It was a chilly night out at the Rose Bowl. Not only were the fans a bit cold, but so was the offense; at least when it was running against the first string defense. But as the night progressed, the QBs started heating up, the running game thawed out a bit, and the fans left with some glimmers of hope for the 2009 season.
Let me just say that spring games at the Rose Bowl are awesome. That is one of the many great things that coach Neuheisel has brought to the program since he returned to Westwood. The other thing is getting former players and coaches involved. They were out there last night: Bruce Davis, Terry Donahue, Dick Vermeil, and Jerry Robinson. They were interviewed by Wayne Cook during breaks in the action and even coach Neuheisel was "wired up" and talked to the fans when the players were getting instructions on the next series.
Just like the last scrimmage, the offense came out and immediately got a first down on their first series. Coleman looked solid in those first few plays and the offense was downright nimble. That was the first three plays. After that the offense got pummeled by the defense. Dropped passes, defensive lineman in the backfield, and a running game that was going nowhere. Verner even picked off Prince to end his first drive.
Once the first string defense was on the bench, the tide started to turn. Johnathan Franklin provided one of the first sparks, by getting a nice screen pass from a scrambling Prince. If it were live action and the quarterbacks were allowed to be hit, I'm not sure if Kevin would have got the pass away. But it was still a nice pass and Franklin rambled down the field deep into the red zone. He came back out on another series and put the ball into the end zone for the first score of the evening. Later in the scrimmage he had another big run on a similar screen pass.
Dean and Knox also put together some nice runs. Dean has some power and on one memorable run he ran over a defender at the line of scrimmage; at first I thought it was going to be a short gain, but he managed to stay on his feet and ramble forward for another 10 yards. Knox, again, did his best Mo Drew impression. Bouncing off of guys and exploding through the line.
I'm sorry to say that Raymond Carter was not impressive. I think he only had one or two nice runs. The rest were him scrambling to the outside for a short gain. He had a fumble that was lost and he tends to go down on first contact. I don't think he's ever come back 100% from his knee surgery and I'm pretty sure the freshman backs are going to pass him up on the depth chart.
The quarterbacks got clicking as the night progressed. Prince started completing a number of passes in this spread, multiple receiver set. He had a great pass to Austin on a play where he rolled out to his right. It looked like everyone was covered but he found Austin on a 30 yard pass. Terrance came back to help out his QB and I thought it was a great connection for both players. Brehaut also had some good connections and some quick runs. Like Prince, he really struggled early but he found some success and put together a few good drives.
Kevin Craft just doesn't get it. He comes in for his first play of his first series and makes this ridiculous, ill advised shovel pass toward Presley on a broken play. Instead of just tucking the ball and running for a couple of yards, he makes this pass which had almost no chance of being completed and every chance of being intercepted. He was immediately benched and only came back at the very end of the night.
Besides Austin, the receivers were not very good today. There were a lot of dropped passes. Only at the end, when the 3rd string defense was in there, were guys consistently hanging onto the ball. I don't remember any of the TE making any big plays. Even Presley, who has had a big spring, made some drops and ran some routes wrong. This group, as a whole, really needs to step up. I would say that the best catches of the evening were made by the running backs.
The defense as a whole looked really sharp. Reggie Carter made a huge hit in the middle of the scrimmage that got the crowd oohing and awwing. Brian Price did his usual thing and I think he got two or three sacks. I counted four fumbles that the defense recovered, two of which were forced. The secondary was hawking the ball and absolutely swarming the offense. I'm sure much of that is the familiarity of the defense with the offensive game plan.
There was virtually no special teams play because Frank Gantz Jr. was visiting his ailing father. The only play was a field goal attempt that I believe was partially blocked. The special teams play during scrimmages is always really boring because they don't have live tackling... so I didn't miss it.
It was a fun game and I had a great time. I don't know if I saw anything entirely different from the week prior. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from the offense because so many guys were out with injury. The offensive line will be entirely reformed in the fall with the new guys and Maiva back in the lineup. Prince showed some flashes of being a good QB, but also struggled as a true freshman. A summer to polish up on the play book and work on timing will help these guys and I'm hoping for some big improvements come August.
Showing posts with label spring practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spring practice. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Practice Adendum.. QB Edition
One additional thing about the practice. On both of Prince's two interceptions, he tried to force the pass. On both plays he was forced out of the pocket (something that happened a lot during the scrimmage). As he rolled out, all of his receivers were well covered. Prince, being a competitor and a freshman, tried to make something out of nothing. Both times, I called out "throw it away" and both times he was picked. That's a lesson he'll learn as he gets more experience under his belt. Love the effort though.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Second Scrimmage of the Spring
So I finally got out to Spaulding field today. I was standing in the south parking lot with a number of other Bruin fans and we had a front-and-center view of the action. It was a tough evening for the offense and probably our best lineman went down with injury. A sign of things to come or merely growing pains for a young team? I sure hope it is the later.
I saw Kevin Prince for the first time tonight and came away impressed. During the warm-ups and 7-7's he definitely had the most "zip" to his passes. His passes got to the receiver fast, were accurate, and he has the best throwing motion of all the guys out there. He can throw the ball down field too as his arm strength is better than any UCLA quarterback in recent memory.
Brehaut looks like he has a lot of potential as well. He isn't as polished as Prince, but I think he can scramble better and is a bit more athletic. He was mainly running with the second team during the scrimmage so it is hard to judge how well he would preform against a tougher defense. But I liked the way he played and he's a real competitor.
Kevin Craft had a tough day. After Prince and Breahaut took the first two series, Craft was given a chance to run the offense. His first throw was picked off. This of course elicited a round of groans from us fans standing on the parking structure. He was immediately yanked from the field but got back out there later in the scrimmage. Right away, his second pass was almost picked off and would have been intercepted if the defender had hung onto the ball. I think Kevin pretty much confirmed that he won't be seeing the field this season.
The passing game was not good today. Not good at all. There were three or four balls batted down. Receivers were dropping passes. The quarterbacks, as a group, were really struggling. Prince, who looked really sharp in the warm-ups and 7-7's, ended up throwing two late interceptions. The pass protection was poor and that surely didn't help. I counted at least 5 sacks.
On the other side was the running game. Which I thought was pretty good. What really impressed me was the three freshman: Knox, Dean, and Franklin.
Franklin, who got reps with the 1st and 2nd string offense, is a quick dude. He cranked out a couple of really nice runs and he looked explosive getting through the holes. He really fights hard for those extra yards and I like him a lot. I think he could see some significant minutes this season.
Dean really showed some of that raw talent that intrigued us fans during his recruitment. He was a tough runner tonight as he bulldozed his way through the line. He carried the team forward during one of his series and punched the ball into the end zone for touch down. It was good to see him get some success on the field.
I finally got to see Knox play in a UCLA uniform. Man, it is hard not to think of Mo Drew when you see him. He looks so much like him. He even runs like Maurice, and he pin-balled out of a pile on one play and bounced it to the outside for a gain instead of a loss. He was tough to bring down, all be it with the 3rd string defense, and he had probably the flashiest runs of the day.
The receivers didn't have too many great plays tonight. Seeing Presely for the first time was fun. That guy is skinny as a rake but you can see that he has huge upside. He was running with the 1st string for much of the practice and had some nice receptions during the 7-on7's. Chris Forcier got out there a bit and even caught a TD pass from Craft; he made a nice move and juked the defender out of his socks. He has great speed and it would be great to see him out on the field in some way. The players must feel the same way as everyone went out of their way to congratulate him after the TD reception.
I have to say I didn't focus much on the defense. They played well, as you would expect. One interesting thing was Andrew Abbott(#26) ended up getting two late interceptions on Prince. I had to go look him up because I didn't recognize his number. He played well today as I think he broke up at least one other play. Maybe he'll see the field this season?
Another interesting play was on a run by Knox. He ran into a pile, bounced around, and ran back a few yards and to his left. He had nothing but open field in the flat and some blockers to guide the way. Knox is a fast dude and I thought for sure he was going to take it to the house. But he was caught from behind, after just a few yards, by Courtney Viney. It was a really nice defensive play.
The biggest news of the day was Kai Maiava getting injured. He went down on a run near the end of the scrimmage. He was in a lot of pain and the trainers came out to check on him. He sat on the ground for a long time, grimacing. He was helped off the field and didn't put any weight on his left foot. It looked like an ankle sprain. Not good.
So, all in all, it was a fun time out at Spaulding. The running game looked better than I expected but I left disappointed about how the quarterbacks played. I'm sure it is a combination of a lot of things, including the defense being familiar with our play book, but this offense still has a long ways to go before the start of the season.
Can't wait for the spring game next Saturday!
I saw Kevin Prince for the first time tonight and came away impressed. During the warm-ups and 7-7's he definitely had the most "zip" to his passes. His passes got to the receiver fast, were accurate, and he has the best throwing motion of all the guys out there. He can throw the ball down field too as his arm strength is better than any UCLA quarterback in recent memory.
Brehaut looks like he has a lot of potential as well. He isn't as polished as Prince, but I think he can scramble better and is a bit more athletic. He was mainly running with the second team during the scrimmage so it is hard to judge how well he would preform against a tougher defense. But I liked the way he played and he's a real competitor.
Kevin Craft had a tough day. After Prince and Breahaut took the first two series, Craft was given a chance to run the offense. His first throw was picked off. This of course elicited a round of groans from us fans standing on the parking structure. He was immediately yanked from the field but got back out there later in the scrimmage. Right away, his second pass was almost picked off and would have been intercepted if the defender had hung onto the ball. I think Kevin pretty much confirmed that he won't be seeing the field this season.
The passing game was not good today. Not good at all. There were three or four balls batted down. Receivers were dropping passes. The quarterbacks, as a group, were really struggling. Prince, who looked really sharp in the warm-ups and 7-7's, ended up throwing two late interceptions. The pass protection was poor and that surely didn't help. I counted at least 5 sacks.
On the other side was the running game. Which I thought was pretty good. What really impressed me was the three freshman: Knox, Dean, and Franklin.
Franklin, who got reps with the 1st and 2nd string offense, is a quick dude. He cranked out a couple of really nice runs and he looked explosive getting through the holes. He really fights hard for those extra yards and I like him a lot. I think he could see some significant minutes this season.
Dean really showed some of that raw talent that intrigued us fans during his recruitment. He was a tough runner tonight as he bulldozed his way through the line. He carried the team forward during one of his series and punched the ball into the end zone for touch down. It was good to see him get some success on the field.
