Matt Joye with the work from San Bernardino once again:
UCLA finished up its sixth of nine practices in San Bernardino on Thursday evening. The practice was pretty competitive for a spider pads and shorts practice.
Notables
-The injury bug is starting to hit UCLA a little bit. According to Coach Mora, none of the injuries are serious, but there are a few of them. Takkarist McKinley went off to the sidelines about halfway through practice with a groin injury, but Coach Mora said “it should be OK.” Breland Brandt was sidelined with a minor knee injury. Alex Van Dyke missed portions of Thursday’s practice with groin tightness. Kenny Lacy was not at Thursday’s practice because he was getting an MRI on his knee. The MRI came back negative, per Mora, and Lacy should be back at camp tomorrow. Jacob Tuioti-Mariner also missed Thursday’s practice with appendicitis, and Mora is going to decide tonight whether Tuioti-Mariner will have surgery or just go on antibiotics for a few days.
-An update on some of the injuries from last week: Cam Griffin and Deon Hollins, who both had concussions, are back in meetings now and getting closer to hitting the practice field.
The Day 10 Depth Chart
-With Kenny Lacy out of practice, Najee Toran took over the first-team left guard spot, and he looked pretty solid there. Redshirt sophomore Jake Tourville took over the second-team left guard spot in Toran’s stead.
-Once McKinley went to the sidelines with his groin injury, Keisean Lucier-South stepped in as the first-team razor. Lucier-South started camp as a third-stringer at that position, but injuries to both McKinley and Deon Hollins gave him a chance for first-team reps. It was a clear step up for Lucier-South, facing Conor McDermott and Kolton Miller, as he was unable to apply nearly as much pressure as he has against the second-teamers.
-Also, there’s a change at the backup Sam linebacker spot, as Breland Brandt was replaced by Krys Barnes. Brandt missed Thursday’s practice with a minor knee injury.
Offense
QB - Josh Rosen, Mike Fafaul
RB - Soso Jamabo, Nate Starks
FB - Ainuu Taua
LT - Conor McDermott, Cristian Garcia
LG - Najee Toran, Jake Tourville
C - Scott Quessenberry, Gyo Shojima
RG - Poasi Moala, Josh Wariboko
RT - Kolton Miller, Andre James
TE - Nate Iese, Austin Roberts
WR - Kenny Walker, Ish Adams
WR - Eldridge Massington, Alex Van Dyke
Defense
CB - Nate Meadors, Marcus Rios
CB - Fabian Moreau, Johnny Johnson
S - Jaleel Wadood, Tahaan Goodman
S - Randall Goforth, Octo Spencer
DE - Matt Dickerson, Rick Wade
DT - Eddie Vanderdoes, Boss Tagaloa
DT - Eli Ankou, Nick Terry
DE - Takkarist McKinley, Keisean Lucier-South
SAM - Cam Judge, Krys Barnes
MIKE - Isaako Savaiinaea, Kenny Young
WILL - Jayon Brown, Josh Woods
Practice observations
-Although this practice was without pads and didn’t have any controversial moments, it may have been the most interesting. The excitement derived primarily from WR/DB 1-on-1s. During the drill, Ish Adams was matched up every time with his good friend and former comrade in the secondary – Randall Goforth. It was a pretty even matchup, with Adams winning some reps and Goforth winning some. It was impressive that Goforth had the footspeed to keep up with Adams, who is probably the quickest and most agile player on the team next to Theo Howard.
-At the end of WR/DB 1-on-1s, Coach Mora did something that has has yet to do in fall camp: He singled out two players and told them to match up against one another – with the whole team watching. The two players Mora chose were Theo Howard and Fabian Moreau. Howard was originally paired with a third-string corner – Colin Samuel – in the drill, but Mora took Howard off of Samuel and put him on Moreau. It was a case of the teacher versus the student, as the veteran Moreau used his physicality and instincts to win both of the reps against the youthful and agile Howard. To Howard’s credit, he nearly caught both passes, but the wily veteran Moreau wouldn’t allow him to hang on.
