We have some sobering news to pass on from Spaulding on this Humpday. We will start with a note that is somewhat positive. Sonny Tevaga is back in practice and he is insisting that he is committed to focusing on UCLA football:

UCLA offensive lineman Sonny Tevaga returned to practice Tuesday insisting that he has an improved attitude about football. […]

"Just walking around slumped, you know what I mean?" Tevaga said. "Just having a bad attitude."

Tevaga started the first two games of the season at right guard and played much of the Oregon State game as a replacement for Nick Ekbatani. He said that UCLA's losing record affected him.

Apparently, watching the team win on television in his apartment -- "It was a very sad weekend," he said -- served as a remedy. On Tuesday, he persuaded Neuheisel that he still wanted to play.

Asked if he saw himself at UCLA long-term, Tevaga replied: "I'm a Bruin. This is where I wanted to go since I was little."

The immediate future is less certain in that coaches have not decided whether Tevaga will accompany the team to Arizona State on Nov. 28. "I'm going to watch his performance in all facets of the program," Neuheisel said.

We will know by next Friday whether Tevaga has been focused and working hard during practices. Meanwhile, another player coaches are keeping a very close eye on is Chinonso Anyanwu, who has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease. From Dohn:

UCLA junior Chinonso Anyanwu, a key contributor on special teams and a backup linebacker and defensive end, could miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease.

He was hospitalized three weeks ago after complaining about stomach cramps and experiencing pain in his joints. He said he received the diagnosis Thursday.

"It's scary," said Anyanwu, who has been a spectator at practice for the past week. "They didn't know what was wrong at first. They had a few ideas, but they took a bunch of blood from me."

Chron's disease affects the digestive system, and can cause pain in the abdomen as well as vomiting and weight loss. Anyanwu said he lost nearly 20 pounds in a week, and was down to 202 pounds. He has since gained 11 pounds, but the disease can also cause complications with arthritis and rashes, and he said both experienced both.

"My ankles started to hurt and I thought it was from practice, and my knees started hurting, too, and I had a weird rash," Anyanwu, 21, said. "I rubbed (the ankles) to feel better, but after sitting there for a while, after I got up, I couldn't walk. I had to be wheeled around because it hurt so much to walk."

Chinonso is understandably taking it a little easy. The good news is that this condition might not be a career-ender:

Anyanwu said he took comfort in knowing Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard suffers from Crohn's disease, and still plays football. He added he hoped it would not end his football career.

"We still don't know what that means to his future," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "It doesn't sound as though it's a career-ender."

And speaking of career-ending, it is over for Ben Olson:

A career that began with so much promise for UCLA's future likely ended during a meeting in UCLA's training room Tuesday when senior quarterback Ben Olson was told by a team doctor a recent CT scan showed his broken right foot is not yet healed.

A discouraged Olson heard the news after watching most of practice.

He was hoping to take reps this week and play Nov.28 at Arizona State. The Bruins (4-6) finish the regular season Dec. 6 against USC, and need to win both games to get to a bowl game.

"They don't know for sure (how long before it will heal)," Olson said. "It looks better than it did a few weeks ago. It's healing, just slower than I would like."

Olson, who was the top-rated prep quarterback out of Thousand Oaks High in 2002 class, has been injured much of his career.

After transferring from BYU to UCLA for the 2005 season, Olson missed games because of a broken thumb, a concussion, a couple of knee injuries and the foot, which he broke twice. He has not played this season.

"It's disappointing," Olson said. "The whole time I've been here I feel like I've been saying the same thing. I don't know why things have happened like they have. I don't know why things have worked out like they have."

He would most likely not qualify for a red shirt next year and he is not going to try.

At this point I think all we can do is thank Ben for being a Bruin. Let’s hope no other kid in college football ever goes through what he has endured since his arrival in Westwood. Hopefully he is going to succeed in whatever he pursues after college with his degree from UCLA. I will be rooting for him. Thanks again Ben.

GO BRUINS.

Bruins now have a bye week to refocus and to continue to work on the issues that have plagued them all season. At this point, it is unclear to me exactly what can the coaches do to fix our two main problems – QB and OL - holding back our offense. Yet, the coaches will keep trying. Dohn has CRN’s analysis of Craft’s weekend performance:

"I think if we go back and we really studied where he throws the ball on a particular throw, it's a high propensity to go to the same person, regardless of what the defense is," Neuheisel said. "And those are the things that we have to keep pounding on him about, because he's very adept in terms of knowing what our offense is calling for, and what we need."

Craft was 13 of 22 for 135 yards, but did not throw a touchdown against what was statistically the worst passing defense in the nation. Opposing quarterbacks against Washington have had a passing efficiency rating of 174.25, last among the 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

Craft, a junior who is in his first season as UCLA's starter, has thrown 16 interceptions compared to seven touchdowns this season. He also has nine interceptions and no touchdowns in UCLA's past three games.

Neuheisel said a first-quarter interception was an inaccurate pass, a second-quarter pick was forced into coverage and a third-quarter interception was a misread in which Craft thought Washington was playing man-to-man defense, but really was in zone.

"The third one was just a radical pre-determination," Neuheisel said. "He threw the ball where only the defense had a chance to catch it."

When asked if such mistakes should still be a factor in the 10 th game of the season, Neuheisel said, "No, it shouldn't be, and we've got to keep working to fix it."

