We will shift our focus today on the Bruin offense and how they are going to handle Oregon’s defense, which leads the conference sacks (19 in 6 games). In order to address Oregon’s pass rush, Bruin OL will have to deal with DE Nick Reed, who leads the conference in sacks and tackles for loss this season. The guy who is going to have the challenge to go up against Nick Reed will be none other than true freshman Jeff Baca. It’s a monster challenge and Chris Foster from the LAT reports on how Palcic plans to put his freshman OL in best position possible to deal with this difficult assignment:

Reed shared the Pacific 10 Conference lead, and was third nationally, with 12 sacks last season. He also led the conference with 22.5 tackles for a loss. This year, he leads the conference with six sacks and is tied for the lead with 9.5 tackles for a loss.

So lining up a freshman that has two college starts against Reed might seem to be cruel and unusual punishment. But UCLA offensive line coach Bob Palcic is cautiously optimistic.

"I think Jeff is up to the task," Palcic said. "I told the entire team that this Reed kid is the real deal. He has all the moves and he's quick. I'm looking forward to seeing how Jeff handles the situation."

Baca has improved dramatically since training camp, overcoming a knee injury. He made his first appearance against Arizona on Sept. 20 and has been in the lineup ever since.

Palcic said that he could throw Baca some support from his teammates this week.

"There are things we can do to help him," Palcic said. "We can slide the protection to him. We can have a back chip the defensive end on the way out of the backfield. We can also put a tight end on his side to constrict rush area. We will do it if we have to."

As we have been discussing all year for Bruins to neutralize the pass rush and pressure on QBs, they will have to generate a legit running game. After taking positive steps fro two straight weeks against Arizona and Fresno State, the running game stalled last week against a determined Washington State team. Dohn reports on how RB coach Wayne Moses is working with our backs to get them to fight for every yard. Mose is teaching them to lean forward:

"Right now, every yard is a yard," Moses said. "We've got to make sure we finish the run and make sure we fall forward. Sometimes you get knocked back, but when they spot the ball you lose a yard. If they're not falling forward, they're not doing the right thing.

"You know how many times I saw it was fourth-and-1, but we got knocked back two plays earlier? There's the 1 yard right there."

The lopsided victory over Washington State - UCLA's first since the opener against Tennessee - made the running game woes not as glaring. Kahlil Bell had 21 carries for 43 yards, but five of those carries were for negative yards. He averaged just 2 yards per carry.

It's not just the running backs, because any good running back typically runs behind a stout offensive line.

"There's lot variables, but the facts are we need to get that (rushing average) up," Moses said. "We need to be more efficient. You make five and lose three (yards). We've got to be more consistent not losing yards. We've got to get the negative runs out of it. If it's a no-gainer, it's a no-gainer. The minus-yards aren't a good thing.  We've got to be more consistent at limiting the minus-runs, because that's what's getting us."

Another tactic coaches have been using is to directly snap the ball our back while lining up KC at WR. From the OC Register:

UCLA continues to work on formations in which quarterback Kevin Craft sprints out to the wide receiver position and the tailback takes a direct snap. The Bruins have used the formation a handful of times in games.

It serves a couple of purposes, giving the runner an extra split second to reach the hole and forcing the other team to spend time in practice preparing for it.

“Whether we do it once or we don't do it at all, we've shown it and they have to see it,” Craft said.

Craft played wide receiver in high school.

I think that tactic will work if we don’t go to it all the time. It has been effective here and there last few weeks when it came as a surprise. I am not sure if it will continue to work if the defense is ready for it and we telegraph it by running KC to the WR spot. Should be interesting to see if we see that formation against Oregon now that we have seen it for two straight weeks.

For more on the offense check out the notes from Press Enterprise, which discusses Chandler getting adjusted to being a TE again. Also the report indicates that the coaches have been trying out Forbath for kickoff, which is good news considering Rotstein has not been very effective in kicking it deep so far this season.

I will try to put together more notes on Oregon’s defense later tonight. They are somewhat under fire up in Eugene, which will make them even more dangerous because they will be anxious to prove themselves against a UCLA offense, which is still in the process of forging identity in CRN and Chow’s first season.

GO BRUINS.

The Arizona results are here, along with an explanation of where the guessing game stands and the moment.

Hope you don't come after me with pitchforks and torches, but like the Bruins offensive line, the guessing game is a work in progress.

Keep making guesses and we'll sort it all out.

Note to newcomers: After three weeks, just about no one is winning -- there is still plenty of time to start playing. If nothing else, putting in your guesses gives you something to do instead of looking at the scoreboard.

~~~

So, the Fresno State situation.

I'm really tempted to do an attendance guess or maybe a "How many DUI arrests will the California Highway Patrol make between Pasadena and Fresno this weekend" but I won't.

I won't because Dan Guerrero promised to stop begging rival fans to come to the Rose Bowl to root for the other team. This, of course, ruins the "Turn the Bowl Orange" fesitvities planned for the Oregon State visit, but the Beavers never travel all that well anyhow.

No, this week's questions will reflect my unrelenting pessimism positiveness and my firm belief that this is the week the UCLA offense scores a touchdown.

Here are your pregame guesses for Fresno State. (Remember, the thread closes 30 minutes before kick-off):

How many yards will Khalil Bell gain on the ground (within 10)?

How many passes will be caught by Bruin tight ends (that's Moya + Harkey)?

How many points will Kai Forbath score this week?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More from the Daily News on the same topic:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GO BRUINS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And if someone blows an assignment on special teams?

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

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

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

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

Can’t wait for the gallery to open up.

GO BRUINS.

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


Photo Credit: Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times

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

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

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

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

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

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

 More from Dohn:

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

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

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

GO BRUINS.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GO BRUINS.