As Bruins are preparing for what should be an easy win this Saturday, the team seems to be getting healthier. The offensive line might be getting Tevaga back:
UCLA's offensive line is on the verge of getting a little stronger, as guard Shannon Tevaga will probably be available for Saturday's game against Notre Dame.
Tevaga, considered the Bruins' best offensive lineman, suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee against Utah on Sept. 15. He went through practice, including contact drills, on Tuesday and seemed itching to return.
"I feel good, I feel strong," Tevaga said. "The rehab was a tougher one and it made me stronger. The things they laid out for me were real hard because I told them I wanted to come back as soon as possible. Physically, I should be ready to go. It's up to the coaches."
Coach Karl Dorrell was a bit more cautious.
"He's coming around," Dorrell said. "We wanted to get him some reps today and he was able to do so. We'll see how things respond tomorrow."
Why don’t we go ahead and speak for Karl. I am sure after today Karl will be say that the team had a "good" practice and that they work on "execution" and are ready for a "great" game.Tevaga, considered the Bruins' best offensive lineman, suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee against Utah on Sept. 15. He went through practice, including contact drills, on Tuesday and seemed itching to return.
"I feel good, I feel strong," Tevaga said. "The rehab was a tougher one and it made me stronger. The things they laid out for me were real hard because I told them I wanted to come back as soon as possible. Physically, I should be ready to go. It's up to the coaches."
Coach Karl Dorrell was a bit more cautious.
"He's coming around," Dorrell said. "We wanted to get him some reps today and he was able to do so. We'll see how things respond tomorrow."
Apparently Karl had players do some drills to work on the penalty problems:
In an effort to eliminate the false starts and discipline penalties plaguing UCLA, the players did up-down drills at the end of practice.
"When you get a guy jump off sides or something, we're doing a little extra," Dorrell said. "We're working hard and trying to really be detailed."
That was so insightful Karl. Comforting to know you are taking care of the "details.""When you get a guy jump off sides or something, we're doing a little extra," Dorrell said. "We're working hard and trying to really be detailed."
Anyways, one player to keep an eye on is Chris Markey. Apparently Markey took a pain killing injection during the half time last Saturday and he may be 50-50 for the ND game:
Coach Karl Dorrell said tailback Chris Markey, who is second on the team with 404 rushing yards and splits time with Kahlil Bell, was "50-50" to play against Notre Dame on Saturday because of turf toe.
Markey did not practice Tuesday and was in a walking boot.
"He feels a lot better, and the swelling has gone down, too," Dorrell said. "I mentioned before how we're going to wait a little later in the week to get him going. He should feel much better (today), and he started some medication to help alleviate some of the swelling."
Markey was not made available to the media.
Hmm. I don’t know. Why do I not feel comfortable with the idea of our players taking pain killing injections at half time. Its not that we didn’t have options besides Markey. If Markey was in such pain, why couldn’t we just go with more of Ramirez and Moline (who got a carry for 7 yards) instead of having Markey going under the needle. Just my 2 cents. I just don’t feel comfortable with the notion of taking pain killing injections so that player can get back out on the field. Anyways, I am hope UCLA exercises caution wrt to Markey and rest of our athletes when it comes to having them taking pain killers to get back into action.Markey did not practice Tuesday and was in a walking boot.
"He feels a lot better, and the swelling has gone down, too," Dorrell said. "I mentioned before how we're going to wait a little later in the week to get him going. He should feel much better (today), and he started some medication to help alleviate some of the swelling."
Markey was not made available to the media.
Lastly, take a look at how Coach Weiss gives us the lowdown on part of UCLA’s offense:
They list two guys as their starting running backs, (Chris) Markey, who -- both of these guys have been banged up, Markey and (Kahlil) Bell, but they're listed as key starters, and they're both good running backs, and (Trevor) Theriot as a full back. They use a lot of 21 people, so he shows up a lot. They also have, you know, (Michael) Pitre, who has been out since training camp, who is supposed to be a big factor in this position. I think last week was the first time I think I saw him in some limited action. Last week is the first time I have seen him get back on the field. Tight end, (Logan) Paulsen, he started every game this year at tight end, and when they go to their two tight end sets, which they utilize, we'll see them both out there.
The receivers, it all starts with (Brandon) Breazell. He's the starting -- he's their big playmaker. He catches the ball with his hands well. He's got some wiggle, he can make you miss, he's dangerous, good acceleration.
And then you've got the bigger guy, (Joe) Cowan, who is the brother of the quarterback, 6 4, 220, so he uses his size to his advantage. Several other receivers see the field, 19, (Dominique) Johnson, he's showed up. (Marcus) Everett has been banged up. (Terrence) Austin, I did a lot of work on him; he's the punt returner, but I did work on him coming out of Poly. He shows up, too, so there is a lot of guys they use at wide receiver. So they have versatility.
Again that’s just part of what he said on a conference call yesterday. The full lowdown is here. A little different than, "Well, they're good everywhere," Dorrell said. "They're good against the run. They're good against the pass. . . . They are very good."The receivers, it all starts with (Brandon) Breazell. He's the starting -- he's their big playmaker. He catches the ball with his hands well. He's got some wiggle, he can make you miss, he's dangerous, good acceleration.
And then you've got the bigger guy, (Joe) Cowan, who is the brother of the quarterback, 6 4, 220, so he uses his size to his advantage. Several other receivers see the field, 19, (Dominique) Johnson, he's showed up. (Marcus) Everett has been banged up. (Terrence) Austin, I did a lot of work on him; he's the punt returner, but I did work on him coming out of Poly. He shows up, too, so there is a lot of guys they use at wide receiver. So they have versatility.
Someone needs to give Coach Weiss a copy of Karl’s Football 101!
GO BRUINS.