Freshman offensive guard Stanley Hasiak has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the UCLA football team, it was reported Tuesday night.
After practice on Wednesday, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel opted only to issue a short comment on the matter.
“Stanley’s dealing with some personal things, and we’re going to continue to work with him because he’s one of us,” Neuheisel said.
Neuheisel declined further comment.
Hasiak, who did not play against Washington last week and did not travel to Oregon State with the team on Oct. 31, flew back home to Hawaii over the weekend and has since returned to Los Angeles, according to a report by the Los Angeles Daily News.
Hasiak’s roommate, freshman offensive tackle Xavier Su’a-Filo, said that he does not know exactly what the issues are and that he does not wish to get involved until Hasiak approaches him about it.
“I’m just there to be the friend, and I got his back whenever he needs anything,” Su’a-Filo said.
Su’a-Filo said that he and Hasiak got to know each well over the summer before school started, and that since then, he has not noticed anything strange.
“He knows how to act and take care of himself,” Su’a-Filo said.
Rated as a top-10 offensive guard by both rivals.com and scout.com, Hasiak was expected to be a factor for the Bruins early on. Yet near the end of training camp sophomore Jeff Baca won the left guard spot, forcing Hasiak to come off the bench in the Bruins’ first game of the season against San Diego State.
While he saw more playing time in the Bruins’ second game against Tennessee, Hasiak has seen his time on the field diminish as the season has progressed.
“I haven’t heard much of what’s been going on lately,” Su’a-Filo said. “I’d like to talk to him about it, but he seems to be doing fine. I’m always there to be a good friend to him.”
OFFENSIVE LINE LOOKING TO IMPROVE BRUIN RUNNING GAME: One of the more glaring issues the UCLA football team struggled with last season en route to a disappointing 4-8 record was the inability of the offensive line to protect the quarterback and make holes for the running backs.
And through the first few games this season, it seemed as if the line had made significant improvement.
Redshirt freshman Johnathan Franklin rushed for more than 100 yards in a game, a feat the Bruins did not achieve in any game last season, and the number of sacks declined.
However, a recent string of mediocre rushing performances has left the offensive line searching for answers and has brought up memories of last season’s struggles.
“I’m not going to change,” offensive line coach Bob Palcic said. “You just keep working on fundamentals and working on the mental aspect of the game. Everybody’s got to do the best they can and let the chips fall where they may.”
Saturday’s game against Washington was just the latest example of what has become a recent development. In a 24-23 win, the Bruins gained just 84 net yards rushing on 40 attempts, translating into an average of 2.1 yards per carry.
Against Oregon State, UCLA gained just 51 net yards on the ground.
Su’a-Filo said it was just a matter of sustaining their blocks.
“We’re always in the right place, and we know where we need to be, it’s just sustaining,” Su’a-Filo said.
INJURIES: Redshirt junior offensive lineman Ryan Taylor is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game with a sprained right foot…Senior defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski (plantar fasciitis) is “at best questionable” according to Neuheisel.