SB Nation - Glenn Love

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-

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.

Spaulding Roundup: Can The Bruins Be Consistent Against Explosive (Dangerously Desperate) Bears?

Nestor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:40:56 -0000

More photos » by Paul Battaglia - AP

3 months ago: California tailback Jahvid Best (4) is pursued by Minnesota cornerback Kyle Theret (27) on a 33 yard touchdown run during the first half of a NCAA football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 in Minneapolis. Best ran for 131 yards and scored a shcool record five touchdowns on the day as California won 35-21. (AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)

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Let's start this Tuesday with an injury update:

An MRI exam on linebacker Reggie Carter's left knee confirmed a minimal medial collateral ligament sprain. Carter and Korey Bosworth (ribs) are likely to play against Cal on Saturday, though technically they are on day-to-day status.

Also, Johnathan Franklin (ankle) and Glenn Love (ankle) were supposed to give it a shot at practice yesterday. Didn't see any update on their situations as to whether they were able to give it a go. Milton Knox was out with flu on Saturday. He is supposed to be back at Spaulding this week.

As for what team needs to work on consistency is the operative word in Westwood this week:

"It'd be a long list - it's not always just one thing. We need to get consistent play from our quarterback. Kevin, now being back in and having some more game experience under his belt, we'll get more. We need to make sure that when we call plays that they're blocked correctly. We can't miss assignments and watch them come back and haunt us. We've got to make sure that we're coaching great fundamentals and remembering all the while that we're young.

However, Neheisel is not using being young as an excuse and also making sure the coaches including himself bear responsibility for how the team plays and prepares every week:

"We can do better as a coaching staff. I do not want to shirk responsibility from us. It's too easy to say, 'Well, we're just too young.' We have enough to be successful. We've proven we can be successful. We need to play within ourselves and be efficient."

In terms of the QB play CRN is sticking with Prince but keeping Brehaut in the mix. More on that and other notes after the jump.

As mentioned above Neuheisel is staying with Prince as the starter but keeping Brehaut in the picture:

"I've been pretty clear that I want to keep looking to get Richard in the game. Kevin was not at his best. We weren't moving the ball. Sometimes just a change of pace is a good thing. It looked to me like a great spot to get Richard the chance. I'm not trying to create this controversy. I know it's a favorite of your profession, but no, Kevin Prince is the guy we chose, and we'll get Kevin Prince the chance to play this week. But I still want to keep Richard on the come."

I think it is clear what he is doing at this point. He is keeping the heat on both QBs so that they are competing hard at Spaulding Field. I think that is a healthy situation and given the comments we have seen from Prince this week it's clear that the players are getting it in terms of what they need to do to get on the field and hold to their starting assignments.

Going back to the point of consistency, it's an issue that our defense needs to address as well. While we have collectively directed lot of our frustration at our offense in last two weeks we can't forget about the breakdowns we had on defense in certain key moments hurting our chances to win the game:

"I thought defensively, we played terrifically probably 90 percent of the time," Neuheisel said. "Ten percent of the time ... Chuck Bullough said seven plays led to 170 yards of offense. Most of the times it's because we didn't tackle and wrap up. That's a huge lesson as we go into this game. If you don't get your arms around them, they'll make you pay, and pay dearly."

The Bruins have not made the opposition pay, both short and long, since defeating Kansas State 23-9 in Week 3. They've stalled when they need to surge, they've come up just short when they needed to get just a foot more, and they've looked every bit their age.

"Sometimes we move along scheme-wise and try to take what we see are opportunities, but are we ready to execute that stuff?" Neuheisel said.

"Sometimes when you've had more experience, you can point to a time earlier in a guy's career. Now, we don't have that luxury. But at the end of the day, it's always about execution."

Bruin defense gave up more than 150+ yards to LaMichael James this past weekend. While James has a great future ahead of him as a Pac-10 running back, at this stage of his career Best is way more dangerous. He is the kind of running back, who has the ability to single handedly dominate and embarrass the Bruin defense. So they will not have the luxury to take any plays off with sloppy and lazy tackling because just 3 to 5 plays here and there when Best rips of huge runs, will put the game out of our reach.

