For new football coach Rick Neuheisel, this spring was all about progress.
Halfway through the team’s spring practice schedule, that type of progress has started to take shape.
In the Bruins’ first scrimmage Saturday at Spaulding Field, the team seemed to find a new starting quarterback and a little more offensive chemistry. Redshirt junior Pat Cowan took every snap with the first-team offense ““ an indication that he may have won the starting job over redshirt junior Ben Olson, who played with the second team.
Cowan completed seven of his 11 attempts in the scrimmage and threw two touchdowns, one to receiver Marcus Everett and another to tight end Logan Paulsen.
“The first couple days the offense couldn’t even go five straight plays without fumbling a snap, now they’re starting to make big plays,” linebacker Reggie Carter said. “That’s great. You don’t want to have a bad offense because you won’t get better at practice. It’s always a plus when anybody on this team succeeds.”
While Neuheisel made no formal announcement about Cowan in his post-scrimmage statement to the press, he did talk about the improvement the offense has shown after seven practices under new coordinator Norm Chow.
“I just believe that we are making progress,” Neuheisel said. “When you’re making progress, you’ve got to be encouraged.”
Running back Christian Ramirez is a big reason for the offense’s stellar play. The junior switched from safety to running back last year and ran for 104 yards in the 2007 season. Because of injuries to junior Kahlil Bell and freshman Raymond Carter, Ramirez is currently the top runner on the Bruins depth chart.
The backfield will be even more crowded in the team’s August training camp, when Bell and Carter return and top recruits Aundre Dean and Milton Knox arrive at UCLA. But Neuheisel said that Ramirez will still be in the mix.
“I think Ramirez is a great player. I think he’s going to be a factor for us in the fall,” Neuheisel said. “All I notice when I’m behind the drills is that he has got great vision and explosiveness through the hole.”
Ramirez ran for 54 yards on 10 carries in the scrimmage Saturday, but the offensive line continues to worry Neuheisel and the coaching staff. The unit has very little depth and has struggled with small mistakes ““ bad snaps and false starts ““ throughout spring ball.
“Until we feel like we have a second group that can go out there and be competitive, the offensive line is going to be a major concern,” Neuheisel said.
On defense, Carter has stepped into the middle-linebacker role, and is now making the defensive play calls. Neuheisel said that he has been pleased with the defense, but has noticed a lot of inconsistent play.
QUICK HITS: Taylor Embree, a 6-foot-4-inch freshman wideout from Overland Park, Kan., was the leading receiver in the scrimmage. He caught three balls for 74 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown catch from freshman quarterback Chris Forcier. … Freshman linebacker Akeem Ayers blocked a Jimmy Rotstein field goal toward the end of the scrimmage. … Former Bruin defensive end Bruce Davis was on the sidelines at Saturday’s scrimmage. Davis is a prospect for the NFL Draft on April 26. … Knox, the star running back from Van Nuys who chose UCLA over Notre Dame on signing day, was at the scrimmage wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat.