Of the football players listed on UCLA’s team roster who have seen action this season, 21 are of freshman standing.
Twelve are sophomores.
A team predominantly composed of underclassmen, youthful and lacking in experience, inevitably encounters hardship before it sees improvement.
With five games under their belt, the Bruins have moved past premature notions of anticipation and anxiety, toward a path of self-evaluation and assessment.
With California (3-2, 0-2 Pac-10)coming to town this Saturday, UCLA (3-2, 0-2) needs to harness that youthful energy and work to develop the areas of the game which have thus far been exposed as their shortcomings.
At Monday’s weekly press conference, coach Rick Neuheisel cited consistency at quarterbacking, blocking correctly on called plays and coaching the fundamentals as key areas of focus for this week.
Also an underlying theme: “remembering all the while that we’re young.”
The most noteworthy youth, redshirt freshman Kevin Prince, made his return to the lineup in Saturday’s loss against Oregon after being sidelined for one month with a fractured jaw. Following Prince’s less-than-stellar performance, where he went 13-for-25 and threw for a total of 81 yards, Neuheisel reminded his audience that Prince has a mere three games of college football experience, “no matter how rusty he was or wasn’t.”
The coach also alluded to the Bruins’ unsatisfactory offensive showing during the first half as an instance where lack of experience affected the mind-set of the younger players. The team was able to generate only one field goal in 30 minutes of play, a 52-yarder off the leg of the dependable Kai Forbath. The redshirt junior kicker leads the Pac-10 with 13 made out of 14 attempts.
“There were some frustrations because we played pretty darn well, and we didn’t have much to show for it,” Neuheisel said. “But as a young team we have to understand that we’ve got to play 60 minutes regardless of what happens in the first half.”
The Ducks would go on to shock the Bruins with three touchdowns in four minutes, two of which resulted from Prince’s turnovers.
Another youngster, freshman Richard Brehaut saw playing time on Saturday as well. Seeing him behind center in the future, Neuheisel said, should not be a surprise.
“I’ve been pretty clear that I’ve been looking for places to get Richard in the game and continue to develop him as a quarterback … and it was a great spot to give Richard a chance and see what materialized,” the coach said.
Brehaut went 5-for-10 and was sacked four times in two series.
Despite dividing the snaps between Prince and Brehaut, Neuheisel silenced any insinuation of a quarterback controversy.
“Kevin Prince is the guy we chose,” Neuheisel said. “We’re going to get Kevin Prince ready to play, but I still want to keep Richard on the come.”
Where does that leave Kevin Craft?
A former starter at the quarterback position, the redshirt senior led UCLA through a 2008 campaign which resulted in a 4-8 overall record. He completed 232 of 417 passes for 2,341 yards, seven touchdowns and 20 interceptions, a school record.
Despite Craft’s experience, Neuheisel hinted that his focus for quarterback will be on cultivating the talents of his younger proteges.
“I think we’ve got to keep working with the young guys and keep building our program,” Neuheisel said.
But he didn’t dismiss Craft as a key player.
“If it gets to the point where Kevin’s clearly the guy … then I’ll make that decision.”
For now, Neuheisel will concentrate on honing the skills of his new talent. But that doesn’t mean he will be making excuses for mediocre performances and rudimentary mistakes.
“I don’t want to shirk responsibility from us,” Neuheisel said. “It’s too easy to say we’re too young.”
Quick hits
Neuheisel said that cornerback Aaron Hester will not return to practice this week. The redshirt freshman suffered a fractured right fibula during the Bruins’ season opener versus San Diego State. Sheldon Price and Courtney Viney have since been competing for his position opposite Alterraun Verner.
Safety Glenn Love and running back Johnathan Franklin, who suffered an ankle injury early in the second quarter of Saturday’s game versus Oregon, should be ready to practice on Wednesday.