck. I still don’t know about their head coach (I think they have the wrong guy) but it’s their business, their program. Let them figure it all out. For our part, it’s been fun talking football with some of the best fans in college football.

I will end with this. If you wanted to get a sense of CRN’s infectious enthusiasm all you had to do was watch the funny exchange between Andrews and him during the half time. It couldn’t be more clear from that exchange how he was soaking it all in and relishing the effort and passion of his players. In turn, it was clear from his players they were ready to go through a brick wall for their head coach. We are so used to it from Ben Ball. Again, it’s weird to see this happening in football.

I am liking it. This is fun. Let’s have some more of it next Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Depth Chart Notes For San Diego State

Nestor — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:00:08 -0000

Well the game week is off to a roaring start. Thanks to everyone who stepped up to show support for our gutty little Bruin. This spirit and camaraderie in this community is pretty awe inspiring. As mentioned in the comment thread even though we went past our goal, let's keep it going letting the little guy know we are all thinking about him heading into Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday here are the official notes from UCLA and San Diego State. We don't have any new updates on the fire situation beyond what we blogged yesterday. If you hear any updates today please make sure to fire it up in the fanposts, fanshots or comment threads. My gut feeling is that we will have a game. Certainly the Bruins want to play. They want to play badly. See Hasiak's comment to Jon Gold (who again is doing a great job at the Daily News):

"We'd be pretty fierce if we didn't get to play Saturday. We wouldn't have it. We'd be pissed, practicing all summer, real hard, getting ready for a team we know nothing about. Everybody would be pretty much heated. We'd be waiting for the next game, definitely."

This kid might be a true freshman but he sounds like a natural leader. I also love his fierce competitiveness. Remember we have already heard stories about how he had no problem going toe to toe with Brian Price during the training camp. He lost out the starting position for the time being to Jeff Baca (after sitting out couple days due to stinger in his shoulder). But I wouldn't count him out. Anyway ... moving on.

Also another depth chart issue got settled yesterday (at least for now). Dye is going to get the start at SS:

Tony Dye may have to wait a few days to get the official nod, but all signs point to him starting at strong safety.

Dye spent Monday's practice working with the first team, and even defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough was having a hard time keeping alive the competition between Dye and Glenn Love.

"Right now, [Dye] has been playing better," Bullough said. "Until the other guy steps up, he is leading the competition."

Dye, a redshirt freshman, has some experience as the team's nickel back. He combined that applied knowledge with some basic study skills and came to camp ready to win the job.

"I got in the film room and I got into the play book," Dye said. "I've dragged that big, old play book up to my room every night."

Can't wait to see Tony out there on Saturday. Here is the full depth chart is now out for the San Diego State game. Some of my quick thoughts:

The youth movement is obvious at the flanker/split end positions where 7 of the 8 guys are either sophomore of freshmen. Terrence Austin (who has embraced his mentor role) is the only upperclassman in that group.
Interesting to see Jeff Baca also listed as backup at LT and RT. I think it means that Palcic has probably settled on 6-7 men rotation which will include Stan Hasiak and when Hasiak is in Baca will slid into one of those tackle positions. Here is what Baca had to say about it:
"Being in this scheme is pretty universal, everybody almost has the same job," Baca said. "That helps a lot, switching positions. The gap zone part of it, I wouldn't say it's easier, but if you just play your gaps, you're good."
Guess another way to look at despite the infusion of young talents at OL, we are going to need more blue chippers so that kids like Baca doesn't have to back up multiple positions.
Looks like Dalton Hilliard is officially part of the DB crew listed behind Moore and Ware at the FS spot.
It will be interesting to see how the coaches use Presley. He is currently listed at the 5th spot at TE (where there is a log jam). I am guessing he might be linning up as a receiver sometime on Saturday?
Not a shocker (since we have gone over this endlessly during last few weeks). We are thin in the defensive front-7.

Meanwhile, San Diego State also released it's depth chart (PDF) for our game. What stuck out to me was their size on defense. Remember they are going to playing that 3-3-5. Their front-3 stack up like this: LDE B.J. Williams at 240, DT Ernie Lawson at 270, and RDE Jonathan Soto at 260. So the Bruins will definitely have size advantage up front. The question will be whether our offense which is going to feature so many new staters will be able to handle the chaos of 3-3-5.