Given what we have seen to date, I think it’s clear these last two (hopefully three) games this year with Craft’s audition for the starting job next year. It’s clear to me that the coaches have reached the same conclusion on Chris Forcier as they had done on Osaar Rasshan. Those are two outstanding athletes playing out of position. This week’s QB competition will be between Craft, Prince and perhaps Brehaut. But if I were to bet, I think Prince has a very good shot at emerging as the starter for 09-10 season. I think due to the fact that Prince has been in the program for more than year under Chow will give him a head start. Sitting out this year probably has given him the opportunity to get stronger as well after he missed most of his high school senior year due to injury. Nick Crissman is out there but he is going to be recovering from a shoulder surgery. As for Brehaut, I think its great that he is coming in early this spring, but it will be tough for him to break in immediately as a starter. Hope he comes in with the mindset of being patient and in a learning mode under Chow and Neuheisel. Spring is going to be very interesting at Spaulding to say the least.

While CRN and Chow will be working with Craft, they are also going to be dealing with an OL which will go through more reshuffling due to Savage’s season ending injury:

[U]CLA will likely use its bye week to find a replacement for Savage over the final two games. Glicksberg, Sonny Tevaga and Brandon Bennett are all possibilities.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel also said that the coaching staff was considering moving Micah Reed from center back to guard and letting Jake Dean maintain the starting center spot for the remainder of the season.

It is expected that Savage will be in a cast for six weeks and then have nearly two months of rehab. It is not known how it will affect his training for the track and field season.

Savage is an elite-level thrower whose personal best in the discus would have left him a foot shy of being an Olympic finalist this year and he has made it no secret of his desire to compete in the 2012 London Games.

Savage’s absence could open up a door for Tevaga but CRN has laid out a condition for his return to the program:

"He just needs to be committed," Neuheisel said. "The level of commitment in this program has to be such that no one can doubt it."

Makes sense to me.

As for other personnel notes, here is the injury news from the LAT:

In another injury from the Washington game, defensive tackle Brian Price strained a hamstring and could miss some practice. He is expected to play against Arizona State.

Quarterback Ben Olson, who did not travel to Washington, will meet with Neuheisel today after seeing a specialist on Friday to check the lingering soreness in his foot.

Should be interesting to see what transpires during practices till next Friday. I wonder if Olson will be getting lot more reps with the second team and travel as the back up QB to Tempe next week. Guess we will have to stay tuned.

GO BRUINS.

Bruins got a much needed win last night in Seattle. Even though it is clear what Washington is perhaps one of the worst teams in the history of the Pac-10 conference (along with Washington State), I think folks shouldn’t be dismissive of the effort our guys put together last night in Seattle.

Earlier in the day I was watching a Michigan team going through the same rebuilding pains we are experiencing during the first year of a new regime.  Seeing the Wolverines struggle against Northwestern (which is having a good season) in the Big House and tumble to a 3-8 record was something that put what we have been going through in perspective.

After beating Washington we now have a record of 4-6, keeping alive a shot at a minor bowl game. As I said during the game threads, I don’t think our team is as mediocre as our 4-6 record indicates, just like we weren’t as good as that 10-2 record from the 2005-06 season. I think if we had either Pat Cowan or Ben Olson healthy for an entire season, I could see our team winning at least 3 games out of Arizona, Fresno State, Oregon, Cal and Oregon State.  So, given all we have gone through this year with our injury and personnel issues, I am feeling all right with where we are at this point of this season:

Photo Credit:John Froschauer / Associated Press (via the LA Times)

So with the macro stuff out of the way, here are some the micro issues going through my mind this Sunday

Craft had a good start last night but after a solid first series he reverted back to some of the same habits that have plagued our team all season along. He threw three picks. The first one was not his fault as Dominique Johnson simply dropped a catchable pass. The other two were indefensible (one he threw into traffic trying to thread the needle, the other was a badly overthrown ball). He also gave up a sure TD when instead of running into the endzone, he inexplicably tried a shovel pass dumbfounding the entire Bruin Nation. There is not much to add to the Craft story at this point of the season. The kid is playing his heart out. He is being a warrior. But what is obvious to all of us is a best he is a below average QB. I don’ t think he is the worst QB in UCLA history because I don’t believe QBs like Brett Johnson, Rob Walker, Ryan Fien or Ryan McCann had the moxie and toughness Craft has shown this season. But at the same time Craft hasn’t done much to cement himself as the returning starter for next season.

Still if anyone is clamoring for Forcier, just consider the fact that even after the game was long over late in the fourth quarter, Forcier was nowhere to be seen. It is clear to me that Chow and Neuheisel have concluded based on his observations that Forcier is not a viable option as a UCLA QB. If that is their decision, I am going to defer to their experience as probably the best QB guru tandem in all of college football.

While the Craft is cemented as the starter at QB this season, the running back position is becoming intriguing. Derrick Coleman started last night. Per Dohn’s report he got the start because Bell was disciplined for being late into a team meeting:

"Kahlil was late for a meeting," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Bell, who has been bothered by a sprained ankle much of the season, carried 25 times and scored on a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs. His plunge in the second quarter gave the Bruins a 14-7 lead, and his dive over the pile on the first play of the fourth quarter put the Bruins ahead 24-7.

"I think he's gradually getting better, and with another bye (next) week he may be getting fresher," Neuheisel said about Bell. "We'll probably nurse him more and see if we can get him even better for two weeks."

However, what got the Bruins' stagnant running game untracked was Coleman's performance on the first series. He carried four times on it, finishing with an 11-yard run around left end for UCLA's first opening drive touchdown of the season.

"Derrick Coleman came in and gave a huge spark to our offense," Bell said. "That set the tone for the game, especially controlling the line of scrimmage."

