FOR BRUINS, IT'S THE KARMA; TEAM HAS CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME.Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer Any assessment of UCLA's prospects for 1999 must begin with an overlooked premise: There were questions and concerns long before anyone uttered a peep about parking placards and September suspensions. The Bruins didn't have a proven quarterback in April, and they don't have one now. They have just six senior starters and a rebuilt offensive line. There's no proven kicker, and the punters have generated more snickers
Snickers is a sweet bar made by Mars, Incorporated. than hang time. Add a date at Ohio State, Arizona State's return to the schedule and November showdowns against Arizona and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . . . and another 10-win season seemed unlikely when spring practice ended in May. Then came the disabled parking scandal, a draining July and the subsequent suspensions that claimed six starters for two games and a seventh (cornerback Marques Marques may refer to:
Suddenly, the Aloha Bowl The Aloha Bowl is a now-defunct National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. Played on Christmas Day except for games in 1983 to 1986, the Aloha Bowl was sponsored by Jeep Corporation. doesn't seem so bad. Depleted de·plete tr.v. de·plet·ed, de·plet·ing, de·pletes To decrease the fullness of; use up or empty out. [Latin d personnel is the most palpable result of the parking fiasco, but not the most significant. The Bruins can endure two games without their starting linebackers, but can they survive a season with bad karma? Exploit the disabled, after all, and trouble is sure to follow. Perhaps their troubles will come disguised as strange bounces, bad calls and injuries. (All-American receiver Danny Farmer Danny Farmer, born 1977, is a former National Football League and University of California, Los Angeles wide receiver.[1] In 2000, he was drafted in the fourth round (103) by the Pittsburgh Steelers. has a badly sprained ankle A sprained ankle, also known as a ankle sprain, ankle injury or ankle ligament injury, is a common medical condition where one or more of the ligaments of the ankle is torn or partially torn. and could miss the opener.) Or perhaps the trouble will manifest itself as short tempers and personality rifts: Several players and coaches, including starting quarterback Drew Bennett Andrew Russell Bennett (born August 26, 1978 in Berkeley, California) is an American football player in the National Football League. Bennett plays wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams whom acquired him as an free agent on March 3, 2007. , have family members with disabilities. Either way, Ohio State is cake compared to cosmic justice. Not even mass suspensions can clarify a quarterback quagmire, and the search to replace Cade McNown Cade McNown (born January 12 1977 in Portland, Oregon) is a quarterback who played in the National Football League. He attended played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles. holds the tactical key to UCLA's fortune. With DeShaun Foster DeShaun Xavier Foster (born January 10, 1980 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an American football running back who plays for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. , Jermaine Lewis Jermaine Lewis (born October 16, 1974 in Lanham, Maryland) is an American football wide receiver in the NFL. A star high school athlete at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, he was a two-time team MVP as a running back while also starring as a sprinter on the track team, setting and Durell Price in the backfield, with Gabe Crecion, Bryan Fletcher and Mike Seidman at tight end; with Farmer, Freddie Mitchell For the fictional character, see . Freddie Lee Mitchell (born November 28, 1978 in Lakeland, Florida) is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who most recently played for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a 1st round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft out of UCLA. and Brian Poli-Dixon at receiver, the Bruins ooze OOZE - Object oriented extension of Z. "Object Orientation in Z", S. Stepney et al eds, Springer 1992. playmakers Playmakers is a TV series on ESPN that depicted the lives of the players on a fictional professional football team. The show starred Omar Gooding, Marcello