UCLA Football Camp Update: Bruins, Brett Hundley In Game Week Preparation

The UCLA Bruins transitioned into game-week preparation Sunday, with their football season opener at Rice less than four days away.

Coach Jim Mora, historically an upbeat guy, said the important thing for his team is to primarily worry about itself, with not much information available on the Owls. He figures that as the game goes along, the Bruins will make whatever adjustments they need to make as they see more of what Rice does.

But Mora was tight-lipped about plenty of other things, specifically if redshirt freshman Kevin McReynolds will be switched from defensive line to offensive line long-term. "We switch guys around all the time," Mora told the UCLA athletics website. Mora also said that they want to give quarterback Brett Hundley some early play calls that will make him feel comfortable in his first game.

Mora didn't want to share information about how specific players performed in practice out of concern that the Rice coaches would see reports and scout accordingly. But he did say that while he has typically scripted the first 15 to 20 offensive plays in accordance with the many West Coast offensive philosophies and staffs he has worked with throughout his coaching career, the Bruin coaches won't employ that strategy, at least for the Rice game.

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2013 Senior Bowl: Johnathan Franklin, Aaron Hester Among 5 UCLA Bruins On Watch List

The 2013 Senior Bowl watch list was announced yesterday, and five UCLA Bruins saw their names make the preseason cut, tying them for the most in the Pac-12 conference.

Johnathan Franklin, Aaron Hester, Datone Jones, Sheldon Price, and Joseph Fauria all received the honor.

Franklin has been a consistent threat for the Bruins out of the backfield over his career. He has rushed for 2,669 yards, good for ninth all time in UCLA history. Franklin has also been placed on the Doak Walker and Maxwell award watch lists for the 2012 season.

The Senior Bowl picks the top 100 seniors each year to compete in a postseason game that allows them to showcase their skills for professional scouts against the best competition in the country. This year's event will take place Jan. 26 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.

For more on the Bruins, head over to Bruins Nation. For all things NCAA football, make a trip to SB Nation's College Football Hub.

UCLA Football Camp: Bruins Get Big Boost Along Offensive Line

The UCLA Bruins' offensive line got a big boost Wednesday when three potential starters returned from injury. Jeff Baca, Greg Capella and Albert Cid returned to practice after missing time with concussions.

All three players have previous starting experience, led by Baca, who has started 33 games during his UCLA career. Baca started 12 games for the Bruins last season and was working with the starting offensive line at right guard earlier in camp.

Capella started all 14 games last season, including 13 at guard. He has worked out at both guard and center for UCLA and is expected to be in the mix to start again this season. Cid, a redshirt junior, started six games in his first season at UCLA last season and was expected to be in the mix again this season.

While all three returned to practice Wednesday, both Baca and Cid were limited during practice.

For more on the UCLA Bruins, hit up Bruins Nation.

USC Vs. Oregon A FOX Telecast; 4 USC And 3 UCLA Nationally-Televised Games

The USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins will get plenty of face time on national television. USC has four games on FOX's Pac-12 television package next season. UCLA has three.

Here are details about each of these games courtesy of a leak from the FOX Reno affiliate. (HT to Pacific Takes for the list of games). All times are Pacific.

Saturday, September 01, 2012, 4:30PM: Hawaii at USC. The Trojans start off the season with a warm-up test when they face the high-octane Rainbow pass attack. The Trojan defense got torched the last time these two teams met; they'll be hoping for a better showing here.

Saturday, September 08, 2012, 4:30 PM: Nebraska at UCLA. Jim Mora's first big home game is a doozy, as he takes on a potential Big Ten title contender in the Rose Bowl.

Saturday, September 15, 2012, 4:30 PM: USC at Stanford. Last year's game was an epic. But can the Cardinal keep this one close with no Andrew Luck?

Saturday, October 06, 2012, 12:00 PM: UCLA at Cal. Both the Bears and the Bruins are looking to turn things around after mediocre seasons.

Saturday, October 13, 2012
12:00 PM: Utah at UCLA. UCLA will have another crucial home test when they take on the Utes.
4:00 PM: USC at Washington. Washington trapped USC the last time they came to Seattle, but the Trojans are a much better team now.

Saturday, November 03, 2012: 4:00 PM: Oregon at USC. The main event. The Trojans and Ducks meet in what could be a Pac-12 Championship preview.

Talk about the schedule with Pac-12 fans at Pacific Takes, with USC football fans at Conquest Chronicles and with UCLA football fans at Bruins Nation. Hit up the SB Nation college football hub for more coverage.

UCLA Football Camp: Offensive Line A Patchwork As Season Nears

Concussions have ravaged the UCLA Bruins' offensive line, and head coach Jim Mora is still trying to put together a five-man unit that's cohesive and effective.

Starters Jeff Baca and Greg Capella, along with experienced contributor Albert Cid, are all out while recovering from concussions, and Mora told ESPN Los Angeles' Peter Yoon the Bruins are trying to make due with who they have available.

"We're still mixing and matching," Mora told Yoon. "We moved some guys around a little bit and trying to find the best combination. Pretty soon here, which to me here is tomorrow or Thursday a week before our first game, we need to settle in and get that group playing and playing well."

It appears Cid could miss the opening game against Rice on Aug. 30, while Baca must first pass a concussion test before he resumes his blocking duties. Capella passed his test on Tuesday and could return soon.

