Some good news out of Spaulding field this Hump Day. Walker is shaking things up in response to numbers like these from first four games. From Dohn:

The Bruins allow 37.5 points and 415.8 yards per game, and are 106 th nationally (of 119) in third-down efficiency, allowing 48.4 percent of third downs to be converted.

"Where we're struggling is third and (2 to 6 yards)," Walker said. "There's some things we've been successful on the last few years, and I think teams are picking up on it, so we have to figure out how we can do better from the third and 2 to 6. We're awful right now, and we've got to get it fixed."

bucknellbruin already fanshotted one of the changes Walker is trying out in practice. He has inserted true freshman Dye (5-11, 190) in the nickel packages over red shirt freshman Courtney Viney (5-8, 150). Just by looking at the depth chart it stands out that Dye has the size advantage over Viney. More on the switch (and other shake ups) from LA Times reporter Chris Foster:

"We're giving him (Dye) a good look in practice," Walker said. "He's a bigger guy and a smart guy. He has the ability to do the things we want done. We're trying to find matches we think can help us."

That might also mean more time for Akeem Ayers and, possibly, defensive end Datone Jones. The Bruins have only four sacks through three games. They had 13 in the first four games in 2007.

Part of that was due to defensive end Bruce Davis. He tied for the Pacific-10 lead with 12 sacks. In 2006, the Bruins' Justin Hickman led the conference in sacks.

"It's kind of hard to replace guys like Davis and Hickman," Walker said. "Those are special guys. Even when we were not bringing pressure, they were able to get to the quarterback. We'll look a little bit at personnel."

Walker said that Ayers and Jones were players who could help the pass rush.

"It's something where we either have to blitz more or use more guys to cover," Walker said.

It will be interesting to track the development of kids like Ayers and Jones over next two years. From what I have seen to date, I love Ayers’s speed and I think it might not be a bad idea to stay with him at SLB than senior John Hale, who has really been struggling shedding blocks from that spot.

More on the defense from Dohn who had the following comments from CRN re. generating pressure on the QBs:

Despite opponents throwing the ball an average of 35.5 times per game, the Bruins have four sacks, and are not getting much pressure on opposing quarterbacks. UCLA's one-sack-per-game average ranks 102 nd, and the defensive line has accounted for three sacks - one each from starting ends Tom Blake and Korey Bosworth and one from reserve defensive tackle Nate Skaggs.

So how does UCLA get more pressure on the quarterback? "The answer is fundamentals, and the answer is zone pressure, and the answer is don't try; (use) three-man pressure and drop (into coverage)," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "We haven't had a great edge presence so far, and it's maybe time to not try so much."

I think another issue to keep in mind is that our CBs like ATV has been giving opposing receivers a cushion because of the need to provide cover in case our safeties and LBs miss their tackles. In many ways it kind of reminds me a little (stay with me here) of our Ben Ball defensive strategery from last season. Remember the games LRMAM was out due to injuries? During those games our guards would sag off in their man to man coverage around the perimeter because they didn’t feel as confident in their interior defense without Luc inside. But when Luc came back in the rotation, DC and RW would feel lot more confident about exerting that suffocating man to man pressure up front. I think we have a little bit of the same deal going on here as well. Our CBs will be able to exert more tight coverage if they get better defensive coverage from their safeties (hello Brett) and the LBs and DEs up front. So hopefully giving Ayers and Jones more time will help that cause along with the insertion of Dye who might emerge as a more physical presence than Viney. Should be very interesting how it all shapes up on Saturday night.

On the offensive side of the ball, some good news at TE:

Tight end has gone from an area of concern to an area of surplus in the month since Logan Paulsen broke a foot against Tennessee. The coaches moved Nate Chandler back to the position from tackle and also decided to use freshman Cory Harkey rather than redshirt him.

"We don't pretend to have great depth, but all of the sudden the position looks like a position should look," Neuheisel said.

Moya is the primary receiving tight end, while Chandler is the better blocker. Harkey might be the most complete player. He injured an ankle against Arizona, but probably will play Saturday.

"I'm just getting back in the swing of things," Harkey said.

It is becoming apparent that Paulsen won't play this season. He said he must remain in a walking boot for another 21/2 weeks, though he hasn't decided whether he will redshirt this season.

Makes sense for Paulsen to get his medical redshirt this season and come back strong next year for what hopefully will be a final successful season at UCLA. By that time UCLA offense should be in even better shape with a year of Chow scheme under its belt.

Anyway, it is great to hear coaches shaking things up and not sitting still while dealing with adversity. Here is to hoping that the new kids like Ayers and Jones can use the experience this year to develop just like Hickman and Davis did under Walker last two seasons.

GO BRUINS.

If there were any doubts about whether the new coaching regime would tolerate lolly gagging out at Spaulding, Rick Neuheisel put an end to that this week. Since the euphoria of Monday, RN has been emphasizing how there is a long way to go and that there is no room for letting up. Apparently couple of the kids didn’t get the message and CRN didn’t waste any time sending the message that there will be no room for lolly gagging under the new staff:

A day after holding a team meeting to warn UCLA's players about complacency after a big win - a bugaboo during the Karl Dorrell era - new coach Rick Neuheisel had harsh words for some unnamed players about a lack of effort during Thursday's practice.

"We have to make sure we're into the toughness part of this game," Neuheisel said. "It looked to me like there were a couple of culprits of tuning it down, not really wanting the contact piece of it.

"As we were going through some of the drills earlier, I wanted to make sure that they understand that's part of the game, and they can't play here if they're not going to get through that.

"But for 98 percent of the guys, it was a good practice." […]

"If we don't understand what has to be done in anticipation of a top-ranked opponent, then we didn't learn anything from what we just went through," Neuheisel said. "It's why we have an experienced coaching staff, and it's why we are pushing them, getting them to where we need to be. Hopefully, we'll come out (today) and have a good practice."