Thedford, Christopher Wiehl, Jason Matthew Smith, Russell Hornsby and Tony Denison. . If Bennett and Cory Paus, in whatever combination, avoid crushing mistakes, UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX will score plenty of points. Bennett, a junior, will start the opener; Paus, a redshirt freshman, will play at least a few series. It may take several weeks for one to emerge, but be sure of this: Coach Bob Toledo Bob Toledo (born March 4, 1946, in San Jose, California) is an American football coach, recently hired as head coach at Tulane University. He is best-known as the thirteenth head coach at UCLA. does not want a platoon during Pac-10 play. He wants one guy. If training camp proved anything, it's that defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head Bob Field has added stability to the maligned ma·lign tr.v. ma·ligned, ma·lign·ing, ma·ligns To make evil, harmful, and often untrue statements about; speak evil of. adj. 1. Evil in disposition, nature, or intent. 2. unit. He simplified the terminology and alignments deployed by former coordinator Nick Aliotti. Field is unflappable on the practice field, using the same approach after an interception as after a touchdown. The players have responded: They are older, smarter, more confident and much better organized. UCLA's most improved unit will be its defensive line, unprecedented in its size and depth. Last year, with freshmen dotting the two-deep, coaches spent so much time explaining the system they couldn't teach it. This year, fundamentals are the priority. Junior end Kenyon Coleman Kenyon Octavia Coleman (born April 10, 1979 in Fontana, California) is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets of the NFL. He was selected with the 12th pick of the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft out of the University of California, Los Angeles by the Oakland has been the dominant player, unblockable in some instances and emotional in all. Coleman has NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga talent, but the Bruins are withholding judgment until he proves himself in games. He has shown glimpses of brilliance in the past, only to succumb to injuries or lethargy. For now, though, he has found a much-needed mean streak Mean Streak is a wooden roller coaster located at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, United States. It is a wooden roller coaster and was the tallest and fastest one of its kind when it debuted in 1991. It was constructed using 1. . Last year, the Bruins won (and lost) games 45-40. This year, with a better defense but no McNown, expect the scores to drop. The running game, behind Foster and a young line, must prevent defenses from blitzing the quarterbacks into submission. Likewise, the defensive line must contain the run to relieve pressure on the young secondary. So how will it unfurl? With the quarterback cycle beginning anew, it's a transition year between McNown's success and the maturation of Toledo's top recruits. If the offseason was any indication, there's plenty in store. But any way you cut, it spells 7-4. UCLA BRUINS The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I-A as part of the Pacific Ten Conference. Athletic alumni Jackie Robinson, Rafer Johnson, Yang Chuan-kwang (C.K. TWO-DEEP ROSTER: OFFENSE SPLIT END 83 Brad Melsby 6-0 199 Sr. Good hands; prototypical possession receiver. 82 Brian Poli-Dixon 6-5 211 Jr. Too many drops in training camp. TIGHT END 89 Gabe Crecion 6-5 241 Jr. Bigger Stronger after redshirt year. 81 Bryan Fletcher 6-5 232 So. Better receiver than blocker. LEFT TACKLE 63 Blake Worley 6-6 290 Fr. Successor to Ogden and Farris. 74 Jim Ghezzi 6-5 288 Sr. Can play guard or tackle. LEFT GUARD 59 Oscar Cabrera 6-4 297 Jr. Most experienced interior lineman. 68 Matt Phelan 6-4 288 Sr. Gets his chance with Cabrera suspended. CENTER 50 Troy Danoff 6-4 296 So. More athletic than Shawn Stuart. 73 Tony Ippolito 6-4 270 Jr. Knee injuries have cramped career. RIGHT GUARD 65 Mike Saffer 6-5 290 Fr. Smart, athletic, a future pro. 66 Ed Anderson 6-5 292 So. Only reserve guard with Cabrera out. RIGHT TACKLE 60 Brian Polak 6-4 330 Jr. As steady as he is big. 77 Micah Webb 6-6 267 Jr. Converted from defense in offseason. FLANKER 87 Danny Farmer 6-4 212 Sr. Will ankle injury nag him all season? 3 Freddie Mitchell 6-0 183 So. He can run, pass, catch and defend. QUARTERBACK 11 Drew Bennett 6-5 210 Jr. Great athlete, average arm, little experience. 