I finally got to see Knox play in a UCLA uniform. Man, it is hard not to think of Mo Drew when you see him. He looks so much like him. He even runs like Maurice, and he pin-balled out of a pile on one play and bounced it to the outside for a gain instead of a loss. He was tough to bring down, all be it with the 3rd string defense, and he had probably the flashiest runs of the day.
The receivers didn't have too many great plays tonight. Seeing Presely for the first time was fun. That guy is skinny as a rake but you can see that he has huge upside. He was running with the 1st string for much of the practice and had some nice receptions during the 7-on7's. Chris Forcier got out there a bit and even caught a TD pass from Craft; he made a nice move and juked the defender out of his socks. He has great speed and it would be great to see him out on the field in some way. The players must feel the same way as everyone went out of their way to congratulate him after the TD reception.
I have to say I didn't focus much on the defense. They played well, as you would expect. One interesting thing was Andrew Abbott(#26) ended up getting two late interceptions on Prince. I had to go look him up because I didn't recognize his number. He played well today as I think he broke up at least one other play. Maybe he'll see the field this season?
Another interesting play was on a run by Knox. He ran into a pile, bounced around, and ran back a few yards and to his left. He had nothing but open field in the flat and some blockers to guide the way. Knox is a fast dude and I thought for sure he was going to take it to the house. But he was caught from behind, after just a few yards, by Courtney Viney. It was a really nice defensive play.
The biggest news of the day was Kai Maiava getting injured. He went down on a run near the end of the scrimmage. He was in a lot of pain and the trainers came out to check on him. He sat on the ground for a long time, grimacing. He was helped off the field and didn't put any weight on his left foot. It looked like an ankle sprain. Not good.
So, all in all, it was a fun time out at Spaulding. The running game looked better than I expected but I left disappointed about how the quarterbacks played. I'm sure it is a combination of a lot of things, including the defense being familiar with our play book, but this offense still has a long ways to go before the start of the season.
Can't wait for the spring game next Saturday!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
New Depth Chart
The post Spring depth chart is out. It doesn't differ much from the pre-spring depth chart, but there are a few notable exceptions.
We all know that Pat Cowan is done for the season. That moves Ben into the #1 slot assuming he can be back to full health in time for the season. Sean Sheller moved from the #2 left tackle to the starting right tackle because of the medical retirement of Alexi Lanis. None of those were surprises.
Some players have moved up the depth chart a bit. John Hale is now the starter at strong-side linebacker since Kyle Bosworth was moved to the starting WLB. Josh Edwards, who was the starter before the spring, moved to the #2 slot behind Bosworth. Jess Ward passed up Jeff Miller for the second DT spot behind Brian Price.
Scott Glicksberg, who was pegged as the backup center, moved into a tie for the starting spot at right guard with Nick Ekbatani. Ekbatani really struggled to hang onto his playing time last season and it will be interesting to see if Glicksberg will pass him up. Kalil Bell and Raymond Carter are still the two leading tailbacks but Christian Ramirez has moved from 4th string to a tie for 3rd string with Moline.
The coaches seem really high on Ramirez as he is also now tagged as the starting kick-off return man. Ryan Graves has also been moved to punt returns.
Here is the complete depth chart:
We all know that Pat Cowan is done for the season. That moves Ben into the #1 slot assuming he can be back to full health in time for the season. Sean Sheller moved from the #2 left tackle to the starting right tackle because of the medical retirement of Alexi Lanis. None of those were surprises.
Some players have moved up the depth chart a bit. John Hale is now the starter at strong-side linebacker since Kyle Bosworth was moved to the starting WLB. Josh Edwards, who was the starter before the spring, moved to the #2 slot behind Bosworth. Jess Ward passed up Jeff Miller for the second DT spot behind Brian Price.
Scott Glicksberg, who was pegged as the backup center, moved into a tie for the starting spot at right guard with Nick Ekbatani. Ekbatani really struggled to hang onto his playing time last season and it will be interesting to see if Glicksberg will pass him up. Kalil Bell and Raymond Carter are still the two leading tailbacks but Christian Ramirez has moved from 4th string to a tie for 3rd string with Moline.
The coaches seem really high on Ramirez as he is also now tagged as the starting kick-off return man. Ryan Graves has also been moved to punt returns.
Here is the complete depth chart:
OFFENSE
SE 19 Dominique Johnson (6-3, 208, So.**) (3)
10 Gavin Ketchum (6-5, 209, Jr.**)
2 Ryan Graves (6-1, 167, Sr.**)
27 Ryal Jagd (6-3, 187, Fr.**) ^
35 David Martini (6-1, 197, Fr.**)^
LT 73 Micah Kia (6-6, 298, Jr.) (8)
69 Brandon Bennett (6-4, 319, So.**)
LG 77 Darius Savage (6-4, 338, So.**)
55 Sonny Tevaga (6-3, 337, So.**)
50 Aaron Meyer (6-1, 296, Sr.**)
C 58 Micah Reed (6-4, 316, Sr.**) (8 at OG)
57 Jake Dean (6-4, 286, So.**)
53 Adam Heater (6-5, 246, Jr.**)
RG 66 Scott Glicksberg (6-4, 269, Sr.**) (1 at TE) OR
75 Nick Ekbatani (6-4, 290, Jr.**)
61 Andy Keane (6-2, 284, So.**)
RT 72 Sean Sheller (6-5, 282, So.**)
65 Mike Harris (6-5, 311, Fr.**)
TE 86 Logan Paulsen (6-6, 252, Sr.) (13)
15 Ryan Moya (6-4, 229, Jr.**)
89 Nate Chandler (6-3, 265, Fr.**)
81 Glenn Rauscher (6-3, 223, Fr.**)^
QB 7 Ben Olson (6-4, 235, Sr.**) (5)
3 Kevin Craft (6-5, 210, Jr.**)
8 Chris Forcier (6-3, 185, Fr.**)
11 Osaar Rasshan (6-4, 214, Jr.**) (3)
12 Pat Cowan (6-5, 218, Sr.**) (5) ##
FB 31 Trevor Theriot (6-0, 233, Jr.**) (6)
45 Tobi Umodu (6-0, 235, So.**)
TB 36 Kahlil Bell (6-0, 206, Sr.) (5)
20 Raymond Carter (5-11, 202, Fr.**)
42 Chane Moline (6-1, 236, Jr.) (1) OR
24 Christian Ramirez (6-3, 211, Jr.)
21 Craig Sheppard (6-1, 193, Jr.**)^
FL 9 Marcus Everett (6-1, 212, Sr.**) (1)
4 Terrence Austin (5-10, 160, Jr.)
82 Taylor Embree (6-4, 195, Fr.)
6 Jamil Turner (6-1, 204, Jr.**)
26 Mike Angelo (6-1, 191, Jr.**)^
21 Ben Bruneau (6-0, 204, Fr.**)^
DEFENSE
LE 55 Korey Bosworth (6-1, 235, Jr.**) (3)
47 Chinonso Anyanwu (6-4, 216, Jr.**)
85 David Carter (6-5, 257, So.**)
DT 92 Brian Price (6-1, 297, So.) (5)
52 Jess Ward (6-4, 280, Jr.**) (6)
98 Jeff Miller (6-5, 259, So.**)
51 Nathaniel Skaggs (6-4, 300, Sr.**)
DT 93 Brigham Harwell (6-2, 292, Sr.**) (2)
90 Jerzy Siewierski (6-2, 285, Jr.)
50 Chase Moline (6-2, 252, Sr.)
RE 56 Tom Blake (6-4, 259, Sr.**) (8)
91 Reginald Stokes (6-3, 250, So.**)
99 Justin Edison (6-3, 244, Fr.**)
SLB 12 John Hale (6-4, 220, Sr.)
40 Akeem Ayers (6-2, 231, Fr.**)
MLB 51 Reggie Carter (6-1, 221, Jr.**) (8)
43 Steve Sloan (6-3, 225, Fr.**)
57 Justin Woolbright (6-1, 217, Fr.**)^
59 Michael Lutu (6-1, 233, So.**)^
WLB 54 Kyle Bosworth (6-1, 222, Sr.) (7)
53 Joshua Edwards (6-1, 232, Sr.**)
48 Mike Schmitt (6-0, 224, So.**)
LC 22 Michael Norris (5-9, 177, Sr.**) (1)
7 Courtney Viney (5-8, 153, Fr.**)
SS 25 Bret Lockett (6-2, 204, Sr.) (1)
35 Matt Culver (6-2, 201, Sr.**)^
31 Garrett Rubio (5-9, 186, So.**)^
FS 27 Aaron Ware (6-0, 193, Jr.**)
20 Glenn Love (6-4, 207, Fr.**)
32 Michael Ciaccio (6-0, 173, So.**)^
RC 1 Alterraun Verner (5-11, 176, Jr.) (11)
30 Chris Meadows (5-11, 175, Sr.**)^
SPECIALISTS
PK 15 Kai Forbath (6-0, 197, So.**) (13)
KO 37 Jimmy Rotstein (5-11, 174, Jr.**)^ (13)
P 17 Aaron Perez (6-4, 229, Sr.**) (13)
LS 52 Christian Yount (6-1, 250, So.) (13)
H 17 Aaron Perez (6-4, 229, Sr.**)
PR 4 Terrence Austin (5-10, 160, Jr.)
2 Ryan Graves (6-1, 167, Sr.**)
KOR 24 Christian Ramirez (6-3, 211, Jr.)
4 Terrence Austin (5-10, 160, Jr.)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Opponent Spring Practices
Spring practice wrapped up last week and all our opponents have completed their sessions as well. Here is a look at the news stories coming out of those camps and what our boys might expect to face this fall.Tennessee
The Vols have spent some time retooling their offense as well this April. Like the Bruins, Tennessee heads into the 2008 season with a new coordinator, three other new offensive assistants, a new scheme, new terminology and a new quarterback. Jonathan Crompton, a red-shirt junior, is the likely starter for the fall. He will be out of action for the next month after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his throwing elbow.
There will be more of an emphasis on the running game this time around and the Volunteers have a good one in Arian Foster. The Vols return all five offensive line starters from last season and they will provide a big front for Foster, who's closing in on Tennessee's all-time rushing record.
BYU
The Cougars return a very potent and experienced offense this season. One area to watch is their offensive line. A big and powerful group last season, they've been dinged by the injury bug this spring. BYU returns a lot of players at the skill positions including QB Max Hall who had good games against UCLA last season. Junior wide receiver Austin Collie had a good spring and he'll challenge the Bruin's inexperienced secondary this fall.