Needless to say this is pretty good news (if accurate) considering the word of RN’s practices up in Washington (via UW Dawg Pound):

One critic of former UW Rick Neuheisel used to tell me that his practices looked like a pillow fight. That was an obvious reference to the lack of structure, hitting, and tackling going on during practice not to mention the rock music and Popsicle breaks. Teams eventually play like they practice and Rick's teams were on a downward spiral when he was fired. Rick actually recognized the problem and was about to correct it because he felt his team was beginning to lack toughness.

Well if it was a problem up in Washington, in the early going doesn’t seem to be the case. Not only CRN hasn’t waste any time in making sure he is running a well oiled, disciplined practice (which was evident in the near flawless 2 penalty performances against Tennessee) he and his staff have made sure they are physical and tough. That is why as disconcerting as some of the injury news has been this off season, we have seen the results pays off in one of the more impressive physical performances by a UCLA team against a tough opponent in recent years.

Staying on the injury front, Ryan Moya stepped up huge on Monday night after Paulsen went down. Chris Foster from the LAT reports how coaches are now working with Moya and Harkey to improve their overall games at TEs:

The first issue about UCLA's paper-thin depth has been presented to Bruins coaches, who are trying to plug the hole created by the injury to tight end Logan Paulsen. […]

It leaves the Bruins crunching numbers at tight end. Ryan Moya, who plays the Bruins F back -- a receiver/blocker who is moved around -- and true freshman Cory Harkey will now try to fill that void.

"Out of Harkey and Ryan, we got to get one guy," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "Ryan is a little better receiver, and Harkey is a little better at the point of attack."

Moya had seven receptions for 65 yards and one touchdown in the 27-24 overtime victory over Tennessee. Yet he was less of a physical presence lining up at tight end, as opposed to working out of the backfield.

"Ryan had a good game, at least the pass receiving part of it," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. As for Moya's blocking, Neuheisel said, "He needs to work on it. In his defense, he was playing the F position, our moving tight end. It's no excuse, you have to know all your assignments. But he didn't get much practice time at tight end going into the game."

Playing Moya at tight end takes away from the depth at the F back spot, though Chow said running backs Trevor Theriot and Chane Moline can play that spot.

Harkey didn’t have a catch last game. But given his size (6-4, 240) and the skill set he has, you can expect coaches looking to him lot more in the coming weeks. The bye week after that physical game against Tennessee was absolutely crucial because it will allow RN/Chow to coach Harkey and rest of the youngsters up for an additional week.

Also speaking of injuries, Reggie Carter is “feeling better” (he had suffered an “MCL sprain”) and is hopeful about being back in practice next week to get ready for Tennessee. Nelson Rosario also suffered a “mild sprain of the medial collateral ligament.” Dohn reported last night that he is going to have an MRI. So keep an eye on that. Hopefully Nelson and Reggie are going to be ready next week.

We know the coaches will never make any excuses from these nagging injuries. In a way the injury issues in the early going and how the coaching staff have been dealing with it without making any excuses is very reminiscent of how CBH deals with the injury issues often arising from the Ben Ball workouts at Pauley Pavilion.

GO BRUINS.

Thank God we don’t have a game coming up this weekend. If we did, I have no idea how collectively we would have been able to pivot and put our focus on the next opponent. It will take at least another day to shake off last night’s exhilaration:

Photo Credit: Leigh Alvarez/The Daily Bruin

It sure looks like last night’s fireworks have already sent a shockwave coast to coast in the world of college football. Bruins have already cracked the Top-25 and showing up in some prominent polls. This is where everyone needs to slow down just a little bit and catch up with reality. Instead of getting ahead and start coming up with readjusted predictions for rest of the season, we still need to reassess more on what took place last night and the price we had to pay. And then look over the issues our coaches can resolve for helping this team improve from week to week.

So let’s start with the injury news. Once again the news is somewhat sobering (via Dohn):

He (Rick Neuheisel – BN Ed.) said tight end Logan Paulsen's broken right foot will keep him out for the long-term. Paulsen is expected to have a screw inserted in his foot, and is likely out at least eight weeks.
Talking about tailback Kahlil Bell's high ankle sprain, Neuheisel said it was "anybody's guess" how long he would be out. More should be known after Bell's MRI is read.
Receiver Marcus Everett has a dislocated big right toe, and Neuheisel said "I don't know how long that will be, but that's a very, very painful injury" and Everett will "just have to battle through it." I'm hearing there is a chance he could play against BYU.
And, finally, middle linebacker Reggie Carter has a partially torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee, but it is only believed to be a slight tear. He will likely undergo an MRI, but Neuheisel said "I think he'll be ok."

The news on Paulsen is a huge bummer. It’s disappointing especially considering it looks like TE will indeed be prominently featured in our offense. It was awesome to see Moya to step up in such a huge way. But having a healthy Paulsen will help. Hopefully Cory Harkey can step up like other true frosh.

We will have to cross our fingers re. Bell. However, in the next game I would love to see little more of Carter (and perhaps Dean) and little less of Moline. I like Moline a lot. He seems like a tough back. But I think may be we can use him in certain short yardage situations that calls for tough running up the gut or in plays allowing him to catch short passes for tough YACs. But I would love to see some more speed at our TB courtesy of Carter and perhaps Dean. I am assuming this is something the coaches will be thinking about and working on next week.

As for Everett’s injury, that’s tough. But I rather not have the kid rush back. Looks like we have some depth (knock on wood) at the WR spot right now. Also, don’t forget we will get Gavin Kethcum back in couple of weeks (hopefully) as he battles back from mono. Re. Reggie Carter’s injury, I have no idea what to think of that. If the MRI will shows that he is ok and if he gets clearance from his physicians, hopefully he can play and be effective. I will not be surprised with Carter’s injury we see some shuffling around our LB corps, allowing a kid like Ayers to break into the rotation.

Speaking of our defense, let’s get back to the chatter re. our prevent defense. From Jill Painter in the Daily News:

Tennessee had a pair of fourth-quarter scoring drives in the final six minutes. The Volunteers used a 13-play, 67-yard drive that ran nearly five minutes off the clock. Montario Hardesty broke free for a 20-yard touchdown run with 1:54 left to give Tennessee a 21-17 lead.

