Players ready for new season’s challenges

At media day in July, UCLA defensive end Bruce Davis talked about the Bruins’ 20 returning starters and their experience at UCLA.

He said that there was nothing in college football his team hadn’t seen.

Coach Karl Dorrell sat next to him, nodding in agreement.

The Bruins had seen an 8-0 season slip away in 2005. In 2006, they ended a season that had started 4-4 with a shocking 13-9 win over USC.

Now the Bruins feel they’re ready to see the one thing they haven’t seen in Dorrell’s four-year tenure: a Pac-10 championship.

Offense

Jay Norvell took over as offensive coordinator this spring after serving as the quarterbacks coach at Nebraska and has already made quite an impression. He installed a new West Coast offense in the spring, and introduced a significant amount of information during the first week of fall practice. The result is an opened-up attack that spreads the ball around to more receivers. The goal is to improve upon a unit that averaged just 23 points per game last year and catch up with UCLA’s vaunted defense.

Quarterbacks

Redshirt junior Ben Olson is poised for a breakout season. He has quickly adapted to Norvell’s pro-style offense, and his timing with the receiving corps has been spot-on in practice. He’s been especially sharp working with the Bruins’ game plan for their first game at Stanford. He’ll need to stay healthy early in the year, because UCLA has already lost its backup, Pat Cowan, to a hamstring injury. Should Olson go down, the job would fall to redshirt freshman McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

Watch out for: Ben Olson’s knees. If Olson goes down, it could be a chaotic situation in Westwood. Cowan is already out for a few weeks, and while Bethel-Thompson is an intriguing walk-on with a great arm, he’s also very inexperienced.

Backfield

Senior Chris Markey will certainly carry a heavy load for the Bruins’ offense this year. The Louisiana native has bounced back from a spring injury to his right foot. He started every game last year and quietly rushed for 1107 yards, and UCLA is confident that he can perform at a similar level this year. Markey will still be used as a threat in the passing attack, but don’t expect him to lead the team in receptions like he did last year.

Backing up Markey is junior Kahlil Bell. Bell has steadily improved this offseason and is expected to be used more than he was last year when he ran for just 247 yards.

Incoming freshman Raymond Carter was one of the team’s top recruits, but he tore his ACL during the first week of fall camp and will be out for the season.

Senior fullback Michael Pitre will miss the first game of the season with a bone bruise in his right knee. There isn’t much of a timetable for his return as of yet.

Sophomore Chane Moline is out, too, because of an injured right wrist. He could miss a month due to the injury. Sophomore Trevor Theriot will fill in, but there is talk that the Bruins might not be using the fullback position as heavily this year, especially when the veteran Pitre isn’t playing.

Watch out for: Kahlil Bell. The junior has looked a lot better this fall, and he was the offensive star of the fall scrimmage. He will see a lot more carries than he did last year.

Wide receivers

The wide receiving unit is one of the most experienced groups at UCLA, and they hope to improve this year under the tutelage of new wide receivers coach Eric Scott. Senior Marcus Everett returns as the team’s No. 1 wideout. He said during camp that he expects to double his receptions from last season with Norvell’s new scheme.

Brandon Breazell, a senior who averaged 18.5 yards per catch last year, will start as well. Senior Joe Cowan is back after a knee injury sidelined him in 2006, and he should be a contributor this year.

Junior Logan Paulsen will once again anchor the tight end position. The 247-pound Paulsen hauled in 27 receptions last season as one of Pat Cowan’s biggest targets. He’s the type of athlete that can break a few tackles downfield, too. Junior Ryan Moya, the second-string tight end, will redshirt this season due to a leg injury.

Watch out for: Osaar Rasshan. The former quarterback has all the physical tools to be a dominant wide receiver. But he has a lot of learning to do, too. It will be interesting to see how often he gets on the field.

Offensive line

The line lost just one starter from last season, center Robert Chai. They also lost coach Jim Colletto to the Detroit Lions. Senior Chris Joseph will move over from guard to replace Chai. Coach Bob Connelly will replace Colletto.

Senior guard Shannon Tevaga is one of the best in the conference, and through camp he was clearly the line’s vocal leader. Senior Noah Sutherland is the other starting guard. Brian Abraham and Micah Kia are, for now, the two starting tackles.

The unit’s depth could make it the best line in Dorrell’s tenure. Pass protection will be a key for the line, especially with Olson at quarterback.

