Ironically, perhaps the biggest questions surrounding the 2014 UCLA football team were answered months before the team took to Spualding Field Tuesday morning for its first spring practice of the year.
Yes, that was coach Jim Mora roaming the sidelines and bouncing between position drills. And yes, that was redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley running the first-team offense. Both are back for year three at UCLA after Mora – a rumored candidate for multiple coaching gigs – affirmed his commitment to the school in December, while his signal caller eschewed the NFL for at least another year.
In lieu of questions, the duo’s return raises expectations. A ten-win season, a blowout bowl victory and a Heisman Trophy candidate will do that. For the moment, the team appears to have embraced the growing expectations surrounding the upcoming season.
“I was talking to (redshirt junior center) Jake Brendel … and we kind of concurred that we have taken another step up,” Mora said. “We understand what the expectations are, what our expectations are and we are going to try and meet them every day. Today was a good first step.”
UCLA’s outlook is as high as it is because Hundley and Mora are hardly alone in returning to Westwood. The Bruins may have as many as 17 starters on offense and defense back from a year ago as well as several other players who have made key contributions.
While the hopes and promises of the coming season will likely ride on the arms and legs of No. 17, Hundley spent his offseason working on something that may prove just as crucial: his mind.
“You can focus on footwork and all that stuff, but a big part of being a quarterback is really understanding the game and really getting into knowing a defense,” Hundley said. “So that’s really what I worked on this offseason: going into the film room, taking notes, reading over it, talking to a lot of NFL quarterbacks and taking knowledge from them and getting to know the game more.”
Changing of the guard
One area, however, that figures to see plenty of change for UCLA is the offensive line. The team must replace 2013 first-team All-Pac-12 guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who declared for the NFL Draft in January following UCLA’s win over Virginia Tech in the Sun Bowl. Su’a-Filo was a source of stability and leadership for a team plagued by injuries and inexperience, moving from guard to left tackle for six games because of injuries.
Exactly who fills out the line was further complicated Tuesday after Mora announced that former starting left tackle Torian White was no longer with the team.
The departures of White and Su’a-Filo mean that Brendel – who has started all 27 games the past two seasons – is now the most veteran member along the line and figures to be the likeliest candidate to provide leadership on a still relatively young group.
“I’d like to think that I’m not that old, just being a third-year and everything, but it is pretty much the case. I’m pretty much the most mature guy on the offensive line, so I kind have to fill those shoes,” Brendel said.
Brendel will likely receive help starting Thursday as redshirt senior offensive lineman Malcolm Bunche, a transfer from Miami who has played in 31 games the last three years, will make his UCLA debut after completing the enrollment process for graduate classes.
For now, Brendel is joined by sophomores Alex Redmond and Scott Quessenberry at right and left guard respectively, sophomore Caleb Benenoch at left tackle and redshirt freshman Poasi Moala at right tackle.
Picking up the pace
The frequent refrain out of the mouths of UCLA players and coaches alike following Tuesday’s practice was the need for a more up-tempo offense.
“You can see we are trying to go faster, which is insane, right?” said junior wide receiver Jordan Payton with a laugh. “We are trying to pick things up. Last year, we kind of lagged a little bit; we were slow at times. So now we are trying to pick things up and stay in rhythm and keep things going.”
The Bruins feel confident because of the number of returning players on offense that they can improve on a team that averaged nearly 74 plays per game a season ago.
“I think we’d like to move more efficiently and at a quicker pace. I think we’d like to change the tempo at times as well. Slow it down, speed it up, keep the defense guessing, try and substitute a little less so you keep the same defensive personnel on the field and move at a quick tempo,” Mora said. “I would think, just by the mere fact that we’ve been together a little bit longer – Brett’s in his third year in the system – that’ll help us … move quicker and more efficiently.”
The Bruins will get back to the practice field Thursday at 4:30 p.m.