The Red Zone Report

On New Year’s Day 1984, UCLA rolled over Illinois in the Rose Bowl, with QB Rick Nueheisel throwing for 298 yards and four touchdowns, two to Karl Dorrell.

Two decades later, it was Dorrell doing the passing, as the reins of the UCLA program were handed over to Neuheisel last December. Things haven’t exactly been to rosy for the program recently, and last year’s mediocre 6-7 season was the final straw under Dorrell, who saw his tenure come to an end after five seasons.

The Bruins certainly have the talent to be a contender in the Pac-10, but will they be?

UCLA Bruins

Coach: Rick Neuheisel (1st year at UCLA, 66-30 at Colorado and Washington)

2007 Record: 6-7, 5-4 Pac-10 (tied for 4th), lost to BYU in Las Vegas Bowl

Starters Returning: 13 (5 offense, 6 defense, kicker, punter)

Key Returnees: QB Ben Olson (currently injured), RB Kahlil Bell, WR Marcus Everett, WR Dominique Johnson, WR Terrence Austin, TE Logan Paulsen, DE Korey Bosworth, DE Tom Blake, DT Brigham Harwell, DT Brian Price, DT Jess Ward, LB Reggie Carter, LB Kyle Bosworth, CB Alterraun Verner, K Kai Forbath, P Aaron Perez

Key Losses: RB Chris Markey, WR Brandon Breazell, WR Joe Cowan, DB/KR Matt Slater, CB Trey Brown, LB Christian Taylor, FS Dennis Keyes, SS Chris Horton, DT Kevin Brown, DE Bruce Davis

2008 Schedule

8/30 vs. Tennessee
9/13 at BYU
9/20 vs. Arizona
9/27 vs. Fresno State
10/4 vs. Washington State
10/11 at Oregon
10/18 vs. Stanford
10/25 at Cal
11/8 vs. Oregon State
11/15 at Washington
11/28 at Arizona State
12/6 vs. USC

Key Game: Aug. 30 vs. Tennessee - What better way would there be to kick off the return of Rick Neuheisel to his alma mater than to knock off a top-20 team? All the same, an unimpressive performance could get the ball rolling for what could be a tough start.

2008 Outlook

At Colorado and Washington, Neuheisel had some pretty good quarterbacks, like Koy Detmer and Marques Tuiasosopo.

Now, he’s not looking for a Heisman-caliber QB so much as a healthy one.

After injuries to Patrick Cowan and Ben Olsen, it looks like it’s on JC transfer Kevin Craft, who’s got the edge over Chris Forcier at this point, to lead the team (at least until Olson returns), and to keep Neuheisel from adding himself to the depth chart.

Craft isn’t exactly inexperienced at the I-A level, as he started at San Diego State as a freshman two years ago. But, instead of starting at a Mountain West basement contender, Craft is slated to start against Tennessee in two weeks. After leaving SDSU, Craft went to junior college, threw 44 touchdown passes in one season, and got a collegiate upgrade. Now he’s gotten his big break, and if I were him, I’d be watching all of the cracks in the sidewalk.

Provided Craft is healthy, the next thing he needs to be is efficient and productive. Four quarterbacks saw considerable playing time last season, but the end results weren’t stellar: 47.6% completion rate, 182.6 yards per game, 13 TDs, 15 interceptions. Those numbers should improve, though that depends both on the QB and on a receiving corps that’s certainly not short on talent or depth.

Leading receiver Brandon Breazell is gone, along with Joe Cowan, but a healthy Marcus Everett, will be a prime target, along with fellow returnees Terrence Austin, Dominique Johnson, and Gavin Ketchum. A few freshman talents could figure in as well. The Bruins signed a solid group of receivers in their ‘08 class, and headliners Nelson Rosario and Antwon Moutra will be heard from, and Jerry Johnson may also get some early action. Rosario is a guy who could really stretch the field and make big plays, as he’s got the size (6′6, 220) and speed to have an advantage in almost every matchup. Also returning is starting tight end Logan Paulsen, who caught 12 passes for 144 yards last season.

Craft’s job will be made easier by the return of senior RB Kahlil Bell. Last year, Bell ran for 795 yards in seven-plus games, before a torn ACL against Washingtown St. ended his season early. Before Bell went out, the Bruins weren’t exactly the picture of offensive consistency (28.3 points per game in the first seven), but including the Wazzu game (in which he had a 50-yard touchdown run before getting injured in the 27-7 loss), UCLA averaged only 13 points over their final six contests.

