With the season a little over a week away it is time to do some previewing. This week we will start with the offense and then move on to the defense and special teams next week.

Overview:
Last season saw UCLA struggle mightily on offense. Kevin Craft threw a school record 20 interceptions. The running game failed to produce a hundred yard rusher in any game last year. The offensive line was in a word atrocious. Although there was talent at the receiver position, because of the rest of the offensive weaknesses, they failed to make much of a difference.



A year and a top 15 recruiting class later brings some weapons to the ever dangerous Norm Chows arsenal. With many position battles ongoing and an infusion of speed and strength the team will be markedly better than the team that ranked 116 out of 119 teams in rushing, 73 in passing offense, 111 in total offense, and 110 in scoring offense.

Quarterback:
The starting quarterback this year is not Kevin Craft. That right there is reason enough to be excited for the season. Craft had an awful season last year, but it was not all his fault. Redshirt freshman Kevin Prince was given every opportunity this spring to win the starting quarterback job and that is just what he did, beating out Craft, a senior, and freshman Richard Brehaut, who enrolled early to compete for the job. Despite having a less than stellar spring, Prince was tabbed the starter and since the end of spring practice has done everything in his power to get better.



This season will be an up and down year for Prince. He has shown the ability to make all of the thrown necessary to be a fantastic quarterback, but he has also shown that he can get rattled under pressure. Going against the defense that he did all spring makes it understandable, but against the front seven of someone like USC it could be a little troubling.

Despite only being a redshirt freshman, I think Prince will be a capable game manager if the offensive line gives him some time. He does not suffer the same affliction Craft does when it comes to turning the ball over but he is still young and will need time to mature.

Runningbacks:
The big news this week was that redshirt freshman Jonathan Franklin has taken over as the number one back on the depth chart, leaping both junior Christian Ramirez and sophomore Derrick Coleman. I am excited to see Franklin this year. He is a speedy back that has shown the ability to break tackles and has enough breakaway speed to be a homerun threat for the Bruins.



Coleman will also be a big part of the running game this year. At 230 pounds and 4.5 40 speed, he is the rare combination of size and speed UCLA hasn't had since the days of Skip Hicks and DeShaun Foster. Coleman and Franklin could be a solid combo for the Bruins for the next few years. Dare I say a poor mans Reggie Bush and Lendale White combo that Norm Chow had at USC.



The two relative unknown backs that will also look for carries this year are redshirt freshman Milton Knox and true freshman Damien Thigpen. Knox is a small, shifty back in the mold of Maurice Jones- Drew. Knox does not have the same speed Jones-Drew had but when he runs with a purpose it is difficult to keep him out of the lineup. Thigpen is the burner. He has speed that UCLA has never really had. Thigpen ran a 4.28 40 this spring for the Bruins. It is likely that Thigpen will not redshirt and will instead lineup all over the place, kick return, wide receiver, and running back. Thigpen also had a legendary ability to block kicks in high school.





Wide receiver:
The wide receiver group the Bruins have puts them near the top of the Pac-10 as far as depth and skill. Senior Terrance Austin returns after breaking the record for all-purpose yards a season ago. Austin will again be relied upon to provide leadership to the offense and to a relatively young group of pass catchers. Lining up on the other side from Austin is Taylor Embree who set freshman school receiving records for yards and receptions a year ago. Embree is a year older and stronger. His route running ability is great and he catches everything thrown at him. Look for Prince to rely heavily of Embree this year.





Gavin Ketchum brings more senior leadership to the receivers and a huge target in the redzone. If Nelson Rosario can put together a consistent effort in his sophomore season, the Bruins will have a huge target with great leaping ability. Rosario can look like the best player on the field one play then the worst the next.



The two true freshmen coach Rick Neuheisel brought in should provide some depth and excitement to the receiving corps for the next few years. Randall Carroll ran the fastest 100 yard dash in California in the past 30 years as a senior last year. His hands are improving and if he sees the field he gives Prince a deep threat in the same mold as Freddie Mitchell. The only difference is that Carroll can run better routes than Mitchell could. The other freshman is Ricky Marvray. Marvray showed this fall that he is mature beyond his years. He is a fantastic route runner and catches everything thrown at him. He will be a sure handed target for a long time. Marvray is likely to redshirt this year unless injuries bring him off the scout team.



