Kevin Prince Suffers Shoulder Injury, Concussion; Questionable For San Jose State Game

The UCLA Bruins might have seen their quarterback situation resolve itself when Richard Brehaut threw pretty well. Brehaut came in on relief Kevin Prince went down with an apparently shoulder injury after getting spun in the air, and  UCLA had to rely on Brehaut. Brehaut rushed for 78 yards on 13 carries and completed 65% of his passes at an impressive 10.2 yards per attempt, and seemed to prove he was worthy of a starting spot. 

Brehaut could very well be UCLA's starter next week regardless. Prince's injury might not be serious enough to keep him out for an indefinite period of time, but he's probably not healthy enough to get the start (or even snaps) next week. Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times reports.

UCLA QB Kevin Prince has AC sprain in shoulder as well as concussion. Concussion has cleared. Questionable for Sat. because of the shoulder.

Coach Rick Neuheisel said he will see how much time Prince can practice before making a decision on a starter.

If Prince can't go, Richard Brehaut starts. Brett Hundley is No. 2, provided he's ready. Hundley still coming back from from knee surgery.

Considering that it's the San Jose St. Spartans (fresh off a 54-point pummeling from the Cardinal) that UCLA will be seeing in the Rose Bowl in a week, it would make sense for the Bruins to rest up Prince before their tilt with Texas. All hands will need to be on deck for that game and Prince is needed.

For more on UCLA football, Bruins Nation is your destination.

UCLA Falls Short In Houston, Loses Road Opener

It may not have been the result UCLA wanted, but the Bruins showed a great effort on the road - despite ultimately losing 38-34.

UCLA Vs. Houston Update: Bruins Score Twice After Halftime

UCLA needed a huge push out of the locker room after Houston scored two late touchdowns to put the Bruins down 31-14 at halftime. They got that push, twice, from backup quarterback Richard Brehaut. With a 54 yard pass on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Brehaut has sparked the Bruins to come back within a field goal at the end of the third quarter: 31-28.

That 54 yard pass from Brehaut led to a one yard dash from Coleman to score the Bruin touchdown. Houston then had a chance to punch right back, but fumbled the ball on the UCLA four yard line. UCLA then marched 95 yards to put the game back within reach.

The only sour note for UCLA in the third quarter was the announcement that Kevin Prince would be kept out with concussion symptoms. He's currently being evaluated, but concussion rules have changed greatly in football as more medical information has come out, so it's likely he'll be kept out for a fair amount of time. He landed on his head after having his legs taken out, trying to jump over a defender. 

While the quarterbacks have been the story in this shootout, UCLA scored it’s second touchdown thanks to a big play from running back Jonathan Franklin. His 29 yard run to the right from the UCLA 12 put the Bruins in a position to get some points out of the drive. Brehaut then got the final 22 yards of the drive himself, with a 21 yard run from a designed run fake bootleg play out of the pistol. He then made the 1 yard dive himself.

Houston was back to running their efficient, quick nickel and dime offense as the third quarter ended. They have the ball at the 50 yard line, as it’s anybody’s ballgame in the fourth.

UCLA Vs. Houston: Bruins Keep Score Close 'Til End

It was a back and forth seesaw battle in the first half, but Houston got the last few punches in and went into the locker room up seventeen. With only 2:17 left in the half, Houston made two quick drives, and like a heavyweight with a dazed opponent, they put UCLA deep in the hole. A 23 yard pass from Keenum on Houston’s last drive put UCLA down 14-31. The last scoring drive only lasted 27 seconds.

Houston had another short drive, this one more in time passed than in yards. It only took two positive plays and wrapped up in under a minute. Two big rushes put Houston in the end zone.

Richard Brehaut made his own big play, with a 25 yard pass over the middle from the Houston 30 to Joseph Fauria. This set up a short five yard completion for the UCLA touchdown. The score kept UCLA within a field goal with Kevin Prince still on the sideline.

