Sooooo. What a way to wake up this Friday morning.

I am sure all of you have something else on your mind today, but I need to keep the focus on our Bruins at least to start our day. We will end this game week by closing the loop on all the discussion re. UCLA Athletic Department’s unconventional and bizarre (to put it charitably) marketing blitz around tomorrow’s game. I hadn’t really formulated any thoughts on it because I thought sooner or later DG would step up and address the situation head on. Well DG didn’t disappoint and stepped up yesterday:

Guerrero said, "We expect 70,000 fans and maybe 60,000 in blue. There is a fine line between what the [marketing department's] charge is and balancing that toward talking about marketing to the enemy, if you will."

Guerrero said, "You will see a different approach from this point forward on how we market the team. I'm not throwing anyone under the bus . . . but some things work and some things don't."

Pat Hill, Fresno State's coach, said he expected 20,000 to 25,000 Fresno State fans to attend the game. Fresno has already sold out their allotment of 9,700 tickets.

UCLA's marketing department also has run an ad saying "the college football monopoly in Los Angeles is over," and another that reminded Bruins fans that there was still room on "the bandwagon."

I think it is now crystal clear that CRN had nothing to do with that “monopoly” ad even though he took all the potshots from all corners of the country. In some sense it is very comforting to see how CRN did not throw any one under the bus when that monopoly ad became national news, and instead tried to make the best out of the awkward situation the marketing department put him in, by using that ad to reignite the Bruins. Then again, that ad might not be too far off, given what we saw last night. But … time for us to talk about that game will come later this Fall.

As for the ad campaign leading up to tomorrow’s game, Brian Dohn has more on DG’s thoughts:

Guerrero said it was his understanding "everything was pulled" in relation to the marketing campaign in the central valley, but damage was already done.

Not only was there a quarter-page ad in the Fresno Bee, in which UCLA originally planned to use a photo of Bulldogs quarterback Tom Brandstater, which Fresno State asked UCLA to change, but radio sports were also purchased.

"I can assure you, from my prospective as we move forward, you'll see a different approach to our marketing efforts this season," Guerrero said.

"I don't micro-manage. Those types of things don't usually come to me unless there's an issue. Obviously, there have been issues that have been raised relative to the approach that our marketing folks have taken, and so as a result of that I'm involved.

"I want to make certain we allow them to do their jobs, but we do it in a manner that doesn't compromise our ability to fill our seats. But on the other hand we don't want to give the impression at all that this is designed to bring the enemy (to the Rose Bowl) against our team."

That works for me and I think it is best that we just move forward from this issue. That explanation and pledge from DG is enough for me.

Speaking of tomorrow’s game, Kevin Pearson from PE.com zeroes in on concerns re. repeated breakdown in our punt coverage:

UCLA ranks 105th in Division I-A in punt return defense, allowing a staggering 19 yards per return, a problem that has been addressed this week in practice as the Bruins look for an explanation to their struggles.

Last season the Bruins were stellar in punt coverage, holding opponents to a 6.7-yard average on 38 returns. UCLA has allowed 247 return yards in three games this season, nearly eclipsing last season's total of 263 in 13 games.

"We always have confidence in our punt coverage, and there are some things we need to clean up and emphasize a little bit more, but aside from that, we're confident we will improve," said senior Michael Norris, who serves as the gunner on punt coverage.

Aaron Perez ranks sixth nationally with a 46.3-yard average on his 21 punts. He tied a school record with 11 punts last week against Arizona and dropped his first two inside the 2-yard line.

But some struggles with open-field tackling led to a rough day for the coverage team. Arizona finished with seven returns for 162 yards, including a 55-yarder late in the game.

"I'm not making any excuses," Perez said. "It's on us for not covering the punts. I have to kick better and get the ball in the air and place it better, and when we have a chance to make a tackle, we have to make it.

"When it comes down to it, it's a matter of being a football player and going down and making a tackle. If the offense is struggling, it would help if the punt team is doing its job."

I made a mistake when writing down my notes on Fresno State couple of nights ago. I thought I read that Fresno State was averaging (a staggering) 44 yards per punt return this season. I went back and looked at the numbers again. I goofed up and was reading the column on yards/punt instead of the one for punt returns. FSU is not averaging a lot in their punt returns (3.8 yards per return). But that doesn’t mean the special teams can take it easy tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully they can use tomorrow’s game as an opportunity to get better for rest of this conference season.

