Kevin Prince must be in practice by Wednesday to play in opener

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince will have to be in practice, and throwing the ball, by Wednesday to be able to start the season opener at Kansas State on Sept. 4, Coach Rick Neuheisel said Friday.

Prince, who has a small tear in a back muscle, is expected to go through limited drills Monday.

Neuheisel had previously said players coming back from injuries would have to be in practice Monday or Tuesday to play in the opener, but that in Prince’s case, “You make it a little different because of his experience. He’s played. You’re more willing to be a little more tolerant because of his X-factor, which is experience.”

Prince was injured throwing after practice Aug. 10.

The will-he-or-won’t-he status surrounding Prince is not a distraction to the team, Neuheisel said, because, “unfortunately, we have had the taste of injury around our place for a while. The players not only understand it, they believe in the next guy who gets the opportunity.”

Richard Brehaut will start if Prince cannot play. Neuheisel said Brehaut “will grow in leaps and bounds as he gains game experience.”

Asked if any of that experience would come against Kansas State, Neuheisel remained coy, saying, “What the plan will be will depend on the circumstances.”

Rose Bowl appearance

The Bruins went through a 75-play scrimmage at the Rose Bowl on Friday, though very little of it involved live hitting, Neuheisel said.

Neuheisel said wide receiver Ricky Marvray (back), running backs Jordon James (hamstring) and Malcolm Jones (ankle) and tight end Joseph Fauria (groin) all participated.

Neuheisel said he held back on the live hitting to prevent more injuries, as “we want to make sure we get everybody to the dance,” but, he added, “we’ll have to make sure we work hard on tackling in drills this week so we tackle well in the opening game.”

chris.foster@latimes.com

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