SB Nation - Nick Crissman

Spaulding Roundup: Practice For Youngsters, QB Updates, Golden's Wandering Eyes & Other Bowl Prep Notes

Nestor — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:43:15 -0000

Let's start the Monday with a football roundup. We have lots of bits and pieces of news coming out of Spaulding (and out of Philadelphia) as the Bruins get ready for their first bowl game under Rick Neuheisel in Westwood. We all desperately wanted this bowl game because it would provide a big opportunity for coaches to get the underclassmen in this program additional practice time. Well from the first reports, it looks like the coaches are doing just that. Meanwhile, out in Philadelphia, an interesting subplot is shaping up around the Temple Owls, as it appears that they will have to deal with constant chatter of Al Golden exploring other head coaching opportunities (just like he did when the UCLA position opened up little more than two years ago).

So, speaking of youngsters getting more practice time here is Jon Gold from the Daily News:

With a still-young offensive unit that can use every second of the team's nine practices before it leaves for Washington on Christmas Day, the evaluation period has once again resumed.

"These first four days are about getting these young guys some reps," junior defensive tackle Brian Price said. "It's just about getting back rolling. We had two weeks off, we worked out, but nothing more. We had a chance to focus on school, which is good. I'm glad it's over with, though; two weeks of nothing is painful."

Richard Brehaut is one of the young guys who is getting to take advantage of additional practice time. He is trying to take advantage of the opportunity as Prince is still recovering from his injury. From the LA Times:

Freshman Richard Brehaut took the majority of the reps Sunday during a light workout that seemed more a chance to stretch out.

"This is a chance to get a better look at him," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "We can look at how he manages the team in practice. He looked good today."

Chow said there is no alternative plan at the moment in case Prince is sidelined for the game.

"We can wait and see how Kevin is later this week," Chow said. "We haven't really worked on anything about Temple yet."

Guess we will have to keep a close eye on the QB situation because late last week we thought Prince might have been ready by middle of this week. Now it looks a little uncertain. More on that after the jump.

From Gold's report (and from the LA Times) it looks like there is uncertainty as to whether Prince will be ready by middle of this week:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince (right shoulder) did not throw any passes Sunday and said he still feels sharp pain when he does. Though Neuheisel said UCLA's medical staff expected Prince to return Wednesday, that status is in question.

"It's been better," Prince said. "It's not full-go yet. I wasn't able to throw today. It's just a nagging pain. I've been getting treatment every day; it's starting to get better, it's kind of just lingering right now at the same point of pain. It's a little disappointing."

Guess we will have to keep a close eye on this.BTW there is another little note in the LAT about quarterbacks. Apparently Nick Crissman underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder keeping him out from any action for at least 8 weeks. Feel bad for the poor guy because he has been dealing with one injury after another since coming to Westwood.

Meanwhile, going back to Prince, I think if he is not ready by middle of this week, I would prefer that coaches go with Kevin Craft to start the bowl game (and mix in Brehaut if necessary). Considering the circumstances, I think Craft did a great job his senior year and it would be the perfect closure and bridge to the next step in Neuheisel's tenure at UCLA, if Craft led the seniors in finshing up their career with a memorable win in DC. Anyway, we will find out more on this later this week.

In terms of practice energy, ever quotable Reggie Carter gave a little peak into players' mindset heading into this bowl game:

"I get one more shot to go out there and hit somebody," Carter said. "I hear Temple runs the ball a lot. That happens to be what I like to do the most, hit people with the ball. Hopefully they'll come visit me a couple times before the game is over.

"They're like 23rd in the country in rushing, I hope they run the ball every play. I'll be waiting."

I think it is going to be very interesting to see how Carter performs in this game. There was no question he was banged up during the last few games of the regular season. He had a solid game against Southern Cal, however, he was not as effective as he had been in the past in games leading up to that due to his injury. It looked like he was just gutting it out. I am hoping the time off will enabled us to see a fresh and rejuvenated Cater, who will be able to make an impression on national TV.