Also, in terms of personnel issues, injuries continue to dog the team, as we will now be without FB Theriot, who is out for the reason. Chane Moline will take over at FB. From the OC Register:

“It’s a tough loss, because he was valuable on special teams as well,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. “Trevor’s a great kid. He’ll rally and be back next fall.”

Theriot, nicknamed “Moose,” will undergo arthroscopic surgery in the coming weeks, though a date has not been set. He will be replaced against Fresno State by Chane Moline, who moves from the tailback position.

Switching Moline could leave the Bruins thin in the backfield. Starter Kahlil Bell has been slow to return from an ankle injury. While expected to play Saturday, Bell might be limited.

That leaves the Bruins with two other tailbacks, Raymond Carter and Derrick Coleman (Troy High). Aundre Dean is expected to return in time for next week’s Washington State game. Neuheisel said Bell is “over 90 percent,” recovered from a high ankle sprain.

Theriot, a junior, injured his knee late in Wednesday’s practice during team drills. A former walk-on, Theriot was awarded his first athletic scholarship last spring. He was used primarily as a blocker and had not carried the ball this season.

Theriot already used his redshirt season, so he retains one more season of eligibility.

Best wishes to TT. As for the rejiggering, it might actually work out well. I kind of like the idea of Moline at his natural position, while being able to utilize the speed and explosiveness of either Bell, Carter (provided they are in full form) and Coleman at the TB spot. Hopefully they can break through tomorrow afternoon. Perhaps they were watching some game last night that will get them extra fired up and inspired for tomorrow.

GO BRUINS.

We are now three games into Rick Neuheisel’s first season at UCLA, and I think it is starting to become clear to everyone in BN, precisely what we were foreshadowing when we were writing all those posts with taglines “dose of reality” during this off season. There is no escaping from it. We find ourselves at this position not by accident. This is a result of total mismanagement and lack of competent leadership this program has endured for more than a decade (note we are not just pinning this on the previous HC, even though he hastened the downward spiral this program has been going since December 5, 1998).

Right now, I am not sure if there is any use for UCLA fans to get upset every loss this season and probably the next one. I agree with Telemachus that more than ever we need to stand behind our team and with Class of 66 that we need to circle the wagon by getting behind the kids we have in our program, while we wait for the recruits CRN, Chow and Walker bring in next few years. However, at the same time, I think it is important for us to make honest observations about our week to week performance that will enable us to maintain perspective and appreciate the week to week progress that might not be showing up in the final scoreboard.

With that in mind, I will start with the offense. Kevin Pearson from the Press Enterprise flagged the obvious positive marker from yesterday:

An offense that had gained a mere 38 yards rushing in two games, 29 inches for each of the 47 carries against Tennessee and BYU, had just picked up 115 yards and averaged 4.1 yards against the Wildcats.

Those totals beat Arizona's 111 net yards and 3.2-yard-per-carry average.

And how about the somewhat unlikely pair that put up those numbers. First was 232-pound Chane Moline, with a mere 23 yards in 13 attempts coming into this game, who ran for 72 on 11 carries (a 6.5 average).

Moline's first carry of 9 yards eclipsed the Bruins' previous season high of 7 by Ray Carter, one of three UCLA running backs to miss this game. Carter was out with a knee injury. Kahlil Bell and Aundre Dean were out with ankle problems.

So there was Moline, a junior from Mission Viejo, twisting and turning for 40 yards at the end of the first half and eclipsing UCLA's two-game team total in one run.

"I thought we rushed the ball all right," Moline said. "But we gotta stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We had a good week of practice. We focused on running the ball. And we had a chance today. But we've got to be perfect. And we have to build on it.

"We have to improve even more running the ball this week to get ready for Fresno State."