As mentioned yesterday, the Aztecs are going to be flying all over defense. Their LBs/DBs are going to guess a number of times and they will get it right every now and then. I can definitely see situations where their defense will come up with big plays. The key is going to be how our offense will react. It will come down to our OL imposing its will on their defensive front and opening it up for our tailbacks. The game will also present an opportunity to show what kind of game mobility Kevin Prince has. I think there will be some occasions where he might have to roll out a bit to avert pressure and locate the open targets.

In other words, T.J. Simers can BS all he wants. The fact is that given the Bruins are going to be facing a pretty unpredictable defense with so many new starters on Saturday this game is not a gimme. I sure hope the players are focused and ready to go. They sure sound excited. Hope it will translate into smart and aggressive football on Saturday.

GO BRUINS.

2009 UCLA Football Post-Camp Grades: DB's

Ryan Rosenblatt — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:00:17 -0000

Our unit by unit grades are winding down and will come to a finish today. With the offense's grades complete and the defensive line and linebackers done, we finish off the defense with the defensive backs. This is undoubtedly the deepest unit on the defensive side of the football and has some breathtaking talent. The only concern is a single position, strong safety, which hopefully won't be the problem it was in camp.

Defensive Backs

The UCLA defensive backfield is arguably the most talented and deep of any unit on the Bruins' roster. The physical skills of the unit are outstanding, but especially on the second unit, inexperience runs rabid. The cornerstone of the UCLA defensive backfield is at the cornerback position where Alterraun Verner waits. Waits is probably the best word to describe what Verner will be doing this year too because odds are that he won't be tested often. Verner has returned interceptions for touchdowns three times in his career. He led the nation in passes defended last year and has played in all 38 games in his college career. He's on nearly every award watch list and is a good bet to be named to the All-Pac-10 first team. Verner is the definition of a shut down corner and as a result, will be left alone while opposing teams test the other side of the field.

That other side of the field is a tempting one for opposing teams to go at because there lies a redshirt freshman who will be playing in his first collegiate games. Aaron Hester has the prototypical size and speed for a D-1 cornerback. He's 6'1'' and just over 200 lbs. and was one of California's better sprinters throughout his youth. Most impressive though is probably his length. Hester has extremely long arms and it allowed him to get his hands on a lot of balls during camp. He is also a very confident player who enjoys contact and will not shy away from contact on the line, but does have the speed to play catch up. The physical tools are there for Hester to dominate for the Bruins in coming seasons and on Sundays in the future, but the first job for him this year will be learning the intricacies of the college game because he will be tested often with teams shying away from throwing at Verner. If camp was any indication, he's more than ready for the challenge.

The free safety position is one of the two, along with Verner's cornerback spot, where the Bruins have a returning starter. Rahim Moore will man the position once again after a promising freshman campaign that saw him start every single game. Moore's play got markedly better as the season went on and that continued through spring practice and training camp. While he was caught overpersuing early in his freshman year, that is rarely the case now and simple pump fakes or double moves no longer leave him in the dust. One spot he does have trouble with is defending tight ends, but he won't be asked to do so often so it won't be too much of an issue. He showed good ball skills last year in picking up three interceptions and was even better in camp as he was quicker to the ball, giving himself more opportunities. Moore is in line for a big year so long as he doesn't spend an inordinate amount of time covering for the safety next to him.

Who that safety next to him will be is still up in the air. Both Tony Dye and Glenn Love will likely see time this year at the strong safety position and hopefully, they can do so capably. Right now, asking for anything better than passable play would be greedy. Neither Dye nor Love was good in camp and while they did improve as it went on, all that does is show the level they were at to begin. For such a big guy, it's amazing that Love isn't more of a force against the run. He doesn't read plays well and is often pushed around despite his size. Dye is more aggressive and likes to hit, but is small, overpersues and isn't disciplined in coverage. Personally, I think Dye offers more than Love both now and in the future, but I'm not overly comfortable with either in the backfield.

The nickel back spot has been a battle between Courtney Viney and the surprising Andrew Abbott. Viney's biggest problem is one out of his control. He's small and by small, I mean very small. He's only 5'8'' and that's being generous. Even in practice he was being picked upon as the offense routinely threw jump balls in his direction. He is explosive and very fast so he does close well, plus he got time as the nickel back last year so the experience isn't a major concern. Abbott had an outstanding camp to play himself into contention for the nickel back spot, although he still struggles at times because he lacks the physical tools of some of the others. He has trouble getting his hips open and running so he's susceptible to being beat deep, but he does well to cover underneath and read the quarterback's eyes.