The Bruins marched down the field and scored with 27 seconds left to put UCLA ahead 24-21.

And the defense failed to deliver again.

Tennessee used a five-play, 27-yard drive that resulted in Daniel Lincoln's 47-yard field goal as time expired to send the game to overtime.

"My defense worked really hard," Harwell said. "It was the first game, and they got us a couple of times but the guys didn't stop believing and the coaches said it was going to come down to a field goal and that's what (happened)."

I voiced some concern re. the defense in last two drives in my first post today. However, there are other fair points we need to take into consideration. bucknellbruin pointed out it wasn’t so much the last drive of the regular period, but the last TD drive he was more concerned about:

My only problem with Walker’s scheme was the end of Tennessee’s last TD drive. We were blitzing on every single play to start that drive, and after they converted that 4th and 1 we stopped. Only 3 or 4 guys were rushing each play, and Crompton was able to move down the field enough to give the RB’s a look at the endzone. I love Walker, and he blitzed more that game than anyone else would dream of doing (which is, in my opinion, a huge reason we won), but I don’t understand why he got so conservative on that drive.
As for the last drive, what can you do…they had to avoid giving up a potential TD play. The staff had the confidence that we would win if it got to OT, so if Tenn made a play to get in FG range, so be it.

Then ryebreadaz pointed out that we went to prevent defense on the final play of the drive (I am assuming he is referring to the TD drive)

Given the way our defense played its heart out the entire game, keeping us in competitive even though we were facing some unreal adverse situations with our QB and injury issues, I don’t think we can really complain too much here. Moreover, as CRN pointed out it was him who had asked Walker to call a "conservative" scheme playing the field position:

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel gave defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker and his defense credit for solid play but perhaps Neuheisel should have made sure there was an asterisk by that statement, to note that it didn't include play at the end of regulation.

"DeWayne's defense kept us in the game," Rick Neuheisel said. "The seven points they had to make it 14-7 was an interception for a score.

"We came into the game with an idea of how to manage field position. I told him to be a little more conservative on their end of the field. I thought it worked to a 'T.' It was a field position game. I told them at halftime, 'Get it to the fourth quarter.' ... that's all you could ask for."

Considering all the blitz packages we saw from Walker throughout the game, cannot imagine what happens when he decides to get ultra aggressive. I would have to think once his secondary gets more experience (and get Brett Lockett back) Walker is going to get even more aggressive in the coming weeks. Fun stuff.

Moving on, we also have some work to do on special teams despite that crucial punt block from last night. From bornagainbruin:

I disagree with your analysis of special teams. Sure, we blocked a punt early for 6, but other than that the special teams were very poor, in my opinion. For instance, we were totally dominated on both kick offs and kick off returns. Second, on punt returns we never again came close to the punter and didn’t have any good returns. On our punts, Tenn had a few good punt returns. These special team issues cost us field position all night long.

To throw in a few numbers, Tennessee averaged starting on their own 36 after UCLA kickoffs, while we averaged our own 25 after Tennessee kickoffs.

Fair enough. I imagine Coach Gansz has already looked at the tapes and those data points and I think we can assume, this is something we are going to be working on during next 10 days. Man, it would have been nice to have Matt Slater for one more year.

Going back to the big picture scheme of things, Scott Wilson’s write up on Fox Sports has this how CRN motivated the team heading into last night:

"There's so much passion associated with college football," Neuheisel said. "Not that there isn't in the NFL ... but it doesn't have the same feeling of everything hinging on every play. You have to get used to that and weather the storm and not get too high or too low. The other thing is you never know when you're winning or when you're losing. You don't keep hoping for things, you just keep playing. I was really impressed with the way we did it first time out."

Neuheisel's players said he kept things very positive in the weeks leading up to the game, despite the obstacles that injuries and a thin depth chart overall presented.

"He's a great motivator," defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. "In his meetings, everybody's sitting up. He's so emotional. In the hotel, he just told us to keep fighting for four quarters. It went to overtime, but we still kept fighting."

I would add couple of more notes to this big picture stuff.

First, what lot of folks haven’t touch on yet is CRN’s vision. Heading into last night’s game we read a lot about how it was a huge risk for Neuheisel to shake up the schedule so that his team could debut in the national spotlight. rye's post sums it up beautifully the kind of risk CRN took in moving this game to Monday night on Labor Day. We haven’t had a head coach in my lifetime of following UCLA football (I have no idea how Dick Vermeil operated as the leader of this program off the field in the public area) with the CRN’s vision of our program. He as much any hard core UCLA football fanatics has total command over our history, our tradition as a college football program, and knows exactly where this program needs to go in the coming years so we can honestly say that we are indeed back. And he knows to push the right psychological buttons to get everyone around the program fired up and ready to go, while he is taking his players on the way to redemption. What could work out perfectly for UCLA is the tough and painstaking experiences he underwent as a brash/young HC at Colorado and at UDub is the exact seasoning he needed to emerge as a polished and seasoned head coach, enabling him to do this for the third time, the right way.

Second, have I mentioned the feeling of seeing our head coach PLAYING TO WIN? There was one grumbling comment in the game thread last night, about CRN/Chow deciding to throw the ball towards the end of the first half resulting in that pick 6. I absolutely had no problem with that. As painful as that pick 6 was, CRN/Chow sent the right signal to his team and the opponent that they were not going to sit back and play it safe. They were going for it. They were coming at it. They were relentless. It’s obvious that mindset has taken hold of our entire team, given the valiant and tenacious total team effort in the second half.

Now … we still need to slow things down. Yes, we are ranked. But we can’t get caught up in all that. We still have some serious injury issues to deal with and our entire offense still is a work in progress. Moreover, now that the whole country knows what is transpiring in Westwood, we are not going to sneak up on teams and pull off another ambush. So, I still think we are looking at a long, tough season, but it is going to be one during which our coaches and players are going to fight week after week. Still it is nice to finally have hope and a dream a little bit about our program’s future.