We also have to give our beleaguered OL some credit. They showed improvement yesterday and they started to get it going starting with the last drive at the end of the first half. Note how the coaches put in freshman Jeff Baca at LT to replace Kia to start the second half. I think that was a clear message sent to the entire OL that no one’s starting assignment is safe. Sure, the production of OL is not close to where we want it to be. But we still have to appreciate the obvious progress that took place yesterday. (UPDATE: It looks like Baca was inserted due to Kia's backpain (HT Bald Eagle). However, as noted the OL played much better once Baca got it).

Speaking of bright spots, Derrick Coleman made a nice debut at the Rose Bowl as he rushed for 24 yards in 7 carries. In the limited carries he got, it was clear DC hits the holes with authority and aggression. I liked the term Papadakis used to describe him as someone who runs with “violence and fight.”

That said, we can’t escape the fact about what went wrong with the offense. Tele already noted the bad and ugly below. I think we have to discuss the QB situation. There is no doubt the kid is giving a valiant effort and we will never forget his second half performance against Tennessee (who BTW is turning out to be a very over-rated, mediocre team which might be firing its head coach at the end of this season). However, based on what we have seen last two weeks, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for coaches to ponder about what other options they might have to jump start the offense. Here is Rick Neuheisel in Jill Painter’s DN report:

Craft's not getting the job done, and it's unclear if UCLA will turn to someone else - be it Kevin Prince or Ben Olson when he returns from injury. Everyone's position is tenuous, according to Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel.

"We're going to evaluate all the positions," Neuheisel said. "It's easy in these situations to hide behind the team. When you're the quarterback, you don't get to hide. It's easy to say he must be the reason you're unsuccessful.

"Kevin wants to (be successful). He works hard, and I hope he can continue to work hard and continue to improve. Just like all positions on the team, we're going to evaluate them and keep working to find answers."

And Norm Chow:

Asked if he was concerned Craft might be taking the brunt of the criticism, UCLA offensive coordinator Chow said: "He should. He's the leader of this group, and he needs to take responsibility. The other 10 guys need to take responsibility as well."

I think Craft is doing the best he can in terms of managing the game. To his credit he hasn’t thrown a pick since the first half of the Tennessee game. But at the same time the coaches need a little bit more at the QB position to keep the offense moving.

From what we have seen to date, it looks like KC doesn’t have the arm strength to look off the D and complete a medium range pass over 10 yards. That’s a problem because it is allowing the opposing D to cheat and bring up their LBs to completely stuff the short passes. Those short passes are effective when the defense has to be wary about the QB being able to go downfield. Right now from what we have seen it looks like KC doesn’t have the physical tools to keep the opposing D honest and off balance.

Also there were couple of plays yesterday  that really pointed to the glaring talent issue (I know it’s not a fun topic to discuss, but it has to be pointed out to keep things in perspective) in this offense. There were two potential situations that could have been game changing moments in Bruins favor. First, there was that Moline rumble for 40 yards. Moline was able to get himself in a nice space and then bust into the open field. All he had to do is just break away from one takler. But he didn’t have the speed to break away. Again, big ups to Chane for giving the effort he did yesterday. However, you would have to think that if the Bruins had an elite back with true breakaway speed, the game could have turned. Similarly Dominique had a chance to catch a Craft slant pass and house it. I think that’s the kind of opportunity we have to take advantage of. As I pointed out during the game thread Arizona had three dependable game breakers in Gronkowski, Thomas and Grigsby (along with Tuitama). To date we have no one has emerged as a game breaker in our team.

I think Chane is getting lot of reps because he looks like he is the best blocker among our backs. And given the tenuous situation with our OL, it is understandable why coaches would give him large chunk of our reps. Hopefully Bell will get healthy soon because if he comes back in top form, our offense could become serviceable if the OL continues to show same the improvement it did on Saturday.

Shifting our focus to defense, Walker’s unit made a decent showing yesterday. The run defense was much better as Harwell and Price sealed up the middle. We are still having issues with tackling though. Perhaps as our young secondary gets more experience, they will become better at it.  

Also, speaking of our secondary, our pass coverage is still an issue. I think Walker has been solid in terms of scheming against pro-set base offense. However, I think for him to emerge as truly one of the best five defensive coordinators in the country, he will need to improve his schemes against spread offense formations. I don’t think I was the only one holding my breath when Tuitama was airing it out deep at the Rose Bowl. Well, I think the silver lining here is that I think if Walker brings in few more good recruits this season and next, he will have that opportunity to improve on that aspect of coaching and emerge as one of the best in the game.