Tight Ends:
I am going to go out on a limb and say that the Bruins have the best tight end group in the nation. Seniors Logan Paulsen and Ryan Moya compliment each other well. Paulsen is the bigger guy, creates more mismatches, and is a load to bring down. Moya is the faster, more agile and better pass catcher.





There three other guys looking to make an impact as tight ends this year. Sophomore Cory Harkey who provides a solid combo of pass catching and blocking ability. Redshirt sophomore Nate Chandler has changed from tight end to tackle more times than a super model with an eating problem. But Chandler has found a home at tight end and has shown soft enough hands to be a threat in the passing game. True freshman Morrell Presley is the x factor. Not really a tight end, not really a wide receiver, but a threat either way. Presley will be a factor from day one. His size and speed combo is comparable to Marcedes Lewis but he just isn't the same size. If Presley can catch the ball consistently he is an All-American in the making.





Offensive line:
The biggest question mark at UCLA in a long time. The starting lineup has been set though. The problem is the lack of experience. At left tackle, protecting Prince's blindside, is true freshman Xavier Su'a-Filo. Su'a-Filo was a signing day gift. The coaching staff hoped that he could come in a start from day one and he hasn't disappointed. Hopefully he will show that he is strong enough to stand up to Pac-10 defenses.



At left guard fellow freshman Stan Hasiak will be helping Su'a-Filo hold down the left side of the line. Hasiak is already one of the strongest linemen at UCLA and has shown his mean streak. Hasiak and S'ua-Filo are the future of the UCLA line, if they are as good as advertised, Neuheisel can look forward to a long career at UCLA.



At center, the Bruins found a good one in redshirt sophomore Kai Maiava. Maiava was a freshman all-American at Colorado before transferring to UCLA when CU tried to turn him into a fullback. Maiava will be a solid player and a huge upgrade from a year ago.



At right guard junior college transfer Eddie Williams takes over for Nick Ekbatani who was the only player to start all 12 games on the line last year. It really speaks volume to the fact that Ekbatani was one of the best linemen last year and will not be starting this year. Williams is big body with quick feet. He has also shown a mean streak and will hopefully add some strength to the line this year.

At right tackle sophomore Jeff Baca is the only player to start at all last year to return to the starting line this year. Baca did a decent job playing both guard and tackle a year ago. The thought is that he will move inside and take over for Williams once he graduates but if he continues to flourish at tackle is seems that he has a good chance to stick there.



In the end, the offensive line will be much better this year. The freshmen may provide some headaches but next year it will be comforting to know that they have experience. The line is very young but that just means that they will be together longer.

Verdict:
The Bruins will be better this year on offense. Now better may still not be all that great but I think they will rank in the top 50 in most categories. The biggest thing that we should be looking for this year from the Bruins offense is a better time of possession and better yards per carry by the running backs. If those two things happen then the team will be successful.

Yesterday marked the end of training camp for the Bruins. Between now and the September 5 opener the main focus of the team will be San Diego State. This also means that practices are no longer open to the public and information will be hard to come by.

But for now let us take a look back at the scrimmage this past weekend and what it means for the team going forward.

Saturday at Drake Stadium the Bruins had their fall scrimmage. Some good things happened and some bad things happened. So lets start with the good.

The Good

Johnathan Franklin - Everyone, let me introduce you to Jet Ski. Franklin, a redshirt freshman, showed his homerun hitting ability breaking a 60 yard touchdown run. Franklin gained 99 yards on only six carries and one touchdown.



Damien Thigpen - The true freshman is being nicknamed Blur due to his blazing 4.28 speed. Thigpen returned a kickoff 61 yards for a touchdown, a punt 70 yards for a touchdown and gained 41 yards on seven carries.



Rahim Moore - Moore showed that starting last season as a freshman was a good plan. He intercepted a Kevin Prince pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown. Moore should bring more maturity to the secondary.



Jeff Locke - The redshirt freshman filled in for a sore All-American Kai Forbath by kicking three field goals. Locke sent in kicks from 53, 23 and 35 yards. The one downside was a missed extra point.

Courtney Viney - Although the nickname Tiny Viney can be a downside when playing on defense, it can come in handy when the redshirt sophomore is returning punts. Because of his diminutive size he can be hard to find behind blockers. Viney proved this by returning a punt 94 yards for a touchdown.