Shifting our attention across the country, Temple is dealing with Golden coaching rumor/chatter:

Golden, of course, interviwed for the UCLA job when Neuheisel, a former Bruins quarterback, got it. Now Golden's name is coming up with the Cincinnati vacancy, as it did with the Virginia opening (which has been filled). Or even Notre Dame, which interviewed Golden (in New York) before going with Cincy coach Brian Kelly.

"I just haven't had any contact with anybody [from Cincy]," Golden said. "Right now I'm just going about my business. I don't know what the future brings, but I'm just trying to get ready to play UCLA."

Several sources have indicated that Cincinnati has asked for permission to talk with Golden. Understandably, neither Golden nor athletic director Bill Bradshaw, the man who hired him, will talk about ongoing searches. But Bradshaw in the past usually has given Golden permission to at least explore the interest level.

So, would Golden talk to Cincy?

"I don't know," he said. "I don't know."

That was from the Philadelphia Daily News, which has a report on how Golden is working hard to get Temple to focus on UCLA. I doubt this chatter will linger on for a long time. I have to guess Golden will shut it down throughly in the coming days and get his team locked on to UCLA. This game is basically going to be the Superbowl for Temple program (and an career defining game for Al Golden).

Last time, we were in a bowl game situation like this, we laid egg in Las Vegas against Wyoming Cowboys. We need this win just as badly as the Temple Owls. A win in this game will not only excite our alumni/fan base, I think it will inject even more energy into an already jump charged recruiting effort by Neuheisel and his coaching staff. So, I really hope our coaches and players can match the sense of urgency that will be felt from the Temple program.

GO BRUINS.

Game Day Roundup: Getting Ready For The Debut Of A Bruin Prince & Other Notes

Nestor — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:23:28 -0000

Here we go guys. I am so fired up today that I feel like I want to put up the game thread and get going right away. It is going to be awesome to take in football games all am/pm before settling down for our kickoff at 4:30 pm PST. I will put up a pre game thread around 12:00 pm PST to get us going. Before we start firing off let's check in a bit with the reports in today's papers.

There aren't any big breaking news heading into kickoff this evening. However, I loved reading about how Kevin Prince became a Bruin. From the Press Enterprise:

Prince grew up on Thursday nights at Pauley Pavilion and Saturday afternoons at the Rose Bowl. A UCLA wall clock and banner adorn the walls of his childhood bedroom, as does an autographed Cade McNown jersey. He even briefly served as a ball boy for the football team.

What kept Prince from snapping up UCLA's initial scholarship offer the summer before his senior year was that he never believed the coaching staff considered him its quarterback of the future. Then-coach Karl Dorrell already had secured a commitment from fellow senior Nick Crissman of Huntington Beach Edison, and Prince's scholarship offer was contingent on him taking a two-year religious mission and not enrolling until 2010.

With contact from Dorrell's staff waning as it became clear UCLA would make a coaching change, Prince accepted a scholarship from Washington in December 2007. The only reason Neuheisel was even aware of Prince when he visited Crespi two months later was that his teenage son had raved about Prince's performance at a recent camp.

As Neuheisel sat in the Crespi football office waiting to speak with linebacker E.J. Woods after class, he asked Coach Jeremiah Ross to show him film of Prince.

He learned that Prince had an arm so strong that his father had to buy receiver's gloves to catch him. He learned that Prince was the hardest worker Ross has ever coached. And he learned that Prince suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opening game of his senior season, but served as a quarterbacks coach for the next three months, offering the advice and encouragement sophomore Bryan Bennett needed to pilot Crespi to an 11-3 record.

"A big reason we were able to do that was because of Kevin's leadership," Ross said. "There have been other kids who get injured and fade off. He was like, 'Anything I can do to help this team off the field, I'm going to do.' "

Neuheisel was so impressed by Prince that he put on an immediate full-court press, calling his parents, putting him in touch with Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow and inviting him to visit campus. Less than a week later, Prince was a Bruin.

