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Alfred Aboya, C, Sr.
Has a sprained right ankle and will miss practice Friday (Oct. 31) and Saturday (Nov. 1), but is probable for the Bruins' first exhibition game against Cal Baptist on Monday (Nov. 3).
Nikola Dragovic, F, Jr.
Still has a cyst in his left foot and ankle and took part in about 50% of the practice Friday (Oct. 31). Will continue to increase his duration and intensity at practice and see how he responds. He is doubtful for the Bruins' first exhibition game against Cal Baptist on Monday (Nov. 3).
Malcolm Lee, G, Fr.
Has a strained right groin and has missed the last three practices (Oct. 29-31). He is likely to practice Saturday (Nov. 1) and is probable for the Bruins' first exhibition game against Cal Baptist on Monday (Nov. 3).
—From UCLA Sports Information
UCLA has been picked by members of the media to win the Pac-10 conference — again. The Bruins got all but one of 38 first-place votes. Here's the full breakdown, with total points listed after:
- UCLA — 379
- Arizona State — 325
- USC — 292
- Arizona — 241
- Washington — 217
- Washington State — 188
- Oregon — 147
- California — 143
- Stanford — 115
- Oregon State — 40
In the national ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, the Bruins were picked fourth in the country behind North Carolina, Connecticut and Louisville, in that order.
—Adam Rose
Just as the sun set on one UCLA alumnus' season Wednesday night, it rose for another. One finished the year as a champion, the other started with a homecoming.
Former Bruin baseball standout Chase Utley helped lead the Philadelphia Phillies to a world championship Wednesday night in one of the more bizarre finishes in major league history.
In the rain-split finale, which Philly won, 4-3, Utley scored a run Monday. On Wednesday, he made a critical fielding play in the top of the seventh, bluffing a throw to first and then throwing out a runner at the plate. Although he hit only 3-of-18 in the five-game series, he made a huge mark with five runs scored, four RBIs, four walks and three stolen bases. A pair of his hits found the bleachers.
Utley became the 12th Bruin to earn a World Series ring, the most recent being Dave Roberts with the Red Sox in 2004. The first was Bobby Brown, whose New York Yankees beat Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Robinson would go on to make six trips to the fall classic, the most of any Bruin.
Baron Davis didn't have as good of a night at Staples Center, where the Clippers were brutalized by the Lakers, 117-79. In his first game since being traded to Los Angeles, he bought tickets for about 30 family members and friends. Before the game, he promised fans that things would be different as confetti streamed down from the rafters. Good things didn't materialize Wednesday as the former UCLA star shot only 4-of-13 (including 1-of-5 from beyond the arc), finishing with 11 points and seven assists. Regardless, it's nice to have Boom Dizzle back in Lalaland.
—Adam Rose
Left photo: Chase Utley lifts the ultimate prize.
Credit: Doug Pensinger / Getty Images
Right photo: Baron Davis being Baron Davis.
Credit: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times
Kevin Craft is in a tough position, and I'm not just talking about playing quarterback. A few months after coming to UCLA, he was thrust into the starting role. No job in football is more scrutinized. Craft has already had multiple opportunities to be a hero (a pair of game-winning comeback drives) and goat (a pair of four-interception games). In fact, two of those things happened in the same game.
Here's a Q&A that hopefully dispatches with the X's and O's, forgets the stats, and tells you a little more about, well, him.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Jeff Gross / Getty Images
At the start of spring, there were at least two guys ahead of you on the depth chart. When you set foot on campus, where did you think you would be at this point in the season?
Regardless of where you stand, you've gotta' prepare like you're going to be the guy. The same situation happened to me at San Diego State. I came in, had a guy returning who was a two year starter, and he was good: Kevin O'Connell — he plays in the NFL now. I went into that with the mindset that, "Hey, I'm going to play," because you really never know when it's going to be your chance. He went down in the first game. We had another [quarterback] that they eventually moved to receiver. Then it was my turn. Regardless of where you stand, you've got to be ready. Whether Pat [Cowan] or Ben [Olson] had or hadn't gotten hurt, I think that I would be approaching it the exact same way that I am now. I was fortunate enough to get my chance.
You've had a lot of highs and lows this season. So far, is there one moment that just makes you grin ear-to-ear?
I don't know about that. We're coming up here on the last stretch, and I think that everybody's still pushing and working hard. Right now my focus is on getting better and making sure that we can try to win three of the last four, or four of the last four, so that we can get into a bowl. I don't think it's time to reflect. You can use some of the past experiences to build on.
Continue reading Catching (up with) Kevin Craft »
If the UCLA men's basketball team were to play a game today, Coach Ben Howland says his starting lineup would be:
- Alfred Aboya
- James Keefe
- Josh Shipp
- Jrue Holiday
- Darren Collison
The Bruins have a pair of exhibition games next week, playing host to California Baptist on Monday and Biola on Friday.
—Adam Rose
Marcedes Lewis (TE, Jacksonville) picked up 34 yards on three catches in the loss to the Browns.
Maurice Jones-Drew (RB, Jacksonville) had 29 yards on 12 carries and 19 yards on three receptions in a 23-17 loss to Cleveland.
Jarrad Page (S, Kansas City) made three tackles and had an interception in a 28-24 loss to the New York Jets.
Kenyon Coleman (DE, NY Jets) made five tackles in the victory over the Chiefs.
Ryan Nece (LB, Detroit) made four tackles, one for a loss, in a 25-17 loss to Washington.