Honestly right now I have no idea what to expect from our football team this next weekend. One thing we can count on is that the Bears will come out with emotion and try to save their season. This is it for them. If the Bears some how lose this coming weekend, it will not only be a long season for them, it will intensify the discussions up North about Tedford's long term future in Strawberry Canyon (which is a little surreal given the job the guy has done putting together a good program and rebuiling it from sad Holmoe days). So they are going to come out with a desperate sense of urgency with the intetion of blasting the Bruins out of the gate and taking out their frustrations from last two weeks.

The question for us is whether not only the Bruins will be able to match that intensity but also play the smart and consistent football we saw in flashes during first three games of the season (or arguably for 50 mins this past weekend at the Rose Bowl). A positive answer this weekend at the Rose Bowl will do wonders for Neheisel's second year in Westwood.

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: ATV Keeps Blogging, More Previews & Other Offseason Notes

Nestor — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:24:21 -0000

I have been getting excited every Friday morning not just for the weekend but also because of looking forward to reading ATV's weekly blogposts. We have never been shy about being (rightfully) critical about the quality and the style of content packaged on our official website. At the same time we have to give them props when do something right. Featuring ATV this summer to provide off season updates via blogposts (ok we are being charitable calling it a "blog") has been IMHO the best feature I have read on the official site. So ATV has posted his fifth update and I lol reading about his experience from his Romanian class:

Good day everyone, or in Romanian it would be, "Buna Ziua". We are rapidly approaching the end of summer and the class is starting to wind it down and keep to repetition of what we know. We have learned more verbs, the subjunctive of the verbs, clothing items, family members, and colors.

"Eu am doi surori, un tata, un mama in familia mea". That last sentence in English is "I have 2 sisters, a father, a mother in my family". I got a 29.5/30 on the midterm from last week, which I will take after thinking I had done a lot worse. We have seen many great presentations in class on the Romanian flower of love, Dacian weapons, the legend of Dracula, etc. It has been interesting learning so much history.

You can bet that's what the commentators will talk about all the time - his Romanian class - this coming season when the camera is focused on ATV. On the football side, he has couple of really interesting updates. He writes about the incoming freshmen "testing off the wall" when they were being measured for "progress":

For football, we had to do a little testing this week to measure our progress. I personally improved in everything except one thing. We had a lot of good marks in our group. Glenn Love had an amazing vertical jump. Many did well in other tests. The one surprise was the speed of some of the freshmen. They were blazing, testing off the wall, which is something that we really haven't seen in a while. Very impressive, it would take too long to list all of them, so I will just say the whole group. We still got after it in the weight room, even though we did the testing.

And then he mentioned how the offense "ran the tables" on our defense:

"7 on 7" drills have been going exceptionally well, with the offense looking better and better. They ran the tables on the defense last Thursday and made plays everywhere. It was a little shocking, but good at the same time. On Tuesday, it came back down a little to the defense doing what they do. But overall, it has been productive, as we approach fall camp.

Well. When it comes to reading off season practice reports I have become a cynic after a decade of disappointments under Toledo and Dorrell. I have told myself how I am not going to get excited from reading sunny off season stories. Still I can't help but get caught up ATV's enthusiasm and excitment when reading his updates. As we have mentioned over and over again, we have to be pragmatic about our expectations for this coming season. Still right now you can't miss the good vibes around the the team. More after the jump.

Speaking of keeping expectations in check, CPBruinFan over at Bruin Roar has followed up his offensive preview with notes on our 2009 defense and special teams. While we are all excited about returining talents such as ATV, Carter and Price, CPB smartly raises the caution flag re. depth concerns at our DL and LBs:

The biggest threat up front is Brian Price. He'll again be asked to do a bit of everything this season: placing pressure on the quarterback as well as stopping anyone coming up the middle. His quick first step and immense physical abilities will draw instant double teams.

The rest of the defensive tackle depth is a big concern. Jerzy Siewierski will lineup next to Price and the strong 290 lb senior can hold his own but after that UCLA is scary thin up front.

The defensive ends will likely see a rotation with Jones, Stokes, Bosworth, and Holmes. None of them have really emerged as a serious pass rushing threat, though I think Boswoth should be in the backfield with some consistency this season. One of these guys will need to step up and help take the pressure off of Price.

I think this might be one of the more athletic linebacking corps at UCLA in recent years. Reggie Carter is the big name in the middle, but I could see Akeem Ayers getting some press this season as well. He had a breakout true-freshman season in 2008 and that success should continue on this year. Senior Kyle Bosworth is back from injury and will anchor the other outside slot.