I can't get enough of stories like that. Obviously we are all anxious to see Kevin's debut in the best looking home uniforms in college football. However, as we have discussed over and over again this off-season the key tonight is going to our completely revamped OL. If they can stay patient and focused against the chaotic Aztec's 3-3-5 defense, and get our running game going early on, it will be a huge assist to Kevin Prince. More after the jump.

Getting the running game going will be key for both teams (not just Bruins):

Defensive coordinator Rocky Long thinks both teams will try to establish the run "because neither team did it all that well last season." The left side of SDSU's offensive line has zero career starts and is facing a physical defensive line, anchored by defensive tackle Brian Price and defensive end Korey Bosworth (7.5 sacks last year) . Offensively, the Bruins have a young backfield with redshirt freshman Kevin Prince at quarterback and redshirt freshman Johnathan Franklin at tailback. UCLA's front five averages about 6-3, 316 pounds. SDSU coach Brady Hoke said he plans to substitute liberally on defense, and as many as 22 players could see action today. The Aztecs were winless on the road last year; their last win away from Qualcomm was Nov. 10, 2007 against UNLV.

Well Brady Hoke's team is going to be a mystery since they have been locked up and away from the press during the preseason camp. From Kevin Gimmell in the San Diego Union Tribune:

Today, we'll see.

We'll see what the man behind the curtain — new San Diego State football coach Brady Hoke — has been doing since coming over from Ball State.

He's kept his Aztecs closely guarded since the start of training camp. He's shaping the message at Montezuma Mesa his way and dishing out a heavy volume of coaching buzzwords.

He's created a buzz by being buzz-less.

Well he has also created a lot of buzz because he is bringing in two fairly accomplished coordinators in Al Borges and Rocky Long. We have talked about them all week but if you need to still catch up on them you can do so reading rest of Gimmell's game preview here.

On the local front today Jon Golden has a profile of Taylor Embree in the Daily News and LAT's Chris Foster has a generic overview (which doesn't really tell us anything new). For those who haven't been keeping track here are the latest injury notes:

UCLA will be without tailback Christian Ramirez (ankle), wide receiver Gavin Ketchum (hamstring), offensive lineman Micah Kia (knee surgery), offensive lineman Nick Ekbatani (sprained knee) and defensive end Reginald Stokes (knee surgery). Defensive tackle Jess Ward (sprained knee) is expected to play.

Beside Henderson, San Diego State will be without safety Romeo Horn (foot), and tight end Tony DeMartinis (retired, knee). Cornerback Davion Maudlin (knee) is expected to play.

While we are all wishing speedy and healthy recovery to the guys, let's hope there any more additions to that list from either side after tonight.

As mentioned above, we will have a pre-game thread up around 12:00 pm PST and then the game thread will go up around 4:00 PST. See you then.

GO BRUINS.

2009 UCLA Football Post-Camp Grades: QB's

Ryan Rosenblatt — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:00:10 -0000

With training camp in the books and the season opener versus San Diego St. within view, it's time to reevaluate where Rick Neuheisel's Bruins stand entering his second year at the helm of the program. Now I, being nowhere near a football expert and having attended only slightly more than half of the training camp practices, am the prime candidate to make such evaluations. Am I not correct? Well, unqualified, incompetent or delusional I may be (and possibly all three), I will handle the task with all of my usual grace and skill, which is none. I will grade out each position on the Bruins roster with each part being posted all week long, until the final part on Sunday night. This is for the big boys (and girls) too. There is no grade inflation here. A grade of C will actually stand for average and while I'm well aware of where this program is coming from, no unit gets a higher grade for "improvement." Just because a unit is loads better than they once were doesn't mean they get a high grade. After all, going from a F to a C is still a massive improvement. All grades are independent from where this program was a year ago or five years ago. The marks are based on how the unit grades out against fellow Pac-10 competition so with that said, let's dive in with the quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks

