The scene was all too familiar: Tight end Logan Paulsen hauls in a pass yet comes away with a foot injury.
It happened last year in the season opener against Tennessee. Paulsen made an 18-yard reception but landed awkwardly on his right foot, suffering a fracture that forced him to miss the rest of the season.
The Bruins can only hope that the latest injury is not a repeat.
During Saturday’s team scrimmage, Paulsen hauled in a 19-yard pass and came away limping with a right foot injury.
Paulsen underwent a CT scan on Monday and the results have yet to be determined. The redshirt senior was present at practice, standing on the sidelines with crutches and a black boot on his right foot.
Due to the injury and the possibility that Paulsen could miss a significant amount of time, coach Rick Neuheisel said that redshirt sophomore Nate Chandler, who had been playing with the first team offense at right tackle, will shift to tight end for the 2009 season.
The move is a familiar one for Chandler. In 2008, Chandler played one game at tackle and started two games at tight end. Chandler said he is open to the change in position, stating he will do whatever is necessary to help his squad.
“Its frustrating as a player but I play on a team,” Chandler said. “I’m trying to help this team out as best as I can. And I know I can play here so I’m just going to take it as it goes. Just take what life gives me.”
Chandler, who played tight end in high school, said he currently weighs 282 pounds, and that he would like to lose a couple. After practice he joked with reporters that he probably lost five or six pounds in that practice alone. He also said that he does not envision the transition from offensive tackle to tight end to be that difficult.
“Not so much because I’ve always been able to move around, I’ve always been able to run,” Chandler said.
Neuheisel stressed that the decision to move Chandler back to tight end was not because of his performance on the offensive line. Rather, due to the injuries to Paulsen and sophomore Cory Harkey (hamstring), as the Bruins are shallow at the tight end position.
“I thought he was doing a nice job at tackle but we got some kids coming in at tackle,” Neuheisel said. “We got some ways to move. We don’t have any way to move tight ends right now, so we’re going to continue to watch him there for the rest of spring and we’ll see how it develops in the fall.”
Another tight end who will see more time due to Paulsen’s injury will be redshirt junior Jeff Miller. Last season, Miller appeared in 10 games with two starts, making four receptions for 27 yards and one touchdown.
On Monday, Miller split time playing with the first and second team offense, and admitted that his mind-set has changed since Paulsen went down.
“Basically the mentality is just step up,” Miller said. “(Paulsen) went down, this is giving me more of an opportunity to get reps and show what I can do. He’ll be ok. He’ll heal up, be ready for season, so now this is just time for me to really show what I can do.”
Freshman tight end Morrell Presley, who enrolled at UCLA in the winter, will also see an increase in reps. While Presley was rated the No. 1 tight end in the nation by scout.com, through the early part of spring practice he has seen the most time at wide receiver and in the slot position.
Presley admitted that his mentality has also shifted.
“(Paulsen’s injury) makes me want to step my game up more and compete a little more than I was,” Presley said.