-In another matchup of highly touted freshman and chiseled veterans, Brandon Burton faces off with Nate Iese in 1-on-1s. On one play, Burton made a play that was as impressive as any play all day – he overpowered the 250-pound Iese on a jump ball, and snatched the interception from him. Burton has been one of the strongest freshmen performers in this camp.
-For the second straight practice, the offensive line really looked a lot better in pass protection – and that was even with a second-teamer, Najee Toran, filling in at left guard. Toran really looked like he belonged on the first-team O-line, standing his ground against guys like Eli Ankou and Eddie Vanderdoes. Also, Toran showed some really good agility on pull blocks to the right side, hopping out of his stance and pivoting quickly. It’s hard to see how any guard on UCLA’s roster could have fared as well as Toran did on Thursday.
-Although the offensive linemen did well in pass protection, the absence of Takkarist McKinley certainly made their job significantly easier. McKinley’s replacement at the razor position – Keisean Lucier-South – really struggled to replace McKinley’s production, as he was stifled by the likes of Conor McDermott and Kolton Miller. When McKinley is in there, it seems like there are one or two phantom sacks per drive. When he’s not in there, the UCLA pass rush loses quite a bit of steam against the first-team O-line.
-The offense added an interesting new wrinkle for a moment during 11-on-11s: They handed the ball off to Eldridge Massington on a jet sweep. Usually, these kind of sweeps have been reserved for guys like Ish Adams or Theo Howard – and even Darren Andrews a few times last season – but not Massington. The fact that Massington gained pretty solid yardage on the play could only increase his chances of getting more carries going forward.
-JJ Molson went 4-for-5 on field goals at the end of practice, hitting from 30, 30, 35 and 40, before missing wide right from 46 yards.
UCLA returns to the practice field bright and early tomorrow to begin its third and final two-a-day in San Bernardino. The first practice is at 8:30 a.m., and unlikely to be in full pads. The second practice, likely to be in full gear, is slated for 5:45 p.m.
UCLA finished up its sixth of nine practices in San Bernardino on Thursday evening. The practice was pretty competitive for a spider pads and shorts practice.
Notables
-The injury bug is starting to hit UCLA a little bit. According to Coach Mora, none of the injuries are serious, but there are a few of them. Takkarist McKinley went off to the sidelines about halfway through practice with a groin injury, but Coach Mora said “it should be OK.” Breland Brandt was sidelined with a minor knee injury. Alex Van Dyke missed portions of Thursday’s practice with groin tightness. Kenny Lacy was not at Thursday’s practice because he was getting an MRI on his knee. The MRI came back negative, per Mora, and Lacy should be back at camp tomorrow. Jacob Tuioti-Mariner also missed Thursday’s practice with appendicitis, and Mora is going to decide tonight whether Tuioti-Mariner will have surgery or just go on antibiotics for a few days.
-An update on some of the injuries from last week: Cam Griffin and Deon Hollins, who both had concussions, are back in meetings now and getting closer to hitting the practice field.
The Day 10 Depth Chart
-With Kenny Lacy out of practice, Najee Toran took over the first-team left guard spot, and he looked pretty solid there. Redshirt sophomore Jake Tourville took over the second-team left guard spot in Toran’s stead.
-Once McKinley went to the sidelines with his groin injury, Keisean Lucier-South stepped in as the first-team razor. Lucier-South started camp as a third-stringer at that position, but injuries to both McKinley and Deon Hollins gave him a chance for first-team reps. It was a clear step up for Lucier-South, facing Conor McDermott and Kolton Miller, as he was unable to apply nearly as much pressure as he has against the second-teamers.
-Also, there’s a change at the backup Sam linebacker spot, as Breland Brandt was replaced by Krys Barnes. Brandt missed Thursday’s practice with a minor knee injury.