The Bad

Quarterbacks - Prince, Richard Brehaut, Kevin Craft, Nick Crissman, and walk-on Ted Landers were a combined 16 of 34 for 184 yards two touchdowns (Crissman passing and Prince running) and one interception (Prince). Although the poor numbers Coach Rick Neuheisel said that after watching the tape Prince was better than originally thought.



The Top Two Running Backs - Christian Ramirez and Derrick Coleman both finished with negative yards rushing and Ramirez only played one series because he sprained his ankle. After the scrimmage the ankle injury was thought to be nothing too big, but Ramirez was on crutches and in a walking boot at practice on Monday.



Kick Coverage - On the other side of the coin from the great returns by Thigpen and Viney, the kick coverage on all of those plays was atrocious. No matter how electrifying return men are, they should not get that much room on returns.

Injuries - The two main injuries from the scrimmage were Ramirez ankle and freshman defensive end Keenan Graham suffered a broken jaw and will be out for an unspecified amount of time.

Freshmen Receivers - Ricky Marvray, Randall Carroll, and Morrell Presley combined for zero catches despite Carroll starting and Marvray and Presley getting plenty of plays.



Later this week I will be breaking down the team outlook for the rest of the season.

Quicknotes: Senior guard Micah Kia suffered a torn ACL last week in practice. Kia had taken a leadership role on the offensive line and was thought to platoon the left guard position with freshman Stan Hasiak. Kia will use his redhsirt season and sit out this year... The starting offensive line has been set at left tackle freshman Xavier Su'a Filo, left guard freshman Hasiak, center redshirt sophomore Kai Maiava, right guard junior Eddie Williams, and right tackle Jeff Baca. Baca is the only starter to play for the Bruins last year... The Bosworth twins Korey and Kyle have missed the last few days of practice due to an illness in the family.



One final thing to get people excited. I thought this link was great and reminds me of better times in the past and hopeful for better times starting this season.

Go Bruins.

Yesterday, I was able to attend my first practice of fall camp and I am impressed with how quickly and how far this team has progressed from spring camp.

In the spring the quarterbacks where still trying to get a relationship with the recievers. The offensive line was still losing the battle with the defense. The recievers were still unable to gain separation. And the running game was going nowhere.

However, things have changed since March. Kevin Prince looked like he was getting ready to put his name among the greats at UCLA. His command of the offense was supurb. He showed the arm strength to make any throw. He showed some mobility. And he showed poise.



The reason why Prince was able to showcase his talent was due in large part to the offensive line providing the quarterback time to look through his progression. Although there were a few times when the pressure created a virtual sack, it was not every single play, like it was in spring ball.

The left side of the line, which is manned by the two freshmen Xavier Su'a-Filo and Stan Hasiak, did a great job of opening running lanes for the running backs. Christian Ramirez, who has been pegged as the starting running back, sat out practice with a hamstring problem. Sophomore Derrick Coleman took a majority of the reps with redshirt freshman Johnathan Franklin as his primary back up. I think these two young backs compliment each other very well. Coleman is the big back with a solid burst of speed and Franklin is the speed back capable of breaking the long run. They could end up being the UCLA version of Lendale White and Reggie Bush.



All fall we have heard little about Randall Carroll, aside from him having blazing speed. He has been fighting injuries and had sit out a few practices. Yesterday was his coming out party. During the 1-v-1 passing drill, Carroll showcased his route running ability and his pass catching ability. Most times that conrners covered the speedy Carroll, they were so afraid of getting beat deep that they would give up huge separation on the shorter routes. The best 1-v-1 battle came between Carroll and Alterraun Verner. Verner, to that point, was dominant in the 1-v-1 battles. Rarely do you see a mismatch in favor of the defense, but Verner was one. However, Carroll got a step on Verner during a deep corner and and beat Verner to the ball. Not only did he make a great catch but he also dragged Verner into the endzone.



I also must make mention of my new favorite Bruin, Ricky Marvray. This kid is going to be something special. He reminds me a lot of Wes Welker for the New England Patriots. He is not very tall and not very fast but he makes up for it with outstanding route running and pass catching abilities. The only ball that he missed was an overthrown ball that ended up in the hands of a small child spectator. Marvray waited patiently for the kid to throw back the ball and was very encouraging of the small boy. Any females in the crowd were won over immediatly.