Watch out for: Aleksey Lanis. The sophomore was a top recruit out of high school and an impact player for the Bruins last year before suffering an injury at the Emerald Bowl. He lost his starting job in the spring, but at 6 feet 6 inches and 319 pounds, it’ll be tough to keep him off the field.

Defense

All of a sudden the defense is the strength of the UCLA team. After a solid 2006 season, and a brilliant showing in their marquee matchup versus USC, the Bruins’ defense is being called one of the best in the country. They lost just one starter from last season, defensive end Justin Hickman.

Coordinator DeWayne Walker is back after the stunning job he did last year. The defense has really shined in camp too, challenging an improving UCLA offense with its relentless style.

Defensive line

Senior Bruce Davis had more sacks last year (12.5) than any other returning Division I player, and more tackles for loss than other returning Pac-10 players. He will anchor a line that may be the strength of the UCLA team.

Davis will be joined by two experienced defensive linemen, seniors Kevin Brown and Brigham Harwell. The two had 55 tackles between them last year.

The biggest question with the line is certainly senior Nikola Dragovic. Dragovic was a starter in 2005 before a season-ending knee injury. He didn’t start in 2006, but saw action in all of UCLA’s 13 games. He says he is back to full speed after a great fall camp.

As of now, the Bruins are indefinitely without their top recruit from 2006, freshman defensive lineman Brian Price. Because of issues with his high school transcript, Price still hasn’t been cleared to play by the NCAA clearinghouse. He will miss the first three weeks of the season at least.

Watch out for: Bruce Davis. If there is an NFL star on this team, it’s probably Davis. It was no surprise that Dorrell chose Davis as the one player he brought to Pac-10 media day; the senior has the swagger to lead this team on and off the field.

Linebackers

Senior Christian Taylor is the fiery leader of this solid linebacker corps. In his first year as a starter, Taylor racked up 83 tackles last year as a key piece of the UCLA defense.

Sophomore Reggie Carter is a budding star, and he will start as the Bruins’ weak side linebacker. He was named as a freshman All-American last year by CollegeFootballNews.com, and tallied 48 tackles on the season.

On the opposite side is another senior, Aaron Whittington. The St. Louis native will man the strong side, where he played in 10 games last season.

Sophomore Shawn Oatis has been one of the most improved linebackers so far this camp. His speed also allows him to be used on the special teams unit as well.

Watch out for: Reggie Carter. On a defense full of seniors, Carter is clearly ahead of the learning curve. He’ll be an integral part of this defense for years to come.

Secondary

UCLA returns a deep and experienced secondary. It is lead by senior Chris Horton. The strong safety from New Orleans led the Bruins in tackles last year as a junior. He’ll play in the secondary alongside free safety Dennis Keyes. Keyes, another senior, played almost every snap for the Bruins last year and is another leader of the defense.

The Bruins are deep at cornerback as well. Senior Trey Brown is one of the Pac-10’s best cover-corners. He has been a starter for the last two years at UCLA, and his experience will be valuable. At 5 feet 9 inches, Brown was still able to pick off four balls last year. On the other side of the field is senior corner Rodney Van. Van started all 13 games last year and had a great spring.

Behind Van and Brown is sophomore Alterraun Verner. Verner was a freshman All-American last year, and he should see plenty of playing time this year. He will also be a factor as a punt returner.

Watch out for: Courtney Viney. The 5-foot-8-inch cornerback may be the only incoming freshman to really see the field this year. He was by far the most impressive freshman in camp, despite his lack of size.

Special teams

The biggest loss of the offseason for the Bruins could be All-American Justin Medlock, who is now kicking for the Kansas City Chiefs. Redshirt freshman Kai Forbath, the Bruins’ new field goal kicker, has looked great in camp, but he hasn’t made a kick in a college game yet. Forbath won’t assume the kickoff duties though. That will be given to redshirt sophomore Jimmy Rotstein.

The kickoff return duties will go to senior Matt Slater and junior Bell. Slater had a big return at the fall scrimmage that probably won him the job. The punt return duties have not been announced.

Watch out for: The new kickoffs. The kickoff position has been moved back five yards this year due to an NCAA rule change, and it’s a clear concern for the UCLA coaching staff. There will be pressure on Rotstein and the coverage unit, and there will be a lot fewer touchbacks than in years past. On the other side of the ball, it means that Slater and Bell should have more opportunities to break one for a touchdown.

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