Everyone here knows, how much I love Coleman.  I love his running style. He is a straight ahead North-South runner, who doesn’t dance around and waste time. He makes his decision fast and just pounds it. The energy and power he brought in that first drive was noticeable. I can only hope the coaches increase his carries even more in last two games. As for Bell, the kid is playing like a warrior. It’s obvious he doesn’t have the full power and menu of moves from last year. However, what was encouraging that he was getting stronger. It was great to see Carter make an appearance and he showed a burst of speed. But I guess I totally missed Aundre Dean’s 3 carries (for 9 yards) late in the fourth. So, you guys will have to fill me in on how he looked.

Hopefully our OL can generate the same kind of holes for our backs in our next game. Last night gave them a much needed confidence boost. Let’s hope they can maintain it.

As for our defense, it was mostly dominant:

With the running game, which averaged just 77.8 yards per game this season, in full swing, UCLA's defense was also dominant. The Bruins allowed a season-low 135 yards and tormented freshman Washington quarterback Ronnie Fouch -- a Redlands East Valley High graduate -- all night.

"We didn't scout them to blitz that much," Fouch said. "They blitzed a lot more than we thought they would."

Fouch was 7 for 22 for 39 yards and threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. Washington (0-10, 0-7) turned the ball over five times and averaged just 3.2 yards per carry against a UCLA defense that blitzed more than it had all season and looked like it had a different mind-set than it had of late.

"We went all four quarters," said safety Rahim Moore, who had an interception and a team-high six tackles. "That was the best defensive game we've played all year. We came out here and got a nice win and it feels really good."

Rahim Moore had a great game. As did Akeem Ayers. Ayers was simply a menace. He was the catalyst in two of Washington’s 5 turnovers while registering 2 sacks for a loss of 15 yards. He terrorized Fouch all night by repeatedly blowing through the Husky OL like a guided missile going straight after the QB. Given the way Ayers has emerged this year and the solid play from Carter and Sloan, the future at our LB is looking great.

In addition to those two ATV and Norris had great games. I can’t remember who it was on, but ATV put on a bone crushing hit on a Husky player that would have made Matt Darby proud.

My only two complaints re. the defense from last night was first, early on they looked a little tentative against the run. Also, I thought they folded a little too easy in giving up the TD when they were put in a short field after Craft’s pick. Still all in all a great effort and I hope they can replicate that for an entire game against Arizona State in about couple of weeks. It would have them peaking going into the biggest game of the season.

In terms of injuries and personnel issues, here are the notes from the LAT:

Quarterback Ben Olson, who is recovering from a broken foot, did not make the trip to Seattle. . . . Olson, who is recovering from a broken foot suffered in the summer, has been trying to get back onto the field before the season ends.

He took snaps in practice during the week but had to back off. Neuheisel said he did not travel with the team because he would not have been ready to play.

UCLA offensive lineman Darius Savage tore a ligament in his left ankle during the first half of Saturday night's game at Washington. Savage will require surgery.

The note re. Savage is a huge bummer, especially considering the great start our OL had last night. Here is to hoping a full and healthy recovery.Glicksberg took over for Savage last night.

As for Olson, I wonder where did the broadcasters last night got the info re. Olson being at the game last night.

Speaking of broadcasters, one side note. I am getting sick and tired of announcers bloviating about CRN and Craft’s sideline discussions. It is pointless and tiresome. Guess what guys? I like the fact that my head coach is coaching his heart out and showing passion and care for his players. That’s how CRN has coached QBs all his life and he has a track record to back him up. The announcers commenting on CRN’s sideline discussions with Craft is just about as tiresome about reading knee jerk, reactionary comments about wanting Forcier, beating a dead horse. It’s boring and pointless.

Lastly, speaking of CRN we will end this Sunday by closing the loop on Washington-Neuheisel-UCLA story line:

"Emotional," Neuheisel said in describing his Montlake return. "Pleasantly, there were a lot of friendly faces. There's a number of great people here at the University of Washington. Contrary to all the articles and stuff, my memories are mostly favorable. I understand the messy ending. I apologized for my role in it. I'm hoping we can put this behind us as both programs look to the future."

CRN didn't mention it ... we will ... that was his 70th win in his 9th year as a head coach in college football.

Washington drama is certainly behind us now and we can now look forward to Arizona State.

Enjoy a feel good Sunday.

GO BRUINS.

Some really interesting news out of Spaulding today. Apparently Ben Olson took majority of the second-team snaps yesterday. From the Daily News:

UCLA quarterback Ben Olson took the majority of second-team snaps Tuesday as preparation began for Saturday's game at winless Washington, and said afterward his foot was feeling better and he was eager to play.

However, whether Olson supplants Chris Forcier as the backup to starter Kevin Craft won't be decided until late this week.

"It feels OK, but you're battling through a lot of things when you're coming back from an injury. Not just the injury itself," Olson said. "Your legs, your timing, you haven't played live for a couple of months. But I did a lot more than I thought."

Neuheisel said he still needs to speak with offensive coordinator Norm Chow about how the quarterback position will be handled this week, but gave a quick critique of Olson's day.

"He looked rusty," Neuheisel said.

Olson has been out since breaking a bone in his right foot in August, the second time it happened in four months. And although even Olson said it was unlikely he could play against Washington given this is his first full week of practice since training camp, he didn't rule it out.

"I think coach Chow will do a good job of putting me in situations that he thinks I can handle at this point, physically," said Olson, who showed he still has his sense of humor. "So, a lot of options, a lot of quarterback draws."

Good to see BO still being able to laugh about it. But I think it is a little more than telling that Chow and Neuheisel are willing to give Olson majority of the second-team snaps. The significance here IMHO is not whether or not Olson is ready to contribute, but it tells us what we need to know about what they think about Forcier’s ability to run this offense in their system.