It’s been a while to experience this kind of afterglow following a UCLA football game:

Photo Credit: Jack Rosenfeld

That's not the last time Rose Bowl will look like that at the end of UCLA football game in this new era of Bruin football

GO BRUINS.

I went to sleep last night (well I tried) trying to come up with an idea on how I would start today’s post. I will be frank. All week I had been mentally preparing to write something on what I was expecting to be a tough night at the Rose Bowl. After the injuries to Paulsen, Everett, and Bell, and the pick-6 from Craft, I was just happy to be down by only 7 points at the end of the first half. Even when Craft connected with Moya, I was scared to hope just remembering all the agony and heartbreaks of last 9 seasons. So, when Lincoln’s 34 yarder went wide left, it was a little bit more than surreal.  And it is surreal to see images like this splashed all over this early morning:

Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/US PRESSWIRE (via ESPN)

You know what that image reminds me of?

That reminds me of the Bruin sidelines EXPLODING at the end of the Gonzaga game 2+ years ago. That was the night everyone (not just the hard core Ben Ball fans) started officially believing in the special magic taking place in the world of UCLA basketball. Well, never in my wildest imagination, I thought I would experience emotions rivaling the ones I felt the morning after Gonzaga. Now, obviously this is just one game. There is such a long way to go and we all have to grab a hold of reality and tell ourselves that we can’t expect what we experienced last night every game. That is not going to happen especially considering the injury issues and the punishing schedule that will get even harder now that all of our upcoming opponents are on notice. Yet, there is no mistake in the feelings we are all collectively experiencing here on Bruin Nation. It’s undeniable and I am not articulate enough to capture in the kind of words that would appropriately describe it’s magic.

So with that note, let’s go through the papers (and man they are fun to read) and last night’s game. I will start with Kevin Craft and how his team-mates (both from offense and defense) rallied around him. Foster from the LAT on how KC didn’t get rattled at half time:

"I didn't get rattled at halftime," Craft said. "I have played this game before."

Besides, he said, "the whole team came to me and said, 'We got your back.' Guys came up to me before the start of the second half and said the same thing."

Comforting words that led to a half of discomfort for the Volunteers.

Craft completed 18 of 25 passes for 193 yards after halftime.

KC was so sure of himself that he was ready to go out and battle, even if Lincoln connected on that 34 yarder:

"You know, if he'd made the kick in overtime to tie it again, we would have just gone back out there and tried to find a way to win," Craft said. "That's what we do."

As for his team-mates, KC mentioned how his team-mates both from offense and defense came up to him during half time to show their support. He returned the favor by showing his poise and by the end of the night emerging as the leader of his offense. From the words of Sonny Tevaga …

"It's staying relentlessly positive, and we've got belief in our quarterback," UCLA offensive lineman Sonny Tevaga said. "He was on point in the second half. The first half he had the jitters, and the second half he got rid of those jitters and he did his thing. That's our quarterback right there, Kevin Craft, baby."

 … Scott Glicksburg:

"That kid had so much heart, and we helped pick him up," offensive guard Scott Glicks-berg said. "A lot of people didn't think we'd get to this point. I don't have any words, it's just unbelievable."

Dominique Johnson …

With fireworks exploding over the stadium and the band playing, players spoke about Craft's arrival and their own. They talked about playing the role of underdog, their patchwork line paving the way and their defense giving a dominating effort when it mattered most.

But mostly, they talked of their newfound leader and his now-battle tested resiliency.

"We let him know in the locker room we had his back," Johnson said. "We all have rough starts, and he had one tonight. But we let him know if he came back out and got it together, we would pull this victory out.

.. and Brigham Harwell:

"I love that guy," defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said. "We believed in him and he showed we had a right to."

KC earned his team-mates respect, after getting an incredible boost of confidence (and injection of calm) from his head coach and his OC:

"Norm did a masterful job of calming Kevin down at halftime," Neuheisel said. "I just told him I threw four interceptions in my first start, too."

Craft led UCLA to a modest field goal in the third quarter, but it seemed enough to give him a boost of confidence.

Suddenly Chow, the UCLA offensive coordinator, found cracks in the Tennessee defense. Short passes turned into decent gains. Craft's confidence appeared to swell. The UCLA offense began to move.

"I have the best coaching staff in the world and some hard-fighting kids," Neuheisel said.

One of my favorite moments of last night were two shots of Norm Chow raising his arms and celebrating in the box during the second half. I don’t think I have ever seen him expressing that kind of emotion while watching (in horror) his Trojan offense slicing and dicing up another hapless opponent.

I repeatedly had to pinch myself over and over again during second half watching our offense just carving up a SEC defense filled with speed and athletcism. I haven’t seen a football offense I root for doing that to an opponent since the days of Cade M. You know there was also something very different in last night’s comeback vs. the multiple comebacks we experienced during the 2006 season. Last night’s comeback was methodical. It was systematic. Coaches pulled it off with their schemes and playing to our team’s strengths, rather than depending on helter-skelter plays and freakish talents of players like MJD. That comeback was real and legit, and it left no room for the opponent to point to dumb luck.

There was nothing lucky about the statement our defense made on national TV. From Ted Miller on WWL:

"DeWayne's defense kept us in the game," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said. "We came into the game with an idea of how to manage field position. I told him to be a little more conservative on their end of the field and if they get to the 50, now use your tricks."

The defense produced two takeaways, including one on a critical Arian Foster fumble on the Bruins' 6-yard line.

It only had one sack, but it consistently pressured and rattled Vols QB Jonathan Crompton, who completed only 18 of 40 passes for 184 yards with an interception. At one point in the fourth quarter, Crompton had missed on nine of 10 passes.

Up front, the Bruins more than handled what was reputed to be the SEC's best offensive line.

"They think the Pac-10 is soft," senior tackle Brigham Harwell said. "We let the people talk and talk and talk. But talk is cheap. We had to prove it."

The Bruins produced eight tackles for a loss. Cornerback Alterraun Verner, who Walker reserved special praise for, had six tackles to go with his interception. End Korey Bosworth had the lone sack.