Moving over the special teams, it was an ugly performance for Gansz’s crew.  Let’s start with the return coverage. Arizona piled up more than 200 yards in return yardage at the Rose Bowl. Seems like they are couple of issues FG needs to correct. First, let’s start with Perez. He had two booming kicks. However, he also had few line drives with not much hang time not allowing our guys much time to get up field. Second, our gunners were atrocious. We are hoping this is something coaches can correct in the short term because the horrific coverage led to short field, putting our defense in bad spots.

Also, speaking of special teams, I wonder if the coaches can look at other options for punt returning. Austin is a talented athlete but he needs to work on getting up the field, instead of dancing around too much to avoid tackles. There was another situation where he let the ball go even though he had room to catch and go. Again, just like coaches are making sure no positions are safe (as they showed by starting Baca over Kia and putting Craft on notice), I am assuming they will take a close look at punt returning position in the coming week.

Well despite the above reference concerns about our current personnel, I trust these coaches to make the right decision. I don’t think there is a better combination than Chow and Neuheisel to address quarterback issues. I think they will make the right decision when it comes to trying out Prince or Olson (whenever he is 100 percent healthy).

It’s not a fun situation that we are in right now. There is a long road ahead, as CRN mustered up the following remarks to stay with his relentlessly positive mantra following yesterday’s game:

"There is not, I don't think, a quick-fix solution to this," he said. "It's about everybody getting focused, and really getting involved with individual improvement, that will then show collectively. I am optimistic. I'm always optimistic. I do believe there will be brighter days ahead."

UCLA's anemic showing was so mesmerizingly inept, Neuheisel showed gratitude to those of the 65,434 in attendance who endured all 60 minutes, of all things, not booing.

"I appreciate our fans for staying," Neuheisel said. "It must have been hard to watch as we were trying to climb back into the game, and yet there was very little in the way of booing. It showed a lot of class."

Losing should never be acceptable and we deplore moral victories. However, as mentioned above the situation we are in right now didn’t happen overnight, and our coaches no matter how good they are, cannot resolve it over night. This is going to take a lot of time and patience on our part collectively as member of the larger Bruin athletic community.

We will need our coaches to recruit speed and athleticism at all the skill positions (on both offense and defense) so that we can emerge as an above average BCS conference team in next three seasons. Meantime, we have to ride this out and appreciate the progress we are making on a week to week basis.

GO BRUINS.

Well it looks like some BYU fans are already looking beyond next weekend’s game against UCLA. They are obviously riding high after yesterday afternoon’s heart stopping win against UDub at Seattle. Notwithstanding the questionable call at the end of the game, they pulled off an impressive victory at a tough Pac-10 venue and we have to give them credit for it.

One of the biggest concerns for UCLA heading into next weekend’s game is to figure out a way to stop Max Hall. He was deadly against the Huskies. He completed 30 of 41 pass attempts for 338 yards, 3 TDs and 1 interception. His job was made easier by the running game of a beastly Unga who punished the Husky defensive line for 136 yards in 23 carries. Unga was setting up Hall with short yardage situations all day and he made the Husky defense pay. The BYU offensive converted on 3^rd downs 12 out of 14 times (full box score here). So needless to say there is going to be a lot of pressure on our secondary next Saturday and with that in mind Walker opened up the FS position for competition between Ware and Moore:

"That's good that he's doing that so we can both stay on our toes and continue to work hard, rather than get comfortable and feel good that you're starting," Moore said. "It's a good thing. May the best man win. I don't want anything given to me, and I'm sure (Ware) feels the same."

Both players made their first career starts in last week's win against Tennessee, but Ware did so at strong safety, filling in for Lockett.

Now, Ware is back at a more familiar position.

"You're never promised a position no matter who you are," Ware said. "That's fine."

Settling down the secondary is a key as the Bruins travel to No. 15 BYU on Saturday.

When UCLA beat the Cougars early last season, BYU ran for 44 yards and quarterback Max Hall threw for 391 yards. In the rematch at the Las Vegas Bowl, which the Cougars won, BYU mustered 34 rushing yards, and Hall threw for 231 yards.