Donnie Edwards (LB, Kansas City) returned from a sprained ankle to record four tackles in the loss to the Jets.
Continue reading Bruins in the NFL: Week 8 »
A belated tip o' the hat to the UCLA women's soccer team, which defeated USC, 2-1, on Friday night at the Coliseum. Kristina Larsen scored twice for the Bruins, sandwiched around a goal by USC's Megan Ohai.
The much anticipated showdown was played before a crowd of 7,804. Although not quite what they were hoping for, it was the second-largest crowd to ever watch a women's college soccer game outside of the NCAA tournament and was the largest crowd ever for a Pac-10 conference game.
Both teams entered the game in the top 10 and could very well cross paths again in this year's College Cup.
Speaking of the NCAA tournament, UCLA's Sydney Leroux will be unavailable because of a commitment to the national team for the U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile.
Bruin Coach Jill Ellis is a national team assistant and has been very supportive of letting college players miss time to compete at the international level. Four years ago, a pair of UCLA's best players redshirted so they could play in the U-19 World Championships in Thailand.
Fun fact: Leroux used to play internationally for Canada but is now an American citizen. Unlike in men's soccer, which uses an age cutoff, women are allowed to switch allegiances until they receive a cap (i.e., appear in a game) with the full national team.
—Adam Rose
After a weekend+ of computer and travel issues, I'll be ramping up posting right ... about ... now. There's not much to add about the 41-20 loss at Cal, so let's take a step back and look at the year to date.
As the Bruins (3-5, 2-3 in conference) teeter near postseason elimination, it's tough to keep this football season in perspective. There have been flashes of brilliance (Tennessee, Stanford) and misery (BYU, Fresno State). Safe to say the lows have been more pronounced than the highs.
This bye week comes at an awkward time, and not just because UCLA is missing National College Football Day. It's never fun taking time off after a loss, especially not one in which the scoreboard looked worse than how the Bruins actually played. And with basketball playing a pair of exhibition games before the next time football kicks off, the buzz for football is fading.
The road ahead includes a pair of tough home games (Oregon State, USC) and road games against two of the conference's worst teams (Washington, Arizona State). Mathematically speaking, the Bruins could be spending late December in any number of cities, but realistically they might be sitting at home for the first time in seven years. UCLA has qualified for a bowl game in 10 of the last 11 seasons.
With the Pioneer (Las Vegas), Emerald (San Francisco), Hawaii (Honolulu) and Poinsettia (San Diego) still within grasp, the team must continue to look forward.
Observing from a distance, here's one thing we know ... so far, the Bruins haven't realized either their greatest hopes nor worst fears. So they're doing OK. They're only a game out of fifth place in the Pac-10, which is where the media had predicted the Bruins would finish. That seemed a little generous at the time, but now it seems possible.
The Bruins should beat Washington and have a puncher's chance against Arizona State. And although they will be underdogs against USC and Oregon State in the Rose Bowl, remember what happened there two years ago (hint: 13-9).
It's appropriate that any of the bowls UCLA could hope to play in are in popular tourist destinations — particularly Hawaii. This is, after all, still Coach Rick Neuheisel's honeymoon. No matter where UCLA ends up, I don't think that "worst fear" scenario can develop.
Considering all the injuries and inexperience, the Bruins already have met their minimum expectations for the season. With nothing to lose, they can only go up from here.
—Adam Rose
Photo: Kirby Lee / US Presswire
I'm marooned on a subtropical island (no, seriously) and will be
watching the UCLA-Cal game from a place with no Internet access.
Thoughts and impressions from the game should be posted Sunday.
In the meantime, here's a thought about being back home ... UCLA is
second place in the Pac-10 with an average attendance of 66,083 in the Rose
Bowl this season.
Some other UCLA factoids:
- Aaron Perez is 14th in the nation with 43.62 yards per kick.
- Kai Forbath is tied for 24th in the nation with 1.43 field goals per game.
- The Bruins are 22nd in the nation in pass defense, allowing 175.43 yards per game.
- The Bruins are 25th in the nation in kickoff returns at 23.68 yards
per attempt (a major credit to Terrence Austin, who has averaged 24.0
yards in his 25 returns).
—Adam Rose
Leaving a second-best last impression might work again for UCLA basketball recruiters.
The Bruins may benefit from the sudden retirement of Lute Olson at
Arizona. UCLA had been widely considered as the runner-up in the
college recruiting battle for highly regarded point guard Abdul Gaddy
of Tacoma, Wash. Gaddy had reaffirmed his commitment to Arizona last month after first committing to the Wildcats, then changed his mind after Olson took a leave of absence last year.
According to Scout.com's West Coast recruiting expert, Dave Telep, Gaddy indicated Thursday that he would again reconsider his options. Gaddy is a 6-foot-3 senior at Tacoma's Bellarmine Prep.
UCLA had been runner-up to Louisiana State last year in recruiting
center J'mison Morgan of Dallas. In fact, Morgan signed a
letter-of-intent with LSU in November. But when Coach John Brady was
fired midway through last season and after Stanford's Trent Johnson was
hired, Morgan asked to be released from that letter and ended up coming
to UCLA after all.
Avid college fans who can tend to get a little (message
board-anonymously) angry at high school kids who reject their school,
can maybe take a lesson from this. The kid whose sanity and ethics you
question one day might be coming to your school the next.
—Diane Pucin
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