Jim Mora wasn’t at Monday’s practice, but he heard from quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo that Josh Rosen put on his best performance of spring camp.
Mora saw for himself Wednesday morning the progress his young quarterback has made.
“There’s some new concepts for him (and) he’s throwing to some new receivers so there’s a feeling-out period, but I think that he’s doing a nice job,” Mora said after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s really embracing what we want to do on offense. I think it’s helping him become a better player.”
As Rosen heads into his second season, the coaching staff is giving the rising sophomore greater control of the offense.
“(We’re) giving him the option to make calls at the line of scrimmage and change plays,” Mora said. “(To) get up there with some time left on the clock, move guys around and get us in the right play or the right formation depending upon what we’re seeing on defense. He’s smart, so he can help us that way.”
The head coach was impressed Wednesday with the offensive line as well. Rising senior Scott Quessenberry has been playing center during spring camp, helping anchor a line that has yet to figure out who will slot in at the two guard positions.
Quessenberry could slide over to a guard spot when graduate student Jake Raulerson arrives over the summer, but Mora said he likes Quessenberry’s performance at center this spring.
“He looks very comfortable there,” Mora said. “He’s a guy that has played a lot and he’s big and he’s physical and he’s smart and has a really good understanding of what we’re trying to do.”
The offense as a whole seems to have taken a step forward the past couple practices, defeating the defense in 11-on-11 drills two times in a row.
The Physicality Factor
Rising redshirt sophomore Austin Roberts, who has transitioned from wide receiver to tight end this offseason, is one player who could help provide production in the more power-based offensive concepts. It helps that Roberts, even when he was a wide receiver, patterned his game after a physical pass-catcher in NFL star Anquan Boldin.
“He was definitely a tough receiver, bigger guy and he also always imposed his will on defenders,” Roberts said of Boldin. “Even when he got older up in Baltimore, he couldn’t run as fast but he definitely still made his presence known in the blocking game and in the receiving game, so I always respected him.”
That being said, Roberts has still had to make significant adjustments in the shift to tight end, especially in the blocking game, where he now must contend with defensive linemen rather than defensive backs.
“Personally, I think it’s a little harder going in-line because I’m 230 (pounds) but I can go against someone that’s pushing 300, and they’re expecting me to hold the edge,” Roberts said. “If you’re going against a defensive back, a lot of times he’ll try to make you miss. Going against a defensive lineman, they’re going to want to engage and then work their moves.”
Roberts gained 15 pounds in the offseason as part of the team-wide concerted effort to become bigger and stronger. Players all across the field look more suited to match up against physically dominant programs, said rising redshirt sophomore defensive back Adarius Pickett.
“Some of the leadership that we have on the team has told the rest of the players how important it is,” Pickett said of the offseason training program. “You’ve seen against Stanford, we don’t want to be getting pushed around, we want to be a physical team this year.”
The increased emphasis on physicality is a positive development for Pickett, who said he emulates the hard-hitting nature of Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor.
“I love to hit, I like playing in the box,” Pickett said. “I like playing post-safety, trying to make it hard on receivers down the field when they run post routes and stuff. Make them short-arm (like) they don’t want to catch the ball.”
Doubling Up
The coaching staff has asked some of the more experienced defensive players to train at multiple positions this spring in order to prepare the Bruins to cope with injuries during the season. Even if the players aren’t able to get physical repetitions at both spots, said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, they are expected to mentally adjust to the responsibilities during team meetings.
“In case we get in a situation where we do have (injuries), and it does happen – especially on the road, it can happen fast – we’re covering ourselves,” Bradley said. “Some guys, obviously, they haven’t had as many reps at one position as another but we’re making them learn it so you’ll see a couple busts out there, but that’s all for the learning process.”
With cornerbacks Marcus Rios and Fabian Moreau missing time with injuries, defensive backs coach Demetrice Martin has asked rising junior safety Jaleel Wadood to pick up some cornerback skills.
“Wadood’s a safety so he understands the calls, but he has to physically do the technique at corner,” Bradley said. “He’s playing a lot of different spots. (Martin) is trying to get as much versatility as he can so in case something happens, we can mix and match.”
Email Cummings at mbcummings@media.ucla.edu or tweet him @mbcummings15.