Aaron Ware will provide depth at the safety position and while he hasn't quite lived up to the hype surrounding him when he entered UCLA, he is still a solid contributor as a back up. He is experienced enough and won't be out of his element in hostile territory, but doesn't always react quick enough regardless of the stadium so he can be beat deep. He's more more natural providing support in the running game than he is in coverage. Alex Mascarenas is the freshmen who really made an impression in camp as he was quick to the ball in all instances and strong against the run. He may end up redshirting, along with fellow freshmen Marlon Pollard, Brandon Sermons, Sheldon Price and Stan McKay, but he appeared more ready to step in and play should he be called upon.

Grade: B+ The unit has plenty of talent and even some experience, although to consider what the Bruins have at defensive back experience just gives you an idea as to the lack of experience on the rest of the roster. The cornerbacks are solid with Verner and Hester, who was a force in camp, and Moore was good, but the strong safety spot has me very concerned. I'd love to get mediocre play out of the position, but I'm not so sure we will. The depth is good though all the way down and the young players likely to redshirt are awfully talented.

Poll

What would you grade the UCLA defensive backs?

A

206 votes

B

138 votes

C

13 votes

D

3 votes

F

6 votes

366 votes | Poll has closed

Love And Dye Competing For the SS Spot

Nestor — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:00:15 -0000

From the LA Times:

This is the only spot on the defense that appears to be wide open, with the competition expected to go well into camp. Love, a redshirt sophomore, has had his time limited the first two seasons because of hip and shoulder surgeries. Dye, a true sophomore, spent last season as the team's nickel back.

"Both have physical toughness," secondary coach Tim Hundley said. From there, his assessment varies.

Love, at 6 feet 4, has to "continue to work on his ability to play lower. He has a great body and he is learning to play with lower eyes."

Dye is faster but needs to "work at taking better angles and the awareness how you get on top of routes."

Love, who has been working with the first team, took a yoga class during the summer, "in a room where it was always 110 degrees," to improve his flexibility so he could play lower.

The 5-11 Dye worked on his strength because "I don't have the ideal size for strong safety, and I'm aware of it. Strong safety is a hitting position. I feel I am a hitter. I just have to show that consistently."

Dye showed no fear as a true freshmen last year. We are going to need these guys to step up so that they can complement Rahim Moore in the backfield, who lived up to his billing last year. The athleticism we now have in the backfield with Dye, Love, Moore, Hester and of course ATV is not something we have in previous years.

Here is to hoping these guys stay healthy.Yeah, I know. I sound like a broken record but like keep having to say it after last few years. A combination of Moore and Dye/Love if the later duo steps up just might be able to take us down the same traveled by Goodwin, Henderson, Darby, Turner and other legendary Bruin safeties.

GO BRUINS.

The Wait Is Over For Bruin Football: Practice Starts Today

Nestor — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:14 -0000

So it all starts today. As mentioned over the weekend the season gets started today with a "Media Day" in the morning and then first practice (which is open to public) at 3:30 pm PST. I am sure we are going to be reading stories from the Media Day and first practice starting tomorrow starting later this evening and with our usual roundup in the AM. Already there are few notes up on the official site that should get all of us ready for the camp.

Following the tweeter feed yesterday it was pretty clear the players were coming back to Westwood yesterday. Everyone of them sound excited and fired up (Case in point here is Taylor Embree). Here are the details from the official site:

On Sunday afternoon, the veteran UCLA football players reported to camp. The first team meeting is scheduled for tonight. On Saturday afternoon, the newcomers reported to camp and went through a series of orientation meetings on Sunday.

Monday's schedule includes position meetings in the morning and a short walkthrough. The players will participate in Media Day at noon and at the same time shoot portrait photos for television broadcasts and other material for the Rose Bowl video board.

The first practice is scheduled for 3:00 pm. For the first few days, head coach Rick Neuheisel and the coaches will split the team into two groups so the players can receive more one-on-one coaching from the staff. The first group will begin practice at 3:00 pm. The entire team will work on special teams for 20 minutes at 4:20 pm and then the second group will practice from 4:40 - 6:00 pm.

I hope some of you get to make it out there either today or sometime in the coming weeks. Just reading through the position overviews it becomes clear how intense the competition is going to be this year. We just need to have the players stay healthy. More details after the jump.

Note "several" of the walkons are not reporting for camp until after the first game or the start of school. Also, it looks like Jayson Allmond is another scholarship freshman who is not going to report because he is waiting for issues related to NCAA Clearinghouse issues to be resolved. Perhaps Brian Price can give him a call and tell the kid to hang in there.