On defense, the Cougars lose standouts Kelly Popinga and Bryan Kehl. Following in their footsteps, junior Matt Bauman has asserted himself as the new leader of the linebacking corps. He had a good spring and the BYU defense is starting to gel despite not returning many players from last year's squad. Their secondary is young and there might be an opportunity for our offense to throw on them this year.
Fresno State
One of the goals of the spring for Fresno State was to add some depth to a team that returns 10 starters on offense. To help fascilitate that, the veterans didn't see a lot of reps during the scrimmage. QB Tom Brandstater only had 5 pass attempts while his backup took most of the snaps behind center. The Bulldogs have a new offensive coordinator his season in Doug Nussmeier and it will be interesting to see if he opens up an FSU offense mainly known for a strong running game. They have a lot of experience along the line, though many of those starters missed time this spring with nagging injuries.
While the offense is mainly set, the defense has some had some holes to fill this spring. The Bulldogs lost Marcus Riley and Trevor Shamblee, two of their best linebackers. In their place, a host of young players are looking to fill those spots. They also have to fill the shoes of Tyler Clutts, one of their best defensive ends. They don't really have any super stars on this side of the ball and they lack a true leader.
Arizona
The Wildcats remind me a lot of our own team. An inconsistent offense. A defense without any big super stars. They're a work in progress that always seems to be rebuilding each and every season and this team is still struggling to learn the air-raid offense installed last season.
One area where the Wildcats will have some experience is at quarterback. Willie Tuitama is back for his third season and he had a decent spring. He threw for 231 yards on 20 completions out of 36 attempts and one touchdown during the spring game. The running game looks decent and their offense could be exciting if it really gets going.
The defensive side is going to struggle this season. They have a lot of new faces and not a lot of a talent. They lose two of the best corners in the league with Antoine Cason and Wilrey Fontenot departing. They do have some guys stepping up in Devin Ross and sophomore Mike Turner; both had good springs. Highly regarded recruit, Robert Golden, is coming in the fall to add some depth in the secondary.
Arizona State
ASU had a break-out season last year, but will they continue with that success in 2008? RB Shaun DeWitty adds some depth to the Sun Devil's running game. Along with Keegan Herring, this team should continue to perform well on the ground. Carpenter was only able to complete 7-of-21 passes for 88 yards in their spring game. They still have a lot of problems with their offensive line and it doesn't look like they've solved those problems yet.
Erickson looks to add more of a spread-element to his offensive strategy. The team practiced with more four and five-receiver sets and tailback screens this spring. ASU might be making a name for itself as a defensive team this season. The defense was impressive throughout spring and dominated the spring game.
USC
Across town, the Trojans are getting ready for another dominating season. They had a battle at quarterback that everyone knew would end in Mark Sanchez getting the starting job. So it was no surprise when he came out of the spring game as the leader. Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp held their own, though, and the Trojans look loaded at the position for the foreseeable future.One big piece of news was that Joe McKnight ended up missing the last week of practice because of eligibility problems. Those likely won't translate into him missing time this fall but it did give the other running backs a chance to shine. The leaders at running back for next season would be C.J. Gable, Staffon Johnson, and Allen Bradford.
On defense, junior cornerback Kevin Thomas, who missed the 2007 season because of a shoulder injury, has played well during the spring. He's already worked his way into the Trojans' third cornerback spot and he has the potential to take the job from starters Cary Harris and Shareece Wright.
California
The Bears had a lot of questions to answer this spring. The biggest one is who will be the starting quarterback? Nate Longshore has a lot of experience but he struggled mightily in Cal's downward spiral last season. Kevin Riley had his fair share of struggles as well, but he impressed in their bowl victory over Air Force. Unfortunately, Longshore missed the entire spring because of a pectoral injury. The decision, according to coach Tedford, could come as late as the week before their home opener.
Injures have also set back other skill positions on offense. Running back Javid Best is out with a hip injury. Which hurts because the Bears lost James Montgomery this off season when he transfered to WSU. Wide receiver Jeremy Ross is also sidelined with a sprained ankle. That leaves a lot of inexperienced guys getting playing time this spring and a lot of unresolved questions on the depth chart.
On defense, the Bears have been using a three man front during the spring. Redshirt freshman Bryan Anger has been wowing onlookers with his punting ability. He should help their special teams unit this fall.
Stanford
Like so many teams in the conference, the Cardinal are searching for a starting quarterback for the 2008 season. Tavita Pricthard, who lead them to their huge victory over the Trojans in the Coliseum last season, is the front runner at this point. He struggled, however, in their spring scrimmage where he only completed 12 of 28 passes for 106 yards. That leaves an opening for Alex Loukas and transfer Jason Forcier (Chris Forcier's brother).
Oregon
No team in the PAC-10 lost more offensive weapons this past season than the Ducks. The dynamic duo of Dixon and Stewart won't be wearing their Oregon uniforms this season and that has left the Eugene faithful asking a lot of questions about their backfield. They may of gotten at least one answer in LeGarrette Blout. The Duck's running game got a boost from the big, 235 lb running back. He bulldozed his way to 68 yards on just 5 carries during their spring scrimmage and he's drawing high praise and favorable comparisons to Stewart.
Oregon State
Oregon State struggled on offense last year but their defense kept them in a lot of games. Unfortunately for the Beaver Believers, that sturdy defense front seven won't be back this season. They did have some depth at linebacker and it looks like some young talent, including Keaton Kristick, Bryant Cornell, and Dwight Roberson will be an adequate replacement.
On offense, the Orange and Black get back standout receiver and return-man Sammie Stroughter. He'll be a big boost to a passing attack that had it's ups and downs last season under first-year quarterback Sean Canfield. Also back from injury is guard Jeremy Perry who missed all but one game in 2007 because of a broken leg. The rest of the offense was hit pretty hard by graduation, including the loss of running back Yvenson Bernard. They'll have a lot to work out this fall if they want to stay in the top-half of the conference standings.
Washington
The Huskies were delt a tough blow when they lost their best offensive lineman in center Juan Garcia with a foot injury this spring. A 6th year senior, Garcia was a second-team, all-conference selection last year, starting every game at center for the second consecutive year. Their line will be young and inexperienced, so it makes the loss of a seasoned veteran hurt even more.
After missing on hiring DeWayne Walker away from UCLA, the Huskies hired Ed Donatell, who spent 12 of the previous 13 seasons coaching in the NFL. Their defense will likely be a work in progress this season as their defensive line losses many of their starters. The Huskies are hoping to tap into some of their true freshman who enroll this fall at defensive tackle. That's not a good sign for the Dawgs as freshman rarely make an impact on the line.
Washington State
One of the stars of the Cougar's spring scrimmage was Michael Willis. The converted defensive back has been moved to wide receiver for the 2008 season. Willis pulled down 6 receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown during the game and he could be a another big target along with talented receiver Bradnon Gibson. Of course the Cougs still need to find a quarterback who can throw to these guys. Fifth year senior Gary Rodgers is the heir apparent to Alex Brink but he could be challenged by junior Kevin Lopina, who had a solid spring.Head coach Paul Wulff is also introducing a new no-huddle spread offense this season. He'll run that offense behind a veteran line that returns four starters but no stars at running back. Things are so thin at tail back that when the spring session ended, WSU only had one healthy player available. Chris Ivory missed part of the spring with injury and he has also struggled to stay academically eligible. Dwight Tardy also watched the rest of the team from the sidelines due to injury.
Wulff and his staff switched to a new 4-3 defense moving standout linebacker Andy Mattingly to defensive end. This squad has struggled with depth and injuries in the past and they still need to find players in their two deep after the spring. WSU' returns three returning senior starters at linebacker including Greg Trent but their secondary has a lot of holes.
(Photo Credit: AP Photo/Wade Payne. Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Craft vs C-Force
It was an interesting night at the Rose Bowl last Saturday. You don't want to draw too many conclusions from a spring scrimmage simply because the offense and defense are so vanilla. But hey, that's not going to stop me from comparing the two quarterbacks who took the most snaps... Forcier and Craft. Both had some nice moments and some missteps. I don't know if either really made a strong case for being the starter this fall but I think both could be serviceable quarterbacks in the future.Kevin Pearson had these statistics and comments from Craft after the practice,
UCLA QB Kevin Craft finished 11-of-24 for 95 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He said it was tough to jump in with the first unit on such short notice and that his timing was a little bit off, partly because he has not gotten a lot of reps lately, and was largely indifferent about his performance Saturday.I think it is important to note that Craft was also going up against the second team defense and he was playing with the first string offense. His competition percentage looks a bit low at first glance. Less than 50%. Some of that isn't on Kevin, though. A number of times he had to throw a very quick pass to avoid a sack. There were also a hand full of incomplete passes where the receiver went one way and Craft threw the ball another way. Those might very well be from him not working with that unit much before the scrimmage.
"I don't think I helped or hurt myself at all," Craft said. "I just had to come out today with what I had and I feel like I have a lot of room for improvement. There is a lot of work that I have to do in the off-season."
What I will say about Craft is that he seems fairly mobile. He's not exactly quick and not a scrambler like C-Force, but he can avoid pressure fairly well. He reminds me of Pat Cowan with the way he runs. He looked good on his bootlegs and he looked very comfortable stepping up in the pocket. Kevin definitely looked more comfortable with the pressure than Olson has looked in the past. That probably comes from the playing time he's notched over the last few years. Another thing with Craft is that he helped keep drives alive. They kept moving the ball with him under center, even if it was just barely getting 10 yards and a first down.
Forcier
Person gave these statistics and comments about Forcier
Just as I noted with Craft, it's important to know that Chris was running with the twos against the first team defense. So we're grading on a curve with his results. That being said, the statistics above are misleading. Very misleading. Forcier may have only attempted 6 passes but the coaches called in far more passing plays than that. What happened was that Chris would take off running when the pressure came. Sometimes that would result in short 2-3 yard gains and other times it would result in a sack. In fact, he was sacked somewhere around 3-4 times during the scrimmage.UCLA's Chris Forcier finished 4-for-6 for 52 yards in the spring game and looked more like a passer. He has shown a tendency to tuck the ball and run too quickly but looked more like he wanted to be in the pocket instead of being a run-first quarterback.
"I had a couple of good series in there and the one series we drove down the field I had a couple good passes and it boosted my confidence," Forcier said. "That's the biggest thing for me is staying confident."