It was an important drive, as Houston had just run it’s offense efficiently into the endzone. Case Keenum was unsurprising as he dinked down the field with precision. Nine yard, eight yard, seven yards, even took it himself for nine. Beall made the caping rush to put Houston temporarily up ten.

UCLA will receive the ball to begin the second half. But they have an uphill battle ahead of them, as Houston appears to have rung their bell. It’ll take a huge second half effort for the Bruins to come back in this one.

UCLA Vs. Houston Score Update: Bruins Stay In It, Injured Prince Doesn't

Kevin Prince is out of the game with an injury, but not before he got UCLA back into the game. On third down and four from the Houston fourty seven yard line, Kevin Prince made a 29 yard throw that set up UCLA’s first touchdown. Jonathan Franklin right right then cut left, weaving for eighteen yards through the Houston Cougar defense. UCLA still trailed 7-10.

The big play drive stood in stark contrast to Houston’s game plan to this point. The Cougars have not had a pass go for over 25 yards, and have ran the majority of their running plays up the middle. UCLA has gotten 37 yards running to the sidelines, and are averaging just 2.1 yards up the middle.

The biggest story is Kevin Prince’s injury. With UCLA in Cougar territory, Prince was flipped by a Houston defender who caught Prince on the left knee. But it was Prince’s neck and hands that were damaged, as he sat on the sideline with his helmet off. It was a stark contrast to his incident last year, arguing with the trainer. He looked calm, accepting of the situation, staring at his hands.

UCLA Vs. Houston Score Update: Bruins Trail 10-0 Heading Into Second Quarter

The UCLA Bruins trail the Houston Cougars 10-0 in their 2011 season opener after one quarter of play. The Bruins have only 29 total yards of offense while the Cougars have dominated time of possession during this early stage of the game.

Bruins quarterback Kevin Prince has is three for three on passing for 58 yards. The UCLA running backs are led by Johnathon Franklin, who has only nine yards on three carries at this point.

Cougars quarterback Case Keenum has been lighting up the Bruins, completing 12 of 14 passes for 94 yards already. The Bruins defense will need to contain Keenum going forward if UCLA wants to keep the score down.

The Bruins are looking at an uphill battle at this point and will need to turn things on in the second quarter. The offense needs to move the ball a little bit more and keep the Cougars guessing while the defense will have to find a way to limit Keenum.

UCLA Vs. Houston: Case Keenum, QB, Player To Watch

The UCLA Bruins open up their college football season against the Houston Cougars, and this game marks the return of redshirt senior quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum was injured last season while playing against UCLA, tearing his ACL on an ill-advised tackle attempt in the third quarter of UCLA's 31-13 victory.

Keenum is widely considered one of the most prolific passers in NCAA history, amassing 13,586 yards and 107 touchdown passes over his first four seasons in Houston. Given a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA in January, Keenum looks to avenge his injury with a big game against the Bruins at home.

While not a realistic candidate for the Heisman Trophy, Keenum earned respect in 2009 with his incredible statistics: 5671 yards thrown, 70% completion percentage, 44 touchdowns. Some writers even thought he should be given some Heisman hype, out of respect for his numbers.

It's going to be hot at kickoff, with the temperature expected to eclipse 100 degrees at game time. While Houston has been practicing in this weather, UCLA is not used to such extreme temperatures. Will Keenum come out rusty, or will his ax be sharp in preparation for Houston's biggest game of the season?

For more on UCLA football, head on over to Bruins Nation.

