Rick Neuheisel made sure his players finished off their week of practice on a positive note. Neuheisel asked a group of UCLA band members to perform at the end of practice, while the team practiced kick returns. Then, after several reps, Neuheisel asked for a volunteer from the band to return one of Kai Forbath’s kicks.
Alan McFarland, a fourth year trombonist, caught the kick and slid behind the UCLA wedge. I’ll admit the coverage team wasn’t going all out, but Alan has some jets. He sprinted for a touchdown, and the UCLA band and football team went crazy, sprinting off the field into the locker room.
Here are some other, slightly more serious notes:
– Wide receiver Marcus Everett will not play.
– Neuheisel said he doesn’t follow or adjust to the oddsmaker’s lines. The Bruins are 17-point favorites for Saturday’s game. He echoed the sentiment of his players’ when he said that it doesn’t so much matter whether UCLA is a favorite or underdog- they want to win and take the game seriously no matter what.
– Washington State’s new head coach, Paul Wolff, coached at Eastern Washington when Neuheisel was at Washington. Neuheisel said that they "crossed paths" but that it would be a stretch to call them buddies.
– Tight end Adam Heater looked to suffer a calf injury today at practice, but Neuheisel was not sure of the severity.
– Neuheisel said that this is typically the most difficult week of the season for players because of all the hectic schedule changes players face during the first week of school. With that in mind, Neuheisel said he was happy that Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. because it will give his team more hours to rest.
– Washington State has allowed 66 and 63 points in its first two Pac-10 losses. Neuheisel said that he thinks the defensive has struggled because of its inexperience.
– In a non-practice related bit of news, former Bruin Chris Horton was named the NFL defensive rookie of the month. It’s not surprising to see Horton play so well; he always worked his tail off in Westwood. But it is very, very rare to see a player drafted No. 249 overall, like Horton was, and immediately deliver such a brilliant performance.