by Ross Coleman - Contributing Editor
December 2, 2009 00:53
After a month of Swine Flu and the Bruins going 3-1, I am back and better than ever.
Well if you don't count the expletive laced tirade I went on after Pete Carroll showed the kind of class that he teaches at South Central U.
Aside from the fact that the Bruins may get a bowl bid, there is really nothing left to do but thank the seniors for going through the wilderness time of Bruin football and look ahead to next year.
From the looks of everything the defense will be going through a bit of a transition. The defensive line looses a lot of depth and talent. Korey Bosworth, Jess Ward, and Jerzy Siewierski all graduate. Add to that list the best player on the UCLA roster this year Brian Price, who is expected to leave early to enter the NFL draft. That is a big hit to absorb for a unit that was really starting to gel at the end of the season.
The front four next year is difficult to predict because a lot of recruiting power is going towards bringing in guys that could fill those holes. Word is Coach Rick Neuheisel is looking to bring in eight defensive line recruits. That is four more than they have committed right now. But the players that are still uncommitted are all players that could potentially come in and start right away.
At defensive end the Bruins return season long starter Datone Jones. Jones had a somewhat disappointing season, I had high expectations for him. But another year and another offseason of weights will only help. On the other side the Bruins could put out a number of guys. Freshman Keenan Graham redshirted this year and was awarded scout team MVP. He is believed to be the best young pass rusher on the roster. He is quick off the snap and could end up being a similar player to Bruce Davis. The other options are Damien Holmes who played well this year and showed that he is a real high motor guy,Itua Tepa who was forced in to playing this year because Graham broke his jaw and sat out, or JC transfer Marquis Jackson who was unblockable last year playing for College of the Canyons.
Defensive tackle is a mess if Brian Price doesn't come back. The only player returning who got significant playing time is David Carter who has seemed to finally hit his stride. The only hope is that the Bruins can bring in a guy like George Uko from Chino, CA. Uko is ready to play at the major college level and he appears to be high on the Bruins wish list. Hopefully Neuheisel can work some magic and get him to sign on the dotted line in February.
Linebacker is the other question mark for the defense. The Bruins lose Kyle Bosworth and team leader Reggie Carter. I am really sad to see Reggie go, ever since the 13-9 game against USC in 2006 he has been my favorite Bruin by a longshot. He will be greatly missed as the heart and soul of this defense. The bright spot of the linebacking group is that Akeem Ayers seems to have really figured out what he does best and he is doing it. He is going to be the next star at linebacker for the Bruins, I just hope that the coaching staff finds two more linebackers to play alongside Akeem.
It looks like middle linebacker is going to be a battle between Steve Sloan who played a lot last year because of injury but played very little this year, Patrick Larrimore who has made a name on special teams, and freshman Todd Golper has all the skills and brains to be the next quarterback of the defense. Outside linebacker is really where the depth chart looks thin. My hope is that one of the freshmen recruits can come in and play immediately to help shore up a position of need.
The secondary will be the strength of the defense for the foreseeable future. With Alterraun Verner graduating, the Bruins do lose an all-American leader at cornerback, but they also have a lot of talent that was playing around him. Hopefully Aaron Hester will use the disappointment of an injury plagued season to come back next year with a chip on his shoulder and ready to put on a show. Sheldon Price struggled this year as a freshman who was not ready to play, but that experience will be huge next year. Andrew Abbot showed his value as anickleback and someone who can help in run support. Courtney Viney showed that he plays a lot bigger than his 5-7 frame. There isn't much to be said about Rahim Moore that hasn't been said. He led the NCAA in interceptions as a sophomore. If he is able to add some weight and help more in the running game he will be one of the greats. Strong safety seems to be one of the only question marks in the secondary. It will be interesting to see who comes away with that job.
The offensive side of the ball should remain unchanged for the most part.
Kevin Prince showed flashes of brilliance, but he also showed that he can be injury prone. Hopefully some added weight and learning to slide feet first will help solve those injury questions. Also I wouldn't count out Richard Brehaut. Yes he struggled this year, but he was also a true freshman playing in his first college situations. I think Brehaut will bounce back and its possible that he could end up taking the starting job from Prince. But I will say that I like what Prince can do. It seems like he ready my article from after the Arizona game to light a fire under him. Hey Kevin, happy to help.
The running back position appears to have been mishandled a bit this year. I like Jonathan Franklin but his fumbles have to stop. Watching him carry the ball is like watching a slasher movie, I know something terrible is going to happen and I am terrified to watch for when it does. But I think that a year of working on ball placement and getting stronger will help him to be a better back next year. I thought Milton Knox should have gotten more carries, even if it was just out of theOso Loco formation (or the Wildcat for those that haven't heard of this moniker). He seemed to be the most complete of the runningbacks and I wish he had gotten the ball more. The position does appear to get more crowded with the addition of Malcolm Jones and Jordan James. Jones is a big beast of a back who can be relied on to carry the ball 30 times a game. James is the scat back that provides a good change of pace to Jones. I am not sure how the addition of these two changes the depth chart, but I am glad that they are on the roster.
The pass catchers on the team are by far the most talented group and they will get better next year. The loss of Terrence Austin is not very big when you consider that they add Josh Smith, the transfer from Colorado. Smith is almost like Austin version 2.0. He is faster, stronger, and more elusive, while still doing the same kinds of things. He is going to step in right away and be aplaymaker next year. Taylor Embree and Nelson Rosario both showed that they can be reliable players catching the ball. I just hope that Rosario's terrible game against SC doesn't have a negative effect on him going forward. Add into the mix an older and wiser Randall Carroll and a bigger and stronger Morrell Presley and we are looking at some weapons and mismatches to play with.
Now for the best news. The offensive line brings everyone back. Everyone. The only possible hiccup is that Xavier Su'a-Filo may take his Mormon mission, but apparently he is leaning towards putting it off. Throw in the fact that Stanley Hasiak is doing well and will be trying to get a redshirt for this past year, and there is a lot to look forward to from this line for next year.
I will say that the best thing about this year has been the fact that everyone gained experience. Looking at the two deep lineup from the USC game 28 players who are either freshman or sophomores crack the top two. That is going to be a huge plus going forward for the coaching staff.
Speaking of the coaching staff, there was some speculation that this would be Offensive Coordinator Norm Chow's last season in Westwood. That the tension between him and Neuheisel was too much to overcome. I am hearing that the tension was way overblown and that Chow likes being in Westwood. He also wants to see the turnaround of the UCLA program through to completion. So he should be in Blue and Gold for at least another two years.
Only 277 more days until we see if the offseason helped the young Bruins to improve.