The senior is still trying to get back to 100%, but his body won’t have to be pounded relentlessly, as UCLA is also deep in the backfield. Chane Moline, Craig Sheppard, and Christian Ramirez all got carries last year, but they’re in tough competition with the backs of the future - redshirt freshman Raymond Carter and true freshman Aundre Dean, Milton Knox, Derrick Coleman, and Johnathan Franklin.

The biggest addition to the offense is on the sidelines, where former USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who’s, to make a bit of an understatement, very good at coaching up some potent offenses and pro-caliber quarterbacks. That’s real good news for his new team, for which offensive success has been irregular recently.

On the same note, many times when there’s turnover in the coaching staff, the new coach brings in a whole new set of his guys, but Neuheisel held on to defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker for good reason.

The front line should be a strong unit, as a lot of experience returns. Off the ends, the duo of Korey Bosworth and Tom Blake will cause a lot of problems, but all the same, so will the men in the middle. At one tackle spot, both Brian Price and Jess Ward got a lot of starting experience last season, and at the other, senior Brigham Harwell has a chance to be one of the best defensive tackles there is anywhere if he’s healthy. Injury ended what would’ve been his senior season early, but he can return to 2005 form, it’ll mean good things for UCLA’s line.

The linebackers will also be a solid unit and a key part in stopping the run which UCLA did well last season, for the most part. Christian Taylor will be missed, but Reggie Carter and Kyle Bosworth (brother of Korey) will make plenty of plays.

Secondary in an area where there might be a little fretting…for a little while. Gone are safeties Dennis Keyes and Chris Horton and corner Trey Brown. Big holes, indeed. But, the one returning starter is one of the conference’s top corners, junior Alterraun Verner, who had 75 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 15 pass breakups last season. Verner has three interception returns for touchdowns in two seasons, so it’s a good idea to keep the ball away from his hands if you don’t want bad things to happen.

Across from Verner, it looks like Michael Norris will be the starter, but redshirt freshman Courtney Viney and true freshman Aaron Hester will push him for significant playing time. Some might be concerned about the lack of size when it comes to Verner (5’11), Norris (5’9), and Viney (5’8), and while going up bigger receivers could pose some matchup disadvantages, their cover skills will allow them to more than hold their own.

Speaking of true freshmen making an impact in the secondary, Rahim Moore, the top recruit in UCLA’s ‘08 class, could be Horton’s successor at the strong spot. The original starter, Bret Lockett, is suspended for the opener, leaving the way clear for Moore to take the spotlight. At free safety, junior Aaron Ware, one of the Bruins‘ top recruits in their 2005 class, finally moves into a starting role after primarily being a special teams guy for the last two seasons.

UCLA has one of the top kicking units in the conference. Sophomore kicker Kai Forbath made 25 of 30 field goals and all 30 extra points last season, and he was 5 of 5 from 50-plus. Senior punter Aaron Perez averaged 42.3 yards per punt last season, which was good for second in the conference.

There is one hole to fill on special teams though, as Matt Slater averaged 29 yards per kick return last year and returned three kicks for touchdowns. It’s an extra dimension and a luxury when you can have some non-offensive touchdowns like that, as is the case with interception/fumble return scores.

One can’t realistically expect Neuheisel to work miracles overnight, but there’s no reason why he can’t and won’t succeed at UCLA. He’s flanked by some stellar assistant coaches, and there is talent to work with, both for the present and the future, especially considering the top-10 recruiting class that UCLA pulled in this February and a 2009 class that‘s shaping up well.

We’ll find out early just how good this year’s UCLA team could be, as they could upset a top-20 team right out of the gate. They also have arguably the top two non-BCS teams on their September slate in BYU and Fresno State, which could allow the Bruins to easily crack the top 25 if they have an unbeaten September.

There are question marks, and you can never assume what you’ll see when there’s a new system and new starters in place. A serious challenge for the Pac-10 title might be another year or so away, but this season, the Bruins should make some noise and at least finish in the top half of the Pac-10.

Check out our 2008 Pac-10 Preview to see where UCLA and the rest of their conference foes stand in our preseason predictions!

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