The Bruins are almost firing on all cylinders and so was the San Bernardino heat. Despite the weather, Jim Mora and staff were able to get a ton of work done on all facets of the team. The team stuck to shells for today but there was still plenty of hitting. Here were the notes from day four in the desert:
-The same players were missing from today's practice (Cordell Broadus, Craig Lee, Simon Goines, Steven Manfro) with Chris Clark still on the sideline. Manfro, who was injured on the first day of camp, was not at camp today and according to Mora, he will be undergoing a small procedure on his surgically repaired knee to remove a meniscus flap. He should only be sidelined for a week or two.
-The starting offense remained virtually the same but the big headliner was Josh Rosen, who took all of the first team reps. In past practices we had seen Jerry Neuheisel or Mike Fafaul or Rosen split first team reps in some capacity. But today belonged to Rosen. While he clearly needs some polishing, he showed a command that I have only seen rivaled by seasoned quarterbacks. And unlike yesterday, when he needed some direction in formations or playcalling, today he provided all the necessary leadership. He stood tall in the pocket even amidst pressure at his feet and threw accurately. He wasn't afraid to challenge the defense deep either and although he did not connect often when he did, Rosen demonstrated the arm strength, accuracy and most importantly the willingness to attack. At this point in camp, I believe it is just a formality of when and not if Rosen is named the starter.
-Neuheisel and Fafaul split the second team reps and were both pretty even in terms of performance. There weren't many, if any, splash plays, but there were no headscratchers either. They are both viable options as backups with high floors but neither of their potential ceilings is something marvelous to behold. In another conference these guys would almost certainly be starting.
-Bolu Olorunfunmi and Soso Jamabo may be the hot new freshmen on the block but today they were reminded who the big bad senior is. Paul Perkins demonstrated why he is the starting back and the top returning running back in the Pac-12. In 11-on-11 he caught a pass from Rosen and took it up the seam where poor Will Lockett met the Perkins express. Needless to say it was a crunching hit that Lockett lost and the crowd let him know it. Bolu has continued to run hard and keep his feet while protecting the football. The same can't be said for Soso who fumbled today and even when he did break through the line, he tripped up and fell on what could have easily been a 30-yard gain if not a TD. Coach Kennedy Polomalu let Soso have it after his fumble and just like with Craig Lee in past years, it is clear KP wants Soso to have his touches but he is going to have to prove he can be trusted.
-The catch of the day has to go to Nate Iese, who came down one-handed with a beautiful toss from Fafaul that drew elation from the crowd.
-Defensively both the starters and second group were the same with Rick Wade continuing to see more and more time at LDE with the second group. He is continuing to show the game isn't too big for him at this level and has impressed. The real show defensively came from OLB Deon Hollins. He ran around guys like they weren't even there and on two consecutive plays he beat Zach Bateman and Kolton Miller respectively. His sack against Bateman resulted in a strip-sack. This guy is an absolute monster off the edge and although he is on the smaller side, his explosive first step and brick-like hands allow him to just shred offensive linemen.
-The offensive line is going to make life so much easier for whomever is passing or throwing the ball for the Bruins. As a unit, I don't believe I have seen such a combination of size, power, athleticism and intelligence. The bookends are massive and athletic in Conor McDermott and Caleb Benenoch and the guards are maulers in Kenny Lacy and Alex Redmond. But the key that makes this thing run is center Jake Brendel. He's gotten bigger since last year and smarter, something that has not been lost on his teammates.
-A couple interesting notes: Practice ended with a scrum between Alex Redmond and Matt Dickerson and even after the two had been separated, it was tense between the offense and defense with Dwight Williams trying to start a fight. There were also numerous NFL personnel in attendance. I'm not sure if they were scouts but the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Chicago Bears were represented. They spent a good amount of time with the defensive backs and the Eagles watched the running backs as well.
-Ka'imi Fairbairn ended practice with his traditional field goal attempts and I had him at 3-for-4 with a long of 45 and a miss of around 33. I do believe the miss was very close if it missed at all but it was called a miss on the field.