Jake Brendel and Xavier Su'a-Filo have been the only two players to hold their spots in the offensive line rotations. Brett Downey has been moved around on the line while freshman Simon Goines and redshirt freshmen Ben Wysocki and Torian White have also seen their fair share of snaps.

For more on the UCLA Bruins, hit up Bruins Nation.

UCLA Football Fall Camp: Coach Jim Mora Praises Defensive Line

Coach Jim Mora addressed the media after the first of two UCLA Bruins football practice on Tuesday morning.

The front end of the two-a-day was focused on preparing for Rice University as the team ran a few defensive schemes they would expect to see. Mora said it was mostly situational work in the morning, with the evening practice being a full contact practice.

Mora had extra praise for his defensive line, which ended up being a little bit of a sore spot for the Bruins last year.

[I'm] really happy with our defensive line. I think it is one of the strengths of our team. We can rotate eight or nine guys through there and not have any drop off.

Mora rebuffed the media slightly when asked to clarify what was different about this year's line and last year's.

I don't care what is different. I just care what ‘is' this year. I want to play fast, aggressive, and physical.

Most of the entire team was out at the practice. Freshman linebacker Nate Iese was seen without a splint or brace after dislocating his finger in Monday's practice. Junior cornerback Brandon Sermons sat out on Tuesday morning due to illness.

The Bruins have the second practice of the two-a-day at 7:00 p.m. PST tonight, which will be open to the public. It is the last public practice before the team focuses on their 2012 opener on the road against Rice University on August 30.

For more on the UCLA Bruins football squad, head over to Bruins Nation and join the conversation.

UCLA Football Camp: Brett Hundley Throws 4 TDs In Scrimmage

The UCLA Bruins had an impromptu fall scrimmage this weekend, and Brett Hundley showed off his promise as this year's starter.

According to the UCLA Athletics website, Hundley threw four TDs yesterday, including a long throw to Shaquelle Evans. He threw three more to Johnathan Franklin, Damien Thigpen and Devin Lucien. However the Bruins did manage to pick off Hundley a couple of times, one off a tip. Jordan Zumwalt, Ishmael Adams and Kenny Orjioke were the lucky ones to get picks on the day. Steven Manfro returned a kickoff for a touchdown (although the Bruins practice on an 80 yard field, so it's hard to tell whether it was an actual TD kickoff return).

But the story was Hundley (who was 12-22 with 4 TDs and 2 picks on the day), who Mora seemed very impressed with during his fall practice, particularly with regards to his decision-making and poise in the pocket. For the first time in a long time, UCLA might have a legitimate starting quarterback.

Talk about Hundley with UCLA football fans at Bruins Nation, and head over to the SB Nation NCAA Football hub for your college pigskin fix.

UCLA Bruins Schedule Features Home Games With Nebraska, No. 1 Ranked Trojans

UCLA hosts No. 1 USC on November 17 at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA Football Recruiting: Bruins Land Redlands High School RB Craig Lee For 2013 Class

The UCLA football program landed a terrific prep talent on Wednesday as Redlands High School running back Craig Lee has committed to come to Westwood, spurning a number of top schools to stay close to home for his college education.

Lee, a 4-star recruit, turned down schools like Nebraska, Oregon, Washington, and Notre Dame to join Jim Mora Jr. and the Bruins. He certainly fits the mold of what UCLA is looking for, as Bruins Nation's AHMB explains with his commentary:

Lee has been in play for the Bruins for a while. Quite frankly, Lee's skill-set looks like a perfect match for Coach Mazzone's offense and he looks like a homerun threat from the backfield.

Lee joins a fairly deep backfield at UCLA. Of course, Jonathan Franklin is graduating this year, and Malcolm Jones and Damien Thigpen will both be seniors next year. Jordon James, Steven Manfro, and Paul Perkins are all also on the roster, but securing an elite running back was a must get for UCLA this year.

And they certainly got it.

Lee is the 11th commit to the UCLA football program this year. Below you can check out a highlight video of Lee's work at Redlands high:

Via CaliPreps' YouTube channel

For more on the UCLA Bruins, make sure to check out SB Nation's dedicated Bruins blog, Bruins Nation, as well as SB Nation Los Angeles.

Jim Mora Kicks UCLA Football Players Out Of Practice

It's another unfortunate headline for UCLA football this week. First Jim Mora made an unfortunate comment about murders that tie directly into the USC region that forced him to make an apology. UCLA has also had to deal with injuries while also adjusting to the killer San Bernardino heat.

Now he has to deal with his own players slacking off. Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times has this report.

Near the end of the evening practice with Coach Jim Mora throwing the Bruins out of practice after a verbal rage. He blistered the team for a few minutes, then barked that bed check was at 10:45 p.m. and practice at 8 a.m. Thursday.

Mora then greeted the media, saying, "good practice," drawing laughs. He tried to skirted the subject.

"It’s just training camp, something I’m not really going talk about in public," Mora said.

"Yet anyone at practice didn’t need an analyst" Mora said. "I’m not going to talk about it."

These problems seem like exactly the same problems UCLA has had to deal with all during the Rick Neuheisel era. There was a lack of good on-field results and plenty of trouble with off-the-field issues, particularly with regards to maturity and health. We'll have to hope this act of discipline has the intended effect.

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UCLA Linebacker Patrick Larimore Medically Retires

Senior Bruin linebacker Patrick Larimore left Sunday night's practice early and announced that he was medically retiring following his second concussion in a six-month span.

UCLA Names Redshirt Freshman Brett Hundley Starting QB

Hundley beat out seniors Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut for the starter spot.