I still hope that Olson is not rushed in under any circumstances but I trust the judgment of Chow and Neuheisel on how they handle the situation.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side Coach Walker sent a clear message to his players about finishing the game. From the LAT:

The UCLA defensive players gathered in a bunch after practice Tuesday, bouncing off the field, yelling, displaying emotion you might not expect from a unit hit by big scores the last two games.

"Just people who love football," safety Rahim Moore said. "We're just showing that things aren't over."

Earlier in the day, defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker had gathered his players for a closed-door meeting.

"Let's just say the bowl situation, when you start seeing that drift away, you can feel like you're running out of time," he said. "I was explaining to them that there are personal goals that can keep you motivated and goals as a group."

Walker was upset about the final touchdown in a 34-6 loss to Oregon State, a UCLA linebacker missing his gap, allowing a 35-yard run. He challenged starters to keep improving and backups to work toward breaking into the lineup.

He also told the defense that "we've managed to play well for three quarters and change. We need to do it for four quarters."

Should be interesting how they respond in a hostile situation this Saturday. Speaking of dealing with a possible hostile situation, here is a pretty good article re. CRN’s return to the Emerald City. Bob Condotta from the Seattle Times wrote about CRN’s contrite tone re. his previous team:

"The one thing I regret is that I would have been more heavy-handed with Jerramy Stevens," he said, referring to the tight end who had several legal issues at UW and has had more in his ongoing NFL career.

"Given another opportunity, I won't make the same mistake, and I don't say it because I'm mad at Jerramy but to tell him I'm sorry I didn't [punish him more]. I had a chance to send him a clear message and instead it was a mixed one and I regret that. But there were a lot of great kids on that team and in terms of what we accomplished that year, it was just a great team to be a part of."

His other significant regret, he said, is lying about interviewing for a coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers in February of 2003, which UW officials later cited in his firing.

Condotta went on to report how Neuheisel stays in close touch with his former players (who seem totally devoted to him)

Neuheisel said he had a reunion last summer with some of the players on that 2000 team, such as lineman Matt Rogers, safety Hakim Akbar and linebacker Derrell Daniels, who now works on-campus at UCLA and sometimes volunteers in the football office.

He stays in touch with a few others — he said he got a text message from Reggie Williams after the Bruins beat Tennessee in his first game as UCLA's coach, reciting one of Neuheisel's favorite sayings that "tough times don't last but tough people do."

And how he is not holding any grudges against anyone which includes Barbara Hedges, the former Washington A.D. who by all accounts totally mishandled the situation when she attempted to terminate him (which later blew up on the faces of the Husky Administration resulting in a settlement awarding millions to Neuheisel):

"She was very gracious," Neuheisel said. Neuheisel isn't expecting much grace Saturday, however. Asked what he thinks his legacy is in the minds of most UW fans, he said "unfortunately, I think that [the ending] will be primarily what people will remember because it was such a controversial time.

"It will be what it will be," he said of the reception he expects to receive. "I'm pretty sure the negative will outweigh the other. But that's OK. In some way, they are all cheering for Husky football however you are viewing it."

Well, one corner of the web you can expect a lot of Husky Grace is UW Dawg Pound, where John B is urging his fellow Huskies to show class when CRN returns to Mont Lake (his posts are generating some heated and passionate discussion, which IMHO is more than understandable). As I have said before, karma is going to work out both for UCLA/CRN and Washington with it’s next head coach.

GO BRUINS.

We will start our “Spaulding” roundup with a little note on Ben Ball. Rick Neuheisel makes a reference to Ben Ball data points we have been pointing to for months. CRN looked back at Howland's first two years in striking hopeful notes while looking forward:

The winning percentage was .393 and included losses in 14 of the last 16 games. The team was low on talent, chemistry and almost everything else.

It was Ben Howland's first year as UCLA's men's basketball coach, but it seems a lot further back than the 2003-04 season. In the following four seasons, Howland's teams were 115-28, went to three Final Fours and won three Pacific-10 Conference titles. […]

"If you look at the resumes of the coaching staff on this team, and you see where they've been and what they've accomplished," Neuheisel said, "there's no reason to think that we can't have the same kind of jump that a Ben Howland had here."

UCLA is 3-6, including 2-4 in the Pac-10, heading into Saturday's game at winless Washington.

Howland's first UCLA team was 11-17, but followed it with an 18-11 campaign before reeling off three straight 30-win seasons.

"Ben Howland had a losing record his first year here and then he went out and he recruited," Neuheisel said, "and he got his own culture established, and the next thing you know he's been to three Final Fours. I believe the football program is capable of the same thing."

Now I get the fact that football and basketball are different give the difference in number of scholarship athletes in each programs. However, the similarities between our football program in Dorrell’s last season with Lavin’s last two years are striking. In fact, I think if DG hadn’t pulled the trigger at the end of last season, I am willing to bet right now we would be staring at a winless season (just like the Washington Huskies) given the fact that the offensive staff in previous regime didn’t display a shred of competency even with QBs like Cowan or Olson in charge.  As frustrating as our offense has been this year, it would have been utterly hopeless and ugly with the Law Firm or Osaar Rashaan leading this team under Dorvell.

The way it has shaped up finishing this season between 3 to 6 wins with our current coaching staff will not be a surprise (actually I will be ecstatic if we can 5-6 wins to finish out this season). We should also brace for a tough season next year as well (even though I will expect better results than this one). UCLA given the hole Dorrell put us in, will not be fully back for at least another two years beyond this season. It’s a consequence we now have to live with for keeping Dorrell two years too long in this program.

