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Spaulding Report: For UCLA Football, Silence is Golden

UCLA Center and O-Line leader Jake Brendel spoke with the media today as the Bruins prepare to meet Washington State this Saturday (and a possibly a bit of Sunday) at the Rose Bowl.

By uclaluv
Josh Rosen in a silent count.
Josh Rosen in a silent count.
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports

On a typical Monday for the UCLA football team, the team debriefed and prepared for this week's match-up off the field. In an not so typical Monday, only one UCLA player was made available to the media (at least that we have access to). However, that one Bruin is one important Bruin and had some interesting things to say.

Yes, Silence is Golden, but my eyes still see was the refrain the offense was singing to themselves after the 1st quarter of the game against the OSU Beavers. As many have reported, the Beaver defense went beyond the usual grunting and shifting  (allowed by the NCAA) to the not so usual mimicking of the words Josh Rosen was using during the snap count (not allowed by NCAA rules). As IE Angel noted in this week's Eye Test, on one of the seven false starts committed by the Bruins:

6. False start on Alex Redmond. This was also weird because McDermott started early as well. Rosen gestures towards the sideline and Mora starts going after the refs a little bit. Oregon State player on that side of the field kind of visually celebrates toward the sideline about it.

Jake Brendel discussed this mischievousness today with the press, noting that Josh basically explained it all. Brendel said what was unusual was the imitating of Josh (of course, who wouldn't want to imitate Josh?). He seemed to take it all in stride, as did the Bruins who adjusted to the shenanigans by going to a silent count, which Jake says, the Bruins are pretty good at:

This time there was the use of words with the shift.  If you simulate the snap count and say what the quarterbacks say, its against the rules. If you're saying what the quarterback says, its not good.

It's just against the rules.

Thus - Silence is Golden (aren't you glad I didn't go with Silence is Rosen!?).

Jake also talked about what a freak athlete Kolton Miller is noting, among other things, that he has the best broad jump on the team:

We already knew he had crazy measurables. He's a freak athlete, a freak in the meeting rooms, how dedicated he is to learn his craft and study the film. He has the right mindset and right skill set to be very successful.

Brendel also provides a really good tutorial on what it takes to take to play the different positions on the o-line:

And Caleb is Caleb, dependable. Him being at guard is the same as him being at tackle, you know he's going to do his job...It's a lot easier to go from tackle to guard than guard to tackle so we feel like he went the right way. He's a very good tackle. It might take a few snaps to get back in the swing of things and playing on the edge. There is a different angle you have to take in pass pro. Offensive line is offensive line. Center is more mentally challenging, but you're surrounded by two guys and not on an island like tackles are.

Thank you to BRO for the video:

In other news, Joe reported earlier that Thomas Duarte was honored with the helmet sticker by ESPN's Kevin Gemell. It also turns out that Ka'imi Fairbairn is just 1 point away from the Pac-12 conference & UCLA scoring record.

And this one just in:

Congratulations to three tremendous Bruins!

And now for some music to send some of you down memory lane, brought to you by youtube and The Tremeloes (okay raise your hand if you knew The Tremeloes were the band behind the song).

(On a side note, if you let the next song play, you may hear the beautiful sounds of the Herman's Hermits' There's A Kind of Hush, which can be found on the very first album uclaluv ever purchased. Does this nostalgia thing happen to everyone when they retire?)

Have a good evening Bruins and rest up so you can GET LOUD this Saturday!

Go Bruins!

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