UCLA Vs. Houston: Game Time, TV & Broadcast Info, Notes

The UCLA Bruins open their 2011 college football campaign on Saturday afternoon on the road against the Houston Cougars. It is the 93rd season of Bruins football. Here is the relevant information regarding the game:

• Teams: UCLA Bruins, Houston Cougars
  
• Time: 12:30 p.m.
• Location: Robertson Stadium, Houston, Texas
  
• TV: Prime Ticket, with Craig Bolerjack and Joel Klatt in the booth, and Petros Papadakis on the sideline
• Rankings: UCLA is ranked No. 53 in the preseason Sagarin ratings, while Minnesota is No. 68.
• Favorite: Houston is a three-point home favorite, per Bodog
• Last Meeting: UCLA beat Houston 31-13 at the Rose Bowl last season, a game in which the Cougars had two quarterbacks, Case Keenum and Cotton Turner, injured.
• Openers: The Bruins are 3-2 in their last five road openers, with their last win coming in 2007 at Stanford.

For more news and information on UCLA football, be sure to read Bruins Nation.

UCLA Vs. Houston: Kevin Prince Is Starting Quarterback, Richard Brehaut Will Play Too

The UCLA Bruins will start quarterback Kevin Prince in Saturday's season opener against Houston, according to the team. Junior Richard Brehaut, who was also in contention for the starting job, will not start but will see playing time on Saturday.

Prince, also a junior, played just five games last season before suffering a knee injury. He went on to get both arthroscopic surgery and a microfracture procedure done and will get his first start since then.

Brehaut appeared in nine games last season and started seven of them in the absence of Prince. He finished ninth in the Pac-10 in passing yards and had a couple of impressive games to close the 2010 season, highlighted by his 321-yard, three-touchdown performance against Arizona State in the second-to-last game of the season.

Though the starting quarterback has been named, don't assume that the controversy is over just yet. Prince could claim a stronger hold on the job with a strong performance, but Brehaut could complicate things with a good game of his own. We'll have to wait and see how both individuals play, but for now we can be assured that Prince will start and that Brehaut will get his shot to impress later in the game.

UCLA Vs. Houston: Bruins Release Depth Chart...Except For Quarterback

The UCLA Bruins open their 2011 college football season with a road contest against the Houston Cougars on Saturday. Four days before kickoff, head coach Rick Neuheisel has yet to announce whether Kevin Prince or Richard Brehaut will start at quarterback. That decision is expected Wednesday, but the rest of the depth chart is pretty much set for the Bruins:

Offense

• Quarterback: TBD
• Halfback: Johnathan Franklin (Jr.)
• Fullback: Anthony Barr (So.)
• Wide Receivers: Nelson Rosario (Sr.) and Shaq Evans (So.) or Randall Carroll (Jr.)
• Tight End: Cory Harkey (Sr.)
• Tackles: Sean Sheller (Sr.), Mike Harris (Sr.)
• Guards: Greg Capella (So.) and Chris Ward (So.) or Alberto Cid (So.)
  
• Center: Kai Maiava (Sr.)

Junior guard Jeff Baca is listed first on the depth chart at weak-side guard for UCLA, but is still recovering from a broken ankle. Baca likely won't be ready until the Bruins' second game, against San Jose State, per Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times.

Defense

• Left End: Datone Jones (Jr.)
• Defensive Tackles: Cassius Marsh (So.), Justin Edison (Sr.)
• Right End: Damien Holmes (Jr.)
• Outside Linebackers: Glenn Love (Sr.), Sean Westgate (Sr.)
• Middle Linebacker: Patrick Larimore (Jr.)
• Cornerbacks: Aaron Hester (Jr.), Sheldon Price (Jr.)
• Safeties: Dalton Hilliard (Jr.), Tony Dye (Sr.)
  

Jeff Locke (Jr.) will resume punting and kickoff duties, though it is unclear whether or not he will place kick for the Bruins. Locke could split time with freshmen Kip Smith or Joe Roberts at the position.

For more news and information on UCLA Bruins football, be sure to read Bruins Nation.

UCLA Vs. Houston: Rick Neuheisel Will Announce Bruins Starting QB Wednesday

UCLA football head coach Rick Neuheisel is close to naming the starter at quarterback for the season-opener at Houston. Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut both believe they'll win the job.