Anyway, enough of looking back, let’s move on and that is what CRN is doing wrt to his upcoming opponent this week in Seattle. CRN got ahead of the predictable storylines yesterday by taking the classy approach and saying “sorry” to the Husky fans:

"For me, this thing ... if there's any emotion it's between the fans and myself, and I just want the fans to know that I am truly sorry for the messiness of how things shook out," Neuheisel said Monday.

"Husky football is a great entity and a great program and I believe that good things are in store, and I believe that is also the case for UCLA football."

More from CRN:

"I have a fond, fond memory bank of great things that happened to me while I was the Husky coach. I've been in Husky Stadium when it was absolutely rocking. I remember many, many late wins that the place was jumping, and I remember the Rose Bowl season and great, great things during my time there, and that's what I choose to reflect on rather than the unfortunate, messy ending."

I think I have alluded to this before. I have always been a huge fan of Seattle and the Washington Huskies football program. The majority of Husky fans I have had a chance to interact with have been incredibly classy and justifiably proud of the tradition of their program. Honestly, I find the storyline about Huskies booing CRN and all that kind of boring. I am sure we will see a lot of that but folks will move on in the long term. I have no doubt Huskies will get a great football coach who will get their program back where it belongs, annually contending for Pac-10 titles. It will take some time, but eventually with CRN at UCLA and a good coach leading the Huskies, we will have some classic games between these two program down the line.

As for the current matchup, not surprisingly the numbers for both programs are not encouraging:

The Bruins rush for a paltry 77.8 yards per game. The Huskies are not much better at 85.3.

"We've just put ourselves in too many long-distance situations," Washington quarterback Ronnie Fouch said, adding that "it's tough play-calling-wise to have third and 10, second and 10 every time."

As a result, the Huskies rank ninth in total offense in the Pacific 10. UCLA is eighth.

For weeks now, UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel has talked about how his team's inefficiency on offense has left the defense in tough spots. He sees the same dynamic with the Huskies.

"Defensively, they've actually done some good things," Neuheisel said. "Like us, it looks like the defense has been the victim of having to be on a lot of short fields."

Not surprisingly, both defenses rank near the bottom of the conference.

More gruesome numbers if you care to check:

The Huskies are ranked among the nation's bottom six in these categories: rushing offense, total offense, scoring, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense, scoring defense, kickoff returns, turnover margin, pass efficiency, sacks and tackles for loss.

Willingham has played 12 true freshmen with nine starting at least one game.

UCLA isn't as statistically abysmal, but the Bruins are eighth in the Pac-10 in both scoring (18.8 points per game) and scoring defense (31.0), just ahead of Washington in both categories.

UCLA of course has its own share of young kids getting their experiences this season.  Specifically if I have my notes via the official website right, 22 freshmen - 11 true and 11 redshirt - have played this year.

Also, nineteen different players have made their first career starts this year. Nine different offensive linemen have started a game and we have started seven different combinations in the nine games. That kind of experience will pay off in the long run.

As for our next game, wanted to share with you the following injury notes which included a very interesting tidbit re. Ben Olson at the end:

Wide receiver Nelson Rosario (ankle) should be available this week and is expected to practice in the coming days.

Defensive end Reginald Stokes, who played Saturday after having a recent knee surgery, should be more involved this week.

Neuheisel said the three players who were suspended for last week's game -- Jess Ward, Micah Reed and Scott Glicksberg -- would be back in the lineup, depending on how much they are needed.

Neuheisel said quarterback Ben Olson would likely travel to Washington and that he was hopeful Olson could play Nov. 28 against Arizona State.

I think that’s the first time I have seen CRN mention the possibility of Olson getting some action this season. I haven’t seen it mention anywhere else yet. Definitely something to keep our eyes on as we continue to look forward to both short term (yes this coaching staff keeps me intrigued about every game even though we are going through tough rebuilding times) and long term future.

GO BRUINS.

We will start the Hump day with some disappointing news:

Three Bruins, including two who were expected to play significant roles on the offensive line, will not play Saturday because of what Coach Rick Neuheisel called a violation of athletic department policy.

Guards Micah Reed and Scott Glicksberg, both of whom have started this season, and reserve defensive tackle Jess Ward will not suit up against Oregon State at the Rose Bowl.

"Never good news, but important that discipline be administered," Neuheisel said. "We'll leave it at that."

Reed is a former starting center who has been playing as a reserve guard since coming back from multiple knee injuries. Glicksberg started five games but has come off the bench in the past two due to some shuffling along a patchwork offensive line.

Ward, a Lake Arrowhead Rim of the World graduate, has gotten some playing time on the defensive line in the past three games. He missed time early in the season with a knee injury, then spent several weeks on the offensive line due to a lack of depth.

This is the second suspension for Ward. He and linebacker John Hale were suspended for the first game of the 2006 season after pleading no contest to aggravated assault charges stemming from a February 2006 fight at Ward's Arrowbear residence.

Per Dohn:

Sources said the suspensions were because the players failed drug tests. UCLA policy is to not comment on the specifics of suspensions, and the players were not made available for comment.

Haven't seen any confirmation of that account in another paper yet and also no further info. on what kind of "drugs" were involved. It's sad and pathetic on the part of these players if that report is true.

It’s good to hear CRN and the UCLA officials not wasting any time to suspend these guys for violating AD policies. Frankly given that this is Ward’s second suspension, I think coaches should strongly consider whether this guy should be kept around the program. For a program that is so desperately trying to implement a culture change, it might not be a bad idea to send a clear signal that there will be no room for selfish and undisciplined individuals, who can’t show total commitment to his team-mates and the entire team.