How important is quarterback play? I think just about any UCLA fan will agree with me that it is the most important position in sport after suffering through a miserable year with Kevin Craft under center last year. Now, that's not to say that Craft was given a fair shake. The kid was fresh out of JC, expected to be the third string and was routinely battered. In fact, I guarantee you that there are worse third string quarterbacks out there than Craft and 99% of quarterbacks in the country can't touch the toughness and courage he exhibited last year. That said, Bruin fans will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that barring injury, Craft will not see the field in 2009. It's a fresh start for the Bruins at the quarterback position and while it brings excitement, potential and wild dreams of a gun slinging, riverboat gambler who gives UCLA a chance to score six on any play, it also brings the possibility of 2008 pat deaux. That is to say interceptions, throw aways and missed targets.

The man charged with playing the part of Hollywood leading man as opposed to local Kalamazoo theatre ensemble member of Annie 2 is redshirt freshman Kevin Prince, a local guy from Crespi High School. The unfortunate part of throwing Prince into the fire is that he'll have taken a grand total of ZERO competitive snaps in the last two years when he takes to the field against San Diego St. The positive to having Prince lead the Bruins is that I've begun to develop an affection for Prince bordering on man crush. Now you may ask what Prince has done to deserve such plaudits and it is a legitimate question. He hasn't done much. I mean, what can a guy who hasn't played in a game for so long have really done? What Prince has done though is show attributes that can lead the Bruins back atop the Pac-10 before he leaves Westwood and secure a place in our hearts similar to the way JF, AA, LMR and JS did as the original Ben Ball Warriors who led Bruins back to national scope of college basketball.

I've almost certainly placed unreasonable and possibly unattainable expectations upon Prince. I have no problem admitting as much, but it's hard not to think of Prince leading the Bruins such heights when you look at his tools. Does he have the size you want in a quarterback? Well, he is a solid 6'2'' and has a release point that doesn't put his passes in jeopardy of being knocked down at the line. Does Prince have the arm strength? Time after time in camp Prince made passes to the far sideline with ease and this was with ball hawking corners like Alterraun Verner and Aaron Hester lurking. He was even able to roll left, turn, square his shoulders and throw a ball back to the middle of the field, but 45 yards down field. Does he have the accuracy? He has a quick release and short motion that allows him to repeat his mechanics easily, cutting back on the break downs and making it possible for him to slot the ball into tight spaces. Does he have the feet? He's no Vince Young or even Cade McNown, but he has no problems whatsoever on the bootlegs and was able to pick up first downs with his legs on a regular basis when the opportunity presented itself in camp. How about the head? He makes mistakes, as all freshmen do, but he doesn't make many mistakes twice and he's an eager learning, seeking out coaches even when he does well. Can Prince lead though? Even with Norm Chow standing right behind the huddle, players ask Prince questions when they're unclear about what to do. The players know who leads the offense. In short, Prince has everything you'd want in a quarterback...except for one thing.

We're going to come back to this one all year long. Prince has not played in a game since the first half of his first game of his senior year of high school. That type of inexperience is bound to result in decisions and plays by the freshman that can only be described as dumbfounding. Experience can't be taught and all we can hope is that Prince isn't put in too many situations early on where he needs to play two years over his head. We can also hope that he's healthy enough to play and gain that experience because behind him is only more inexperience.

Craft will likely be the Bruins' back up in 2009 unless Prince suffers an early injury that keeps him out a prolonged period of time. When you consider the UCLA quarterbacks, remember that Craft is the Bruins' most experienced quarterback on the roster having played a year at San Diego St., a year of JC ball and a year at UCLA. After Craft there is a true freshman and a redshirt freshman who wasn't healthy enough to even practice last year. That means that not only is the UCLA QB depth chart littered with game inexperience, but these guys haven't even take road trips to get accustomed to the routine and see atmospheres. They haven't dressed for games and been a part of UCLA's game planning. At best, they were learning other teams' playbooks on the scout team. Craft provides the Bruins with their only modicum of experience and a breakdown of his play isn't necessary for UCLA fans who watched him last year.

