There was a buzz in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night for UCLA football’s annual Spring Game. There were murmurs about professional talent and whisperings about celebrity status.
But murmuring fans must not have been referring to the game on the field, because it was being played, rather fittingly, like a scrimmage of college athletes in the middle of their offseason.
Maybe it was the NFL Draft, which had just accepted three Bruin seniors into the professional ranks earlier in the weekend. Or maybe it was the presence of international sports superstars Tom Brady and David Beckham, who just happened to watch the entire game from the eastern sideline.
For some reason, there was an extra sheen on the event, which is usually rather tame compared to the sold-out spring games of some of the nation’s classic football schools. It certainly did not hurt that coach Rick Neuheisel has been talking up his program’s return to national relevance ““ and even prominence ““ since his arrival in Westwood.
Neuheisel though, was the first to admit that UCLA’s spring camp finale in front of 12,494 of the Bruin faithful was not exactly impressive.
“We just didn’t connect on plays that you have to connect on,” Neuheisel said.
The offense sputtered out of the gate en route to a mediocre total output that did not include a passing touchdown until the final play of the scrimmage. The Revolver, the team’s new offensive scheme concocted by Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow, did not threaten the defense as much as it was supposed to, although it was significantly weakened by a cautionary two-hand touch rule applied to quarterback sneaks.
“I’m a little disappointed and I told them so,” Chow said. “We’ve been practicing very well, (but) we came over here and for some reason didn’t seem like we were on fire.”
Starting quarterback Kevin Prince, the team’s rising star through much of this month’s preparations ““ and possibly the lynch pin to its success come fall ““ admitted to being off his game. Prince’s squad ““ it was given his name on the Rose Bowl scoreboard ““ amassed just five total yards in its first 12 plays.
“I wasn’t on point like I wanted to be,” the redshirt sophomore said. “The defense put a lot of pressure on us and we’ve got to be able to make plays regardless of that fact.”
Prince finished the night 5-for-13 for 72 yards and an interception.
“It wasn’t vintage Kevin,” Neuheisel said. “There were some balls he left out there.”
The defensive squad had a bit more to be proud of though, racking up nearly all of the game’s biggest highlights. Cornerbacks Courtney Viney, a redshirt junior, and Marlon Pollard, a redshirt freshman, each snagged interceptions, with Pollard running his back for an 84-yard touchdown.
Near the halfway point of the night, redshirt junior linebacker Glenn Love delivered a thundering hit on a shocked junior running back Derrick Coleman directly in front of the fans’ sideline, which elicited a loud roar. Coleman was in good spirits about it after the game though, even claiming it was not the hardest he had ever been hit on the football field.
“Every offensive player at any level is going to get hit like that, but it’s how you get up and respond to it,” he said.
Coleman did exactly that, looking like the probable starter at his position with another 50 yards rushing on the drive that ended with the 231-pound back pushing into the endzone from four yards out.
Redshirt sophomore walk-on Andrew Abbott added to his case for a larger chunk of playing time at the cornerback position by breaking up multiple deep passes as part of the second-team defense.
“My whole thing tonight was just to come out and put a stamp on my Spring, let people know what I’m all about,” Abbott said. “I really love what I did tonight.”
Defense has been UCLA’s strength for a few years now, so many Bruin fans have been turning to the offense for hints of the team’s improved standing. Though Neuheisel and Prince expressed concern about the night’s shortcomings, both were optimistic about the gains made in the spring as a whole.
“It would have been nice to go off on a better note but I’m happy with where the offense is at,” Prince said.
His team wasn’t shimmering just yet, but at this point in the year, his coach is just happy that the Bruins’ education continues.
“Those are great lessons to learn in a time when it doesn’t cost us in the win-loss record,” Neuheisel said.
Moving on up
Three former UCLA football players were selected in the 2010 NFL Draft this weekend.
Junior defensive tackle Brian Price was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round with the 35th overall pick. Upon his January announcement that he would forego his senior season at UCLA, Price was considered by many to be at least a mid-first round selection, but his draft stock had faltered in the weeks leading up to the event. Price was the Pac-10’s Defensive Player of the Year last season and led the conference with 1.81 tackles for a loss per game.
Senior cornerback Alterraun Verner was taken by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round with the 104th overall pick.
Verner, who has been a regular at the Bruins’ spring practices, was on the field at the Rose Bowl, wearing a blue Titans baseball cap. He said he had been nervous waiting to hear his name called, but that it was worth the wait.
“It all ended up working out today,” Verner said. “(I’m going) to a team that’s willing to have me try to come in and compete and that’s all I can ask for.”
After the scrimmage, Abbott, who played alongside Verner at the same position, said his old teammate’s boon gives encouragement to the whole team.
“He’s like family to me, so it’s always good to see somebody like him get picked up,” Abbott said. “I’m happy for him and I’m hoping one day I can be there.”
Senior wideout and return man Terrence Austin was also chosen as the 219th overall pick in the seventh round by the Washington Redskins. Austin is the school record holder for all-purpose yards in a season and was a two-time, second team All-Pac-10 selection.
Quick hits
Kai Forbath made all four of his field goal attempts in the Spring Game scrimmage, including tries from 51 yards and 57 yards out… Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice was also in attendance watching his son. Jerry Rice Jr. is a walk-on wide receiver for UCLA and caught one pass for six yards in the scrimmage… Five other Bruin seniors who were not drafted were awarded free agent contracts with NFL teams this weekend: TE Logan Paulsen (Redskins), LB Reggie Carter (Seahawks), FB Chane Moline (Raiders), LB Kyle Bosworth (Jaguars), and DE Korey Bosworth (Broncos)…