Hopefully Lockett can provide a more steady effort at SS and Ware be more comfortable at FS. He didn’t do much to make himself stand out last weekend against Tennessee. In addition to Ware, we will need better efforts from Courtney Viney who found himself out of position a number of times against the Volunteers’ mediocre passing attack. Viney and his team-mates will not be able to get away with the same level of play against the Cougars’ more precise and efficient passing attack.

Meanwhile, on the offensive side in addition to putting together some clock chewing drives, CRN has been trying to get his team to play smart ball keeping field position in mind. As a result Aaron Perez has become a pivotal part of our overall game plan:

You punt. You win.

As coaching rhetoric goes, this hardly ranks with "win one for the Gipper." Still, UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel has gone about convincing his team that sending punter Aaron Perez onto the field is not crying uncle.

When Perez casts his punts against blue-gray October sky, victory is at hand . . . really.

"People hear 'punt' and the first thought is, 'Oh we didn't score.' Or, 'we didn't get a first down,' " said Perez, a senior. "But if you have a punter who can help you in the field-position game, you put the defense on the field where it can create some turnovers or back the other team up and make them punt. The field keeps getting shorter and shorter, and you win."

This is a necessary philosophy for the Bruins this season. With an offense going through on-the-job training and a defense that has a hefty resume from the last two seasons, the best option sometimes is to have Perez give things a swift kick. […]

"It's imperative that we make it a long field," Neuheisel said. "With Aaron Perez and his leg, we can do that. As we grow in terms of our explosiveness and our ability to run the ball, we've got to be mindful of field position. So punting is not a bad thing."

Hopefully that lesson now has been totally planted into everyone’s brain after those 4 interceptions in the first half against Tennessee.

Speaking of ball control, Mark Saxon from the OC Register has a write up on WR Taylor Embree, who has the potential to emerge as the next money receiver in a Bruin uniform.  We heard during both spring and fall camp, how Taylor catches everything thrown his way. We saw what that meant during the second half against Tennessee. The offense is going to need Taylor and his team-mates to step up the same way next weekend in Provo and keep racking up first downs so that they can keep the BYU offense off the field.

We will have more on the BYU game. The Cougar fans can keep discussing their team’s rankings after its victory over UCLA, but here on BN we just need to focus on how we can remain competitive against the mighty BYU.

GO BRUINS.

We will start this Monday with some quick notes on the Volunteers fall scrimmage courtesy of our friends at Rocky Top Talk (RTT). The Volunteers also held their fall scrimmage this past weekend and reading Joel’s notes it sounds like the Tennessee offense under its new OC – Dave Clawson – is taking shape:

• No interceptions from Crompton [Jonathan Crompton – BN Ed], who went 12-18 for 101 yards and one touchdown -- a "great throw," according to recipient Gerald Jones, who had found just a bit of space between Eric Berry and some unidentified defender. Crompton also led the team on another drive that ended with a mid-range field goal by Daniel Lincoln. Clawson says that Crompton is playing faster every time he steps on the field. Clock and huddle management was good.
• The receivers were consistently able to find space.
• The offensive line got a strong push and made room for the running backs.

 Joel and the RTT crew already have nicknamed their new offense "Clawfense." We will roll out more notes on those guys starting next week. Needless to say Crompton and his team-mates are going to present a challenge for DeWayne Walker, who is right now working to figure out how to manage an young and inexperienced secondary unit featuring a true freshman in Rahim Moore. Chris Foster from the LA Times gives us a little peak into Walker’s mindset in deciding to go with Moore:

"He's going to have to come on some more these next two weeks," Walker said. "On that one play, fortunately we sacked the QB. If not, it is a wide-open touchdown. It's just little high school mistakes."

As for whether he could accept some freshman-like mistakes, Walker said, "I can't have that in a game."

Moore has been the best of a talented group of freshman defensive backs -- Tony Dye, Aaron Hester and E.J. Woods. He has spent the last two weeks taking an Evelyn Wood speed-reading course on college football.

"The college level is hard," said Moore, who was ranked third nationally among defensive backs by Rivals.com. "Not so much the plays, but the players. They are bigger and faster.

