Bruins at All American Games

Today there were two All American games featuring players committed to UCLA. The Under Armor All American Bowl and the Army All American Bowl. The UA game was a bit more exciting with six Bruins (the most for any school) in the mix, both on offense and defense. Rahim Moore was the sole representative for UCLA in the Army game.

I didn't get to see all of the games, as today was a busy personal day, but I did catch a few of the highlights. Nick Crissman, the Bruin committed QB for 2008, had a rough start getting sacked after he tripped on a play-action pass. He redeemed himself later by throwing a nice, spiraling 30-yard pass for a touchdown. He's still a ways away from being a viable option at the collegiate level, in my opinion, and he definitely needs to add some size size and strength. But the kid is a gamer and he has some raw talent that the Bruins can mold.

Jeff Locke, who is coming to Westwood as a punter, was handling all of the kicking for his team. He had a rough day. On a very makable 37-yard kick he came up surprising short (right as the announcers were talking about how big his leg was). He also missed badly on a punt, which he shanked. I think the kid was nervous. Kai Forbath looked awful when he first started kicking during scrimmages this last spring; he ended the season on the all-conference team. I'm sure Jeff will settle into the role.

One time commit, Aundre Dean, got a few carries. They were primarily short gainers and not much to write home about. It will be interesting to see if Dean decides to come back to his UCLA verbal. He has a lot of schools fighting for his services. Dean's team just won the State championship, so he probably hasn't had much time to really sit back and think about where he will play next year. Let's hope it is Westwood, because I think he'll be a good one.

It was little bit harder to follow the defensive recruits. There was a pretty heavy rotation in the UA game, so guys would come and go after just a few plays. I saw Dye a few times around the ball and he made a few tackles. E.J Woods was out there but I don't remember seeing him do much. Line backer Uona Kaveinga was very active. He seemed to always be around the ball and ending up in the pile more times than not.

The lone Bruin representative at the Army game definitely made the most of his time. Safety Rahim Moore earned the game ball for the West team's defense. He was quick, closed even quicker, and had some big hits. Moore, who got off to a slow start in the first half, had a huge second half and finished the game with 6 tackles and a pass breakup. The Bruins have a great one with this kid and he might even make his way into the lineup as a true freshman.