Should Prince suffer an early season injury that keeps him out for a while, Richard Brehaut will likely get the nod. In a perfect world, a true freshman like Brehaut would redshirt, but we don't live in a perfect world and that is doubled when you're part of the UCLA football program just heading into year two of a rebuilding project. Brehaut has a big arm and was picked out by Norm Chow specifically so you know he has the smarts. He even is comfortable in blue and gold after wearing it during high school. Brehaut offers a lot of promise, but if the uncertainty surrounding Prince scares you, don't bother thinking of life with Brehaut under center in 2009. We like all of our readers at BN and would prefer that you avoid a heart attack.

Nick Crissman offers UCLA another choice at quarterback, but is he has to see the field in 2009 then Bruin fans will be longing for the "excellence" of 2008. Crissman was highly touted entering UCLA, but suffered a shoulder injury last year and despite claims to the contrary, isn't yet the player he was before the injury. His mechanics are still in flux and with all the rehab he had, it didn't leave much time for film and playbook study last year. I was a big Crissman fan in high school and he lit it up at the Under Armour All-American Game, but he's not yet and may never be that player. Expectations for Crissman in 2009 should go no further than health and good practice reps.

Grade: C+ This grade should be lower, but I'm on the Kevin Prince bandwagon and will continue to think too highly of someone who has proven zilch at the college level. The inexperience up and down the depth chart is a major worry though. If grading talent alone, this grade would be higher, but the inexperience lowers it some. I'll always take talent over experience though.

Poll

What would you grade the UCLA quarterbacks?

A

10 votes

B

105 votes

C

267 votes

D

51 votes

F

12 votes

445 votes | Poll has closed

Quarterback Questions: All About Kevin Prince

Nestor — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:46:28 -0000

Brehaut (12), Crissman (18) and Prince (14). Photo Credit: dabruins07 (flickr)

View full size photo »

During last three years on Bruins Nation, usually this time of the season we put up our notes on various positions going over the depth chart of the team. We decided to put together our notes because we were not seeing any comprehensive takes on various positions elsewhere around the internets. However, this year the online landscape is a little different. We have already seen sources from both new and traditional media making a better effort this year in putting together position previews of the football team. Plus our own captainqtp has been doing a great job going through select positions and analyzing whether there has been an upgrade or downgrade from previous season. So given those factors, I will probably not be doing the depth chart analysis have been doing last three years and instead will be threading together notes on position analysis that I see from other media sources. I will start with notes on the QB position.

It seems like even though there questions about our QB position (since we don't really know yet what to expect from Prince in college game situations), the depth chart for now is little more settled than last year. It will be all about Kevin Prince. As noted by Sam Saig of All Pac-10 (a cool new blog which has been doing a solid job of putting together comprehensive posts this off season) right now Prince's biggest obstacle will be overcoming his inexperience:

Kevin Prince spent most of 2008 with the practice squad, but he also dressed for every game including all five road trips. This gave him a front row seat to watch one of the worst offenses in college football last year. As Kevin Craft struggled on the field, Kevin Prince meticulously studied Norm Chow’s pro-style offense and impressed the coaching staff in the process.

His redshirt year in 2008 allows him four full years of eligibility and he will have a chance to go the distance as a starter if he continues to play as well as he did during the spring. At 6-2 225 pounds, Prince is solidly built for a freshman and he might need all of that bulk since the offensive line did not help Craft stay on his feet for most of last season.

Prince showed great maturity taking snaps with the first team offense, and more importantly, he is a tireless worker. The word out of Westwood is that Prince stays after practice routinely in order to throw, pick Chow’s brain with questions, and then throw some more. Prince also has a very live arm, probably the best of all the Bruin quarterbacks; combine all of these factors and it’s pretty clear to see why he was named the starter in April.

Prince’s biggest obstacle will be overcoming his inexperience. He played his high school ball at Crespi in Encino, CA where the offense was predominantly shotgun-based. While he has progressed wonderfully under center since joining the Bruins, playing against his first few Pac-10 defenses will be a test. The learning curve will be steep, but the strong-armed Prince appears game.