While the offense appears to be making strides to being a productive unit of this football team. The defense was only doing some fine tuning. During one sequence the linebackers and defensive backs were working on their zone reads during crossing routes. Good communication between the players led to a solid drill. Later the linebackers where working on blitzes going arond defensive linemen. It was fasinating to see how professional looking the defense was. They are going to remain as one of the best defenses in the conference.



During the special teams portion of practice it is apparent that this is going to be the weakness of the team. The coverage team got beat time and time again by long returns. Sophomore Courtney Viney looked good returning kicks. Because of his small stature he was hard to locate by the coverage team and was able to get down field before people knew where he was. There also appeared to be a rather heated argument between redshirt freshman punter Jeff Locke who wanted to kick live and special teams coach Frank Ganz who was in favor of using the Juggs machine.

Durring the 11-v-11 drills the offense worked on screen plays. Some worked and some were thrown terrifingly into traffic. The hit of the day was supplied by sophomore Datone Jones, who looked bigger and faster. The offense ran a counter running play with Derrick Coleman. Jones took one step up field and then cut through a hole in the line and laid the wood to Coleman, knocking the 230 pound running back about three yards backwards and down. It was an impressive explosion and hopefully one that we will see for years to come.

Towards the end of practice, the teams ran 11-v-11 third down sitiational plays using the first down markers. The offense did a great job converting a majority of them. Sophomore Tony Dye did get a good hit on Chane Moline in the openfeild to prevent one first down, but it appeared Dye got the worse of the hit and came up a little woozy.

Practice ended with the team doing some extra running because of puncuality. Although it was unclear who was the guilty party, coach Rick Neuheisel made it clear that if this team is going to make any strides to being a great program, this was something that would not go unpunished and should never happen again.

Quicknotes: Reggie Stokes will have surgury to repair torn cartalige in his knee. He will miss at least half of the season... Josh Smith, the transfer from Colorado, will sign his scholarship papers this week and will begin practicing with the team once school starts... Track star Coleman Edmund will also start practicing with the team once school starts... Fall scrimmage is Saturday at Drake Stadium at 5:00 p.m.

This past week was the first for UCLA fall camp. While there were ups and downs on both sides of the ball, the Bruins showed something that they haven't shown in some time: promise.

This week started with the NCAA mandated acclimation period where there are no two a days allowed for the first week and no pads allowed for the first five days. But as of Saturday UCLA has been in full pads and practicing twice a day every other day (another NCAA rule preventing two practices two days in a row).

While the defense still appears to be winning the war against the offense, surprisingly enough, the offense is winning some wars. The first string offensive, freshman Xavier Su'a-Filo at left tackle, freshman Stan Hasiak at left guard, sophomore Kai Maiava at center, junior college transfer Eddie Williams at right guard, and sophomore and only returning starter Jeff Baca at right tackle, line has stayed the same most of the week. They also have been doing an outstanding job protecting the quarterback and opening running lanes for the running backs, when you compare them with last year.




Quarterback Kevin Prince has appeared to make huge strides since the spring. He has taken on a leadership role for the offense and shown flashes of being one of the all time great quarterbacks for the Bruins. Now if he can translate that to game success and cut down on team turnovers, then UCLA should be a big surprise this season.



The running game seems to have turned a corner with the help of a talented offensive line. Although junior Christian Ramirez has been named the starter, sophomore Derrick Coleman has transformed himself into a force in the running game. At 6-feet 230 pounds and running a 4.5 40 yard dash, Coleman is a rare combination of size and speed that will be carrying the load much of the season for the Bruins. Redshirt freshmen Milton Knox and Jonathan Franklin have both had good moments but also need to be more consistent. Freshman Damien Thigpen has been making a case for no redshirt year by using his speed to stretch the field.

At wide receiver the biggest surprise has been the play of freshman Ricky Marvray. Marvray has come in and played like a veteran from day one. His routes are run smoothly and correctly, he catches everything, and has shown more speed than he was thought to have coming in. It seems that Marvray will not Redshirt this year and will see the field plenty.

