First off, what’s been up in LA?
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Or, hmmm…..is the Pete-Carroll-to-Seattle-and-USC-is-now-dead talk just overblown? Or were things already headed that way anyway? At least according to Neuheisel, it was in fact starting to change, whether Pete Carroll was in the house or not:
Asked how the situation had changed, Neuheisel said, “It remains to be seen. I felt like the landscape was changing anyway, in the reception UCLA was getting in homes. There are those still entrenched with the Trojans and those entrenched with the Bruins and a whole bunch in between.”
Time is going to tell how this all unfolds, but it will be fascinating to watch from up here in the great Northwest. And if you believe the recruiting rankings, Neuheisel is right on one very big change – the Bruins have been reeling in some SUPERSTAR talent the last few years. UCLA’s recruiting has been hot since Neuheisel took over, and yes, that was when Pete Carroll was still in place at SC. Check it out:
2007: Scout.com ranking was 36th, Karl Dorrell’s last full recruiting class. USC would finish number two in the country, number one in the PAC-10.
2009: For the first time since, well, what seems like forever, UCLA actually finishes ahead of USC in the recruting rankings, with the 5th ranked class in the country and number one in the PAC-10. USC finishes second, and 10th in the nation overall.
2010: In a bit of a surprise, USC actually moves back ahead of UCLA, even with the Pete Carroll news, as Lane Kiffin keeps things together with the 5th ranked class in the country. However, UCLA is right there, at number eight, and again, second in the conference.
So there you have it. Since Neuheisel arrived, the WORST recruiting ranking they have had was #10 in the country, and that was his first-ever class at UCLA. As fans and experts like to say, often times it ain’t the X’s and O’s, but games are won and lost more-so on the Jimmie’s and Joe’s. There is no denying it, UCLA’s Jimmie’s and Joe’s are trending upward in a big way.
2009: 7-6, and just 3-6 in the PAC-10. But it was as see-saw as you can get in that 7-6 record. They would start the year at 3-0, including a feel-good win at Tennessee in week two when everyone in the world thought Lane Kiffin’s Vols would nab some revenge for losing the 2008 opener out in LA. But then things changed in a hurry, and the Bruins endured a dreadful 5-game skid, losing all games in October while injuries and youth took it’s toll on the offense. But when all seemed lost, they righted the ship and closed strong.
UCLA won four of their last five, including the Eagle Bank Bowl, a come-from-behind 30-21 win over Temple.
The Bruin defense would dominate WSU, as the Cougs could muster just 181 total yards and only seven first downs on the day behind backup QB’s Marshall Lobbestael and Kevin Lopina. Kevin Prince would play his best game as a Bruin, as the frosh QB completed 27-of-40 for 314 yards and a TD in an efficient, effective performance. Oh yeah, he added a ridiculous 68-yard TD run, where he scampered through the Coug defense and into the endzone, opening up a 21-0 second quarter lead. Overall, the Bruins would run up 556 yards of total offense, including 232 yards on the ground, in one of their most impressive, balanced offensive showings of 2009.
UCLA FANS ARE: Pleased with the progress, but ready for another step. Neuheisel’s first couple of years haven’t been all that wonderful on the field, as so far he’s sub-.500 with an 11-14 record. And included in those first few seasons were some dreadful lows, including a 2008 loss to BYU (59-0), which was UCLA’s worst defeat since 1929. But with the strong recruiting classes off the field, and with a great close to the 2009 season, including the bowl game victory, AND with some of that turmoil across town at SC? There is hope and optimism throughout Bruin-land right now. And that’s even without knowing the NCAA punishment that will likely be doled out to SC, perhaps as early as this week! The outlook could get a lot brighter, in a hurry, in Westwood.
OFFENSIVE SYSTEM: Norm Chow is still the leader of the offense, as UCLA was able to hold on to the offensive guru, despite overtures from USC. With Chow, you always think that traditional USC offense, with a pro-set/west coast offense attack. But there has been some tinkering with the O down in LA, as for the first time the Bruins experimented with adding the “pistol” offense to their system. If you are unfamiliar with the pistol, well, think Nevada Wolfpack, where they have the QB in that weird position behind the center, just four or so yards in a semi-shotgun formation, like this:
However, one of the key ingredients to make the offense do it’s thing in this formation is having a QB who can move. Kevin Prince, the current starter, is a good athlete, but is more of your traditional, drop-back QB vs. a guy like Jake Locker or one of the Oregon QB’s. At the end of spring, UCLA was not exactly committed to running this offense, but they at least have it in their back pocket heading into fall camp.