What I will be looking for most from Prince is what UCLA coaches were looking from a QB like Wayne Cook. He has to be able to manage the game. More after the jump.

From all accounts it sounds like Prince is more athletic and has a stronger arm that might enable us to take advantage of some of the weapons we have in the receiving corps. From Chris Foster in the LAT:

There are clear upsides to Prince. He has a strong arm and seems to carry necessary leadership qualities. There are downsides as well. He has not played in a game in two years, since he suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the season opener.

Neuheisel believes that Prince, who he says has a "dangerous arm," can create the type of long scoring plays seen by opposing defensive backs last season.

"We were devoid of big plays last year," Neuheisel said. "If we can create some big plays early, it will give us the confidence to make then."

That remains a potential at the moment. But linebacker Reggie Carter has liked what he has seen in Prince.

"He doesn’t move around a lot and he doesn’t flinch," Carter said. "He stays in the pocket and he makes the right decision. If it’s there, he throws it, if it’s not, he keeps it. That’s all I need. I don’t want him to throw the ball to other people. As long as somebody on our team has the ball, I’m happy."

Remember Wayne Cook? His first full season at UCLA was 93-94 (after he went down with an injury in his first game the previous season). Cook played the role of a game manager perfectly. He never tried to do too much yet did just enough to make sure he took advantage of the deep threat talents via JJ and Kevin Jordan. With him UCLA ended up going all the way to the Rose Bowl. I certainly don't have the same expectations for Prince. However, what I am looking for is for him to restore a sense of calm and confidence in our offense. Reggie Carter had some interesting note on this point during Media Day:

"We screamed all kinds of crazy things at him" during spring practice, Carter said. "He still made smart decisions. That's all he needs to do. He doesn't have to throw 80-yard touchdown passes, just make smart decisions."

If he can play the role of a ball control QB, who can keep the other offense of the field and take advantage of scoring opportunities whenever we have them (I still have nightmares of the ASU game from last year), we will be in better shape this season.

As for Craft, I have nothing but admiration for his heart and courage. No doubt his performance on the field in terms of productivity was not up to UCLA standards. But when it comes to sacrificing himself for the program and showing dedicate to the team by constantly battling with whatever he could muster up, he was an absolute warrior. It will be good to have him on the sidelines. Although, he will not be needed this year, having someone like him who has shown the mentality of being a total team player is nothing but beneficial the program.

In terms of Brehaut, it is going to be interesting to see whether he gets any action. In the ideal situation Prince will be able to hold his own and manage to play the entire season like Craft did. If that is the case, then I am sure coaches will be looking to redshirt Richard, which will allow to space out our QB depth chart even more and secure the program for the long term. What I have been most impressed about Brehaut is how from all the spring reports we have read about him, he seemed to have fit in the program. Even though he is obviously a very confident kid, he didn't rub his team-mates the same way the last time a such highly touted QB checked into Westwood early for spring ball (See J.P. Losman related posts by going thrown BN archives). It will be great if we don't have to use him this coming season and allow him to get even stronger and more well versed with Chow's office.

Meanwhile, don't forget about Nick Crissman. per the LA Times notes from Pac-10 Media Day he was give a "clean bill of health." The kid has been beset by injury issues since he came to UCLA. He didn't do much because of shoulder surgery he had last year. Let's see how he looks during camp in August. Remember he was also a highly ranked QB coming into college. It will be interesting to find out how he stacks up against Prince, Brehaut, and Craft. One thing for sure, I like this depth chart lot more than the one from last year featuring Craft, Forcier, and Rasshan. While Prince was available last year, it would have been to risky to throw him to the wolves as a true frosh, less than a year removed from his knee injury from senior year in high school.

Still as mentioned above and through out this off season what we have in Prince and other QBs are still questionmarks. While signs from what we have read and heard from practices are positive, we are not going to know the real deal until we see him in game actions. Plus there are all those questions around OL re. whether they will be able to provide protection and generate a credible running game. Can't wait to find out all the answers.

GO BRUINS.