UCLA's Spaulding Field
Scott Robinson
The crew behind the picked-up pace seem to be enjoying themselves lately. At the very least, there was a smile adorned on Coach Mora’s face as the team continued their work on Day Ten.
Coach Mora, in what must be the college football version of a Johnny Cash get-up, looked pleased with his black hat, black long sleeve and black gym shorts.
After practice, Mora confided: “It was a good day for us.”
Notwithstanding the injuries to the LB core, with Patrick Larimore (concussion), Jordan Zumwalt (stomach), Aaron Wallace (concussion) and Anthony Barr (quadriceps), the coach was still in high spirits after practice.
Rightfully so: The defense is starting to look pretty good.
Again with the first team was LB Isaiah Bowens, who was flanked by LB’s Damien Holmes, Eric Kendricks and Keenan Graham. Also getting time with the one’s was LB Aramide Olaniyan, who had another strong performance when given the opportunity.
During the 11-on-11’s, Olaniyan found himself in the right spot to intercept a ball tipped by DC Anthony Jefferson, who also had a great day.
Later on in practice, Jefferson was involved in another dust-up with WR Tyler Scott—To the point that it required Coach Ulbrich to step in and toss the players aside. Even with the scramble, Jefferson’s name is beginning to get noticed.
Coach Mora on Jefferson: “Gets a little better everyday… He’s becoming a legitimate player to me. He’s tough, he’s aggressive, he’s physical, he’s playing with more confidence…”
“All good teams know how to finish.”
With the gray sky and a chill in the air, it was the perfect sort of day to test the team’s consistency.
“I think having this kind of weather helps a little bit,” said Mora.
Whatever the case, today’s efforts pushed through until the end.
Between the strong secondary showing during the 11-on-11’s (quite a few picks again) and the level of intensity witnessed at the end of practice in the Oklahoma-type Drill, the defense continues to flesh out a stout and consistent mentality.
They are here to dominate.
If Mora were to put a finger on the strongest side of the ball, it would have to be the big bodies lining up against the run and pass.
“[Right] now, the strength of this football team is the defensive line.”
During the 1-on-1 line drills, it really showed.
DE Owa Odighizuwa, with what continues to be a lightning-quick first step, put the moves on a few times today.
First, against C Kody Innes, Odighizuwa tore off his hands and side-stepped through to the QB. Again, this time lining up against OT Torian White, Odighizuwa exploded through in a bull rush—knocking White totally off balance. And then a third time, Torian White was taken by a quick outside grapple, leading Owa to the QB.
The line’s depth, anchored by the returning triumvirate of DE Datone Jones, NT Brandon Willis (from scout team) and DE Cassius Marsh, should definitely play a role in bettering the poorly performing defense of last year.
With that kind of experience, UCLA might have one of the better run-defenses, especially when Ellis McCarthy steps on the field this summer.
Meanwhile, DE Cassius Marsh has shown some improvement over last year. With a few less pounds and the same sort of unkempt emotion, Marsh should be a solid fixture on the defense. To get an idea of what sort of fury follows with him, it took Coach Mora, who had to chuckle, a few shoves to get Marsh to stop lining up for Oklahoma Drill—“Give someone else a shot.”
NT Brandon Willis and DE Datone Jones also look like a tough tandem to block. Willis beat C Jake Brendel a few times—And Jones continues to get by OT Xavier Su’a-Filo.
“Chin-straps buckled?”
Practice was not all fun and games, as every now and then a few players were seen punching out push-ups. Today, OG Jeff Baca was the culprit—Last week it was OG Ben Wysocki. Whatever the reasons may be seems like the military-motif presses a point, if only received by the offender’s muscles.
Further, the very end of practice assumed more of a conditioning drill, where the players did liners (or “gassers”) between the sidelines.
But if consistency is the goal, the quarterbacks seem pretty far from it. Again, interceptions were common—Both QB’s Jerry Neuheisel and Kevin Prince tossed balls up-for-grabs. Prince, on another ill-advised throw, delivered a ball directly into DC Aaron Hester’s hands—Hester stamped return on the ball and drove through the end-zone for a pick-six.
On a different snap, this time showing signs of miscommunication, Prince heaved a questionable pass to an empty field; Either the WR or Prince mixed up the route.
As it stands, there still continues to be a variance in snaps between the four-horse race: Prince, Brehaut, Hundley and Neuheisel.
Displaying his athleticism, yet again, QB Hundley punched out a beautiful option-pass play, drawing the OLB off his swing target. Once the backer committed to the QB, Hundley dropped the ball off to RB Jordan James—who then had an open lane, and trotted up the sideline for a touchdown.
Lineman Limbo
At this point, only a few more practices are left prior to the Spring Game. As it stands, the definitions of the coaching expectations should be in order.
However, perhaps the biggest question mark (apart from the QB’s) still remains to be about the offensive line.
When asked about his big-uglies, Mora stated:
“We’re looking for depth and consistency there. You know, I’d be lying if I said I was satisfied with where we are, from a talent standpoint, from a depth standpoint.”
With an entire summer to ready, the linemen now have the tools and avenues required for success. Taking steps towards a starting role was Torian White, who spent a good amount of time at OT with the first unit today.
White’s frame and shoulders are perfect for a tackle: Long and wide.
Now he just needs to bulk up.
“I think Torian White has a chance to be a special, I mean really, a special football player, a special player… He just needs to develop,” stated Coach Mora.
A few months lifting and a couple more “examples” from Coach Klemm ought to solve that.
In the end, it was another solid day—One productive enough for Coach Mora to don a grin.
Practice Notes:
Remember to ask for players or coaches to report on! Tweet us who you'd like us to cover at @BruinsBall!
Requested Players:
-Torian White (Thanks, @SpencerStueve): Worked a lot with the 1’s today, as he did last week. As discussed by Mora, White looks like a prototypical tackle, just not enough bulk to withstand or offset a fast step by a defender. White getting beat by Owa a few times was more of a matter of initial contact—White needs a stronger first shove to deter Owa-type speed, especially when defending an outside rush.
-Seali’i Epenesa (Thanks, @RealJoeLopez): During the 1-on-1’s, Epenesa got manhandled by OG Alberto Cid on one particular face-up. However, the next go-round, Epenesa showed some serious strength by taking over C Jake Brendel. His swim and grapple moves look to be important, as he has quite a big body to stop. Likely will see time in the rotation, but at this point is slated behind a few defensive linemen.
UCLA’s next practice is Thursday, April 26th at 3:45PM.
Follow Spring Practice here on BruinsBall.com and Twitter: @BruinsBall
