UCLA football: A sore Kevin Prince rests in practice

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince watched the end of practice from the sideline on Tuesday as backup Richard Brehaut took snaps with the first-string offense, practicing the two-minute drill.

Coach Rick Neuheisel said there is no change in the depth chart. He simply wanted to give his starter a rest.

"Kevin's a little sore from the game," Neuheisel said.

Prince, who missed significant time in training camp with a back injury, had participated in drills for much of the morning.

Asked if the sophomore's back was acting up again, Neuheisel replied that Prince was just "basically sore."

-- David Wharton

UCLA football: Punter Jeff Locke is target of a signature prank

UCLA punter Jeff Locke appears to be quite the autograph hound. His white Bruins baseball cap, which he wears every day to practice, is now covered with signatures.

Turns out, it was some Locke-room shenanigans.

Locke went to dress out recently and found his beloved cap was covered with signatures of teammates. All fingers pointed to long snapper Christian Yount, who only admitted supplying the pen.

Quarterback Kevin Prince, Locke’s roommate, was finally cornered as the culprit.

“Jeff wears that cap all the time,” Yount said. “I mean, first of all, why do kickers need a cap? But I think it’s time for a new one.”

In the end, though, this might have been bad leadership by the starting quarterback. The joke may be on the signers, as Locke has a retribution list in mind, or, rather, on his head.

“I think they should all worry about their shoes,” Locke said.

--Chris Foster

UCLA's Kevin Prince looking to keep health issues behind him

Health can dominate the conversation with UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince.

Prince's freshman season at UCLA was a rough one, starting with a sore right shoulder in training camp through the separated right shoulder he suffered in the regular-season finale against USC. In between, he suffered a broken jaw and a concussion.

But Prince spent the first day of practice Monday making it perfectly clear that those were problems he has left in the past. Prince was impressive, with an increased velocity on his throws and a delicate touch when needed.

“Kevin Prince is a leader now,” tailback Johnathan Franklin said. “Last year, he was trying to figure things out, find his role. He has become the guy everyone follows.”

Prince's role has been increased on the field as well. The Bruins have adopted the “pistol” offense, which will require the quarterback to run.

The change led Prince to beef up to 230 pounds “so I can take more hits,” he said. But concerns among Bruins fans were also beefed up.

UCLA 43, Washington State 7 (final)

It's official.

UCLA can claim improvement in Coach Rick Neuheisel's second season as coach.

The Bruins improved to 5-5 today with their second Pacific 10 Conference victory, 43-7 over hapless and helpless Washington State.

UCLA's offense, which has struggled so often this season, did whatever it wanted against a Cougars defense that played to its pregame national ranking as one of the nation's poorest units.

The Bruins generated 572 yards in offense, much of it on the arm -- and legs -- of quarterback Kevin Prince.

Prince passed for 330 yards and a touchdown, completing 26 of 39 passes, and also led UCLA with 76 yards rushing, including a 68 touchdown bolt early in the second quarter that put the Bruins up, 21-0.

Chane Moline also had a big game for UCLA (5-5, 2-5). He made seven pass receptions for 60 yards and also carried three times -- all for touchdowns totaling 25 yards.

Washington State (1-9, 0-6) managed only 180 yards of offense and committed four turnovers.

-- Mike Hiserman

UCLA football: Quarterback Kevin Prince ready to practice

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince today received medical clearance to resume lifting weights and practicing after going through a series of tests this morning.

Prince, who suffered a concussion against Washington, saw his physician early this afternoon, the last step before he was cleared.

“I rode the bike for 30 minutes and did some up-downs,” Prince said. “The training staff asked how I was feeling, and I said I felt normal. There will be various tests through Thursday, but the idea is I can practice tomorrow.”

Prince was injured while scrambling in the 24-23 victory over Washington. He went to the ground after a helmet-to-helmet hit by Huskies linebacker Donald Butler in the second quarter. Prince had thrown for 212 yards and one touchdown in the game.

Coach Rick Neuheisel said earlier that as long as Prince was healthy he would start against Washington State in Pullman on Saturday.

In other injury news, guard Ryan Taylor, who suffered a sprained foot against Washington, is unlikely to play against Washington State. Nick Ekbatani and Darius Savage are expected to compete for Taylor's starting spot.

-- Chris Foster

UCLA football: Kevin Prince has surgery on broken jaw

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince underwent surgery to have his jaw wired shut Sunday night, a source familiar with the situation said.

Prince, a redshirt freshman, had his jaw fractured in two places after being hit by Tennessee’s Dennis Rogan near the end of UCLA's 19-15 victory over the Volunteers on Saturday. He will be out three to four weeks.

Prince was said to fine after the game, other than a cracked tooth and a laceration that required one stitch.

The source said that Prince complained of pain Sunday morning and was taken for X-rays, which showed the jaw broken in two places on the left side of his face. Prince was hit from the right by Rogan while running a naked bootleg with the Bruins already having victory in hand with a six-point lead and only 1 minute 41 seconds left.

The fractures were clean breaks, which will allow Prince to get back earlier. He could begin throwing and running in a limited capacity within one week, but he is certain to miss games against Kansas State and Stanford.

Richard Brehaut, a true freshman, is expected to play quarterback against Kansas State. UCLA's sports information department refused a request to interview Brehaut.

 -- Chris Foster

Chris.foster@latimes.com

Twitter.com/cfosterlatimes

Photo: UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince looks up into the stands during the Bruins' 19-15 road victory over Tennessee on Saturday. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times