Brian Price and Brigham Harwell were monsters. They were even more effective because of the help they received from Bosworth twins, Blake, Carter and rest of our front-7. It’s too bad about that unfortunate face mask penalty Blake gave up in Tennessee’s last TD drive on 3rd and 15. It was the only blamish on a great night.

Also in the second half our tackling was not as tight as we would have liked but we could chalk that up to fatigue from the defense being out there too long in the early going. Once they got some rest courtesy of the offense, they charged back with the ferocious pressure on that vaunted Volunteers OL we heard and read about all week.

Some more sporadic notes from last night’s game:

• Special teams: Special teams were fantastic all night. However, they did give us a little heartburn after that pooch kick following our last TD. I am sure that is some thing Coach Gansz will be going over with his colleagues/
• Prevent defense: Also, I am assuming Walker went on prevent mode in the last two drives during regular period under his CRN’s directive. It worked out all right but it was bringing back the nightmares from South Bend couple of years ago. I guess coaches could afford to go prevent at that point because our offense was clicking (unlike the ones against ND). Would like to hear other’s perspective on this.
• Discipline: It is just unreal that with a new head coach, new OC, brand new QB and offensive line, we only had 1 offensive penalty. Just 1! That is nothing short of surreal and amazing. Overall we only had 2 penalties as a team which includes the aforementioned facemask (which was an unfortunate play but resulted from our defense being aggressive which not necessarily is a bad thing)
• OL’s valiant effort: We only had 29 yards of rushing averaging a pathetic 0.9 yards per carry. Yet I thought our boys were valiant given the fact that it was an OL featuring combined 16 starts and a former TE. They got the job done within Chow’s scheme. They rallied around Craft and gave him just enough time to get off those quick hitters. As mentioned above they were also disciplined like rest of their team. They stuck together and behind their leader pulling off a valiant effort. I am hopeful as a unit they are going to improve game by game and round into form at the end of the season.

So where did all this magic come from? Ted Miller on how CRN made our boys believe:

So he showed them film of his special wins, such as Colorado's 1994 victory over Michigan on a stunning 64-yard touchdown bomb as time expired, when he paced the sidelines moments before hopelessness became magic, telling his players they were going to win.

There was the upset of Miami in 2000 that propelled Washington into the national title hunt and a final No. 3 ranking. And what about his stellar performance in the 1984 Rose Bowl victory over Illinois as UCLA's quarterback?

He wanted them to know that there were rewards for buying in to his oft-repeated mantra of relentless optimism.

"The one thing I did tell them is that I am lucky," Neuheisel said of his pregame plan. "That I've got a horseshoe tucked somewhere -- that something good is going to happen so you believe it."

That's how a team with a quarterback who throws four (four!) first-half interceptions still wins -- with that same mess of a quarterback leading two long, high-pressure scoring drives in the fourth quarter.

That's how a team doesn't split apart when its strong defense is repeatedly put in bad positions by its floundering offense.

Even Trojan lover Bill Plaschke is now trying to drink out of the Bruin passion bucket.

 And I will leave you all with this from Gregg Patton in the Press Enterprise (emphasis added)

Clearly Neuheisel has convinced his own team that they can play with tough competition.

"He was very calm most of the time," sophomore wide receiver Dominique Johnson said of Neuheisel. "He wanted to keep us focused, sticking with our plan.

"But we saw some of the enthusiasm and some of the rah-rah stuff, too. We love it. We love it all. We fed off of it."

Slick Rick? It may be time to retire the old moniker.

How about Magic Rick?

Whatever it is … it’s the same magic … we have experienced under Ben Howland.

It’s real and it’s filled with the blue and gold passion that makes everyone in this nation tick.

GO BRUINS.

Here we go. We will officially start our first game week of the Neuheisel era tomorrow. Right now all we can discern is a sense of calm from our football program. Despite all the issues we have prepped about last few weeks zeroing on problems around our OL and our QBs, there is no sign of panic around the our program. Yes, I am sure the coaches are concerned. But instead of making excuses they are working away to get our players prepared and finding a way to work with what they have in this season. And this all starts with the mindset of Norm Chow on offense. The LA Times today profiles the Bruin OC’s effort to build our team from ground up:

The Chow line forms behind Steve Young, the first quarterback he worked with closely at BYU. He has developed three Heisman Trophy winners -- Ty Detmer, Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart -- and his offenses have helped win three national titles.

"He's the type of guy who really tailors what he's doing to his personnel," said Detmer, who won the Heisman at BYU in 1990. "He doesn't force things down your throat."

Gentle spoon-feeding, though, is in progress at UCLA. Losing Cowan and Olson left the Bruins with Craft, who started five games at San Diego State in 2006 and spent last season at Mt. San Antonio College. Craft has struggled in practice and had three passes intercepted during last week's scrimmage.

"We're trying to figure out what Kevin Craft can do, and what the rest of the guys can do," Chow said. "We have to put them in a position where they have a chance to be successful."

In the past, that hasn't taken long. Philip Rivers was the Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year playing for Chow as a freshman at North Carolina State in 2000.

"This is a position that can be so complex. 'If the coverage is this, do that. If they blitz, do this,' " said Rivers, who is now the starter for the San Diego Chargers. "Norm's not like that. It wasn't scientific. It was, 'If the guy's open, throw it to him.' There wasn't any writing down stuff or taking tests. Just draw up a few plays and let's go."

One of the guys who might figure prominently in Chow’s plan is TE Logan Paulsen. Logan has heard all the pre season talk about getting TE involved in the offense before. So while being excited about this coming year, he is also being  guarded about his optimism. If anything he has found a silver lining from playing in Dorrell/Norvell’s offense last season: it forced him to focus on pass blocking and running good routes (while the running back was being asked to slam up the middle down after down). Dohn on Paulsen’s "wait and see" approach to 2008:

"That's what it seems like, but it depends on how everything goes," Paulsen said. "It depends who we're playing, depends what is going on with the offensive line. Right now I'm hopeful, but I'm not counting on anything."

