Most players dreaded 5 a.m. alarms waking them for 6 a.m.
conditioning this winter.
Not senior linebacker Dennis Link. He doesn’t need an
alarm clock. He has Dylan, his six-month-old son and personal
wake-up call.
“He wakes up every two hours to eat,” Link said,
looking confused when asked when he gets up in the morning, as if
he could point to just a single time.
“Those late nights and early mornings?! Most definitely I
understand,” said senior corner Keith Short, another of the
team’s young fathers. “Dennis is doing a good job
balancing football and class and Dad.”
But while mornings and evenings are spent with Dylan and his
wife Shobie, Link has devoted the afternoons this spring to
battling true sophomore Justin London for the middle linebacker
spot vacated by Marcus Reese.
The two have a lot, and at the same time, nothing in common.
While London is young and came into UCLA a top recruit from
Virginia, Link is the experienced veteran whose name has gotten
lost over the last few years.
London, 6-foot, 1-inch, 235 pounds, played on special teams in
12 games as a true freshman, recording five tackles. He has been
called “UCLA’s next star at middle linebacker” by
junior corner Matt Ware.
Link, meanwhile, redshirted as a freshman out of Long Beach
Poly. His greatest challenge was that he came in too light for a
college linebacker, at 200 pounds, but the 6-foot, 2-inch player
has since bulked up to 222 pounds. Over the last three years he has
participated mostly on special teams, with the exception of the
Oklahoma State game last season where he recorded five tackles.
Those five accounted for half his tackles on the season.
“Special teams is like the next best thing,” Link
said. “It is one of the funnest parts of the game. You can
win or lose on how well your special teams play.” Link played
on punt, field goal, kickoff return and kickoff units in 2002.
Despite their different paths, senior strongside linebacker
Brandon Chillar sees Link and London as having similar assets.
“They are both bangers, both athletic. The big factor in
who is going to play is who picks up the new defense better,”
Chillar said.
“My plan is just to get the job done,” London said
while also agreeing that learning the new defense is his biggest
challenge.
Link broke up a pass Monday, demonstrating his instinct,
probably his greatest strength. After watching the defense steps
ahead of the offense, as expected, over the last week, head coach
Karl Dorrell could not draw any conclusions on the battle at middle
linebacker.
“It’s too early to tell now, but I think we will be
able to tell more when we scrimmage on Friday,” he said.
Link and London will be ready. Even if London gets a little more
sleep.
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Junior offensive guard Steven Vieira has been moved to left
tackle, the Bruin coaching staff announced earlier this week.
Vieira was told about the move before practice on Friday by
offensive line coach Mark Weber.
The move will allow senior offensive guard Shane Lehmann to
enter the starting lineup.
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At corner, sophomore Matt Clark continues to duel senior Keith
Short, sophomore Marcus Cassel, sophomore Glenn Ohaeri and redshirt
freshman Jebiaus Brown for the corner spot opposite junior Matt
Ware.
“Matt Clark is doing well. I ain’t no coach, but as
of right now, he’s the man over there,” junior free
safety Ben Emmanuel said.
Ohaeri has continued to move around from corner to nickel to
safety. All the corners should benefit from the fact that they have
more help in the new zone-oriented defense.
“This offense is more of a swarming, run to the ball, zone
defense,” Emanuel said.
While it looked to the naked eye like the defense is allowed to
hit more under the new coaching staff, that may just be the result
of the new, aggressive defensive system.
“There are more opportunities for big hits,” he
added.
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Spurred by a skirmish between the lines, practice got a little
more physical Tuesday. The fight was quashed immediately. Other
than that mishap and the last few plays of practice, defensive line
coach Don Johnson was satisfied with his players.
“They are looking okay,” defensive line coach Don
Johnson said. “Learning a new system and enhancing our
fundamentals. I’m still the same demanding coach with the
same expectations, just under a little different philosophy and
different system.”
“Right now we’ve got six to seven guys who should be
able to carry the load in whatever we need to do,” he
added.
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Sophomore tight end Keith Carter, who underwent successful
surgery on his hip on Saturday after a motorcycle accident last
Thursday, hopes to return to school by Monday. His status for next
season is still undetermined.
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Freshman offensive tackle Elliott Vallejo, sophomore offensive
lineman Matt Mosebar and junior fullback Ray Cassaday have quit the
team for personal reasons.