On the defensive side everything is what you would expect. Brian Price is showing just what an all-American defensive linemen looks like. Datone Jones is quickly becoming the Bruins best young defensive linemen. Reggie Carter is doing what he does best, fill holes. Alterraun Verner is doing his best to show the younger defensive backs how it's done. And Aaron Hester is doing his best Alterraun Verner impersonation.







The only starting spot still up for competition on defense is the strong safety spot where sophomore Tony Dye and redshirt sophomore Glenn Love are battling it out. Dye's knock is that he is so versatile that he would almost be a better back up and nickle corner at this point. Love's knock is that he is still very inconsistent in pass coverage and plays like a much smaller player, not at all what you want from a 6-4 player.

Two a days continue all this week, culminating with a full team scrimmage this Saturday evening at Drake Stadium.



Quicknotes: Injuries to defensive tackle Jess Ward (sprained MCL out 2-3 weeks) and defensive end Reggie Stokes (torn cartilage out indefinitely) has forced the coaching staff to move some offensive linemen to defence. Junior tackle Sean Sheller is now lining up at defensive tackle and redshirt freshman tackle Connor Bradford is now lining up at defensive end... Also among the injured are senior offensive guard Nick Ekbatani (sprained MCL out 4-6 weeks)... Freshman Nik Abele, who started his young Bruin career at defensive end has been moved to offensive tackle where offensive line coach Bob Palcic begged coach Rick Neuheisel to keep Abele... Freshman fullback Jayson Allmound is making a case for no redshirt year.

Sidenote: I will be attending practice today and will have a full practice write up tomorrow.

Yesterday was the start of the 2009 UCLA Football Season. After an opening Media Day, fall practice officially began.


Coach Neuhisel roaming the sidelines

Coach Neuheisel decided on a split squad approach to the first week of camp. The first group of practices will be split, the early practice will be the first and third strings, late practice will be second and fourth strings, with the entire team meeting in the middle for special teams. This set up allows for more reps for each player and allows the coaching staff to really see what they have in the incoming freshmen.


Freshmen Randall Carroll running after a catch.

Speaking of incoming freshman, the two most important recruits coming in are without a doubt the offensive linemen Xavier Su'a-Filo and Stan Hasiak. Well, at the start of practice yesterday both Su'a-Filo and Hasiak where running with the first team offensive line. Su'a-Filo at left tackle and Hasiak at right guard. Neuheisel cautioned against putting too much stock in the move, saying that they just wanted to see what those two could do. I for one think that they will be a fixture from day one.

Kevin Prince seemed to have a fairly good day, nothing too surprising. Prince seems to have really seized his opportunity to be the starting quarterback and used it to become a very strong leader for the offense that is in need of leaders.


Kevin Prince shows his ability to throw the deep ball.

Freshman Richard Brehaut apparently had the best day as far as completing passes goes, but Neuheisel was not overly impressed with any of the quarterbacks. But he also admitted to being a very harsh critic. Redshirt freshman Nick Crissman threw the ball in practice yesterday for the first time since last year. Crissman underwent surgery on his shoulder and went through a very tough rehab process to get himself ready for this season. He is an interesting prospect to watch over the next few years.


Richard Brehaut leads the second team offense during the late practice.

Nick Crissman getting his first reps since last year.

The running game will be lead by redshirt junior Christian Ramirez, but during his press conference, Neuheisel said that sophomore Derrick Coleman has made probably the biggest jump this offseason. He weights 230 punds and has less than five percent body fat. He also ran a sub 4.5 40 yard dash during the offseason. For someone that big to run that fast, I am sure glad he is in blue and gold.


Derrick Coleman running individual drills.

The other big news to come out of the press conference was that for the November 11 matchup with Washington, the Bruins will, for the first time in their history, wear throw back jerseys. The jerseys will be from the Beban era of UCLA football and Gary Beban himself will be the honorary captain for the game.

Quickhitters: No injuries were reported for the first day... Freshman Dalton Hilliard was held out of practice, but did individual drills after having a knee scope three weeks ago... Senior defensive end Chinonso Anyanwu will be sidelined for a while after undergoing hip surgery... Incoming JC transfer Eddie Williams had to clear up a paperwork problem, but was admitted just in time for the second practice... Freshman fullback JaysonAllmond missed practice today due to a paperwork problem, he should be practicing by the end of the week... The first day in pads will be Fridaythe 14th.

Sidenote: I will be attending practice one day next week so look forward to two posts next week!