Depth is a concearn among the linebackers as well, with virtually no proven experience nor size among the backups.

Meanwhile on special teams punting game (even though we know Locke apparently can be faster than ATV lol) and punt returns are question marks:

The one big unknown this season is the punting game. Aaron Perez had a great career for the Bruins and his big leg lead the league in punting average last season. Jeff Locke takes over this season and reports are that he has an even stronger leg. He'll be making his first start this season and I'm sure it will take a while for him to find the consistency that Perez had as a senior.

UCLA was a middle of the pack team in punt returns. Austin didn't have any big returns but the team did block a few punts and added a couple of touchdowns. The offense will need as much help as it can get this season, so some big returns or a timely block could jump start a drive.

I wonder if CRN will try out someone like Carroll or Thigpen in punt returns and see if they can turn on their jets. That also depends on how they can handle it. It takes special fearless mindset to get out there as a punt returners.

The concerns listed above illustrate how right now it is impossible to predict the W-Ls for our team this coming season. There are number of tossup games and lot of them will be determined by how healthy we are throughout the season along with the key concerns about our OL and inexperienced QB. No wonder people are having hard time figuring out where UCLA will finish in the conference this season.

Speaking of the coming season, we will end with the OC Register's very early brief look at San Diego State (courtesy of Athlon Sports):

OUTLOOK: The Aztecs figure to be better this season. Not because things can’t get much worse for a defense that ranked last in nearly every category, but because they brought in Brady Hoke (pictured) to coach the team. Hoke led Ball State to a 12-1 record before taking over at San Diego State. Employing a get-tougher approach, he pushed his team toward an aggressive routine during spring drills and hopes that can get the Aztecs going. San Diego State also lowered its non-conference expectations by dropping Notre Dame and San Jose State from its schedule, for Southern Utah and Idaho.

BEYOND THE HUDDLE: The Aztecs are 0-20-1 against the Bruins so a Week 1 victory over UCLA would give San Diego State the confidence that it’s been lacking for the past decade.

I am sure we are going to be delving into the Aztecs lot more next month. But I would love to hear from BNers San Deigo if you guys have any early notes to share on Brady Hoke. He strikes me as one of those no nonsense coaches from the midwest, who will bring some much needed structure and discipline in that program. While we will have the advantage in term of talent, I think it will be a huge mistake to over look this team because you can bet they are going to be fired up to make a splash for their new head coach.

We should especially be aware how the "excitement" factor for a new head coach can work well for a team in his first game, given what transpired at the Rose Bowl last season:

ucla vs. tennessee 08 last play (via mjmbruin)

Here is to that home team sideline jumping up and down again in 43 days.

GO BRUINS.

More Than Words

Nestor — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 17:21:39 -0000

Before getting into some of my specific impressions from yesterday’s thrilling win let’s quickly reset the big picture here a bit. We now have a record of 3-4 with a conference record of 2-2. Looking back at last 7 games, the loss that really hurts right now is the one against Fresno State. Given what we have now seen from Kevin Craft (more on his clutch second half below of course), I think we would have had a good shot at winning that game if we hadn’t turned the ball over in that last drive. If we had won that game we could have probably looked at a record of 4-3 (and if we had gotten lucky at Oregon) perhaps 5-2.

Given what we have been through in terms of injury situation that pretty much wiped away an entire starting offense from last spring, lack of experienced talent in our roster , what the coaches have done is nothing short of remarkable. I am still not sure whether we are going to get to a bowl game this season. My brain tells me it’s a tall order since every game for this team will be a challenge. But it’s obvious now that when CRN and his players and coaches talk about "relentless optimism" and not giving up on this season, we are hearing more than just words:

Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Time

So with that here are some thoughts from yesterday’s afternoon hear stopper. For today though, I will start with the portion from yesterday’s notes that are disconcerting before going on to the positive/inspiring moments from yesterday’s resilient win.

I will break up my negative notes in two sections. First, talking about personnel related issues then raising question about decisions (just for discussion’s sake).

So let's start with the personnel issues. Here is my question that I think is on lot of people’s mind: can we afford to stick with Kahlil Bell as our starting tailback?

Let’s first look at the numbers from yesterday: Bell had 28 yards in 11 carries (2.5 avg), while Coleman rushed for 20 yards in 4 carries (5.0 avg). For the season now Bell has rushed for 187 yards in 71 carries (2.6 avg) and 5 TDs. While Coleman to date has rushed for 191 yards in 32 carries (6.0 avg) and 1 TD.