"Coach Walker told me straight up, 'Rahim, there is going to be a lot thrown at you. I'm going to be doing a lot of things to you.'

"I've been going through this since I was in the 10th grade. This is not overwhelming, but it is challenging."

More from the Daily News on the same topic:

"For a young kid, I feel sorry for him, but he's all we got," Walker said. "And he's good enough to come through. Athletically, I think he can do it. Mentally, I think he's going to have to keep coming."

Another kid who will have to keep it coming is Chris Forcier. Foricer right now is behind Craft in the ongoing QB competition. But as Dohn notes Forcier and everyone associated with this program knows, given our recent history, he has to turn it up a notch in terms of preparations both on and off the field. He is not letting up:

UCLA quarterback Chris Forcier wasn't fazed when Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel said last week the redshirt freshman needed a better off-the-field commitment to run the offense.

So, no more afternoon naps for Forcier. Instead, he is working harder at learning the offense, and trying to gain the trust of UCLA's coaching staff.

"I knew it. It wasn't any news to me," said Forcier, UCLA's backup quarterback. "Making mistakes out there, I know I'm a young guy and I have to get on the offense. You can never learn too much. You can know it, but it doesn't hurt to go over it again.

"I'm doing more now. I'm looking over more film. Instead of taking naps in the afternoon when we have off, I'm looking at the playbook, making flash cards or whatever, just to get a step ahead."

Forcier's relevance is combination of history and the present. The last time the Bruins made it through a season with only one quarterback was 2005, when Drew Olson led UCLA to a 10-2 mark, and only once in the past six seasons did one quarterback start each game.

Again at this point of time all our team needs from Forcier and Craft is to be able to manage our offense minimizing the number of mistakes. On the same note Ted Miller posted some good takes on WWL on how the our team might have a decent chance to put together a salvageable season if it combines good defense with great special teams performance:

[H]ere are two critical things: 1. The defense is good. 2. Punter Aaron Perez owns a big foot (see the monstrous 58-yard boot he launched into the stratosphere on his first punt).

That's a great combination to have because it means a team can focus on the field position game and not take stupid chances on offense.

And if the defense can force a few extra turnovers while winning the field position battle of attrition that can mean short fields for the offense -- and probably a lot of 40-plus-yard field goal attempts from kicker Kai Forbath.

I think that sounds about right. However, we also have to be realistic about the flip side. I think the best way to scheme against the team we have right now is to feature a ball control offense, that would grind it out and wear down our defense. I will not be surprise if that is exactly what Fulmer and co. cook it up for Labor Day when they open up with a game plan that would put a premium on keeping our defense on the field for a while in the early going so that they could wear us down. On the defensive side, Craft and Forcier can expect a heavy dose of blitzes all game long as the opposing DC will go all out in their attempt to rattle our young QBs.

The question will be is whether Craft (assuming he is the starter) and/or Forcier (if he sees action) will be composed enough so that they can maintain their cool, while not giving up the ball and do their best to find their hot receivers. They will also need serviceable performance from our patchwork OL that will have to open some gaps for Bell, Carter et al to blast through and do their best to make sure their young QBs are not being driven into the Rose Bowl turf by the white jerseys. 

Our guys have 14 more days to study up during their nap time and keep it coming at Spaulding. As anxious as I am about our team and as realistic I am about the prospect of a long season, I can’t help feel like 66 given what I have seen and read re. our staff.

GO BRUINS.

We have talked a lot about our offense last couple of days. So it’s time we start a roundup on a defensive note. We have read a lot about the competition between Craft and Forcier. Well there is some fierce competition going over at the defensive side where players are locked in number of positional battles in DeWayne Walker’s unit. One of them involves the battle for the starting sport at SLB where John Hale is going at it with Akeem Ayers. According to the LAT, right now Hale is a little head after two “solid” weeks:

"The one thing that he brings to our defense is that he knows what he's doing," UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said. "We play an assignment-type defense where we try and stay disciplined. It might not be right to throw Ayers in there right now. He's still a kid and he has to catch up a little bit.

"Ayers needs to learn the other intangibles that are important to our defense and right now, John gives us that."