As for Reed and Glicksberg, their performance this season have been mediocre, as they have been constantly shifted in and out of the lineups due to their performance (or lack thereof). Sure Reed has been dealing with bumps and bruises, but even when he was healthy his performance was nothing to write about. Given that these guys have not shown their commitment to develop as student athletes, it wouldn’t be a shocker if Palcic banish these guys to permanent backup roles, and go with Savage, Tevaga, Bennett, Kia, Ekbatani, Dean, Harris, and Baca. Baca returned to practice this week from an injury.  Let Reed and Glicksberg stew in their insignificant roles for a while and reflect on how they let down all of their team-mates.

Moving on to QB issue, it looks like CRN and Chow will stick with Craft:

A bye that offered no intrigue in a possible quarterbacking change ended with starter Kevin Craft "solidifying" his hold as the starter ahead of backup Chris Forcier.

"I think it solidified how we feel about the quarterback position," Neuheisel said. "It's going to be what it's been, and hopefully an improved version of what it's been."

As for Ben Olson, he was back in practice, but per CRN he looks “out of shape”:

Ben Olson took reps with the scout team team during two periods in his first practice since breaking his foot in the preseason. But after missing nearly three months, Neuheisel said he didn't expect Olson to be ready anytime soon.

"Being healthy and being ready to play at game speed are two different things," Neuheisel said. "He looked out of shape, but no worse for wear. But it's going to take a lot of this before he can be up to game speed."

If Olson is to play, the likely scenario would be for him to move into either a starting or backup role after UCLA's Nov.15 game at Washington, because the Bruins don't play again until Nov. 28 at Arizona State.

"It feels pretty good, but it's hard to test it," Olson said. "When you come back from an injury, it's hard to develop that trust that you need to have. I didn't explode out."

It will take Olson a while to get into game shape and at this point season, I hope UCLA doesn’t find itself in an emergency situation where he has to step in. The Olson saga has been incredibly disappointing and heartbreaking given what he has to deal with last few years. However, I think for the sake of this team CRN and Chow has to stick with Craft, who has been working with them for last few months.

As for Oregon State, it’s QB situation remains up in the air:

The Beavers practiced Tuesday as if second-stringer Sean Canfield will be starting, but Coach Mike Riley is not ruling out first-stringer Lyle Moevao. Ranked among the leading passers in the Pac-10, Moevao injured his shoulder against California last week.

An MRI exam showed only a strained muscle in the rotator group and no tear.

"He should get better with each day," Riley said. "What that means about this game, I can't tell yet."

What that means is that the Bruin defense better be ready for whoever Riley starts on Saturday. Given the weapons they have at the disposal, no matter who starts he will have options while looking to inflict some damage on our defense.

GO BRUINS.

Looks like CRN is using a chopper again to recruit all over Southern California (with a heavy emphasis on the Inland Empire). Dohn reports:

In a jam-packed recruiting day, Neuheisel again threw some flair into recruiting, avoiding Southern California's famous Friday traffic by using a helicopter in an effort to get to a handful of high schools and take in three or four prep games.

Earlier this season Neuheisel impressed some recruits, including quarterback and UCLA commit Richard Brehaut of Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga, by taking a helicopter to his game.

However, Neuheisel's landing was diverted that time and he didn't get to the game in time to see Brehaut, so he tried it again Friday.

Sources said Neuheisel was set to visit St.Francis of La Canada and Serra of Gardena during the day, then see games featuring Narbonne at Washington, Los Osos vs. Rancho Cucamonga, Centennial of Corona (and defensive lineman Will Sutton and UCLA receiver commit Ricky Marvray) against North of Riverside, and also has a possible stop at Cajon of San Bernardino (former UCLA commit and current Notre Dame commit Marlon Pollard, a cornerback), which plays Pacific of San Bernardino.

UCLA coaches are also carpet bombing the JC scene, looking for OL recruits:

The Bruins' staff will be out watching at least eight junior college games today, including Pierce of Woodland Hills against Valley. The focus at the junior college games is finding offensive linemen.

As always keep an eye on BRO and Bruin Blitz for the latest updates on Bruin recruiting. From the reports it is clear to me that CRN and his coaches are going all out to bring in talent. I haven't seen this kind of intensity and creativity (in terms of generating positive press in the local media) in Bruin recruiting effort in a while. KD didn't get anything going until his last year in Westwood.

Elsewhere, the OC Register had a report on Ben Olson, in which he didn't sound "enthused" about running the scout team to slowly work himself back into game shape:

“We're not at a point where anybody can afford to be giving up reps,” Coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Olson, who missed 11 weeks recovering from a broken bone in his foot, understands that practice time could be precious as the Bruins try desperately to reach a bowl game. If UCLA doesn't beat Oregon State, its chances of qualifying for a bowl game would be on life support.

“It's hard to jump back in when they're so worried about getting ready to play who they're playing,” Olson said. [...]

Craft continues to take the vast majority of repetitions with the first-team offense. Forcier gets spot duty. One solution Neuheisel suggested was Olson working with the scout team.

Olson didn't sound too enthused.

“I don't know,” Olson said. “I haven't run scout team in a couple years.”

Again, if Olson wants to return at this point, he would be better served if he worked with the coaches and contribute every way he can. I am not sure he is a position where he can be dismissive about the opportunity to work his way back by running the scout team. If he is physically and mentally ready, I think it will show no matter which team he runs during practices and work his way up the depth chart. Also, I find Olson's remark somewhat amusing during a week in which we read about Cowan firing up his team-mate, urging them to listen to CRN and coaches and focus harder during practices.

Speaking of focus and working hard, the OC Register has a great read on ATV, who has been shining on and off the field ever since his arrival in Westwood.

Hopefully, CRN's recruiting efforts will yield more ATVs in the coming years in Westwood.