In terms of number, right now I think it is pretty clear who has been the more productive back at least when it comes to sustaining drives and getting us into more manageable 2nd and 3rd down situations at a more consistent level. From what my eyes are seeing, it appears that Bell is playing injured. He still has the power to go straight up, but he is not as effective as he was before getting injured, when he tries to make his cuts. I have nothing but admiration and respect for the effort this kid is giving for this team and the leadership he brings to the table. But at the same time, I think we have to ask the question whether the coaches need to lessen his load a bit so that we can look at more productive options.

I think based on numbers at least it makes sense to increase the work load of Coleman a bit and also give Aundre Dean some good looks so that perhaps we can take advantage of the speed and power he brings to the table. Am I off here? One explanation I can think of about why Bell is getting more time is perhaps Chow and Palcic think he is a better option when it comes to providing Craft a little extra protection as he is more familiar with blocking schemes and in sync with our OL. They see the tapes lot more than I do and I will not question their eyes given their proven track record. However, I am still a little perplexed.

Staying on the theme of personnel issues, Bret Lockett was getting lit up against yesterday. I am sure you have seen the highlights Tele posted below and saw the block Gerhart made on the poor kid. Lockett at times looked helpless when it comes to providing help against the Stanford rushing attack. But Walker stayed with him yesterday:

After playing poorly last week at Oregon and nearly losing his job, Bruins senior strong safety Bret Lockett played so well Walker scrapped plans to use redshirt freshman Glenn Love to spell Lockett.

"It was probably the toughest week, this and the Tennessee week when I did not play (because of suspension)," Lockett said. "All the criticism and the people doubting me, but I just used it as motivation."

Lockett finished with three tackles and also forced a first-quarter fumble.

"I felt like he was playing well enough to where it was like, `OK, let's not break the rhythm,' because he's been ridiculed the whole season," Walker said. "For him to be having a little bit of success, in terms of doing his job, I thought that was important for his confidence."

I actually thought Walker had a good game scheme wise yesterday. Our tackling looked much better than it did against Oregon (and previous game) and he seemed to put our two monster DTs in best position to contain the Stanford running attack. Moreover, I think he deserves credit for the coverage our secondary provided the whole game, which completely shut down the Stanford passing game. Still that said, I would have love to see a little bit of Glenn Love at SS and see what the kid could do. It’s obvious Love can hit, as he showed in that hit during Stanford punt return leading to turnover. He is a physical player. I think it would be good to see him in there in the coming weeks and see what he can do. Again just my 2 cents because whenever I see an opposing TB bowling towards Lockett, I think I am not the only one with a lump in my throat.

Those are the two personnel issues that stick out to me for now. Now let’s get to one specific decision from yesterday’s game. Here was the sequence after UCLA had a 1st and goal on the Stanford 6 yard line towards the end of 3^rd leading to a Forbath FG:

1st and Goal at STAN 6: Chris Forcier rush for a loss of 1 yard to the Stanf 7.
2nd and Goal at STAN 7: Kevin Craft sacked for a loss of 3 yards to the Stanf 10.
3rd and Goal at STAN 10: Kevin Craft rush for a loss of 1 yard to the Stanf 11.

I will never question Chow’s over all game scheme just like I have never called out Coach Howland’s game schemes. Chow had no peer when it comes to devising schemes. None (at least in college football). But honestly just in this specific case, those three plays left me confused. Perhaps it showed he is merely human. :-) I would have loved to hear his explanation for those calls and find out what his thought process was behind those calls. I don’t write that to be snarky at all. I am genuinely curious behind what he was thinking.

So those were the negatives. Let’s pivot from the negatives to yesterday’s heroes and great storylines, and the perfect transition is this guy:

Photo Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Uh yeah … count me in as one of those who got excited when Forcier was warming up on the sidelines. I have been supportive of Kevin Craft all season and I more than understand how at this point it is probably the best decision on RN and Chow’s part to stick with this kid. But at the same time while watching the first half, the question kept popping in my head: could Forcier be any worse?

After KC fumbled in the first half, I don’t think I was the only one somewhat excited in reading CRN’s lips saying something like, "that’s it. We are going with Forcier." From CRN in today’s DN:

"There was a point in the game where I did consider it, and sometimes it gets the better of me because I'm an old quarterback and an old quarterback coach," Neuheisel said. " It was probably a little irrational on my part, but the kid, God bless him, he responded. His resiliency is one of the reasons why we're standing here with a victory. Norm calmed me down."