Offense
QB - Josh Rosen, Mike Fafaul
RB - Soso Jamabo, Nate Starks
FB - Ainuu Taua
LT - Conor McDermott, Cristian Garcia
LG - Najee Toran, Jake Tourville
C - Scott Quessenberry, Gyo Shojima
RG - Poasi Moala, Josh Wariboko
RT - Kolton Miller, Andre James
TE - Nate Iese, Austin Roberts
WR - Kenny Walker, Ish Adams
WR - Eldridge Massington, Alex Van Dyke
Defense
CB - Nate Meadors, Marcus Rios
CB - Fabian Moreau, Johnny Johnson
S - Jaleel Wadood, Tahaan Goodman
S - Randall Goforth, Octo Spencer
DE - Matt Dickerson, Rick Wade
DT - Eddie Vanderdoes, Boss Tagaloa
DT - Eli Ankou, Nick Terry
DE - Takkarist McKinley, Keisean Lucier-South
SAM - Cam Judge, Krys Barnes
MIKE - Isaako Savaiinaea, Kenny Young
WILL - Jayon Brown, Josh Woods
Practice observations
-Although this practice was without pads and didn’t have any controversial moments, it may have been the most interesting. The excitement derived primarily from WR/DB 1-on-1s. During the drill, Ish Adams was matched up every time with his good friend and former comrade in the secondary – Randall Goforth. It was a pretty even matchup, with Adams winning some reps and Goforth winning some. It was impressive that Goforth had the footspeed to keep up with Adams, who is probably the quickest and most agile player on the team next to Theo Howard.
-At the end of WR/DB 1-on-1s, Coach Mora did something that has has yet to do in fall camp: He singled out two players and told them to match up against one another – with the whole team watching. The two players Mora chose were Theo Howard and Fabian Moreau. Howard was originally paired with a third-string corner – Colin Samuel – in the drill, but Mora took Howard off of Samuel and put him on Moreau. It was a case of the teacher versus the student, as the veteran Moreau used his physicality and instincts to win both of the reps against the youthful and agile Howard. To Howard’s credit, he nearly caught both passes, but the wily veteran Moreau wouldn’t allow him to hang on.
-In another matchup of highly touted freshman and chiseled veterans, Brandon Burton faces off with Nate Iese in 1-on-1s. On one play, Burton made a play that was as impressive as any play all day – he overpowered the 250-pound Iese on a jump ball, and snatched the interception from him. Burton has been one of the strongest freshmen performers in this camp.
-For the second straight practice, the offensive line really looked a lot better in pass protection – and that was even with a second-teamer, Najee Toran, filling in at left guard. Toran really looked like he belonged on the first-team O-line, standing his ground against guys like Eli Ankou and Eddie Vanderdoes. Also, Toran showed some really good agility on pull blocks to the right side, hopping out of his stance and pivoting quickly. It’s hard to see how any guard on UCLA’s roster could have fared as well as Toran did on Thursday.
-Although the offensive linemen did well in pass protection, the absence of Takkarist McKinley certainly made their job significantly easier. McKinley’s replacement at the razor position – Keisean Lucier-South – really struggled to replace McKinley’s production, as he was stifled by the likes of Conor McDermott and Kolton Miller. When McKinley is in there, it seems like there are one or two phantom sacks per drive. When he’s not in there, the UCLA pass rush loses quite a bit of steam against the first-team O-line.
-The offense added an interesting new wrinkle for a moment during 11-on-11s: They handed the ball off to Eldridge Massington on a jet sweep. Usually, these kind of sweeps have been reserved for guys like Ish Adams or Theo Howard – and even Darren Andrews a few times last season – but not Massington. The fact that Massington gained pretty solid yardage on the play could only increase his chances of getting more carries going forward.
-JJ Molson went 4-for-5 on field goals at the end of practice, hitting from 30, 30, 35 and 40, before missing wide right from 46 yards.
UCLA returns to the practice field bright and early tomorrow to begin its third and final two-a-day in San Bernardino. The first practice is at 8:30 a.m., and unlikely to be in full pads. The second practice, likely to be in full gear, is slated for 5:45 p.m.
