THE GREAT UNKNOWN; FORGET BOISE - BRUINS' MYSTERY IS THEMSELVES.Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer It's a team without tendencies, a team without history, a team without fingerprints. Not even 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 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. knows how his No. 17 Bruins will react tonight in their Rose Bowl season opener against Boise State. ``I'm anxious to see what happens,'' Toledo said. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. this team. I don't know how we'll respond.'' Usually, after winter conditioning, spring practice, summer workouts and training camp, Toledo knows his team's character well enough to sense what's coming. He knew, for instance, the Bruins were ready to pounce on Texas in the 1998 opener. But the disabled-parking suspensions and several August injuries have disrupted Toledo's feel for the collective psyche. How will the Bruins respond to game pressure? How will they react to the heat and the crowd and the lights? Sure, spirits were high in training camp, but that doesn't guarantee harmony if something goes wrong when it counts. Nor is Toledo sure how the Bruins will execute. What happened last year does not translate. Not without quarterback 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. . Not without the 11 players (seven starters) who were suspended for the disabled-parking scam. Not without 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. , who probably won't play because of a 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. . The Bruins will have 14 new starters - eight on offense, six on defense - plus first-timers kicking and punting. Of the 44 players on the depth chart, 25 are freshmen and sophomores. The starting quarterback has minimal experience, his backup even less. There are two freshmen and a sophomore on the offensive line. The fullbacks are walk-ons. Farmer's replacement, 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. , spent most of last season in a cast. The four tight ends combined for one reception last year. There are just as many questions on defense. Two of the six linebackers have game experience. Three of the four cornerbacks are freshmen. Four of the five safeties are new. No wonder Toledo laughed when informed the Bruins are four-touchdown favorites. There's no way to predict how they'll react because so few have played before. There's nothing to compare, nothing to evaluate. Their history begins tonight. Are the known quantities, tailback and receiver, enough to escort the rookies through game pressure and game speed? They can only guess. ``Morale is really high right now,'' defensive captain Pete Holland said. ``The parking issue is closed within the team. We've worked hard to delete all the things that went wrong (in the offseason). ``There isn't really a sense of, `Let's make it through the first two games and then have a big party when the (suspended) guys get back.' We're ready to play.'' That might be true of the defensive line, which is two-deep at each position and UCLA's most-improved unit. But what of the quarterbacks, junior 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. and freshman Cory Paus? Bennett is more experienced and a great athlete, but his arm is inconsistent. Paus throws a nice ball, but he makes rookie mistakes. Bennett will start, but Paus will play early - perhaps the second or third series. Toledo and offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator typically refers to the coach on a football team in the National Football League or College football who is in charge of the offense. This position aids the head coach by designing and scripting plays, delegating work to offensive position coaches during Al Borges have scripted the quarterback rotation for the entire first half and three series of the second. At that point, they'll go with the hot hand. Whoever it is. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color) Both UCLA coach Bob Toledo and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. coach Paul Hackett face question marks in their season openers. (2) UCLA All-American Danny Farmer, right, shown after scoring the last touchdown against Oregon last year, probably will not play tonight due to a sprained ankle. UCLA hosts Boise State tonight at the Rose Bowl. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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