Two things here. First, and 66 already noted this in his as usual brilliant observations, note how CRN had no problem checking his ego and deferring to Chow. For those who have been involved in leadership positions or observing effective executive decisions, that is pretty much perfect example of how an effective CiC takes in the feedback of his trusted advisors and has the instincts to overrule himself after careful insta-analysis. That’s good stuff. Second, going back to Chow, given how KC has his trust, I think rest of Bruin Nation should have the same faith in this kid who is doing as much as he can within his athletic ability to listen to his coaches.

The last play Craft made up was a scrambling throw to backup tight end Cory Harkey, a freshman who has had a bum ankle.

It came with 10 seconds left, it was for a seven-yard touchdown, and Chow said that if Craft hadn't trusted his instincts he might have settled for a receiver who was open on the one- or two-yard line.

"The initial read Kevin wasn't real patient with," Chow said. "The initial read would have gotten us four or five yards, and we needed seven. Kevin scrambled around and made that play. If he would always trust that instinct, he's a really good player."

And it’s not just Chow, who are believing in the Bruin QB:

"He's clutch," UCLA offensive lineman Nick Ekbatani said. "I really believe he's a clutch player. When it comes down to it and it's on the line, he's going to make plays. I love blocking for him."

Craft, the son of former San Diego State coach Tom Craft, could spend the game ripping his offensive linemen for ridiculously poor protection - they allowed seven sacks against Stanford - but he doesn't.

After a roughing-the-passer penalty, lineman Jeff Baca tried to help Craft up and make sure he was OK, and Craft flung his arm away.

Craft can take a hit and bounce back on his own.

What was even more impressive was how Craft handled himself after the game. Instead of being over exuberant, he was ice cold, composed and talked about how he needs to address all the issues from first half. To me that was even more impressive on how didn’t lose perspective despite the great win.

Speaking of instincts perhaps the coaches should think about getting Craft and co in the "hurry up" no-huddle mode all game? The results kind of speak for themselves. No?

In addition to Craft’s clutch turnaround there were other heroes in our offense. From the LA Times:

UCLA wide receiver Nelson Rosario, a freshman from Oceanside who has been slowed by a sore knee, had a career-high four catches for 71 yards. One catch came over the middle where he was unfazed by the hard tackle that came immediately, and another came during UCLA's game-winning touchdown drive.

"It feels so great," Rosario said. "I think I'll get more chances as I'm healthy, and when I make catches the quarterback will have more faith in me."

Another freshman, Taylor Embree, was on the receiving end of a 43-yard pass from Craft in the third quarter -- UCLA's longest gain on a pass play this season.

In addition to Rosario and Embree, huge props go out Terrence Austin. Austin was nothing short of a warrior, leading the team with 5 receptions (for 50 yards) and catching that huge TD of Craft’s shovel pass. There was also Chane Moline’s clutch run in that last drive when he rumbled up for 17 yards on 3rd and 1. Ryan Moya also came up big with not only a huge catch, but also to have the smart instinct to run up and hustle towards the sideline to save time on the clock.

Going back to game winning touchdown the LA Times has some interesting quotes from Micah Reed on what went on in the huddle:

"I told those guys, this was a moment we could look back on down the line," Reed said.

If hindsight is 20-20, Reed's foresight turned out to be 23-20 -- the numbers favoring UCLA on the scoreboard at the end.

Craft scrambled to his right and flipped a pass to Cory Harkey, who was in the back of the end zone.

"Micah told us," guard Scott Glicksberg said. "This was a chance to move forward as a team. This makes it easier to believe in what we're doing and keep doing it."

Reggie Carter had this to say about the same play:

"I had a few tears," UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter said. "After the offense scored that touchdown, my eyes watered up. You get emotional. It's hard to hold all that emotion in. Winning is fun."

I know I am probably not covering number of other details from yesterday’s game (i.e. we still need to see better coverage from our special teams) … but I can’t think of any better way to end on that note for this Sunday, before starting to focus on what will be an incredibly difficult and challenging game next weekend.

I like this team … a lot. They are making football fun (despite the frustrations we experience as fans), which I haven’t had following UCLA football since Cade left Westwood.

GO BRUINS.