Forcier also had an interception on a head scratching pass. He tossed the ball deep but nobody was within 20-yards; well nobody besides the safety who promptly picked the ball off as it came his way. That may have been nerves as it came pretty early in the scrimmage. There was also a fumble with him at the helm but I couldn't tell if it was his fault or the running back. There were some bumbled snaps as well and that could be a problem with the 2nd string center.
In contrast to those misteps, Forcier did have a very nice series in the middle of the game. Probably the best of the night. He moved the ball quickly down field with some very nice passes that were crisp and right on the money. The team picked up 3 first downs on 4 plays and then a Ramirez run capped the drive with a touchdown. It was impressive.
If I had to choose
If I had to pick one to be my starting quarterback right now, I would choose Craft. He just looked more comfortable with the offense and he made fewer mistakes. I think Forcier, as a red-shirt freshman, has some good potential. If he can settle down in the pocket more and not take off scrambling at the first sign of pressure then he'll be a very good QB. His best drive came when he had his best protection and if he can just stick it out in the pocket longer, he'll have fewer sacks and short-yardage runs.
They didn't really air the ball out much, so I can't tell who has the better arm. In the 7-on-7 drills before the scrimmage, Craft looked like he zipped the ball in quicker and was more precise. I also think he makes better reads. He doesn't try to force the ball as much as Chris and I think that comes from his experience.
Neither of them, at this point, look ready to play in a real game. That's understandable given the lack of reps they've received with Cowan and Olson ahead of them on the depth chart. But with both of those guys on the mend, maybe the extra practice will give Craft and C-Force a little more polish on their games. With injuries plaguing Ben his entire career, I think we'll need both of them to stay sharp this season.
(photo credit: BeatSC.com)
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Spring Scrimmage
Just got back from the Spring Scrimmage at the Rose Bowl. All in all, it was a really fun time. The defense dominated but the offense looked better than I expected. I came away feeling pretty good about Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier as quarterbacks. Even Rashaan had some memorable moments.
When I rolled into the old Arroyo Seco, the team was just starting the "Bruin Walk". Good timing! It was cool to see the players make their way down to the stadium. The sad part was seeing Pat Cowan and Ben Olson limping along behind the team. One of the fans asked if Pat needed surgery and he said yes. Bummer. Looks like he is officially done. Coach Neuheisel stopped the scrimmage, near the end, and had Ben and Pat take a standing ovation from the crowd. It must be tough for these guys as Seniors.
The scrimmage started out kind of slow. The offense struggled in the first few series. It was ones vs twos, so Craft and the first string had a bit of an easier time. He put together a nice series on his second (or third, I can't remember) time out. Hitting Logan Paulson across the middle for a big gain. He finished that drive with a Theriot touchdown on a draw. Nice to see the FB and TE getting into the mix. Craft hit Ketchum for a TD on a drive that started in the red zone and he also threw one interception. All in all, a pretty solid performance. I think he'll be a serviceable QB.
Forcier and Rashaan had a harder time. Both had fumbles and some missed snaps. Forcier put together a nice drive, starting at mid field, that ended in a Ramierez touchdown run. He had some crisp passes and he has some speed when he's running. It was a no-hit scrimmage for the quarterbacks, so we really couldn't see how well these two would perform when scrambling. Chris also threw a terrible pick early in the scrimmage that was thrown downfield without an offensive blue jersey in sight. It was sort of a mixed bag from him tonight.
Rashaan struggled the most of the three. He had some problems with the snaps, as you might expect from someone who really hasn't played much at the position this spring. But he did have two "wow" passes. One went to Taylor Embree on a long pass to the far side. That kid made a great catch and I see why people talk about him. The other was a scrimmage ending toss to a walk-on (Pearlman, or something, I forget) that was a perfectly placed ball right over the middle for six. The rest of the time he had "happy feet" and he would take off running before he really needed to.
On defense, Brian Price and Reggie Carter both had good nights. The name that really stood out for me was Courtney Viney. He was involved in a lot of plays and I saw him on the field for a big chunk of the game. He picked off a Kevin Craft pass and broke up some others. He reminds me of Trey Brown. He isn't the biggest kid but he's good at keeping position and getting involved in plays that come his way. He might get picked on early this season, but I think he can handle it.
On the injury front, John Hale was on crutches. Guess he got hurt this last week. Craig Sheppard was pulled from the game early when he got hurt on a play and I guess Glen Love also went out late in the scrimmage. We'll see what happened to those guys tomorrow.
Anyways, enjoy the pictures (sorry, they were taken hastily with my cell phone). The announced attendance was 15K. It was a fun atmosphere and they tried to make it feel as close to a real game as possible. The only difference was that I had great seats on the 50 and got in and out of the Rose Bowl in less than 10 minutes. Ah, if only it could be like that during the season.
(Photo credit: CPBruinFan)
When I rolled into the old Arroyo Seco, the team was just starting the "Bruin Walk". Good timing! It was cool to see the players make their way down to the stadium. The sad part was seeing Pat Cowan and Ben Olson limping along behind the team. One of the fans asked if Pat needed surgery and he said yes. Bummer. Looks like he is officially done. Coach Neuheisel stopped the scrimmage, near the end, and had Ben and Pat take a standing ovation from the crowd. It must be tough for these guys as Seniors.The scrimmage started out kind of slow. The offense struggled in the first few series. It was ones vs twos, so Craft and the first string had a bit of an easier time. He put together a nice series on his second (or third, I can't remember) time out. Hitting Logan Paulson across the middle for a big gain. He finished that drive with a Theriot touchdown on a draw. Nice to see the FB and TE getting into the mix. Craft hit Ketchum for a TD on a drive that started in the red zone and he also threw one interception. All in all, a pretty solid performance. I think he'll be a serviceable QB.Forcier and Rashaan had a harder time. Both had fumbles and some missed snaps. Forcier put together a nice drive, starting at mid field, that ended in a Ramierez touchdown run. He had some crisp passes and he has some speed when he's running. It was a no-hit scrimmage for the quarterbacks, so we really couldn't see how well these two would perform when scrambling. Chris also threw a terrible pick early in the scrimmage that was thrown downfield without an offensive blue jersey in sight. It was sort of a mixed bag from him tonight.Rashaan struggled the most of the three. He had some problems with the snaps, as you might expect from someone who really hasn't played much at the position this spring. But he did have two "wow" passes. One went to Taylor Embree on a long pass to the far side. That kid made a great catch and I see why people talk about him. The other was a scrimmage ending toss to a walk-on (Pearlman, or something, I forget) that was a perfectly placed ball right over the middle for six. The rest of the time he had "happy feet" and he would take off running before he really needed to.
On defense, Brian Price and Reggie Carter both had good nights. The name that really stood out for me was Courtney Viney. He was involved in a lot of plays and I saw him on the field for a big chunk of the game. He picked off a Kevin Craft pass and broke up some others. He reminds me of Trey Brown. He isn't the biggest kid but he's good at keeping position and getting involved in plays that come his way. He might get picked on early this season, but I think he can handle it.
On the injury front, John Hale was on crutches. Guess he got hurt this last week. Craig Sheppard was pulled from the game early when he got hurt on a play and I guess Glen Love also went out late in the scrimmage. We'll see what happened to those guys tomorrow.
Anyways, enjoy the pictures (sorry, they were taken hastily with my cell phone). The announced attendance was 15K. It was a fun atmosphere and they tried to make it feel as close to a real game as possible. The only difference was that I had great seats on the 50 and got in and out of the Rose Bowl in less than 10 minutes. Ah, if only it could be like that during the season.
(Photo credit: CPBruinFan)
Friday, April 25, 2008
The More Things Change
New vibe around the team? Check. Faster paced practices? Check. New coaches, new scheme, and a new attitude? Check, check, and check. Injured quarterbacks. Ummm... check and check again. I guess the more things change in Bruinville the more they stay the same. Both Pat and Ben were injured yesterday and the two will miss the Spring Scrimmage on Saturday.
The extent of both injuries will be found out today with MRIs. Cowan was injured earlier in the week and missed Tuesday's practice and it looks like he aggravated that knee injury again on Thursday. He was carted off the field with Olson in toe. The big south paw planted his right foot and said he heard a "pop". Not good.
Coach Neuheisel tried to find some silver lining to the fact that his top two quarterbacks were injured.
This does give Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier a chance to step up and prove themselves. Before you get too excited about them for this season just remember that they are 3rd and 4th on the depth chart for a reason. I'm not expecting too much from them on Saturday but it will be a good preview of the quarterback battle for the 2009 season. Oasar Rasshan, who is determined to stay at quarterback despite being 5th on the depth chart, has now moved up two spots. I still think he needs to move to wide receiver, but at this pace, we might need him at some point behind center. So maybe sticking at quarterback isn't such a bad idea after all.
I suppose if you are going to get injured, now is probably the least damaging time to do so. Spring practice is almost over and most of the offense has been installed. Depending on the extent of both injuries, Pat and Ben could miss some time over the summer. That's when the players usually get together and practice on their own to help learn the play book. If both are ready to go by the fall then UCLA should be in good shape.
The bigger concern, however, is that they could re-injure themselves again during the fall or during the season. If the past is any indication of the future, our backup guys need to make the most of their time with the first team. We'll likely be calling on them again this season to lead this team. I think Craft could be a good quick-fix for this team. He's at least started and played some games over the last few seasons. Forcier is still very, very raw. Rasshan also proved that he has a long way to go before he's ready to take the reigns of this team.
The extent of both injuries will be found out today with MRIs. Cowan was injured earlier in the week and missed Tuesday's practice and it looks like he aggravated that knee injury again on Thursday. He was carted off the field with Olson in toe. The big south paw planted his right foot and said he heard a "pop". Not good.
Coach Neuheisel tried to find some silver lining to the fact that his top two quarterbacks were injured.
“You always try to look at the bright side. If it were to be that they could not play on Saturday, it would be an excellent opportunity to find out under fire (about) the other three kids (quarterbacks Kevin Craft, Chris Forcier and Osaar Rasshan). The two seniors certainly have had a lot of playing time. So you’ve got to always look at the bright side.”
This does give Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier a chance to step up and prove themselves. Before you get too excited about them for this season just remember that they are 3rd and 4th on the depth chart for a reason. I'm not expecting too much from them on Saturday but it will be a good preview of the quarterback battle for the 2009 season. Oasar Rasshan, who is determined to stay at quarterback despite being 5th on the depth chart, has now moved up two spots. I still think he needs to move to wide receiver, but at this pace, we might need him at some point behind center. So maybe sticking at quarterback isn't such a bad idea after all.
