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Monday’s UCLA sound bites from practice

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley passes during a Sept. 6 win over Memphis at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley passes during a Sept. 6 win over Memphis at the Rose Bowl.
(Harry How / Getty Images)
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With all due respect to Virginia and Memphis, UCLA’s biggest non-conference game of the year comes this weekend. The Bruins are traveling to Arlington to play Texas in Cowboy Stadium, and for a team that hasn’t looked like it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s a big opportunity to quiet the criticism that’s popped up the last two weeks.

The stories from Monday are about Troy Aikman getting his number retired and the defensive secondary’s struggles.

Also, for all you college football fans that are frustrated by not getting the Pac-12 Network, Aikman feels your pain. He doesn’t get the channel either, and had to borrow a user name and password from a friend to be able to watch the game against Memphis last weekend.

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And, of course, some quotes from Monday’s practice:

Redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley

On his performance from Week 1 to Week 2: “It was a lot better. Week 1 wasn’t bad either, there were just some things we needed to clean up, but Week 2 we really came out together as a group. Our o-line played well, our receivers got open, and I was able to make some throws and get it going out there.”

On if he noticed the difference with center Jake Brendel returning to starting lineup: “Yeah. We came in together, and I haven’t really taken snaps from anyone else since my freshman year here. He’s the only guy I’ve really worked there, and that was the first time he wasn’t playing with me. It was a little different, so having him back and having that leadership role, and with us being as old as we are in the program and understanding the offense, he really does help a lot.”

On whether he prefers sophomore linebacker Myles Jack as a running back: “To be honest, I like him on defense. He’s a great defensive player for us, but when he’s in the backfield, just to give him the ball and let him do what he does, get touchdowns, is nice as a quarterback. I don’t have to go through any reads, just hand him the ball.”

On whether he’s still telling Jack where to go on offense: “Yeah. Watch the game film, and you’ll see me.”

Freshman wide receiver Eldridge Massington

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On the play in which he suffered a minor sprained ankle: “I thought they were going to throw the flag, but it’s cool. It’s football. It’s a rough sport. Stuff happens. I wasn’t mad or anything, I laughed it off.”

On the severity of the injury: “When it first happened, I thought it was serious. But once I started jogging and running around, I was like, ‘I’ll be good. Just give me a second.’”

Junior wide receiver Jordan Payton

On playing Texas: “They do everything big over there. They have big defensive ends, big linebackers, so it’s going to be exciting to play against them. As a California kid, I don’t really get to play against anybody from Texas, so it’s going to be exciting.”

On dropped passes: “I guess we have to get out to the ball machines a lot more. I definitely saw that too; that’s too many drops, and that’s a lack of focus on our part.”

Redshirt senior linebacker Eric Kendricks

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On the locker room being upset the last two weeks despite wins: “We hold ourselves to a high standard, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. Me and my teammates are going to keep working hard to maintain that standard.”

For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook

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