The quiet Paulsen, who is a co-captain and adorns the cover of UCLA's media guide, had 27 receptions as a sophomore in 2006 and was supposed to be instrumental last season in then-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell's offense.

Instead, the 6-foot-6, 255-pound Paulsen was rarely thrown to, and did not have more than two receptions in a game.

"I think last year, a big part of the disappointment was I felt like we didn't give everything we had, from the position, for the team," Paulsen said. "This year, I think the opportunity is going to be there for us."

But rather than dwell on his lack of use last season, Paulsen said it actually helped his overall game.

"What I pride myself on is being a complete tight end. That involves blocking, pass-protecting, running good routes," said Paulsen, who has started the last 22 games. "Even when you're not catching the ball, there's a lot of aspects of the game you can work on. I had the opportunity to work on pass protection a lot, so I consider that a positive."

And speaking of pass protection and TEs, Kevin Pearson from the Press Enterprise has write up on Nate Chandler’s transformation from a TE to RT. Pearson posted the following thoughts from CRN on asking Chandler to make the move:

"I had heard so many great things about him when I got here, and he is a gifted-looking guy, and then I watched him in spring practice," Neuheisel said. "While he could have been a really good tight end, he didn't have that natural receiver ability that I had just come from in the National Football League.

"When I talked to (strength coach) Mike Linn about his weight, here was a guy who not only would he be doing our team a favor, but we would be doing him a favor. If he stays healthy and motivated and does the things he is asked to do, he is going to be a guy they are coveting at the next level. I just know it."

Considering the reactions from Palcic and his OL team-mates, seems like Chandler is making an impression (to say the least):

"He has a great future here at UCLA," offensive line coach Bob Palcic said. "He has athleticism, and he will be a real good football player. He just needs more strength and experience, but he will get experience fast.

"I want to believe he is going to perform well. Do I think he is going to be error-free? I don't think I can expect that out of the kid, but I am hoping he can." […]

"Guys on the team talk, and he was one of those guys we thought could be a missing link on that line," center Micah Reed said. "When we heard he was moving to tackle, we were really excited. I thought maybe he was that link in the chain that we needed.

"He is a really violent player. When he comes off the ball, he can put a hurting on somebody."

Violent? lol I am sure lot of Pac-10 DEs and LBs are really happy to hear that. Read rest of Pearson’s article here which talks about how Chandler has been working to put on more weight (he is now up to 275) and embracing his new role in the team.

Chandler’s progression (this off season) is an example of what can happen when a head coach and his coaching staff have the ability to persuade his player about the vision for not just the entire program, but how a kid fits into that big picture puzzle. This is an element I have not seen or heard from Westwood in my 20 years of following our football program.

GO BRUINS.

Ok. Let’s get back to our football team and the talk is all around our offense.  Going through today’s papers, you can easily sense the Chow effect. Chris Foster from the LA Times reports how Chow is working away to put together a "total offense" with the idea of making the opposing team cover 53 1/3 yards on every play:

Total offense is the plan for UCLA this season.

That desire has been evident through the first two days of training camp, as running backs and tight ends are more involved with the passing game than they were last season.

"It's tough to cover everybody," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "Teams do a nice job of covering receivers, so you got to get the ball to your backs. We need to force teams to cover 53 1/3 yards on every play."

The passing game has been a sideline-to-sideline show thus far, with a large cast, something that seemed missing last season. […]

"There are more route combinations that make the back the primary receiver," tailback Kahlil Bell said. "I think we do have a lot of talented people in backfield as receivers. Any chance we get to touch the ball, I'm all for it."

That idea is being uploaded into the decision-making by quarterbacks.

"Coach Chow is emphasizing, 'If nothing is there, just give it to your back,' " said Bell, who had 13 receptions for 93 yards last season. "We'll try to make something happen."

Just for Marcia: Bell wears number 36. Marcia did know about number 86 and he figures to get lot more action this season under Chow compared to his previous ones in Westwood:

"Maybe for the defense (there was an element of surprise)," Paulsen said. "Chow has a higher standard compared to last year and the year before.

"There's that gold standard that Coach Chow brings. Last year we (the tight ends) were maybe underutilized a little bit."

Paulsen added that by spreading things out, the offense has bought into an unfamiliar scheme more quickly. The senior had just 12 receptions in 2007 after catching 27 passes as a sophomore.

"That's really a surprise," Chow said. "I don't know what happened in the past."

Paulsen, though, is not thinking only about numbers.

"I'm looking to be more of a leader. I was voted team captain a month ago," Paulsen said. "I was a little surprised. It kind of told me I can't just worry about myself. I have to make sure everyone's on the same page."

For reference Logan and our other TEs caught only 15 passes in 2007. The running backs caught 25 passes in 2007. Those are numbers we need to keep a close eye on this season.

Now it’s not just about dumping off the ball to our backs and TEs. Coaches are working to make sure the QBs deliver the ball with precise timing and at the same time keep the defense off guard without showing any kind of predictability. One way to get that done will be to vary the snap counts (per Dohn):

One of the many changes for the Bruins' offense is the addition of multiple snap count, which, remarkably, did not happen last season.

After the offensive line had trouble with varying snap counts in training camp last season, players said the coaching staff decided to go on the first count all season.

And, it didn't take long for opposing defenses to figure it out.

"As an offense, we have to use everything to our advantage to be successful," UCLA quarterback Ben Olson said. "The defense doesn't know what your snap count is, and it keeps them off-guard if you change it up. If you go on the same thing, linebackers time up their blitzes and it makes it harder on everybody.

"As a game wears on and on, the defenses figure it out. They're not dumb."

Players said former coach Karl Dorrell signed off on the idea.

"You can't do that because that's predictable," Bruins receiver Marcus Everett said. "People get jumps. You definitely have to give some change-ups. Changing it will help a lot. It starts from there."