I suppose if you are going to get injured, now is probably the least damaging time to do so. Spring practice is almost over and most of the offense has been installed. Depending on the extent of both injuries, Pat and Ben could miss some time over the summer. That's when the players usually get together and practice on their own to help learn the play book. If both are ready to go by the fall then UCLA should be in good shape.
The bigger concern, however, is that they could re-injure themselves again during the fall or during the season. If the past is any indication of the future, our backup guys need to make the most of their time with the first team. We'll likely be calling on them again this season to lead this team. I think Craft could be a good quick-fix for this team. He's at least started and played some games over the last few seasons. Forcier is still very, very raw. Rasshan also proved that he has a long way to go before he's ready to take the reigns of this team.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
One Step Back
Well, spring practice is rapidly come to an end and the Bruins had their second scrimmage on Friday. With the new offense being installed, you knew the defense was going to dominate... and they did. It seems like this offensive unit it progressing but there are a lot of kinks that need to be worked out. A lot of kinks.You know things didn't go well when your two offensive coaches have this to say about the scrimmage: Coach Rick Neuheisel said "we need to improve dramatically in the throwing game." Offensive coordinator Norm Chow said, "we couldn't run the ball a lick.
Ouch.
Bruin Gold's Jeff had a more optimistic assessment in his report of the scrimmage. On Thursday, he reported some noticeable improvements over prior years. So like many Bruin Gold participants, I was hoping to read a glowing report of continued development on Saturday morning. Well, it didn't quite come out that way. Things got off to a good start and the passing game looked pretty good in 7-on-7 drills:
Coach Neuheisel echoes these comments in his post scrimmage interview. Even going so far as to say that it was the best 7-on-7 performance by the offense to date. That's encouraging news and it shows that our QB's are starting to really get a feel for Chow's scheme. It also tells me that our skill guys are getting into sync and the timing on throws is improving.
The first part of the scrimmage was 7-on-7's. Both Cowan and Olson were HOT during this session. Cowan was 10 of 12 for 78 yards and he hit 7 different receivers. Olson was 4 of 7 for 25 yards, but all three incompletes were due to dropped passes. He hit 4 different receivers in his time. Both of them looked crisp and accurate. Naturally, no pass rush, but throws on time and accurate count in my book. The only other QB to get snaps during the 7-on-7's was Craft, who was 1 of 3 for 3 yards.
Unfortunately, that success didn't translate into the full 11-on-11 scrimmage. With a full pass rush and our O-line in the mix, the results were a step back from the first scrimmage. Ben and Pat, who were in tune during the passing drills went for an anemic 8 of 20. The running game was no better and it left a lot of coaches scratching their heads.
It is pretty obvious from all accounts that our offensive line is going to be a liability this season. The reports above bare that out in black and white. Our skill guys, without the o-line, have their best practice of the year. When you throw in the big uglies, the offensive momentum comes to a grinding halt. Some of that can be attributed to our stellar defensive tackles. Brian Price and Brigham Harwell will be a force to reckon with come September. Still, this O-line has struggled from day one and they'll face some pretty good defenses in addition to the one they see on Spalding field every day.
The problem isn't that our offensive line doesn't have any size or athleticism. They're not a star-studded group by any stretch of the imagination and we definitely need some infusion of talent there, but they are a serviceable group. No, the problem is the lack of experience and, probably most importantly, the lack of continuity in the coaching staff. Bob Palcic is the fourth offensive line coach in as many seasons and Chow the fourth offensive coordinator. These guys have been starting from scratch every April since they came to Westwood. That has to take a toll on your confidence and your ability to progress from season to season.
I'm sure, like most fans, I was hoping for some quick turnaround with our dream team coaching staff. I know it is still early, and I don't want to get too down on them, but this offense needs a LOT of work to become productive in time for the season. The stark truth is that I don't see any coaching staff, no matter how experienced or talented, being able to turn this offense in just one season. There are just too many holes and too little experience on this team to be successful this year. Especially with this offensive line where they don't even have enough bodies to patch together a third unit that can practice with Kevin Craft as the QB.
(photo credit: Michael Chen / Daily Bruin)
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thursday Practice Report
Another practice and another fantastic practice report from Bruin Gold's Jeff_is_smiling. It sounds like the offense is starting to make some progress. Here are some of the big things that Jeff noticed in yesterday's practice.
After watching the offense warm up and go through individual drills, the team moved into passing drills between the quarterbacks and receivers:
After watching the offense warm up and go through individual drills, the team moved into passing drills between the quarterbacks and receivers:
THE MOST STRIKING thing I watched all practice was in the next session. One of my complaints on QB/receiver timing from previous years was that the QB's tended to throw after the break occurred. Olson more openly, but Cowan as well. Well, not so much anymore. it is OBVIOUS that this was a point of emphasis from Chow. In one series of reps, only 1 QB (Osaar) did not throw the ball prior to the break on longer routes. One time Forcier missed his timing. On each occasion, the ball ended up being thrown poorly and/or out-of-bounds. Typically the ball was thrown at least 1 step before the break. Even Olson. I was really thrilled to see that they are working that hard now. It is an obvious (to me anyways) departure from the performance I watched at practice last year.It sounds like some of the fruits of Chow's simplified offense, and the team's practice, are starting to pay dividends for this offense. When they started a passing scrimmaging with the defense, the offense had some success moving the ball on a regular basis:
Pass scrimmage started next. I have to admit, I can see alot of promise in this offense. We are clearly not close to where we need to be from a timing standpoint between QB's and receivers, but there are already elements that the QB's seem to fully understand that are immediately paying off. It is clear that our bread-and-butter play, the one that is the rock solid foundation should everything else not work.....is a little 3 yard pass. We KILLED our own defense today repeatedly using this little pass. It seems like we are throwing underneath the coverage when blitzes occur, and this little 3 yard pass gets a lot of Yards After Catch out of it. Over and over again, we'd get 6 yards out of it. Sometimes a lot more depending on how aggressively the defense was blitzing. Also, our timing routes in 1-on-1 coverage using a fade throw up the sideline is looking very crisp as well.In a full scrimmage there was a good mix of running and passing and while the offense still needs a lot of work, it sounds like they are starting to make up some ground on the defense.
The team then went into a normal scrimmage mode. Again, the offense did better than I anticipated. We mixed the run with the pass and ran better than I thought we would. Still not anything close to where we need to be, but it was competitive. I hadn't seen much competition the last few years, but it seemed competitive to me. Of the defenders, Norris and Verner both made quite a few plays. Viney was singled out a few times for good coverage as well. During this time, Coach Rick Neuhiesel made sure that the pace kept up. He yelled at the offense, "Come on guys, get out of the huddle!" to quicken them up.Very encouraging news. The new fast pace, some progress being made, and new guys stepping up and having good practices. Those are all the things you like to see during the spring. Let's hope that today's scrimmage and the following week continue to show improvement for the whole team. Next Saturday's spring game should be a lot of fun.
Bob Palcic on the Line
The offensive line this spring has been taking a beating and not just on Spalding field. They've gotten a bad rap from the media and fans who have watched practice this spring. I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the comments from offensive line coach Bob Palcic on how he thinks this unit will perform come September.
The big concern with the line is the lack of experience. Only Micah Reed and Micah Kia have significant playing experience. Palcic has some optimism about this squad, because he has worked with inexperienced players before. He had this to say, after Thursday's practice:
The big concern with the line is the lack of experience. Only Micah Reed and Micah Kia have significant playing experience. Palcic has some optimism about this squad, because he has worked with inexperienced players before. He had this to say, after Thursday's practice:
Have you ever had a line with this little experience?For most of spring practice, the first-unit offensive line has been Sean Sheller (right tackle), Scott Glicksberg (right guard), Micah Reed (center), Darius Savage (left guard) and Micah Kia (left tackle). Bob thinks that these player are a solid unit:
“The line that I had at the University of Wisconsin two years ago...Joe Thomas, the Outland Trophy winner, didn’t practice in the spring...that line, minus the Outland trophy winner, was pretty much like this line. And we won twelve games, so I’m confident that if we keep working hard, and keep concentrating and pay attention to details that we can develop into a solid unit.”
"I think Micah Reed will be a good, solid center for us," offensive line coach Bob Palcic said. "Micah Kia is the most experienced player I have, and I have some other kids that are really good kids and have a good work ethic, and they'll keep improving."While that starting unit is pretty set, the second string is still a work in progress. After last Saturday's scrimmage, Palcic had this take on the line's depth:
"I thought that the first line did a commendable job for a first scrimmage, for being as young and inexperienced as they are. The second offensive line, we need to get much, much better."The big shake up this spring was Alexi Lanis taking a medical retirement. That hurt the squad's depth but it does give an opportunity for his backup Sean Sheller to step up and prove himself worthy of the starting role at right tackle. Palcic thinks that the red-shirt sophomore has a lot of potential:
"I think Sheller's a good athlete. I think he'll develop into a good player. He's got quick feet. He's good in space."One of the problems with the line is a large number of false starts and bad snaps. The exchange between center and the quarterback was a big problem on Thursday and the coaches are looking to fix that problem ASAP. It looks like it will be a long season with this unit and coach Palcic has no delusions about the difficult road ahead of him this season:
Does Sheller have confidence?
"He's getting there. You can't have confidence until you've mastered a subject, and he has not mastered the subject, and none of my players have. We're a work in progress, and hopefully working in that direction."
Is this one of the toughest challenges you’ve had as a coach?With all the struggles and challenges this team has faced during the spring, it should start getting much better going forward. The installation is done and now it is just a matter of drilling and refining them into a cohesive unit.
“This ranks up there with the toughest challenges I’ve had, yes.”
Generally, how do you look at the development of the o-line thus far this spring?
“I think for the most part we’ve improved each and every practice. We still have a long way to go, but we pretty much have everything installed that will be going in for the Tennessee game, so the learning process will slow down and the execution should improve.”
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Ditch Day in Perspective
So the Over The Wall tradition is likely dead after this season. With all the flap over the ditch day that the players organized, I don't think we'll ever see it again. Which is a good thing because it's a pretty lame tradition. But all that being said, I think people are getting WAY too worked up over it.
I understand that Spring Practice is only 15 days. Obviously, missing a practice with such a small number of days is going to hurt. It hurts bad with this team because of their lack of experience and the fact that the coaches are installing a new offense. It also hurts because there is a scrimmage on Friday and they miss out on a day in pads. The other pain comes from the high school coaches and recruits that came out to watch practice. All of them left disappointed and it doesn't reflect well on the program.
