UCLA put on full pads for the first time this fall Friday, and with the arrival of full live hitting came a renewed sense of excitement. It started with an all-freshman “Oklahoma” hitting drill, which had the older Bruins as animated as they’ve been in five days, and ended with a short scrimmage.
Neither side had the upper hand during the short set of plays, but the offense left more points on the field than they desired. This issue isn’t anything new — the Bruins converted 75 percent of their redzone opportunities into scores last season, a mark that ranked 107th out of 120 Division I teams. And that was when the Bruins had Kai Forbath. If Friday was any indication, the kicking game needs to make big strides to even match the redzone efficiency of last year.
Surely coach Rick Neuheisel didn’t see this coming when he signed Kip Smith, the No. 1 kicking recruit in the country in 2010. Forbath, named the nation’s best kicker during his junior campaign at UCLA, was supposed to ride off into the NFL sunset, and Smith was expected to step right in.
That hasn’t been the case. Smith has been inaccurate with his kicks in practice dating all the way back to the spring, so much so that Neuheisel has deemed the kicking game “a major issue.” Smith was responsible for a few of those drives ending sourly on Friday with his misses.
“We’ve been spoiled around here with Kai Forbath and we need to make sure that we continue find ways to finish those drives,” Neuheisel said.
The only other kicker on the roster is walk-on Joe Roberts. The redshirt freshman got an opportunity to salvage three points on a drive Friday, but also missed his field-goal try.
If things continue to look shaky, UCLA may turn to redshirt junior Jeff Locke to take care of the kicking duties. Locke, regarded as one of the best punters in the nation, also handles kickoffs for the Bruins. But he hasn’t been featured much as a field-goal kicker in practice, and Neuheisel admitted he’s “talented enough to do it, I just don’t know that that’s been his focus.”
—During UCLA’s spring practices, Shaquelle Evans was on the sidelines and Devin Lucien was in high school. Fast-forward a few months, and both could be in the mix for playing time at wide receiver. Despite the position returning six contributors from 2010, the pair of newcomers have stood out throughout the first week of fall camp.
Drops have been an issue throughout the week, but Evans and Lucien have been able to separate themselves by showing good hands.
“It’s really mental, because sometimes when we see one person drop the ball it affects all of us,” said Evans, a redshirt sophomore looking for his first action since transferring from Notre Dame. “We need to fix that and become more mentally tough.”
—Sophomore linebacker Jordan Zumwalt suffered a concussion late in Thursday’s practice and was held out. Neuheisel said that he will sit according to the post-concussion medical protocols. Senior safety Tony Dye also sat our with a groin injury.
—With both of UCLA’s F-backs out due to hamstring issues, redshirt freshman running back Jordon James saw snaps at F for the second straight day. Neuheisel said sophomore Anthony Barr is expected to return Saturday, while junior Damien Thigpen is expected to return to practice some time before the season opener.
—UCLA will have its first two-practice day Saturday (9 a.m. and 4 p.m.) before an off-day on Sunday.