Two years ago, UCLA football coach Karl Dorrell was brought in
to revamp and set the foundation for a Bruin football program that
had been ravaged by off-field infractions, team suspensions and
disciplinary issues. In his first two years, Dorrell made gradual
steps toward ridding the program of those off-field distractions
(dismissing 15 players for various issues), but it was not until
this year that Dorrell has really started to step it up. A case in
point of Dorrell’s influence has been the scuffles and fights
during the first week of fall practice. Last year and in previous
years, the intra-squad fights would take place during practice,
carrying on to be a major distraction to the Bruins in the locker
room throughout the season. But according to senior quarterback
Drew Olson, that problem no longer exists. “In the past, guys
would hold that as a grudge, go off the field, and do all that
stuff,” Olson said. “Guys are so close now ““ we
joke around and get after each other much easier.” The
camaraderie and unity built in the team was part of the program
Dorrell installed during the off-season, “Football
101.” The program allowed the players to discuss their issues
in an open environment and build a greater trust between the
players on the team. Three times during the first week of practice,
players including offensive lineman Ed Blanton, defensive ends
Justin Hickman and William Snead and fullback Michael Pitre, were
involved in scuffles, but all could be seen laughing off the melee
afterward. “Little tempers, that’s good, that happens
in camp,” Dorrell said. “It shows guys are competing.
After that, things got escalated a little more in terms of
intensity, and that’s what we need.” A major reason for
the enhanced emotion on the field, as Dorrell pointed out, is the
competition between the players at every position. Nearly every
position battle has more than one or two players competing for
playing time, and that is due to the depth Dorrell has brought the
team in the last two seasons after playing a record 10 true
freshman last season. “Having all those young guys with
experience can only help us,” safety Chris Horton said.
“We need the young players to push us and make sure that we
are competing at the highest level.” The Bruins have thus far
been hit by injuries to its thin linebacker and safety positions,
but from the progress the Bruins have seen in camp, chances are the
Bruins will find ways to overcome those injuries before the opening
game against San Diego State on Sept. 3.
BROWN LEAVES TEAM: Cornerback Jebiaus Brown decided to leave the
team on Wednesday, but will remain on scholarship, Dorrell said.
The cornerback appeared in a few games on special teams for the
Bruins last season but didn’t see any action in the
secondary. The Bruins are left with six players on scholarship at
the cornerback position, with cornerbacks Rodney Van and Michael
Norris currently competing with the first team. “You would
like to have more than six cornerbacks on the roster,”
Dorrell said. “But we will just have to move on from this,
and we have plenty of capable players at that position.”
PERSONAL ISSUES: Within the last week, both Kyle Morgan and
Brandon Breazell have dealt with a death in the family.
Morgan’s brother was shot and killed two weeks ago, and
Morgan was out of practice until Friday, when he returned to the
team. Breazell, meanwhile, will miss practice until Wednesday while
attending the funeral of his cousin Patrick Murphy, who died in a
car accident last weekend.
INJURY FRONT: The Bruins have been hit with injuries in the last
week, including potentially serious injuries to linebacker Wesley
Walker and freshman wide receiver Gavin Ketchum. Walker underwent
his second arthroscopic knee surgery in the last six months on
Friday and is expected to miss 4-5 weeks. Walker also sat out all
of spring practice undergoing the first of two surgeries on his
knee. Ketchum, meanwhile, suffered a first-degree separation of his
left shoulder and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. Other players
still recovering from surgeries prior to camp are linebacker Bruce
Davis, running back Chris Markey and safety Chris Horton. Dorrell
said Davis and Markey should return to full-contact drills within
the next few weeks, while Horton might miss the season opener on
Sept. 3. Players who are day-to-day are center Mike McCloskey
(shoulder sprain), defensive back William Snead (ankle injury),
Breazell (back contusion) and linebacker Danny Nelson (right
knee).
With reports from Seth Fast Glass, Bruin Sports senior
staff.