I agree with all of that.
Where I don't agree with some fans is when they say this shows a lack of commitment from our players. Our team and group of players is committed as any. I know they are eager and hungry to lift UCLA out of the mediocre play that has encapsulated our program this decade. You got guys like Chane and Chase Moline and Glen Love and others who are playing with broken bones and bad backs and they're out there every day busting their butts in practice.
I also don't agree that this will hurt us for the season. We have a lot of freshman talent coming in this fall anyways, so there will be a lot of shuffling of the depth chart. You'll have a whole batch t of guys who need to learn the entire offense and defense starting in August. Besides, our team is going to struggle this season no matter what happens this spring. We're not going to compete for a national championship. We're not even going to compete for a conference championship. This is a rebuilding season despite what anyone says. I'm not saying that the season is a lost cause or we shouldn't try our hardest to win. It's just that the depth and talent we have is so thin at this point that no amount of practice is going to make this team really competitive. We're just not on that level yet.
Actually, I think the Over the Wall stunt might actually help this team. Not in the immediate future, but in the long run. I think the flap they are receiving about this shows them that this program is back on a national stage and people are paying attention. Apparently this happened under Dorrell (he even helped organize it) but none of us knew about it. Why? Because nobody cared to make a big deal over it. Now that Neuheisel and Chow have joined the staff, people are sitting up and taking notice of UCLA again. I think the young guys in the program are going to learn from this that people are watching. UCLA football is serious stuff and the fans and media have big expectations for them. That's a good thing.
I understand that Spring Practice is only 15 days. Obviously, missing a practice with such a small number of days is going to hurt. It hurts bad with this team because of their lack of experience and the fact that the coaches are installing a new offense. It also hurts because there is a scrimmage on Friday and they miss out on a day in pads. The other pain comes from the high school coaches and recruits that came out to watch practice. All of them left disappointed and it doesn't reflect well on the program.
I agree with all of that.
Where I don't agree with some fans is when they say this shows a lack of commitment from our players. Our team and group of players is committed as any. I know they are eager and hungry to lift UCLA out of the mediocre play that has encapsulated our program this decade. You got guys like Chane and Chase Moline and Glen Love and others who are playing with broken bones and bad backs and they're out there every day busting their butts in practice.
I also don't agree that this will hurt us for the season. We have a lot of freshman talent coming in this fall anyways, so there will be a lot of shuffling of the depth chart. You'll have a whole batch t of guys who need to learn the entire offense and defense starting in August. Besides, our team is going to struggle this season no matter what happens this spring. We're not going to compete for a national championship. We're not even going to compete for a conference championship. This is a rebuilding season despite what anyone says. I'm not saying that the season is a lost cause or we shouldn't try our hardest to win. It's just that the depth and talent we have is so thin at this point that no amount of practice is going to make this team really competitive. We're just not on that level yet.
Actually, I think the Over the Wall stunt might actually help this team. Not in the immediate future, but in the long run. I think the flap they are receiving about this shows them that this program is back on a national stage and people are paying attention. Apparently this happened under Dorrell (he even helped organize it) but none of us knew about it. Why? Because nobody cared to make a big deal over it. Now that Neuheisel and Chow have joined the staff, people are sitting up and taking notice of UCLA again. I think the young guys in the program are going to learn from this that people are watching. UCLA football is serious stuff and the fans and media have big expectations for them. That's a good thing.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Embree Impresses
First off, there was a great report on Monday's practice from Jeff_is_smiling over at Bruin Gold. He has a lot of detailed information on the practice and his impressions of the new coaching staff. One thing in particular caught my eye in his post. He had this assessment of true freshman Taylor Embree:
But low and behold the guy is for real. We could use a go-to receiver pretty badly on this team. I like the notion that this kid will catch anything thrown his way. I look forward to more reports on this new receiver as spring camp progresses!
The 11 X 11 plays were only note-worthy in that it was the first time I got a chance to see Taylor Embree in action. OMG...he was ALWAYS open, and he ALWAYS caught the ball with his hands and he ALWAYS got separation. He looked every bit as good as some of the posts have been saying. He was GREAT! Not sorta good, or occasionally adequate...but GREAT!Brian Dohn mentioned that Embree had a standout day on Saturday during the scrimmage:
Receiver Taylor Embree, a freshman who enrolled in January and the son of former UCLA assistant Jon Embree, made several nice catches in Saturday's scrimmage. According to some folks I respect a lot when it comes to talent evaluation, the talk was about his high level of concentration and his hands.
"My dad has always kind of drilled me to catch the ball, and be ready to get hit when you catch the ball,'' Embree said. "The main thing is to just focus. I've done a lot of drills growing up where you focus on the ball, and not worrying about the surrounding. Once you catch the ball, that's when everything else happens."
Freshman wide receiver Taylor Embree continues to impress in both the 7 on 7 and the 11 on 11 drills. He runs solid routes, has the knack of getting open and better yet, he catches the ball. It is apparent the quarterbacks have confidence in the freshman.I have to say I didn't think much of Embree when he enrolled. He was a gray-shirt who didn't receive much press out of high school. The recruiting services didn't rank him at all... and I don't mean they ranked him low. They really didn't even rank him. He was that far under the radar. I was surprised that he earned a scholarship offer from UCLA at the time and I think a lot of recruitniks thought he was just getting the scholarship because he has family ties to UCLA with his dad.
But low and behold the guy is for real. We could use a go-to receiver pretty badly on this team. I like the notion that this kid will catch anything thrown his way. I look forward to more reports on this new receiver as spring camp progresses!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Cowan in the Lead
So, the big news coming out of Spring practice this week is that Patrick Cowan is in the lead for the quarterback spot. The coaching staff says they haven't settled on him as the starter just yet, but actions speak louder than words. Cowan has taken the majority of the reps with the first string in today's scrimmage and Ben Olson has been relegated to the second team.
Norm Chow had an interesting quote this last week. He said that Cowan has the stronger arm of the two leading quarterbacks. That goes against the conventional wisdom that us Bruin fans have known for the last two season... mainly that Olson was the stronger passer.
Chow tried to downplay the fact that Cowan was getting more time with the first string:
However, Ben seems to know that his chance of being annointed the starter again for this next season is starting to slip away:
I have to say, I gave up on Olson last season. He just doesn't have the quick decision making that Cowan does. Sure, he looks impressive off the field, but the dude just doesn't have it when it comes to real game-time situations. He hesitates and double-pumps a lot. Add that to the fact that he is kind of fragile out there on the field. He gets hurt easily and both knees have been banged up. He wasn't very mobile to begin with but now he's just a liability when the ball is in his hands.
I'm glad to see the coaching staff isn't going on reputation alone. Cowan wasn't highly regarded or recruited coming out of high school but he's proven to be the better player. He's a competitor and without Pat's grit and determination, UCLA would never have beaten USC in 2006 nor Washington and California in 2007. He also has a much, much, much better pocket awareness than Ben. He's better at avoiding the pressure and that's going to be a necessary skill with our limited offensive line talent this season.
If this trend continues, I think we could see Olson transfer this summer. I don't think he'd sit on the bench as a senior. That would leave Craft as a pretty good backup. He's done some good things this spring and I can see him developing even further as he learns more of the offense. Ultimately, whatever happens with the QB depth, I think this team will be just fine with the players that remain. Cowan was my first choice anyways and there are some good young players in the pipeline behind him.
Norm Chow had an interesting quote this last week. He said that Cowan has the stronger arm of the two leading quarterbacks. That goes against the conventional wisdom that us Bruin fans have known for the last two season... mainly that Olson was the stronger passer.
Chow tried to downplay the fact that Cowan was getting more time with the first string:
"We're not coming off the mountain making a sermon saying 'This is the anointed guy,'" Chow said. "There is no big master plan. Rick and I have been around quarterbacks long enough that we'll know. The quarterbacks know that there is only one ball."
However, Ben seems to know that his chance of being annointed the starter again for this next season is starting to slip away:
"I wouldn't say it's going well," Olson said. "I felt like I did some good things (Thursday), getting the opportunities that I'm given.
"I'm not where I need to be. I don't think anybody is. We're learning the new stuff and it's going to take time. You're out here watching and you're seeing a lot of mistakes."
After today's scrimmage he had these rather stark and honest assesments about how he thinks things are going:
Olson said he was disappointed not to be given a chance to compete.According to one Inside UCLA reader, Olson looked lost and hesitant during the scrimmage. Meanwhile, Cowan had a couple nice drives and it sounds like he is impressing the new coaching staff.
I have to say, I gave up on Olson last season. He just doesn't have the quick decision making that Cowan does. Sure, he looks impressive off the field, but the dude just doesn't have it when it comes to real game-time situations. He hesitates and double-pumps a lot. Add that to the fact that he is kind of fragile out there on the field. He gets hurt easily and both knees have been banged up. He wasn't very mobile to begin with but now he's just a liability when the ball is in his hands.
I'm glad to see the coaching staff isn't going on reputation alone. Cowan wasn't highly regarded or recruited coming out of high school but he's proven to be the better player. He's a competitor and without Pat's grit and determination, UCLA would never have beaten USC in 2006 nor Washington and California in 2007. He also has a much, much, much better pocket awareness than Ben. He's better at avoiding the pressure and that's going to be a necessary skill with our limited offensive line talent this season.
If this trend continues, I think we could see Olson transfer this summer. I don't think he'd sit on the bench as a senior. That would leave Craft as a pretty good backup. He's done some good things this spring and I can see him developing even further as he learns more of the offense. Ultimately, whatever happens with the QB depth, I think this team will be just fine with the players that remain. Cowan was my first choice anyways and there are some good young players in the pipeline behind him.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Glen Love Update
The talented and big red-shirt freshman went down with a hand injury on Monday. It looks like he broke his thumb but the injury does not require surgery.
“As soon as the swelling subsides a little bit, he can get casted and come out here and get a lot of work done,” Coach Neuheisel said.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Pecking Order
We've only had a few days of practice but it looks like the coaching staff is ready to start settling into a pecking order for the quarterback position. Ben Olson, Pat Cowan, and JC transfer Kevin Craft have been taking mosr of snaps with the first team. Today, Neuheisel wants the team to spend half of practice scrimmaging, so they can begin to identify a leader.The goal here is start increasing reps for the guy who is supposed to start this fall. With five quarterbacks in the stable, the coaches need to reduce that list down to just one or two guys who they can focus most of their attention on. My guess is that Olson and Cowan are the most likely to make that cut, but there have been a lot of positive things being said about Craft this spring. If anything, he is a solid backup who can jump in and play right away.