GO BRUINS.

Lot’s of injury related news to talk about on this Hump Day during a bye week. We will start with the latest on Ben Olson. Olson "accelerated" his workout at practice yesterday. Kevin Pearson from the Press Enterprise has the latest on former Bruin QB:

Olson had a doctors appointment late Tuesday and was unavailable for comment but did do some light workouts early in practice and threw in some individual drills.

"He's been cleared to accelerate what he's doing, but I'm not sure if he's ready," Neuheisel said. "He'd like to get into the fray a little bit."

Olson broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot in April and then again the first week of training camp in August and had a pin inserted each time. He was expected to miss eight weeks but has been hampered by some lingering soreness in the foot, which pushed his return to the field back.

Olson, a former No. 1 national recruit out of high school, has missed playing time at UCLA because of hand, foot, head and multiple knee injuries and has started just 10 games.

While Neuheisel didn't sound optimistic about Olson being prepared to play on Nov. 8 against Oregon State, he worried how long it would take Olson to get up to game speed. Neuheisel was hopeful Olson could return to the field at some point this season.

"You work him during this week and see where he is," Neuheisel said. "He may come out and electrify the place, and who knows. In my mind, having laid off as a player myself and trying to come back up to game speed, it's a very difficult transition."

At this point a triumphant return of Ben Olson could become as compelling story as the one of John Barnes. Yet, I am not too sure whether I want to see Olson back in a game. I don’t think it’s worth it to risk more injury to this poor kid by having him line up behind our current OL. Given the status of our OL, we need a QB who is mobile and who can escape pressure. We will not get that from Olson, who will be a sitting duck behind that line. My heart goes out to Olson for what he has been through last few years in Westwood but I am not sure if it is worth it to him and our team to risk any more disastrous injuries by having him take snaps behind our current OL. Anyway, we will see how his rehab goes. I am sure the coaches will not make any move re. Olson until they get total assurance from the doctors at UCLA.

Meanwhile, the coaches are exploring "a somewhat bigger role" for Forcier:

In the meantime, the Bruins will continue to explore a somewhat bigger role for backup Chris Forcier, using his mobility as a counterpoint to Craft.

"If that's my role, I'm going to make the best of it," Forcier said. "It just puts that much more of a burden on the defense to deal with two quarterbacks who can do different things out there."

And maybe puts more pressure on Craft. Or maybe not.

"I had a few carries last game," Craft said. "I know Chris has good speed and he can run the ball and if that's another aspect that teams have to get ready for . . . "

Good to see both Forcier and Craft being open minded about the current QB situation.

Moving on some more important injury related news came out Spaulding yesterday. It looks like Baca could be ready in time for Oregon State:

Coaches are hopeful that freshman tackle Jeff Baca will recover from a strained hamstring in time for Oregon State.

Neuheisel talked about reshuffling his offensive line, moving players around.

"There are no other bodies," he said. "We've just got to find the right combination against a particular opponent that gives us the best chance."

While Reggie Carter might have suffered a setback during the Cal game. Dohn reports that Carter might have cracked a rib last weekend:

"I practiced the entire practice, but it was pretty bad," said Carter, who has 57 tackles. "Any time I got blocked, I just (stayed) blocked because fighting was only going to make it worse. I probably shouldn't have been out there, but it's hard to look at coach (Rick Neuheisel) and say, `Coach, I can't go."'

After beginning the season at middle linebacker, Carter shifted to the weakside when Kyle Bosworth suffered a knee injury Sept.13.

UCLA has a bye this week, which should give Carter more time to heal.

"They said (if it was broken) I wouldn't be able to cough, and I said it hurts when I cough," Carter said. "They said I wouldn't be able to laugh, and it hurts when I laugh. It hurts when I take deep breaths, but they told me it would hurt a lot worse if it was broke."

That is just painful to read. Crossing fingers and hoping for the best news at this point.

Lastly, we will end this round up with a note on Roby Toma, the latest recruit to commit to UCLA. I guess folks are curious re. the coaches’ reasoning behind offering a 5-9 ¾ , 160lb receiver from Punahou a UCLA scholarship. Well let’s look at some of the highlights flagged by Brian Dohn:

Roby Toma Junior Year 2007 Highlights (via LaiePointProductionz)

Brandon Huffman from Bruin Report Online and the West Recruiting Manager for Scout.com posted the following report on how the Toma offer materialized from UCLA coaches (article not behind the subscription firewall at the time of this post)

Hilliard, who committed to UCLA on Monday, had his tape watched by the UCLA coaching staff as they debated offering him. While watching the film, the Bruin coaches noticed a smaller receiver constantly making plays.

"Coach (Norm) Chow said he was watching our tape from our game in Seattle (at the Emerald City Kickoff Classic) and they were watching Dalton and they kept seeing me making plays," said Toma. "They had asked around about me and then it came out of the blue."

"It" was an offer from UCLA that floored Toma.

"Coach Chow is one of the best offensive minds ever in the game and when he called me to talk with me, it meant a lot. It was surprising and I was kind of speechless," said Toma. "I then got to talk with Coach (Rick) Neuheisel he told me that they have a scholarship for me and they were offering me a scholarship to UCLA."

I will never be a scout and I have no desire to be one. But what I see in those highlights is a kid who has pretty solid game speed and vision. I get that folks are concerned about his size. That’s a legit question. However, I do think it is reasonable to give deference to the judgment of Chow and Neuheisel re. offensive talents.

