UCLA Briuns

Head Coach

Rick Neuheisel	1st year
07-08	6-7
PAC-10	5-3
FCR	60

Previous Season Wins

UCLA Preview by Chris Farrelly

Head Coach - Rich Neuheisel is now the new face of UCLA football, Karl Dorrell had five seasons at the helm and failed to get the program to the level that is expected in Westwood. Lots of holes to fill on both sides of the ball and the fans will be patient for a very short time, expect the Bruins to struggle this year as Neuheisel begins the makeover and attempts to move the program closer to the hated Trojans, can he do it, we’ll see?

Quarterback - At quarterback senior Ben Olson is going to get the nod this year, as long ad he can stay healthy, he suffered a broken ankle late in the spring and will be forced to miss two months of conditioning. JUCO Kevin Craft is next in line; new offensive coordinator Norm Chow has his work cut out for him as the situation at QB is uncertain at best.

Running Backs - At tailback senior Kahil Bell and redshirt freshman Raymond Carter are 1-2 o the depth chart but both are coming back from knee surgery. Incoming freshman Aundre Dean could figure in the mix when the season begins. At fullback is junior Trevor Theriot who has potential in the running attack but is often utilized as a lead blocker, he may get the more chances in the new attack.

Receivers - On the outside the Bruins are led by senior Marcus Everett who was enjoying a good year until his season was cut short by injuries, he looked ready this spring to be the go to guy. Look for sophomore Dominique Johnson to start on the other side, he has good speed and a big frame and is tough after the catch. Adding depth will be juniors Terrence Austin and Gavin Ketchum, freshman Nelson Rosario is expected to make an immediate impact. At tight end senior Logan Paulsen returns, he has the potential to be one of the PAC-10 best.

Offensive Line - Two starters return upfront in junior Micah Kia who will be the left tackle and at center will be senior Micah Reed; the unit took a big hit when starting right tackle Aleksey Lanis called it quits due to knee problems. At right guard will be senior Scott Glicksberg and sophomores will fill the other two spots with Darius Savage at left guard and at right tackle look for Sean Sheller, Savage has great strength and should help the run game while Sheller has the athleticism necessary to play on the outside.

Defensive Line - The inside of the line is solid with sophomore Brian Price and senior Brigham Harwell; Price missed time last year but was still named a Freshman All-American while Harwell is solid against the run. On the outside senior Tom Blake will be at defensive end along with junior Korey Bosworth, the Bruins were solid against the run last season but need for their ends to put more pressure upfield and get to the quarterback with more regularity. A couple of incoming freshman could be in the mix on the outside in Datone Jones and Damien Holmes.

Linebackers - In the middle will be junior Reggie Carter who’s moving over from the weakside, where senior John Hale will get the start and on the strongside will be steady junior Kyle Bosworth. Carter is a solid all-around player who will be the unit leader in stats and will motivate the whole defensive with his play.

Defensive Backs - Lots of holes to fill in the secondary where only junior cornerback Alterraun Verner returns, look for senior Michael Norris is to get the call at the other corner. At free safety it will be junior Aaron Ware and at strong safety look for senior Bret Lockett to start, Ware has shown good athletic ability and should adjust to starting quickly. Incoming freshman Anthony Dye, Aaron Hester and Rahim Moore will be given the chance to immediately compete for playing time.

Special Teams - Handling the placekicking will be sophomore Kai Forbath; he was 25 of 30 and was five for five from beyond the fifty last year. Senior Aaron Perez returns to handle the punting, he averaged 42.3 yards last season and is an excellent directional kicker. Look for juniors Terrence Austin and Christian Ramirez along with senior Ryan Graves to handle the returns this fall.

Schedule - Monster schedule, the Bruins will be tested right from the start as they have non-conference games against Tennessee, BYU and Fresno St: all in the first three weeks of the season. They simply don’t have enough talent to compete in the PAC-10 this season but you have to give Neuheisel a pass in year one. They won’t get to .500 this year but they’ll lay the foundation for future success, look for UCLA to end the year with only 4 wins.