The good news for all the quarterbacks was that the offense played well for the first time on Monday. They had some nice passes and the running game knocked out some impressive gains on the ground. Of course, there were still a lot of false starts and "young mistakes" as coach Neuheisel put it. You expect that from an inexperienced offensive line, but it is something that needs to be ironed out soon. Still, overall, it is encouraging to read that the offense is making progress.
Another good piece of news is that nobody has been seriously hurt this Spring (knock on wood). There were a few bangs and bruises but nothing serious so far. Glenn Love hurt his hand and left practice to have X-rays. Brian Price went down in practice but said the injury wasn’t serious. Alexsey Lanis missed some practice because of a sore knee. Nick Ekbatani sat out with an ankle injury but is expected back tomorrow.
(photo credit: Daily Bruin)
Monday, April 7, 2008
Intensity
Intensity was the word used to describe the first full day of pads on Saturday. This from Kevin Pearson at the Press Enterprise:
Apparently there were a few fights that broke out during practice as guys were flying around and hitting people. You love to see that kind of scrappy, hard-hitting attitude on your team. Chris Foster had this report from Saturday:
The Bruins were in pads for the first time today and to say they were flying around hitting one another may be a gross understatement. There is a new sense of urgency and competition around here that I haven't seen in my four previous seasons covering this team.
Rick Neuheisel wasn't kidding when he said the tempo would be a lot faster today than it was on Day 1 of spring practice. There was an immediate quickening of the pace today. Guys were running in between drills, the energy was up, and afterwards, quite a few guys told me they were pretty tired.This coincides with reports that the team is working out harder with the new strength and conditioning coach Mike Linn. I try not to put too much weight into these types of "bigger, stronger, faster" reports because they come in every season from us fans. But if the beat writers see a dramatic change in pace then I'll put a little more stock into it.
Apparently there were a few fights that broke out during practice as guys were flying around and hitting people. You love to see that kind of scrappy, hard-hitting attitude on your team. Chris Foster had this report from Saturday:
Defensive tackle Brian Price and tight end Logan Paulsen scrapped at each other after the whistle during the first contact drill. Moments later, tackle Brandon Bennett and defensive end Reginald Stokes scuffled following a play, prompting Neuheisel to step in.
"You guys got that much energy, let's put it to some use, start jogging in place," Neuheisel barked. After a handful of up-downs, Neuheisel hollered, "knock that [stuff] off and let's play some football."
Friday, April 4, 2008
Spring Practice Begins
Yesterday was the start of spring practice. It always takes a few days to work out the kinks and with an entirely new offensive staff, it will likely take a bit longer this time around. Still, the promise of a simplified offense and a focus on fundamental football, should pay some dividends over the next few weeks.The coaching staff is going to have a lot to evaluate this spring. UCLA loses 23 seniors from a team that underachieved last season. Add to that very little depth or experience on the offensive line and coach Neuheisel has an up hill battle ahead of him. The highly rated 2008 recruiting class isn't on campus yet, so the depth chart could change considerably by September.
Here are some online practice reports that give you a fans-eye view of what transpired on day one:
Terrance Austin and Glenn Love received praise from realbruinfan at Bruin Gold:
WR Austin looked good. Austin turned Viney and Norris around in circles a couple of times. Austin looks like he has added some muscle and looks quick.Love, Craft, and the O-line were the key topics for so_cal23 at Bruin Gold:
Glen Love looks the best in shorts of any of our DB's. Love looks like he is 4 inches taller than every DB. Love moves well and has plenty of muscle on him. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts over Ware at free safety.
LB Ayers looks good in shorts. Unfortunately I saw linebackers yelling at him repeatedly for lineing up in the wrong spot. It looks like Ayers is still trying to learn the defense.
DB Viney is a mini corner to put it kindly. Viney is very small. He is quick and covers well but I don't see Norris or Viney holding off Rahim moore for the corner spot opposite Verner.
Glen Love is going to be a stud, and D Walk totally loves him. He's 6'4 and is fast. Norris was looking better than he had been and was getting praise repeatedly.Some more about Kevin Craft and Glen Love from Jigs823 at BRO, as well as a note about new WR Taylor Embree:
OL Mike Harris looks like he will also be good, he's a redshirt freshman and is 6'5 315 or so, and was working with the first team. Adam Heater, who was just recently converted to center had problems with exchanges.
Also Craft looked like the real deal. He is much more athletic than Olson is, and he has a better arm and better accuracy than Cowan. I think he can be very good for us.
One Kevin Craft will be a factor in this years QB race. I dont know if he will get it, which i think will ultimately be Ben Olsons to loose, but the coaching staff is definitely giving him an opportunity. Even though no one is "ahead" in the depth chart per say, there was a definite devision as Olson, Cowan, and Craft threw to receivers, and Forcier and Rasshan threw to others way at the other end of the field. Craft has a beautiful arm, it looks pretty, although Ben Olson's deep ball is a think of beauty.
The second thing i noticed it Glenn Love is huge. He, literally stand head and shoulders above the other DB's. I don't know if he is going to stay there or move to LB but i would not want to be the WR running over the middle of the field with him lurking. He is definitely a big kid and the coaching staff was always praising him (Mike Norris was also getting a lot of praise and looked really good; ATV is the veteran of the group, really the coaches leave him alone because he is just that good)
On a small note, Taylor Embree is good. I do not know if he possess the speed to really be a player at UCLA at the WR position, but he runs routes nicely and is a big body. (Ryan Moya seemed to be playing the slot in many formations so i expect him to play the 'Dallas Clark' role)
matsumoto at Bruins Nation had some notes about the running backs along with some details on how the passing game is shaping up:
The running back situation may be okay. Khalil Bell was in gear, catching punts, and looking a lot better than someone coming off a torn ACL 6 months ago. Raymond Carter looks FAST as well; he was out there in the red non-contact jersey but he looked pretty good.I'm expecting big things from Glen Love and it appears that he is already turning heads. We'll see if that continues throughout the spring. It is good to read that Carter and Bell are actively participating in drills and that their recovery from knee surgery hasn't hit any snags. The real tests for them will occur this fall. Of course, with the new offense being installed, I'm anxious to hear any news about how the quarterbacks are looking. Sounds like, from the first day anyways, it's going to take some time for them to settle in, which is not entirely unexpected.All five QBs were rotating evenly throwing some of Chow's basic routes. He started with the WR screen that USC always loved to run, and of all give, the only one who didn't botch a throw was Cowan. Second was the 7-yard curl, and i'd say Olson threw these the best. All five QBs threw pretty good curls but it's hard to mess that up.
Next they threw slants, and all five were mediocre...great. Chow's offenses love the slant, and so we'll need to get this one right quick. Same can be said for the look-in route (5-yards) as the curls: all give QBs threw pretty well.
Finally the go route: Patrick Cowan was all over the place; short, wide, etc. Chris Forcier and Kevin Craft weren't much better. Craft looked rusty, consistently under throwing the receiver. In all honesty, Ossar Rasshan was throwing the best deep balls, with Ben not being too bad. Then we got into what I'm sure is the first half of Chow's 9-10 passing plays. I saw the USC FB Wheel, and a lot of simple plays that attack the cover-two...good stuff.
Since we're rotating 5 QBs until we learn the offense, the tempo was tremendous today. We would have two formations going at once to speed things up.
(photo credit: CSTV)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
2008 Tentative Spring Depth Chart
So the first depth chart is out for the Spring. It is always fun to see these because it gives you a peek into what the coaching staff is thinking about for next season. Everything is tentative, preliminary, blah, blah, blah. But still. Good stuff.
The first thing that jumped right out at me was Darius Savage being listed as the starter at offensive guard. Wow. He was still playing defensive tackle last season on the scout team. That's a huge jump. Obviously coach Palcic sees something he likes in Savage.
Redshirt freshman, Nate Chandler, is listed as the backup TE. It will be interesting to watch that position as Ryan Moya returns from a hiatus away from the team. Steve Sloan and Akeem Ayers are each listed second at middle and weak-side linebacker respectively. Both are also red-shirt freshman and highly ranked coming out of high school. Obviously the coaches see a lot of potential in this trio of young players.
Osaar Rasshan is still listed at QB, but I think he'll be moved to receiver before the fall. The tailback spot will also see some shuffling. With Knox, Dean, Coleman enrolling this fall and Carter and Bell still recovering from injury, this position is wide open.
The only other thing that stood out in the depth chart was Michael Norris fielding kick-off returns. I know he did a bit of that last season along with Verner. I could also see one of the true freshman coming in this Fall getting a crack at that job.
OFFENSE
SE 19 Dominique Johnson (6-3, 208, So.**) (3)
10 Gavin Ketchum (6-5, 209, Jr.**)
2 Ryan Graves (6-1, 167, Sr.**)
82 Taylor Embree (6-4, 195, Fr.)
35 David Martini (6-1, 197, Fr.**)^
PK 15 Kai Forbath (6-0, 197, So.**) (13)
KO 37 Jimmy Rotstein (5-11, 174, Jr.**)^ (13)
P 17 Aaron Perez (6-4, 229, Sr.**) (13)
LS 52 Christian Yount (6-1, 250, So.) (13)
H 17 Aaron Perez (6-4, 229, Sr.**)
PR 4 Terrence Austin (5-10, 160, Jr.)
1 Alterraun Verner (5-11, 176, Jr.)
KOR 22 Michael Norris (5-9, 180, Sr.**)
**indicates utilized redshirt year
^ indicates non-scholarship player
( ) indicates number of games started in 2007
# indicates injured and will not participate in Spring
The first thing that jumped right out at me was Darius Savage being listed as the starter at offensive guard. Wow. He was still playing defensive tackle last season on the scout team. That's a huge jump. Obviously coach Palcic sees something he likes in Savage.
Redshirt freshman, Nate Chandler, is listed as the backup TE. It will be interesting to watch that position as Ryan Moya returns from a hiatus away from the team. Steve Sloan and Akeem Ayers are each listed second at middle and weak-side linebacker respectively. Both are also red-shirt freshman and highly ranked coming out of high school. Obviously the coaches see a lot of potential in this trio of young players.
Osaar Rasshan is still listed at QB, but I think he'll be moved to receiver before the fall. The tailback spot will also see some shuffling. With Knox, Dean, Coleman enrolling this fall and Carter and Bell still recovering from injury, this position is wide open.
The only other thing that stood out in the depth chart was Michael Norris fielding kick-off returns. I know he did a bit of that last season along with Verner. I could also see one of the true freshman coming in this Fall getting a crack at that job.