The official site also posted whole bunch of pre-season notes. There were few details I found to be interesting and worth sharing. First here are the players we are going to have this season who missed entire if not most of last season due to injury and other issues:

WHO WAS MISSING -- The following players, who will return to the team for 2009, were listed in the 2008 pre-season two-deep or figured to play a prominent role, if available for action last season: Offense --- TE Logan Paulsen - missed 11 g to injury; OL Jeff Baca - missed 3 g to injury; OL Darius Savage - missed 2 g to injury; OL - Sean Sheller - missed all 12 g to injury; OL - Mike Harris - missed 7 g to injury; RB - Christian Ramirez - missed all 12 g due to academic eligibility issues; FB Trevor Theriot - missed 9 g to injury; Defense --- Kyle Bosworth - missed 10g to injury; DL - Jess Ward - missed 5 g due to injury; DL Reginald Stokes - missed 1 g due to injury.

So here is these guys staying healthy in 2009. All those injuries meant UCLA had a lot of cubbies getting action this past season:

YOUTH AND EXPERIENCE -- UCLA played a total of 22 freshmen (11 redshirt and 11 true freshmen) in the 2008 season. Sixteen of the twenty scholarship players included in that group are scheduled to return in 2009. Of that group of sixteen returning players, 11 have starting experience (Defense --- So. Rahim Moore, S - 12 g; So.R Steve Sloan, LB - 9 g; So. R Akeem Ayers, LB - 3 g; So. Datone Jones, DL - 2 g; So. Tony Dye, S - 1g; Offense --- So. Cory Harkey, TE - 7 g; So. Taylor Embree, WR - 8 g; So. Jeff Baca, OL - 8 g; So.R Nate Chandler, TE - 2 g; So. Derrick Coleman, RB - 1 g; So.R Mike Harris, OL - 5 g).

Needless to say it will be exciting to see how these guys can improve on this year. Also, a total of 29 players saw action for the first time in 2009:

FIRST ACTION -- A total of 29 players (17 offensive and 12 defensive) saw their first action as a Bruin during the 2008 season (11 true freshmen - seven offensive and four defensive players (LB Sean Westgate, S Rahim Moore, TE Cory Harkey, WR Taylor Embree, S Tony Dye, WR Antwan Moutra, WR Nelson Rosario, RB Aundre Dean, RB Derrick Coleman, OL Jeff Baca, DL Datone Jones); 11 redshirt freshmen - five defensive and six offensive players (DB Courtney Viney, LB Steve Sloan, LB Akeem Ayers, DB Glenn Love, OL/TE Nate Chandler, RB Raymond Carter, DL Justin Edison, WR Ryal Jagd, QB Chris Forcier, TE Glenn Rauscher, OT Mike Harris), six redshirt sophomores - three offensive and three defensive players (OL Brandon Bennett, LB Mike Schmitt, DL Reginald Stokes, OL Sonny Tevaga, OL Jake Dean, DB Garrett Rubio), one redshirt junior (QB Kevin Craft).

Of course some of those guys such as Carter, Dean and Craft are either no longer with us or will probably not get much action this coming year. However, I think those numbers show how Neuheisel will not hesitate to put in his young guys in there if they are competing hard out at Spaulding and doing what the coaches are asking them to do.

Lastly, the pre-season notes also has some interesting numbers on freshman QBs record at UCLA during last 20 years:

*2002 (8-5, T 4th Pac-10) -- Matt Moore (Fr.) game 8 win over Stanford; Drew Olson (Fr.) game 9 win at Washington; game 10 win at Arizona; game 11 loss to USC; game 12 loss to Wash. State; game 13 bowl win over New Mexico.
*1999 (4-7, 9th Pac-10) -- Cory Paus (Fr.R) game 3 win over Fresno St.; game 5 loss at Ariz. State; game 6 win over Oregon; game 7 loss to Cal; game 8 loss at Ore. State; game 9 loss to Arizona; game 10 win over Washington; Ryan McCann (Fr. R) game 11 loss at USC.
*1995 (7-5, T 5th Pac-10) -- Cade McNown (Fr.) game 3 loss to Oregon; game 5 win over Fresno St.; game 6 win over Arizona; game 7 win at Stanford; game 8 win over Cal; game 9 loss at Ariz. State; game 10 loss to Washington; game 11 win at USC; game 12 bowl loss to Kansas.
*1992 (6-5, 8th Pac-10) -- Rob Walker (Fr. R) game 2 win at BYU; game 3 win over San Diego State; game 4 loss at Arizona; game 5 loss to Stanford; game 10 win at Oregon; Ryan Fien (Fr.) game 7 loss to Arizona State.
*1990 (5-6, T 6th Pac-10) -- Tommy Maddox (Fr. R) game 3 loss at Michigan; game 4 win at Wash. State; game 5 loss to Arizona; game 6 win over San Diego State; game 7 loss at Cal; game 8 win over Oregon State; game 9 loss at Oregon; game 10 win at Washington; game 11 loss to USC.
*1989 (3-7-1, 9th Pac-10) -- Bret Johnson (Fr. R) started all 11 games. game 1 loss to Tenn.; game 2 win over San Diego State; game 3 loss to Michigan; game 4 win over Cal; game 5 win over Ariz. State; game 6 loss at Arizona; game 7 loss at Oregon State; game 8 loss to Washington; game 9 loss at Stanford; game 10 loss to Oregon; game 11 tie at USC.