The UCLA Bruins return to the practice field at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
-The same players were missing from today's practice (Cordell Broadus, Craig Lee, Simon Goines, Steven Manfro) with Chris Clark still on the sideline. Manfro, who was injured on the first day of camp, was not at camp today and according to Mora, he will be undergoing a small procedure on his surgically repaired knee to remove a meniscus flap. He should only be sidelined for a week or two.
-The starting offense remained virtually the same but the big headliner was Josh Rosen, who took all of the first team reps. In past practices we had seen Jerry Neuheisel or Mike Fafaul or Rosen split first team reps in some capacity. But today belonged to Rosen. While he clearly needs some polishing, he showed a command that I have only seen rivaled by seasoned quarterbacks. And unlike yesterday, when he needed some direction in formations or playcalling, today he provided all the necessary leadership. He stood tall in the pocket even amidst pressure at his feet and threw accurately. He wasn't afraid to challenge the defense deep either and although he did not connect often when he did, Rosen demonstrated the arm strength, accuracy and most importantly the willingness to attack. At this point in camp, I believe it is just a formality of when and not if Rosen is named the starter.
-Neuheisel and Fafaul split the second team reps and were both pretty even in terms of performance. There weren't many, if any, splash plays, but there were no headscratchers either. They are both viable options as backups with high floors but neither of their potential ceilings is something marvelous to behold. In another conference these guys would almost certainly be starting.
-Bolu Olorunfunmi and Soso Jamabo may be the hot new freshmen on the block but today they were reminded who the big bad senior is. Paul Perkins demonstrated why he is the starting back and the top returning running back in the Pac-12. In 11-on-11 he caught a pass from Rosen and took it up the seam where poor Will Lockett met the Perkins express. Needless to say it was a crunching hit that Lockett lost and the crowd let him know it. Bolu has continued to run hard and keep his feet while protecting the football. The same can't be said for Soso who fumbled today and even when he did break through the line, he tripped up and fell on what could have easily been a 30-yard gain if not a TD. Coach Kennedy Polomalu let Soso have it after his fumble and just like with Craig Lee in past years, it is clear KP wants Soso to have his touches but he is going to have to prove he can be trusted.
-The catch of the day has to go to Nate Iese, who came down one-handed with a beautiful toss from Fafaul that drew elation from the crowd.
-Defensively both the starters and second group were the same with Rick Wade continuing to see more and more time at LDE with the second group. He is continuing to show the game isn't too big for him at this level and has impressed. The real show defensively came from OLB Deon Hollins. He ran around guys like they weren't even there and on two consecutive plays he beat Zach Bateman and Kolton Miller respectively. His sack against Bateman resulted in a strip-sack. This guy is an absolute monster off the edge and although he is on the smaller side, his explosive first step and brick-like hands allow him to just shred offensive linemen.
-The offensive line is going to make life so much easier for whomever is passing or throwing the ball for the Bruins. As a unit, I don't believe I have seen such a combination of size, power, athleticism and intelligence. The bookends are massive and athletic in Conor McDermott and Caleb Benenoch and the guards are maulers in Kenny Lacy and Alex Redmond. But the key that makes this thing run is center Jake Brendel. He's gotten bigger since last year and smarter, something that has not been lost on his teammates.
-A couple interesting notes: Practice ended with a scrum between Alex Redmond and Matt Dickerson and even after the two had been separated, it was tense between the offense and defense with Dwight Williams trying to start a fight. There were also numerous NFL personnel in attendance. I'm not sure if they were scouts but the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Chicago Bears were represented. They spent a good amount of time with the defensive backs and the Eagles watched the running backs as well.
-Ka'imi Fairbairn ended practice with his traditional field goal attempts and I had him at 3-for-4 with a long of 45 and a miss of around 33. I do believe the miss was very close if it missed at all but it was called a miss on the field.
The UCLA Bruins return to the practice field at 3 p.m. tomorrow.
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