More on how this “competition” is helping the team out:

"The term 'competition' really helps," said Hale, who has played both inside and outside linebacker at UCLA. "It makes you improve your game every day. . . . Competition is something that helps everyone's game. From the starter to the guy who is second team to the guys who are third and fourth. Everything is geared to help the team."

The battle between Hale and Ayers has been noticed by Coach Rick Neuheisel.

"Position battles are usually enhancers to your team because you are going to need everybody," Neuheisel said. "When people are fighting to see who is first string, they usually come out ready to play and you'll find out how competitive they really are. I think it helps us . . .

"I just know that they are both flying around and that's great for our football team."

Speaking of flying around, Dohn reports on how UCLA’s special teams coach is changing our team’s attitude:

Gansz [Frank Gansz Jr., UCLA’s special teams coach, BN Ed], who spent the past two seasons working with Neuheisel on the Baltimore Ravens' coaching staff, is transforming the attitude of UCLA's special teams players.

"Before, people didn't want to be on special teams, but now they want to get out there," Forbath said. "His meetings are really focused and he has everyone's attention. If you (aren't focused), then he'll pick you out. He checks people all the time. Everyone is paying attention a lot more in these meetings than in the past."

And if someone blows an assignment on special teams?

"You'll be yelled at and you'll have to give a reason why you did what you did, and why it was wrong and what is the correct thing," UCLA safety and special teams player Aaron Ware said. "And you have to use all the correct vocabulary words. It's like an L-SAT class. It's crazy."

L-SAT class? When I think of L-SAT class it reminds me of Robin Singh’s “Testmasters” drills in Beverly Hills (always interfering with “Pint Night” at Strattons). That’s the first time ever I have heard a college football player referring to his special teams meeting as Testmasters classes. Hopefully it is just as effective as Singh’s drills because it sure worked out for all of us (well speaking for experience of yours truly and friends). Sorry for that tangent … just brought back some amusing memories. Going back to the original point though special teams is going to be a huge deal this season. Given the uncertainty around our offense and also inexperience on our D, we are going to have look for edge anywhere we can. If we can combine our good kicking game with some great special teams play in coverage and return situations, it might allow us to steal wins here and there. So yeah more than ever all of us will need to appreciate what Ware and co are doing when the special teams is on the field.

It’s pretty fun to finally read football related articles on a day to day basis. Isn’t it? I will leave you with this from CRN re. Chow coaching our offense:

"It's beginning to take shape," Neuheisel said. "It's almost like sitting there watching someone create art. You kind of now know what he's building. But it still has a lot of polish still to go."

Can’t wait for the gallery to open up.

GO BRUINS.

With the training camp scheduled to open tomorrow, I will wind up our analysis of the post spring depth chart by doing a little roundup on our special teams.  I didn’t bother to do this post last couple of years keeping the focus just on offense and defense. But then we got this reminder on the importance of special teams in the very last play of 2007:


Photo Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

CRN gave an indication on how much emphasis he is going to put on special teams by bring in one of the best special teams coaches in the game in Frank Gransz, Jr. Here is a little snippet on Gansz’s extensive professional and college experience:

Gansz, who has an extensive background at the professional and collegiate levels, was the special teams coordinator for the Ravens in 2006 and 2007, coaching with Neuheisel. In 2007, the Ravens placed ninth in the NFL in punt returns (9.7 yards) and 10th in the league in kickoff returns (23.5). In addition, place kicker Matt Stover made 27 of 32 field goals and all 26 PATs. His 27 field goals tied for 10th in the league.

Prior to his stint with the Ravens Gansz also put together some great special teams at Kansas City.

Given the uncertainty with our offense and the lack of experience in defense, special teams is going to be more important than ever as our team will have to scrape for every point and look for every opportunity to grab momentum of games through blocked kicks, punts … whatever it takes to change complexion of the games. 

Luckily for Gansz (and Neuheisel) this is one unit there aren’t as many glaring concerns (notwithstanding the last play the Vegas Bowl) as there are in other areas of the team. From Kevin Pearson at the Press Enterprise:

Specialists - - This is the one area where there shouldn't be any concerns. Kicker Kai Forbath and punter Aaron Perez are among the best in the nation and NFL prospects. Sorting out the return game and making up for the loss of kick returner and special teams stud Matt Slater will be the biggest challenge.