OFFENSE
SE 19 Dominique Johnson (6-3, 208, So.**) (3)
10 Gavin Ketchum (6-5, 209, Jr.**)
2 Ryan Graves (6-1, 167, Sr.**)
82 Taylor Embree (6-4, 195, Fr.)
35 David Martini (6-1, 197, Fr.**)^
LT 73 Micah Kia (6-6, 298, Jr.) (8)
72 Sean Sheller (6-5, 282, So.**)
LG 77 Darius Savage (6-4, 338, So.**)
69 Brandon Bennett (6-4, 319, So.**)
50 Aaron Meyer (6-1, 296, Sr.**)
C 58 Micah Reed (6-4, 316, Sr.**) (8 at OG)
66 Scott Glicksberg (6-4, 269, Sr.**) (1 at TE)
61 Andy Keane (6-2, 284, So.**)
RG 75 Nick Ekbatani (6-4, 290, Jr.**)
55 Sonny Tevaga (6-3, 337, So.**)
57 Jake Dean (6-4, 286, So.**)
RT 78 Aleksey Lanis (6-5, 316, Jr.**) (6)
65 Mike Harris (6-5, 311, Fr.**)
TE 86 Logan Paulsen (6-6, 252, Sr.) (13)
89 Nate Chandler (6-3, 265, Fr.**)
15 Ryan Moya (6-4, 229, Jr.**)
83 Adam Heater (6-5, 246, Jr.**)
92 Travis Martin (6-3, 242, Sr.**)^
81 Glenn Rauscher (6-3, 223, Fr.**)^
QB 7 Ben Olson (6-4, 235, Sr.**) (5) OR
12 Pat Cowan (6-5, 218, Sr.**) (5)
11 Osaar Rasshan (6-4, 214, Jr.**) (3)
8 Chris Forcier (6-3, 185, Fr.**)
3 Kevin Craft (6-5, 210, Jr.**)
FB 31 Trevor Theriot (6-0, 233, Jr.**) (6)
45 Tobi Umodu (6-0, 235, So.**)
41 Dylan Rush (6-4, 238, So.**)
TB 36 Kahlil Bell (6-0, 206, Sr.) (5) #
20 Raymond Carter (5-11, 202, Fr.**)
42 Chane Moline (6-1, 236, Jr.) (1)
24 Christian Ramirez (6-3, 211, Jr.)
21 Craig Sheppard (6-1, 193, Jr.**)^
24 Ryen Carew (5-10, 214, Jr.**)^
23 Justin Fareed (5-10, 199, So.**)^
FL 9 Marcus Everett (6-1, 212, Sr.**) (1)
4 Terrence Austin (5-10, 160, Jr.)
6 Jamil Turner (6-1, 204, Jr.**)
21 Ben Bruneau (6-0, 204, Fr.**)^
DEFENSE
LE 55 Korey Bosworth (6-1, 235, Jr.**) (3)
47 Chinonso Anyanwu (6-4, 216, Jr.**)
DT 92 Brian Price (6-1, 297, So.) (5)
98 Jeff Miller (6-5, 259, So.**)
52 Jess Ward (6-4, 280, Jr.**)# (6)
51 Nathaniel Skaggs (6-4, 300, Sr.**)
DT 93 Brigham Harwell (6-2, 292, Sr.**) (2)
90 Jerzy Siewierski (6-2, 285, Jr.)
50 Chase Moline (6-2, 252, Sr.)
RE 56 Tom Blake (6-4, 259, Sr.**) (8)
91 Reginald Stokes (6-3, 250, So.**)
85 David Carter (6-5, 257, So.**)
99 Justin Edison (6-3, 244, Fr.**)
SLB 54 Kyle Bosworth (6-1, 222, Sr.) (7)
12 John Hale (6-4, 220, Sr.)
48 Mike Schmitt (6-0, 224, So.**)
MLB 51 Reggie Carter (6-1, 221, Jr.**) (8)
43 Steve Sloan (6-3, 225, Fr.**)
57 Justin Woolbright (6-1, 217, Fr.**)^
59 Michael Lutu (6-1, 233, So.**)^
WLB 53 Joshua Edwards (6-1, 232, Sr.**)
40 Akeem Ayers (6-2, 231, Fr.**)
8 Shawn Oatis (6-0, 225, Jr.**)
LC 22 Michael Norris (5-9, 177, Sr.**) (1)
7 Courtney Viney (5-8, 153, Fr.**)
SS 25 Bret Lockett (6-2, 204, Sr.) (1)
35 Matt Culver (6-2, 201, Sr.**)^
31 Garrett Rubio (5-9, 186, So.**)^
FS 27 Aaron Ware (6-0, 193, Jr.**)
20 Glenn Love (6-4, 207, Fr.**)
32 Michael Ciaccio (6-0, 173, So.**)^
26 Mike Angelo (6-1, 191, Jr.**)^
RC 1 Alterraun Verner (5-11, 176, Jr.) (11)
30 Chris Meadows (5-11, 175, Sr.**)^
PK 15 Kai Forbath (6-0, 197, So.**) (13)
KO 37 Jimmy Rotstein (5-11, 174, Jr.**)^ (13)
P 17 Aaron Perez (6-4, 229, Sr.**) (13)
LS 52 Christian Yount (6-1, 250, So.) (13)
H 17 Aaron Perez (6-4, 229, Sr.**)
PR 4 Terrence Austin (5-10, 160, Jr.)
1 Alterraun Verner (5-11, 176, Jr.)
KOR 22 Michael Norris (5-9, 180, Sr.**)
**indicates utilized redshirt year
^ indicates non-scholarship player
( ) indicates number of games started in 2007
# indicates injured and will not participate in Spring
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Spring Game Details
Here are some details about the spring game from the official UCLA site:
Battle at the Rose Bowl
2008 UCLA Football Spring Game
Presented by Sport Chalet
Saturday, April 26th 7:00pm, Rose Bowl
Spring Game Timeline:
Battle at the Rose Bowl
2008 UCLA Football Spring Game
Presented by Sport Chalet
Saturday, April 26th 7:00pm, Rose Bowl
 | |
| 3:00pm-7:00pm | Tailgating/Parking Opens (Lots: B, D, F, H, I, K, M) |
| Area H Fan Zone Opens | |
| 3:30pm-5:00pm | Lady Bruins Football 101 by Head Coach Rick Neuheisel |
| (Registration required; see below) | |
| 4:30pm-6:30pm | Bruin Kids Club Field Day |
| 6:15pm | Gates A & B Open/ Giveaways Distributed |
| Team warm-ups begin | |
| 7:00pm | Spring Game presented by Sport Chalet Begins |
| Post-Game | "Meet the Bruins" |
UCLA Football debuts the Spring Game presented by Sport Chalet at the Rose Bowl! The Bruins are holding many exciting promotions for fans:
Free Admission: For all UCLA Fans.
Tailgating/Parking: Bruin fans can park for only $10 in designated lots (B, D, F, H, I, K, M).
Fan Appreciation Day: UCLA Football would like to show our gratitude for your support. Vouchers will be distributed upon entrance that can be redeemed for one of thousands of giveaways including Sport Chalet gift cards, Vintage UCLA Football Season Ticket Holder Pins, Crocs Fan Pack, Adidas apparel and much more! (Giveaways available while supplies last; maximum one item per fan).
In-game raffle tickets will also be provided with a food concessions purchase. Raffle items include: $50 restaurant gift cards, Adidas gifts and much more!
Lady Bruins Football 101: All Lady Bruins are invited to the first annual Lady Bruins Football 101 prior to the 2008 Spring Game presented by Sport Chalet at the Rose Bowl. Participants meet with UCLA coaches Rick Neuheisel, Norm Chow, and DeWayne Walker for a class on the strategy, tactics of the game and a demonstration, so bring your tennis shoes ladies! Registration is just $20 and includes a Football 101 t-shirt, Adidas gift and group photo. Football 101 begins at 3:30pm.
Registration is limited to the first 150 Lady Bruins. To sign up today online, click here. (note: participants will receive an itinerary via email one week prior to the event)
 | |
Bruin Kids Club Field Day presented by Mattel Children's Hospital: Hosted by many of your favorite UCLA student-athletes. Games, relay races, activities and hear from new Head Football Coach Rick Neuheisel! Admission is free and participants get autographical item and a Bristol Farms lunch. Kids who join or renew their membership for the 2008-09 Bruin Kids Club Field Day, will receive a special gift courtesy of Mattel Children's Hospital.
Kids age 13 and younger can report to Area H at 4:00pm to register for Field Day.
Area H Fan Zone: Fans can enjoy fun family activities beginning before the game in Area H of the Rose Bowl. Activities include: food vendors such as Carl's Jr., AM1330 ESPN Deportes live remote & giveaways and the UCLA Store selling your favorite Bruin merchandise.
Roster Card Giveaway: Get your free updated 2008 Spring Roster at Gates A & B.
2008 UCLA Football Ticket Sales: Place an order for a pair of new 2008 UCLA Football season tickets at the Spring Game presented by Sport Chalet and receive a complimentary Be My Guest Card ($50 value courtesy of American Express; while supplies last) valid at all restaurants that accept American Express.
Concourse Displays
- Sign up for Bruin Locker Room - An email service for all true Bruin fans. Receive email updates on your favorite teams, special ticket discounts and much more.
- Posters - Pick up schedule posters about 2008 UCLA Spring Teams
- UCLA Store- Selling your favorite Bruin merchandise
- Bruin Kids Club Table - The UCLA Bruin Kids Club presented by Mattel Children's Hospital is an exclusive membership club for kids ages 13 and younger.
- Wooden Athletic Fund - Join the Wooden Athletic Fund and continue the Tradition of Excellence. For as little as $100 stay connected to UCLA Athletics.
- 2008 Football Spring Prospectus - On sale for just $20 while supplies last!
- Sponsors - Welks Resort, CSD Framing, Bank of America, Fox Sports Net
UCLA Students: Buses are available for just $5. Purchase your bus ticket at the Central Ticket Office (M-F, 10am - 4pm) between Monday, April 14 and Thursday, April 24.
UCLA Spirit: UCLA Band, Cheerleaders and Yell Crew will be on hand to provide an exciting atmosphere. Be ready to 8-Clap Bruin fans!
Meet the Bruins: After the game fans will hear from new Head Coach Rick Neuheisel and can take to the field to get autographs and photographs (cameras not provided) from your favorite players.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