10 Cory Paus 6-2 210 Fr. Like McNown, has toughness and intangibles. FULLBACK 36 Durell Price 6-0 235 Sr. A threat as runner or receiver. 31 Matt Stanley 6-3 231 So. Starting until Price's suspension ends. TAILBACK 26 DeShaun Foster 6-1 210 So. Preparing for Heisman campaign in 2000. 23 Jermaine Lewis 5-7 183 Jr. Perfect complement to bruising Foster. TWO-DEEP ROSTER:DEFENSE END 99 Kenyon Coleman 6-6 Great training camp; will it continue? 98 Sean Phillips 6-5 274 Fr. Only 18 but watch out next year. TACKLE 75 Pete Holland 6-4 275 Sr. A smart, steady run-stopper. 96 Anthony Fletcher 6-4 292 So. Unblockable when he wants to be. TACKLE 97 Ken Kocher 6-4 296 So. Must learn to shed blocks 64 Steve Morgan 6-3 295 Fr. Converted from offense; needs time. END 94 Rusty Williams 6-4 252 Fr. Coaches love his energy. 56 Travor Turner 6-5 245 Sr. Pass-rush specialist. OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 47 Ryan Nece 6-4 214 So. Lacks size but has great instincts. 90 Billy Pieper 6-2 240 Jr. Starting until Nece returns. MIDDLE LINEBACKER 51 Tony White 6-1 236 Jr.Ed Stansbury starts here during suspensions. 8 Robert Thomas 6-2 226 So. Injuries, suspension have plagued career. OUTSIDE LINEBACKER 35 Asi Faoa 6-4 247 Fr. One of training camp's big surprises. 95 Santi Hall 6-2 252 Jr. Watch for Ali Abdul Azziz after his suspension. CORNERBACK 22 Joe Hunter 5-11 170 Fr. Has size and speed but no experience. 21 Lovell Houston 6-1 183 Fr. Gifted but never healthy. STRONG SAFETY 4 Jason Stephens 6-2 193 So. Bad knee limited his training camp. 29 Julius Williams 6-0 193 So. Converting from cornerback. FREE SAFETY 33 Ryan Roques Roques is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:
37 Joey Strycula 6-0 189 Sr. Will start until Roques returns CORNERBACK 12 Jason Bell 6-1 180 Sr. Most experienced defensive back. 9 Ricky Manning Jr. 5-9 170 Fr. Coaches rave about his maturity. SPECIALISTS KICKER 14 Chris Griffith 6-1 194 Fr. Accuracy won him the job. 19 Nate Fikse 5-9 180 Fr. Stronger leg than Griffith. HOLDER 37 Joey Strycula 6-0 189 Sr. Yes, the holder is the safety. PUNTER 19 Nate Fikse 5-9 180 Fr. Never punted in high school. LONG SNAPPER 58 Jeff Grau 6-4 240 So. Entering second year on the job. KICK RETURN 3 Freddie Mitchell 6-0 183 So. A scoring threat from anywhere. 23 Jermaine Lewis 5-7 183 Jr. Hides behind his blockers. PUNT RETURN 3 Freddie Mitchell 6-0 183 So. Fearless, elusive and good hands. 33 Ryan Roques 6-0 181 Sr. Could replace Mitchell after suspension. 1999 SCHEDULE Sept. 4 - Boise State, 6 p.m. Sept. 11 - at Ohio State, 5 p.m. Sept. 18 - Fresno State, 7 p.m. Sept. 25 - at Stanford, TBA TBA See: To be announced Oct. 2 - at Arizona State, TBA Oct. 9 - Oregon, TBA Oct. 16 - California, TBA Oct. 23 - at Oregon State, 1 p.m. Oct. 30 - Arizona, TBA Nov. 13 - Washington, TBA Nov. 20 - at USC, TBA Image Check At Ohio State. The last time UCLA ventured east, Miami put a 49-45 embarrassment on the Bruins. Can they avoid another humiliation, this time without seven suspended starters? The focus is on the defensive front, which must hold its own physically. Bearings Check At Arizona State. This game could alter UCLA's season. A win here, coupled with a victory at Stanford, would give the Bruins a 2-0 Pacific-10 record with four of their last six at home. Then again, if they lose at Stanford, then ASU ASU Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) ASU Appalachian State University ASU Arkansas State University ASU Angelo State University ASU Alabama State University ASU Australian Services Union could mean an 0-2 start. Holiday Check with Arizona. Pac-10 title could be on the line for one or both teams. Even if it isn't, this figures to be a critical game for UCLA's postseason plans. Wildcats haven't won in the Rose Bowl since 1990. Destiny Check. UCLA's eight-game winning streak over USC is in jeopardy for one reason: the Trojans figure to have the advantage at quarterback for the first time in four years. This is a tough assignment for a first-time starter. Is nine fine? CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes Photo: UCLA receiver Danny Farmer has a badly sprained ankle and could miss the opener. Daily News File Photo Box: (1) UCLA BRUINS (See text) (2) 1999 SCHEDULE (See text) |
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