 More from Dohn:

UCLA's best unit could be this one, led by placekicker Kai Forbath. He made 25 of 30 field goal attempts as a freshman and was 5 for 5 from 50 yards or more. And Forbath is expected to add kickoffs to his duties this season.
Punter Aaron Perez had 35 of his 91 punts downed inside the 20-yard line last season, and averaged 42.3 yards as he became a reliable, consistent performer.
What needs to get worked out is the return game, and there figures to be plenty of auditions. Receivers Terrence Austin and Ryan Graves ,and cornerback Courtney Viney are the leading contenders to return punts, but others could materialize.

As Dohn noted in rest of his post suspended RB Christian Ramirez was penciled in as KOR Specialist in the post spring depth chart. It will be interesting who the coaches call on to take over for Christian. Lot of folks think Jonathan – Jet Ski – Franklin would be an ideal candidate to try out for that spot taking advantage of his speed.

Also as the Daily Bruin notes today coaches may call on Kai to take over as the kick-off specialist over senior Jimmy Rotstein and freshman punter Jeff Locke "could also compete for the kick off duties as well. Whatever it takes to get an edge and foster competition.  It will only make the team better. And as mentioned given the questions around both our offense and defense coaches will need explore all options to maximize efficiency of the best unit in this team.

GO BRUINS.

You can just feel the football camp being around the corner. We have an exclusively football focused BN walk lined up for today. Let’s start our walk with Norm Chow. Kevin Pearson from the Press Enterprise sat down with our offensive coordinator, who offered the following pre Fall camp thoughts:

*On not having QB Pat Cowan this season: "Pat Cowan the human being was as important to us as Pat Cowan the football player."

*On Ben Olson: "Pat and Ben hada tough time in their careers because they were always looking over their shoulders. Hopefully Ben won't have to do that and will be relaxed when he plays. You don't want him to feel unsure. He has to know that even if he doesn't play well, that he is still the guy."

*On the offensive line: "I think we have a good offensive line. I don't think we have the depth. Do we have enough good players is the problem. No one is going to feel sorry for us. We just have to go do it."

*On tailback Kahlil Bell, who Chow said is an NFL-quality running back: "He is a major player in all of this. I really think he is critical to our success."

Chow was also the focus of a recent article in Tennessean.com reporting how the Bruin offensive coordinator has found peace after his return to college football. True to his form Chow gave his frank and honest opinions on the team as he prepares for pre-season practice in couple of weeks.

Chow gave his thoughts on Bell above. Well Bell is apparently looking “great” in 7-on-7 drills:

UCLA running back Kahlil Bell continues to look great in 7-on-7 drills and will be ready for training camp. He is showing great acceleration catching the ball and moving laterally. The only inkling he is coming off reconstructive knee surgery is the brace he is wearing during the drills.
Technically, Bell has not be medically cleared to practice, but he told me recently he expects that to happen in early August, when he is examined by the UCLA doctors.
Bell, who is expected to be UCLA's top running back this season, added his legs feel great, other than the fatigue he is experiencing from the 7-on-7s and the hard work he is putting into his rehab.

Re. that brace, according to Pearson he is going to wear it throughout the season. As we have already discussed (and Chow alluded to above) Bell is going to be a huge key for our offense this season. So the news above is a good sign with the usual caveat we have to be cautious about getting our hopes too high from 7-on-7 reports.

Elsewhere, Ted Miller from WWL’s Pac-10 blog continued his project of ranking all Pac-10 positions for this upcoming season. According to his evaluations Bruins have the second best kicker and the second best punter in the conference. Lord knows special teams is going to be a huge key to this season if we are going to scrape out some wins in our difficult schedule.

Lastly, a little programming note. Apparently FSN has decided to cancel “Bruin Rewind.” It’s kind of a bummer. After being subjected to Dorrell’s weekly press conferences all these years, I was finally looking forward to a show featuring weekly recaps from a UCLA football coach. Oh well.  I see this as an opportunity for our athletic department to stamp their own narrative in the Southern California’s media landscape by rolling out their own official YouTube Chanel. Question is are they going to step up and do what they need to do to adapt to the world of new media landscape?

GO BRUINS.