UCLA Football: Slurpee Swag

Sinbad & Keyshawn Johnson at UCLA's Spaulding Field

Scott Robinson

With his head swung around over his left shoulder, WR Jerry Johnson reached out with one arm in an attempt to reel in a poorly thrown ball.

Running what looked like a 10-yard out during a 7-on-5, the ball came his way, he reached and touched it, but didn’t have it.

As it is with most drills these days at UCLA, the next wave of Bruins jumped into place, only seconds after Johnson ran off to the sidelines.

One moment later, none other than Keyshawn Johnson, three-time NFL Pro-Bowler, got into Number Nine’s ear.

The very next chance Jerry jumped in, two hands were used and a catch was made.

I asked Johnson about what knowledge Mr. Seven-Eleven imparted:

“[He said] go for the ball with both hands, instead of trying to be spectacular and make a one-handed catch. Do what’s necessary to make the play.”

Makes you wonder what the Trojan fan-base has to say about their alumni tipping off pointers to what appears to be an up-and-coming program.

“It was good hearing from a person like him,” continued Jerry Johnson, “He knows the game, he’s been through it before, you know, he’s a veteran.”

Tackle This

With hits left and right, physical play was constant. As players collided, especially with Pauley in the backdrop, echoes of helmets cracking smacked in the air throughout all of practice.

With this marking the second day in pads, the energy on the field continued to stay up. Perhaps the best indicator of this high-energy is the fact that the defense and offense are barking at each other through-out their scrimmaging drills.

On one particular play, where WR Johnson faced up against DC Aaron Hester, a pass from QB TJ Millweard sailed low and away; Johnson pointed as if to tell Millweard to get it higher and he’ll catch it.

Hester thought otherwise—He spat out in defiance: “NO, NO, NO, NO!”

Likewise, when QB Jerry Neuheisel sailed a nice slant pass to walk-on WR Sam Handler, the offense exploded. Blue jerseys rushed out into the field, with QB Kevin Prince the first to greet Neuheisel after the completion.

Defensively, DE Keenan Graham showed a great practice today. In addition to recovering a fumble and getting into the backfield on a number of occasions, Graham showed a nice outside rush with a good first-step off the line—a step that could have easily been lost with his injuries over the years.

As a hybrid, Graham’s size will be helpful against a swing pass. Being 6’4, he’ll be quick in the backfield to close the RB path to the sideline. His strength, which looks as though he’s added a few pounds, should definitely help close the lateral block movement that burned the Bruins so often last year.

On the other side of the ball, RB Steven Manfro continues to live up to that MVP Award he received while on the practice team—and it’s not just because he knows how to break a few ankles.

While practicing blocking techniques, Manfro faced up against MLB Patrick Larimore and stuck him—stuck him real hard. The nice thing was to see Manfro initiate the contact. In the same drill, Manfro proceeded to show the staff what sort of protection they should learn to expect: He next stuffed a rushing OLB Aaron Wallace.

Later in practice, now with the ball in his hands, Manfro did not disappoint. On one particular flat pass, he was put in space against walk-on DC Librado Barocio. Barocio may need some ice wraps tonight—Manfro set his hips up beautifully, cut inside and the defender toppled.

On another instance, Manfro displayed some nice touch when plucking out another ball thrown behind him.

Spring Swag

For the fourth practice in a row, the stands overlooking Spaulding were full. Recruits, no longer just a handful, are a common occurrence along the two fields.

Notably, a large contingent of Oaks Christian players, including 2012 signee CB Ishmael Adams, were present:


There were quite a few more recruits at practice, including 2013 QB Brandon Tate (Pasadena, CA), S James Johnson (Upland, CA), DT Sam Smith (Elk Grove, CA), OT Sean Dowling (Fallbrook, CA) and 2014 QB Marquis Ware (Los Angeles, CA).

2012 OL Lacy Westbrook, ATH Devin Fuller and MLB Aaron Porter were also at practice today.

In addition to Keyshawn Johnson, a few other noteworthy faces made an appearance, including: Jim Mora (Sr.), Sinbad and UCLA Alumni, NFL CB Alterraun Verner.

Practice Notes

Remember to ask for players or coaches to report on! Tweet us who you'd like us to cover at @BruinsBall!

Thanks for the request, @RileyBuck714—unfortunately, LB Jordan Zumwalt was not in pads today. I’ll be sure to provide an update when he returns!

QB’s:
-Richard Brehaut: Showing some separation with his throwing—Accurate, consistent and shows an emphasis on footwork. His single step and hitch-step look like they get the most ground, seems like his mechanics are the most polished. During the 11-on-11’s, as they piped in some crowd noise, he calmly took the reins of the offense in the hurry-up. Brehaut displays a quiet, yet noticeable, confidence that the other players seem to be attracted to.

-Kevin Prince: While he continues to look pretty good, a number of his throws miss and miss bad. I noticed a “pushing” motion in some of his throws, almost as if he’s thinking too much. On a few occasions he kept his eyes on the same receiver, telegraphing the pass. However, Prince threw a beautiful, on target, 20-yarder to WR Darius Bell that was good for a touchdown—despite Bell’s slamming into WR Shaquelle Evans.

-Brett Hundley: Not one of his best practices. Definitely was off on multiple throws—missing long or short, wrong shoulder a few times as well. Look for him to bounce back Thursday.

DL:
-Iuta Tepa: Looks leaner and stronger. On Saturday he was dominant—Today he seemed less so. Has a motor, though, that will get him on the field no matter what. Look for Tepa to get into the rotation quite a bit—Might be a great season for him with the sort of depth coming back augmenting the 3-4.

-Wesley Flowers: Nice to have him back—He’s very, very long, and fast. He has the kind of height that will make a shorter QB adjust their throw or risk it getting batted down. With a few more pounds, which his frame could easily afford, he could be a force to be reckoned with.

MLB:
-Patrick Larimore: No doubt the leader on the defense. He plays through to the whistle and always is scrapping for the ball when tackling. Also looks like he’s lost some baby weight—His speed needed to get up from last year, so he must have done some serious work in the off-season workout regimen.

UCLA’s next practice is this Thursday, April 12^th.

Follow Spring Practice here on BruinsBall.com and Twitter: @BruinsBall