I don’t need to add any snark to follow that up. But it’s kind of amusing. Isn’t it? We blogged all of those issues concerning the offense being predictable and the defense knowing exactly where our offensive guys were going to go last few years. Yet, we are seeing this now in published reports in the traditional media. It would have helped if those observations came through Dohn and other’s reports two years ago and Bruins would not find themselves as big as hole they are in now. Whatever. We are happy to move on but can’t help make a note when the traditional media opens up old wounds.

Anyway, let’s go back to our offense LAT reported how Bell is excited about the RBs getting more involved in the new offense. Besides Bell Bruins should have few other options to from the backfield to stretch out the offense. And according to Foster they are making an impression on CRN:

Neuheisel continued to be impressed with the incoming freshmen, particularly running backs Aundre Dean, Johnathan Franklin and Milton Knox.

"They all have electric legs," Neuheisel said. "It's fun to watch."

Electric legs?

Must be the Chow effect. 

GO BRUINS.

Let’s finish up my notes on our offense by going through the current depth chart of our wide receivers and TEs. Just like the running back position, these are two units which will be stacked with options. Some of the receivers who are returning from last season could emerge as reliable options, while there is also some exciting potential among the newcomers in this year’s freshman class. The question here again is who is going to step up, adapting to the new coaching regime, and taking advantage of Chow’s offensive scheme.

So here is how the depth chart looked at the end of this year’s spring ball:

*noted red-shirt and ^ denotes walkon

At first blush, it looks like a pretty deep rotation (without taking into account the newcomers from this year’s class). However, let’s take a close look at the numbers from this past season:

Those numbers are kind of grim. None of these guys were in the Pac-10 leader boards in terms of receptions and receiving yards. Among last year’s UCLA receivers only Brandon Breazell found himself in the Pac-10 leader boards, finishing 9^th in receiving yds/game (51 rec., 810 yards, 62.3 yds/game). We didn’t have a single WR in Pac-10’s top-10. [See 2007 Pac-10 stats]

Yet, among the returning guys there are few who showed ability make plays. We will start with Marcus Everett who is another Bruin who will be trying to make a comeback from an injury plagued season. During his time here Marcus has shown he can be a player. He has shown that in number of games (headlined by the Notre Dame game in South Bend and the 13-9 two years ago) that he can make those money catches. He is one of those key seniors who is part of CRN’s revitalization plan. The question around Marcus is whether he can stay healthy and step up to be a consistent performer.

Consistency will also be the key issue for Dominique Johnson and Gavin Kethcum. Johnson has the size and athletic tools for emerging as a key target for UCLA QB. Again we have seen what this kid can do. But like Everett, Dominique will have to show he can step up in a consistent basis.

Gavin Ketchum also has all the physical tool to emerge as a dependable receiver in Chow’s offense. He didn’t get a lot of opportunities during the previous regime. So hopefully he will make the best of out of the opportunities presented by the arrival of new coaching staff, and earn himself a spot in the rotation through hard work this off season and the Fall camp.

Now, Everett, Johnson, and Kethchum are "possession" type of receivers. Among the returining receiving corps, the guy who has the potential to use pure speed to emerge as a game breaking is Terrance Austin. Terrance was one of the most highly recruited WR. He was the headliner in Dorrell’s 2006 recruiting class. However, coaches from previous regime was never able to take advantage of his talent and put him in position to be successful (well that goes for most of the offense). Let’s hope heading into his third year at UCLA, Austin finally experiences a breakthrough. As noted during spring practice reports Austin, Everett, and other wide receivers are finding their options in Chow’s offense to be simpler (per Dohn’s notes this past spring):

It used to be UCLA's receivers had two choices on a pass play - run the designed route, or a go-route. It was a source of frustration in a complex, confining system under former coach Karl Dorrell.

Now, when a receiver stands at the line of scrimmage, his job is the look at the defensive backs and one of the linebackers, then choose from a variety of route options off a simple read.

It is simplistic, UCLA's receivers say, but new offensive coordinator Norm Chow's offense provides plenty of freedom.

"The way the play is designed, it's easier to determine which route to do," Bruins receiver Terrence Austin said.

"How it was last year, it was like, `OK, I got two and that's it.' There could have been an alternative route, but it was just not designed in the play. The routes given now are more instinctual. You don't have to think about it. It's common sense."

UCLA fifth-year receiver Marcus Everett said there are at least two or three variations on routes for each play, with go-routes also in the equation.

"We have a couple of read routes where we can do one route, or if the defensive back plays a certain way, we can do another route," Everett said. "It gives a lot of leeway to the receivers. As long as the quarterback and the receivers are on the same page, it'll be a good thing."

Well the phrase – "on the same page" – gives me nightmares in the context of UCLA football (from last few years). However, it has sounded different in the context of Ben Ball. Let’s hope after all these years of mediocre coaching, Chow and Neuheisel’s leadership finally establishes a strong foundation for our WRs and rest of the offense, which will not make it such a challenge for everyone to get "on the same page" every years.

As for rest of the depth chart in terms of WRs, not sure how much we can expect from Ryan Graves and Jamil Turner. I think they will get a chance to make some plays here and there, but they will have to show remarkable development from last spring, to make an impression this Fall.

They will have to show the same kind of impression Taylor Embree made this past Spring:

Photo Credit: Jack Rosenfeld

So keep an eye on number 82, the son of former Bruin assistant Jon Embree had an impressive spring camp during which observers noted "his high level concentration and his hands." I imagine if Embree continues on the same path, he will have a chance to make meaningful contributions this upcoming season.

Now let’s get to the new comers. And all eyes will be on Nelson Rosario. And for a little intro here is a little bio from a tv station from San Diego (his hometown) which ran before his senior season:

Rosario went on to have senior season that earned him All American honors (SuperPrep) and ranked as one of the best wide receivers in the country. He has the height 6-6. He has the speed and has shown good ability to run his routes. The question around him whether he has put on some weight to go with that 6-6 frame. He was listed at 6-6, 218 per his scout.com bio. Lot of eyes are going to be on him this Fall camp.

Fall campers will also keep an eye on Antwon Moutra and Jerry Johnson. According to Dohn Antwon has been getting "rave reviews" from team-mates. Dohn has gone ga ga over Moutra!

