Kevin Craft was ready. Even when Ben Olson was on the field as the No. 1 quarterback at the start of fall camp, Kevin Craft was mentally preparing himself as if it were his name listed at the top of the depth chart.
Now, with Olson out two months with a fractured metatarsal in his right foot and the days counting down before the UCLA football team opens its season, Craft can officially step into the role he has been coveting since he arrived in the spring.
Last Monday, coach Rick Neuheisel announced that the junior college transfer would be the Bruins’ starting quarterback against Tennessee on Sept. 1, ending a close competition between Craft and redshirt freshman Chris Forcier. Neuheisel said the decision came down to experience and knowledge of the offense, both of which were in Craft’s favor.
“He knows his stuff,” Neuheisel said. “(That) doesn’t mean that he doesn’t make mistakes; he does, and we try to correct them and just hope that you keep learning from them. Pretty soon it will all come natural. But I’m pleased with his progress.”
While the signs pointed towards Craft getting the nod for much of the latter part of camp, with the junior transfer getting the lion’s share of the first-team reps and starting the team’s scrimmage game, Neuheisel was adamant that it was still a competition.
Yet with less than two weeks before the season opener and the end of camp coming quickly, Neuheisel had to make a decision.
Upon learning of his decision, Craft said he was excited, yet noted that his preparation all throughout practice was geared toward being the starting quarterback.
“Regardless when Ben was here and before he had gotten hurt, you got to approach it like you’re going to play because you never know,” Craft said. “You got to approach every game like you are the No. 1 guy. If you don’t, then you won’t be ready when you get your chance.”
Craft’s first big test came last Saturday in the team scrimmage. While he did not get off the greatest start, going three-and-out in the first two possessions, Craft settled down as the game went on, finishing 8-of-18 for 93 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions.
While Craft said the scrimmage was not intended to showcase the full capabilities of the offense, it was helpful in nailing down the rhythm of a game and the procedure the team needs to go through.
Redshirt senior wide receiver Marcus Everett believes that with a starter now in place, the offense can achieve a certain level of stability.
“It’s important for your offense to know who the starting quarterback is because that’s your leader, that’s the guy that everyone has to follow and trust,” Everett said. “We have a guy that we can just grow along with. We’ve been working with him since spring, summer since Ben Olson’s been out, so we have a lot of chemistry with him. It shouldn’t be a problem at all.”
Craft is confident in his ability to lead the team, and believes that his past experiences and his firm football foundation give him an edge. In 2006, as a redshirt freshman at San Diego State, Craft started in five games. Last season at Mount San Antonio College, he led the team to a 10-3 record, passing for 4,231 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Craft’s father, Tom, is offensive coordinator at Mount SAC and was coach at San Diego State from 2002-2005.
“I have a good foundation, just growing up around football with my dad being a coach,” Craft said. “Especially at the quarterback position because he’s an offensive guy, framed the position for me since I was young.”
Now in the backup role, Forcier said he must continue to prepare and practice as he had been when he was fighting for the starting job.
“I don’t look at it any different,” Forcier said. “Anything can happen any play in football. We already saw that. Kevin could have gotten hurt today. You just never know. I just have to be ready when my opportunity comes, and when it comes I’m just going to go out there and do my best.”
In the days since making the decision, Neuheisel said he has seen a lot of positives from Craft. But he also said that Craft must be able to stand firm in the pocket and deliver the football in the face of defensive pressure. Neuheisel added that with the tempo of the non-contact practices favoring the defense, this skills will come.
For Craft, it is about taking control of the team that is now officially his and developing into the leader of the team. But, he added that the leadership does not necessarily need to come from him.
“When we need to change it and if we’re not doing so well and the defense is getting the better of us, somebody’s got to step up,” Craft said. “And whether that happens by making a big play and guys rally around it, or whether it’s telling them, “˜Hey, you got to get on this.’ I would like (the leadership) to come from me, but it doesn’t necessarily have to.
“Guys are fired up, we know what we have to do.”