Also, this point has been made few times in the comment threads already but its worth repeating on the home page. Not every commit is going to be a 4 or 5 star recruit. If we can roundup a good core of athletes with elite level athleticism with some kids with great hear and leadership ability, it might result in a well balanced class. Re. the point on leadership here is Dohn:

He is also a kid that could go to West Point and play for Army, which is a huge deal. It is a very difficult place to get in to, and speaks of the high quality of an individual. UCLA is a program that needs more leadership, and Toma could be a guy like that.
In addition to playing receiver, he could excel on special teams. Sometimes, size and 40 times do not tell the whole story, and I believe that is what UCLA is thinking in recruiting Toma.

Anyone remember who was the last kid to play for UCLA football with a service academy background? Here is a reminder:

Photo Credit: Steve McCrank via Beretta627's photostream (flickr)

If Roby can bring the same kind of leadership, heart and desire of number 33, it will bode well for our football program.

Welcome to Westwood Roby.

GO BRUINS.

Interesting note on Dohn’s blog re. Richard Brehaut, incoming QB recruit and one of the key corner stones re. next year’s class:

UCLA commit Richard Brehaut, a quarterback from Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga High, is going to try and graduate early and enroll at UCLA for the spring quarter. That is a huge deal because it will allow Brehaut to compete in spring practice.

There are some negative and positive angles re. this development. I will start with the negative and it’s not too difficult to figure out what it is. The story of J.P. Losman should be familiar to everyone in Westwood.   WWL's Mark Schlaback's story on early enrollments of hot shot college QBs included the obligatory reference to Losman/UCLA:

Enrolling early didn't work out for Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman, either. He spent less than four months at UCLA after enrolling early in 1999, and finished his college career at Tulane. Blake Barnes, a junior quarterback at Georgia, also enrolled early but has played only sparingly as a backup. Jevon Snead enrolled early at Texas last year, but lost the starting job to Colt McCoy, then transferred to Ole Miss this spring.

Even Tebow, who had as much success as anyone after enrolling early last year, said getting a head start in college football isn't for everyone.

"You don't have to enroll early," Tebow said. "I definitely think it depends on the school you go to and the offense they run. It's not for everybody."

But on the flip side … times are a little different now at UCLA. It is not that unusual any more for hotshot freshmen to enroll in school early. In our current program Kevin Craft himself checked in early (along with Embree IIRC). By all account Brehaut seems to have been more involved with our program than Losman ever was. Also, I am presuming CRN, Chow and rest of the staff will do much better job of phasing this kid in our program.

As for the QB depth chart, it will interesting to see how Brehaut (if he in fact enrolls early) performs in this spring’s QB competition. It figures to be intense and competitive (in a healthy way I think) featuring an experienced Craft, talented Prince, seasoned (at least in terms of years in the program) Forcier, Crissman (if he is recovered from his right shoulder injury which may or may not requre injury surgery), and Brehaut.

No information right now on whether Cowan will try to come back for his sixth year. I don’t see Olson coming back and I also think Osaar Rasshan should think about switching positions, if he wants to think about a career in the pros beyond UCLA.

Anyway, Brehaut’s arrival will certainly heat up the competition even more and make things more fun at Spaulding. It will be fun to see and read about CRN and Chow coaching up these QBs next Spring.

GO BRUINS.

After our anemic offensive showing last two games right now lot of folks are wondering whether CRN and Chow will make any changes at the QB position in near future. Here is Kevin Pearson’s report at PE.com:

"Everything he (Kevin Craft – BN Ed.) needs is inside his head, but he gets going too fast and therefore he makes decisions before he needs to make a decision and gets off the timing the game requires," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said on his Sunday night conference call.

"It's like a Rubik's Cube. He keeps twisting and he hasn't gotten the combination yet. I hope it will come with time."

But how long that takes is becoming an issue. UCLA's offense has not scored a touchdown in two consecutive games and Craft has been unspectacular in both, including an 81-passing yard performance in a 31-10 loss to Arizona on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Neuheisel said that the competition would remain open this week but at this point, Craft is still ahead of freshman Kevin Prince. Neuheisel said it would still be several weeks before Ben Olson's broken foot heals, meaning Craft will continue to learn on the job.

"He needs to stay in himself and continue to make the plays he is capable of making," Neuheisel said. "We are putting our faith in Kevin. He never makes a mistake. We just hope he will turn the corner."

If CRN is going to make a move at QB, it would obviously be based on discussion with Chow:

So while Neuheisel said "the competition remains open at the position," he added, "unless Norm and I have a conversation, he's still our guy."

As for Chow, from his pov (which syncs with RN’s) our offensive issues are not limited to Craft:

"You see one break down, then you see another guy break down, then you see another guy get called for holding," UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "It's hard now. It's not easy. But I think our guys are resilient. I think young people are resilient, and I think we have to keep working.

"If we knew it was one guy doing it all the time, we'd change it. But there's not a lot for us to change to."

Well, hopefully Craft will reward the trust coaches are placing in him by rewarding them with a much improved performance next weekend against Fresno State. And there is a glimmer of good news from the injury report wrt to next week:

Tight end Cory Harkey will have an MRI test on his left ankle today. He was injured early in the game but kept playing.

Tackle Micah Kia will have his back examined; he left the game after the first half.

Neuheisel said he expects tailback Kahlil Bell (sprained ankle) and wide receiver Nelson Rosario (strained knee) to return for Saturday's game against Fresno State.

If Bell can return at 100 percent, it could potentially be a nice boost for this offense. If he comes back and contribute at the level he did last season, it could take enough pressure off Kevin Craft, getting him in the mindset of just managing the game, instead of trying to force the action like he did during couple of occasions on Saturday afternoon (like when he flicked the ball towards Graves on third down when he could have probably scrambled for a first).

GO BRUINS.