I was on hand for another of UCLA's 7-on-7 passing days Tuesday, and several newcomers continue to standout. One is speedy receiver Antwan Moutra, who is now drawing double coverage because of his ability to get down the field.
The buzz is Moutra should give the Bruins something they lacked recently -- a downfield threat with big-play ability.

Dohn added his caveat about how the observation was based on 7-on-7 drills but he is trying to base it by comparing to his notes from previous season.  Again I should caution folks that although that kind of report is always encouraging, I think we should temper our expectations and wait to see how he performs in the Fall camp. According to scout.com’s bio Johnson has "adequate speed but runs good routes." He seems to have the size (per his bio at least) to perhaps compete for playing time right away. But I guess we will have to wait and see how he performs this Fall camp as well.

Let’s move over to TE, a position that hasn’t gotten much attention since the departure of Marcedes Lewis. Logan Paulsen has most experience out of any of receivers in terms of starting games from last year. He has the potential to emerge as a key contributor in this offense provided he gets the opportunity in Chow’s scheme. Given how Chow’s simplistic offensive scheme is based around slicing and dicing up the opposing defenses based on what they give the offense, there is a good chance Paulsen and rest of our TEs will be called upon a lot this coming season. Ryan Moya is another Bruin bidding to make a strong comeback (seems to be a theme? Doesn’t it? We have already hit that note with Carter at RB and Everett at FL) at the TE spot.

As all of you know by now Chandler is being moved over to the OL, which means freshmen Corey Harkey will most like step into the rotation this Fall. Here is the note from Dohn few days ago where he noted "Harkey has the ability to be UCLA's next great tight end once he gets acclimated to college". That was based on an observation from a player in the team. Again, let’s hope the promises of potential seen during these 7-on-7 drills materializes during Fall camp and the actual games.

So all in all, wrapping up my notes on offense, seems like we do have some decent (but unproven and in some cases totally inexperienced) talent at WR and RB position in our offense. Our coaches will no doubt do everything they can to patch up an injury ravaged OL and do what they can to protect an injury riddled BO, while trying to bring up our young QBs up to speed as efficient game managers. To say that this will be an enormous challenge is an understatement. There is a reason why seasoned analysts and experts are channeling BN in terms of expectations. Again we should keep in mind how these are all kids who are experiencing their 4th OC in as many seasons.

However, as many have observed already on BN, for the first time in years there is a sense of hope. We will see if our players will be able to step up. There is a sense of hope that our coaches will do everything they can to make sure the right scheme in place putting our players in position to succeed. For the first time since Cade’s departure I am excited about our offense (while mindful about the challenges noted last few days). Should be fun. We will take a break from the depth chart analysis for a bit and get back to it with a look at our defensive side in few days.

GO BRUINS.

Once again we will start with notes from the football team. Brian Dohn posted the following impressions of returning players on incoming freshmen who are have been participating in the off-season 7-on-7 drills:

Returning players are talking about the performances of cornerback Aaron Hester, safety Rahim Moore and receiver Antwan Moutra during the first week of 7-on-7 passing drills, but I also had a few players speak about tight end Cory Harkey.
According to one of the players, Harkey has the ability to be UCLA's next great tight end once he gets acclimated to college. However, with Ryan Moya (who looks markedly bigger and stronger) and Logan Paulsen on the roster, not to mention Nate Chandler, I'm hearing Harkey will red-shirt.

Again as exciting and positive these notes are we should curb our enthusiasm a bit given the kind of glowing reports we have gotten from off season workouts in previous seasons. Right now we can only hope that kids like Hester and Moore can make immediate impact in the defensive backfield, given the experience we lost through the graduation of Keyes, Horton, and Brown.

Speaking of impressions from returning players, Tobi Umodu checks in again with this note on the upcoming season in the Canyon News:

  The Bruins date with Tennessee looms closer and closer, and the football team is doing everything it can to prepare for the big game. On the June 24, the Bruins began six weeks of voluntary training to get themselves ready for training camp and clash with the volunteers. The Bruins are now entering their fourth week of training and are looking forward to putting their training to good use on the field.

 "We've been pushing ourselves to our limits," said linebacker Frank Guzman, "We are all working hard to reach our goals and try to prove everybody wrong. There are a lot of expectations this year and we feel like we are a team to be reckoned with."

The Bruins begin training camp on August 5, and their path to what looks to be an exciting season.

Hmm ... anyone have any idea where Frank Guzman came from? Haven't heard his name before. Anyway, keep it coming Tobi.

One player we will definitely track closely this year is RB -Raymond Carter - who is making a comeback from ACL injury. TSN has singled Carter out as a possible "comeback player" for this coming season:

RB Raymond Carter, UCLA: The young back might not be the best on his roster, but his breakaway speed gives offensive coordinator Norm Chow another scoring weapon. He tore his right ACL during last year's training camp but recovered to practice in the spring.

If Raymond can come back and provide an option for Chow, it would be a huge development for our offense. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Moving over to hoops - Mike Miller - a columnist (?) on MSNBC.com is doing a countdown post on the 25 greatest hoops program of all time. He is up to number 14 with Illinois. So far of teams of interesting he has Notre Dame checking in at 22 and Michigan State at number 15 (I think I would have ranked Spartans higher than the Illinis given their recent success under Izzo and their history with Magic ... but may be I am partial because of being a Laker fan).

Also concerning the hoops Dohn has been obsessed with Luc and the Olympics. From the latest it looks like the Bucks want him to concentrate on Summer Leagues, which IMHO is understandable given the investment they are making on their second round pick. For those who are interesting Luc made his debut on Saturday night in Milwaukee's 88-79 loss to Memphis. Luc logged in about 29 minutes. Hopefully he will experience some of the success of RW, who as noted by norcald503 is tearing up Orlando Summer League. Looks like rest of the country are starting to find out little by little what we experienced for last 2+ years:

Will we ever get tired of watching those highlights?

GO BRUINS.