’09 OFFENSIVE RANKINGS: The Bruins rated the #88 offense in the country last year, totaling 337.4 yards per game in total offense. While they were 52nd in the country in passing, at 222.8 yards per game, the running game was way down, finishing 97th in the nation with 114.6 yards per game.
’09 RETURNING OFFENSIVE STARTERS: By most accounts, seven starters return on offense.
TOP RETURNING OFFENSIVE PLAYER: This wasn’t a slam-dunk pick, as there is some decent, young talent returning in ’10. Both leading rushers are back (Johnathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman), as well as the top two pass-catchers (Taylor Embree and Nelson Rosario). And one could even make the argument that kicker Kai Forbath is not just the best offensive threat on UCLA, but is an All-American pretty much everywhere you look! But when it’s all said and done, let’s go with the trigger man on offense, the rising sophomore-to-be, Kevin Prince.
The 6-2, 229-lb frosh QB played pretty well in ’09, where he threw for 2,050 yards and eight TD’s last season. He had the second-best frosh QB season ever at UCLA in terms of yards, TD’s and completions, second only to Tommy Maddox all-time in the Bruin record books. And he’s got the tools, regarded as the best athlete at the position on the team, rushing for 179 yards last season, as well as the strongest and most accurate arm. But as true frosh typically go, he had his ups-and-downs last year. Three times he threw for over 300 yards in a game, which was great. But he also had some head-scratchers in there as well, where he was wildly inconsistent. Overall he completed 56.2% of his passes last year, and was only sacked 17 times on the season, which really isn’t too bad.
But it has to be said – durability is already a concern in regards to Prince, as he missed time with a broken jaw vs. Tennessee, came out of the Washington game after a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet hit, and suffered a sprained right shoulder vs. USC. And this whole injury concern deal even goes back to his senior year in high school, where he missed some time due to a knee injury. If UCLA wants to take a step forward in improving that #88 offense in the nation, no doubt, protecting Prince has to be goal #1 heading into fall camp.
DEFENSIVE SCHEME: The Bruins roll with your traditional 4-3 defense, but aren’t afraid to bring the noise with pressure under defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough.
RETURNING DEFENSIVE STARTERS: The Bruins have lost some good ones from last year’s D, including Brian Price, the defensive player on the year in the conference. Overall they return five starters total, as six from ’09 have moved on.
’09 DEFENSIVE RANKINGS: UCLA had one of the better defenses in the PAC-10 last year, finishing fourth in total defense at 334 yards per game. They weren’t great against the run, giving up 142.8 yards per game on the ground, or 59th in the country. But they were much better vs. the pass, allowing 191.2 yards per game, good for second in the conference and 28th in the country.
TOP RETURNING DEFENSIVE PLAYER: Even with the losses off the ’09 D, there are still some very good players coming back. But the best of them all is, without a doubt, safety Rahim Moore.
TOP THREE POST-SPRING PRACTICE QUESTIONS:
1) WHAT UP WITH THE RUNNING BACKS? Even though starting running back Jonathan Franklin, as well as short-yardage workhorse Derrick Coleman are both back next year, the running game was a mystery overall in ’09 (again, just the 97th ranked rushing attack in the nation last year). The good news is that help is on the way, and there should be serious competition for touches in the backfield this year. Some big-time frosh are coming in, ready to compete for playing time in ’10. Malcolm Jones in particular has ’em fired up, as the last year’s Gatorade National Player of the Year comes to town with a real shot at contributing, early and often.
The Bruins have to find some answers in the running game to take the heat off Kevin Prince, no if’s, and’s or but’s about it! But the running game can only improve if the offensive line does their thing, which leads to…..
2) THE OFFENSIVE LINE, EH? While things sound wonderful on paper, as four starters return from UCLA’s offensive line, well, if you dig a little deeper there are some concerns. Now there was some improvement up front last year, but it’s hard to not get better after UCLA’s ’08 performance, where the offensive line was widely considered one of the worst in a long time around the program. And they should be strong up the middle and to the right, as the center, right guard and right tackle all return. But the depth is thin behind the starters, and some talented youngsters have dropped by the wayside. The biggest loss has to be Xavier Su’a-Filo, the starting blind-side left tackle. Su’a-Filo was thrown into the fire last year, and more than held his own, starting every game and earning All-PAC-10 honorable mention as a true frosh in ’09.
