UCLA Adds Three Games To Schedule, Gets OL As Well

by Ryan Rosenblatt on May 16, 2008 1:41 PM PDT Comment 14 comments

Bumped. GO BRUINS. - N

UCLA had themselves a busy day Friday as they wrapped up negotiations for a three game series with Houston and added a much needed offensive lineman to their roster. First the series with Houston:

The Bruins will play three games with Houston, two at home and one on the road. The first game will be in 2010 when the Bruins host the Cougars. In 2011, UCLA will travel to Houston's Robertson Stadium before finishing up the series in 2012 at the Rose Bowl. This is a very good series for us IMO because it gives us another game in Texas to go with our trips to Austin (Texas) and Houston (Rice). This can only help in recruiting and hopefully we can tap into that huge talent pool. Here's all the games we have scheduled thus far:

2009: San Diego St., at Tennessee, Kansas St

2010: at Kansas St., Houston, at Texas

2011: at Houston, San Jose St., Texas

2012: at Rice, Nebraska, Houston

2013: at Nebraska

So on top of the scheduling news, we've got a transfer coming to play offensive line for the Bruins in 2009. Kai Maiava is from Hawaii and went to Colorado as a center, ranked the 31st best center in the country out of high school. However as a freshman he played left guard before being moved to fullback as a sophomore. He played sparingly as a fullback and dropped weight to play the position, but has since gained that weight back and is back to 300+ lbs. A quote from Maiava:

"It was a whole bunch of things that added up,'' Maiava said. ``It was a little football, a little this, a little that. It started to crumble on me. It was weird towards the end of the year. I found it better to be closer to home and surrounding myself with family.''

Maiava will be eligible to play in 2009 after sitting out a year per NCAA transfer rules. Looks like a solid day for CRN and the program.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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2012 and 2013

Are those both home games vs. Nebraska?

by bruinhopeful on May 16, 2008 1:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oops

2013 is in Lincoln. Thanks for catching that. Fixed.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on May 16, 2008 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hah! Thought we scored the mystical back-to back

Notre Dame-style

by bruinhopeful on May 16, 2008 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Houston

I have no problem with Houston for a year. Maybe even two years. But to play them for 3 years? And then Rice and Houston in the same year? Geez.

Also, I’m sure playing against teams from the state of Texas helps recruiting, but playing 6 games against teams from Texas in a span of 3 years seems like overkill. And I just don’t see how playing Houston 3 times helps overall recruiting. Seems like a second top-tier program in 2012 would have been much better.

by bornagainbruin on May 16, 2008 2:02 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And on Maiava

The guy seems like exactly what we need, a probable anchor for our offensive line for the future.

by bornagainbruin on May 16, 2008 2:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it's a good move

In my opinion, the more exposure we have in Texas the better. With Texas being a pipeline state, and the fact that many Texans hate USC, I think our presence there can only be a good thing.

by UCLAbruin920 on May 16, 2008 2:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is great in a weird way

I always love it when UCLA schedules great nonconference games. I remember my freshman year we played both Tennessee and Michigan. Unfortunately, the way the BCS works, teams who schedule difficult nonconference opponents are hurting themselves. Why? To get a BCS berth, you need 2 or fewer losses. Every “real” nonconference opponent you schedule gives you a roughly 50% chance to lose. Fold in a loss or two in the conference schedule, and you’re out of BCS contention.

Scheduling Rice and Houston is brilliant if we want to be the next Ohio State, that is, to be a team that gets into the national championship game with an 0-1 record against top-25 teams. It’s the new paradigm. Until the BCS changes its myopic attention to number of losses, this is how college football is going to be.

by BruinsRule on May 17, 2008 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bah

There goes any hope for UCLA playing Georgia in the near future.

Do we really have a 2012 game against Rice? I thought we still had an open non-conference game in 2012.

by CAJason80 on May 16, 2008 2:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We had an open game in 2012

until we added Houston today. Rice is the return game for the games they played at the Rose Bowl in 2005 and 2006. I’m pretty sure we were supposed to play at Rice last season, but when the Pac 10 decided to add the 9th conference game we moved the Rice return to 2012.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on May 16, 2008 2:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Doesn't Houston have a terrible field?

I seem to remember freddie mitchell ruining his season by tripping on a sprinkler in the field and getting injured. Anyone else remember that?

"when you've seen how big the world is, how can you make due with this?"

by silverlakebruin on May 16, 2008 4:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The field at Houston's Robertson Stadium

has been re-done. They’ve lowered the field in the past 5 years or so and got a brand new playing surface a year or two ago by request of MLS’s Houston Dynamo, who also play there.

by Ryan Rosenblatt on May 16, 2008 4:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He fractured his femur

running down the field after a catch. It seemed like more of a freak thing than a field issue. He came back to throw a TD pass in the Rose Bowl that season.

by Give me a B... on May 16, 2008 4:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kai Maiava was a Scout.com Freshman All-American last year

http://recruiting.scout.com/2/705470.html

OG Kai Maiava Colorado

Freshman 6-0/295
Maiava started final 7 games, recording 68 knockdown blocks in eight games.

p.s. Kai Forbath was honorable mention, so now we have some crusher freshman kais

by TheTJCummingsEra on May 16, 2008 4:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

WHAT WE NEED

IS SOME O-LINEMEN TO TRANSFER AND BE ELIGIBLE TO PLAY NEXT YEAR EITHER FROM A JUCO OR VIA AN EXEMPTION FROM THE NCAA FOR ACADEMIC REASONS (LESS LIKELY). I HAVE FAITH IN PALIC AND HIS SCHEMES, BUT OUR LACK OF DEPTH AND SIZE HAVE THE MAKINGS FOR A LONG SEASON.

HERE IS HOPING WE STAY REALLY HEALTHY ON THE OL OR GET LUCKY WITH SOME LAST MINUTE TRANSFERS!!!

CAN’T WAIT FOR TENNESSEE IN 09 AND LINCOLN IN 13!!

by Bald Eagle on May 16, 2008 4:36 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs