Near the end of UCLA’s annual Spring Game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, former Bruin coach Dick Vermeil grabbed a microphone and addressed the crowd.
Then, in a very Dick Vermeil style, he asked for the Bruin fans to have patience.
“It takes time to brew good wine,” he said.
With the way the offense played on Saturday night, Bruin fans might have to exercise a great deal of patience next season. The first-team offense struggled mightily throughout the night while the first-team defense was predictably dominant. Under the guidance of redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince, the first-team offense scored twice, but both scores came against the second and third-team defenses.
Prince finished the night completing 11 of 24 passes for 134 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Prince’s first six passes were incomplete. He finally started to settle down with the first-team defense off the field, completing four of six passes for 42 yards on the first scoring possession capped off by a 4-yard run by redshirt freshman running back Jonathan Franklin.
Offensive coordinator Norm Chow had some choice words for Prince during and after the scrimmage.
Prince was, predictably, less than pleased.
“It’s kind of insulting,” Prince said of Chow’s comments. “I mean obviously nobody wants to go out there and play like I did the first few series.”
Despite the struggles with consistency, both players and coaches believe Prince possesses a great deal of potential.
“He’s getting more comfortable,” senior cornerback Alterraun Verner said. “Some of the throws he makes, I just think it’s great decisions, where, if I’m breaking on the inside, he’s throwing it to the outside where his receiver is the only one to make the play.”
True freshman quarterback Richard Brehaut led the second-team offense to one score, a touchdown pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Jerry Johnson. Brehaut completed seven of 14 passes for 47 yards and one touchdown.
Redshirt senior quarterback and last season’s starter Kevin Craft failed to complete a pass, finishing 0-of-5.
Following the game, coach Rick Neuheisel emphasized that due to the nature of the Spring Game, a time in which opponents can come to watch and plays can be shown on television, the offense is kept largely under wraps. Yet he also stressed that the offensive side of the ball needs improvement before the season opener against San Diego State on Sept. 5.
“Certainly, it’s evident there’s work to be done, but I think we’re in good position,” Neuheisel said.
As for the defense, the Bruins showed why it is the unit considered the strength of the Bruin team. Junior defensive tackle Brian Price had two sacks, and there was little running room for the running backs and wide receivers.
“They run like a Pac-10 team, they fly around like a Pac-10 team, and I think they’re only going to get better, remembering that most of those guys are really young,” Neuheisel said.
Defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough said that the biggest thing he and the other coaches wanted to get out of the game was to make sure all the techniques were correct and the energy was acceptable.
“We’re more looking to clear up the mental errors,” Bullough said.
On a night when the defense was clearly ahead of the offense, Prince expressed a sense of frustration at the slow start of his unit, which was something his team made a goal not to do.
“We came out here and started out slow. Like I said, that’s on me,” Prince said. “But I do feel like we finished strong.”
TEAM CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED: Neuheisel announced to his team at the end of Saturday’s scrimmage that the team captains on defense are Reggie Carter and Alterraun Verner and on offense, Logan Paulsen and Terrence Austin.