But Su’a-Filo has announced he will go for a two-year Mormon mission, and is no longer at UCLA. And they also lost a backup in Nik Abele, who was forced to retire due to a chronic neck issue. Abele was listed as the starter at left tackle on the pre-spring depth chart, but that is now out the window. As of the end of spring ball, only four tackles were actually left on the UCLA roster, and one of those – veteran Micah Kia – missed last year with a knee injury. They do have Sean Sheller back, finally healthy after a brutal ATV accident in 2008 that completely destoryed his knee, but we’ll see how that goes. Things will have to get sorted out in fall camp, or else the hope for offensive improvement is a non-starter out of the gate.
3) THE SCHEDULE? It’s a doozy, especially early on. They open at Kansas State, which won’t be easy. But then they jump right into things in the Pac-10, with a week two game vs. Stanford. Then Houston and that crazy passing offense comes to town the next week. But that’s not alll…..the following week, it’s a trip to AUSTIN, TX, to take on the Longhorns, before WSU finally comes to town on 10/2! But that first month of the season, wow, they are going to see pretty much everything. Overall they do get five PAC-10 games at home, but even their in-conference road games are tough, with trips to Cal, Oregon and UW all on the docket.
WSU FOOTBALL BLOG SEZ DOT-DOT-DOT STYLE…..While it sounds great that UCLA is bringing back their top two wide receivers, well, it’s a little dicey beyond the top guys. The next four receivers from last year are all gone – Terrence Austin, Logan Paulsen, Chane Moline and Ryan Moya. Those four alone contributed 113 catches, 1,253 yards and five TD’s. Austin in particular will be tough to replace, leading the team in TD catches (4), kickoff return average (24.1) and punt return average (9.2)…..While Austin is gone, still, the rest of UCLA’s special teams should be fantastic. Kai Forbath is the consensus All-Everything kicker, and should break school records in field goals, just 13 behind all-time leader John Lee. He’s been incredibly accurate in his career as well, hitting on 86.7% of his attempts. But punter Jeff Locke made an impressive debut in ’09. A finalist for the Ray Guy award as the NCAA’s top punter as a redshirt frosh last year, Locke averaged 43.6 yards per punt, second in the PAC-10. He’s also the kickoff guy, and happened to lead the PAC-10 with 20 touchbacks!…..We know Rahim Moore is special, and his 10 INT’s as a sophomore are amazing. After just two years, Moore is at 13 career interceptions, just six behind school leader Kenny Easley, with 19. It’s not hard to imagine Moore breaking the school record towards the end of 2010……UCLA loses a lot in defensive tackle Brian Price. Price was a first-team All-PAC-10 choice the last couple of years, including PAC-10 defensive player of the year honors last year, with an unbelievable 23.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks from the tackle position. UCLA will try to replace Price with Nate Chandler, a converted tight end/offensive tackle the last couple of years. Chandler has the size at 6-5, 291, to more than hold his own inside, and reportedly had a very strong spring practice session at the new position, so there is hope. But replacing an all-timer like Price with someone who hasn’t played the position in a game before could make for a huge adjustment on defense, especially in that first month or so of 2010……UCLA had three players picked in this year’s NFL draft (Brian Price, CB Alterraun Vernor and WR/KR Terrence Austin). But it has been a couple of lean NFL years for UCLA. For the first time since 1997, UCLA didn’t have a single player selected in the 2008 NFL Draft, meaning that the Bruins have had just three players drafted in the last two years combined. Price went in the second round, the highest for UCLA this year. The last first-rounder from UCLA was Marcedes Lewis, the tight end who went #28 to Jacksonville in 2006. Lewis was UCLA’s first first-rounder since Robert Thomas went to St. Louis in 2002. Overall, UCLA has had 28 players drafted in the last 11 years, which places them in the lower portion of the PAC-10…..While much will be made over UCLA’s losses in terms of starters, especially on defense, they still return 44 lettermen to the roster. So there is some experience, although it is young. UCLA’s 14 total returning starters, a number which includes both kicker and punter, puts them eighth in the PAC-10, ahead of USC but behind WSU, which returns 16 starters……Some of the top UCLA sites include the Orange County Register UCLA blog; The LA Times UCLA blog; BruinsNation.com, part of the SB Nation network; Inside UCLA with Jon Gold; And finally, the official UCLA Bruins blog, What’s Bruin.
That’s it for now. As usual, for previous Spring Fish Wraps, go here:
Spring Fish Wrap – Oklahoma State Edition
Spring Fish Wrap – Montana State Edition
Spring Fish Wrap – SMU Mustangs Edition
Spring Fish Wrap – USC Trojans Edition
Enjoy your Monday, and GO COUGS!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