You can sense that Cade McNown was kind of an anomaly and even he had a roller coaster first two years. Bret Johnson, Rob Walker, and Ryan Fien were total disasters (well Johnson was just a disgrace).

Anyway, those numbers above are fairly sobering and should be datapoints we all take into account before deluding ourselves with visions of grandeur that takes over average college football fans around this time of the year. I still think Prince will be an upgrade from what we saw last year. However, given how legends like McNown struggled during their first year in college we should keep our expectations in check.

GO BRUINS.

Spaulding Roundup: Pac-10 Media Day, Freshmen Speed & Injury Notes

Nestor — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:49:24 -0000

Pac-10 Media Day is today. We got an invitation to attend it earlier this week but we all decided to take a pass because of time issues and the fact that these events never really amount to much except for usual soundbites and preseason predictions that we have been reading through this off-season. Nevertheless, if you guys are interested in following it, you can keep track via their official where they will stream it live and allows fans to "participate" by "tweeting their questions to: http://twitter.com/pac10."

Hey perhaps all of you can tweet questions about whether Pac-10 as a conference is plannint to something concrete about the scandals after scandals coming out of U$C*. I am not going to hold my breath on whether they will actually respond to those questions. So knock yourself out if you are up for it and let us know if we missed out on something totally earth shattering.

As for our team BruinJD already blogged about Ryan Moya and Logan Paulson being named to Mackey watch list. That is pretty cool. Let's hope both of those guys can stay healthy (crossing fingers/knocking on wood). Meanwhile, the team is going to be without couple of freshman LBs during the training camp:

Taniela Maka, a linebacker from Long Beach Jordan High, said he will not enroll at UCLA because of an academic issue. He plans to enroll in January.

"I just need to get a better SAT score," Maka said. "I don't think it will be a problem. I only have to add 60 points."

Maka will attend most of UCLA's practices while he prepares for the SATs.

"(Graduate assistant) Coach (Clark) Lea actually wants me to come up there and watch," Maka said.

Linebacker Jared Koster said he has a sports hernia injury and likely will undergo surgery to repair it. Koster isn't expected be enrolled for the fall quarter.

Instead, the plan is for him to be enrolled in January.

Good luck to Taniela and Jared. Also per Dohn "defensive end Chinonso Anyanwu has a hip injury that likely will require surgery and keep him out at the start of training camp." He always brings good news. Doesn't he? (j/k). Well, I wouldn't get discouraged about this kind of news.

This kind of attrition is fairly normal at this time of the year. The good news is that we will have Taniel and Jared next year and oh BTW Tony Dye, who was suffering from a bit of turf toe, should be all right. I will end this round up with some exciting news though.

According to his home town paper, Damien Thigpen is wasting no time display his speed at UCLA:

When UCLA tested its football players last week in the 40-yard dash, Damien Thigpen was nervous.

It had been two years since he had run a time in the 40 in large part because he was already known for his quickness.

But now, he was an incoming college freshman facing fellow speedsters and he wasn’t sure how he stacked up.

On his first run, he clocked in at 4.31 seconds. That drew some attention, but on his second run, he generated even more chatter — recording a personal-best 4.28. The facial expressions from onlookers told Thigpen he had done something impressive when he crossed the finish line.
The only thing was he didn’t initially know was how impressive the time was. It wasn’t the best time among freshmen or running backs. It was the best time of anyone on the team.

Thigpen was shocked. He had enjoyed plenty of success as a multiple state track champion hurdler at Stonewall Jackson, but this was something new and unexpected.
"I was excited that I had run that fast," Thigpen said. "I was on cloud nine."

Man, I can't wait to see this kid, Randall Carroll, Presley and other youngsters at the Rose Bowl. Can't wait.

GO BRUINS.