UCLA football: Speed gives Bruins options
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Speed thrills.
That’s the opinion around UCLA’s football team these days. The Bruins actually have some and now are looking how to use it.
Tailback Johnathan Franklin, wide receiver Randall Carroll, tailback Damien Thigpen and receiver Morrell Presley all appear to have roles with this season’s team. Carroll, Thigpen and Presley are true freshman. Franklin is a redshirt freshman.
‘Speed can create some big-play opportunities, and that was sorely missing in this offense last season,’ Coach Rick Neuheisel said.
Franklin has claimed at least a share of the the No. 1 tailback spot now that junior Christian Ramirez is iffy for the Sept. 5 season opener against San Diego State. Franklin’s rise was hardly unexpected given his play in training camp, capped off by a 99-yard performance in Saturday’s scrimmage. He darted and dashed his way for a 60-yard touchdown run in that scrimmage.
Carroll too seemed destined for a spot in the wide receiver rotation after demonstrating glue fingers to go with his sprinter’s speed. Presley seems able to create matchup problems with his 6-foot-4, 219-pound frame, but ‘we’re still trying to figure out what to do with him,’ offensive coordinator Norm Chow said.
It’s Thigpen, at 5-8 and 170, who has burst -- quite literally -- onto the scene. He returned a punt 70 yards for a touchdown, and also returned a kickoff 61 yards. That translated into more opportunities Monday. Thigpen took a handful of reps with the first team and is now considered a player of whom Neuheisel said, ‘I’m not going to say where it will be, but he needs to get some touches.’
Other post-practice notes:
-- First, defensive tackle David Carter and freshman guard Stanley Hasiak got into a shoving match. On the next play, linebacker Reggie Carter went after Hasiak and the two had to be separated. Practice ended before linebacker Donovan Carter could take a turn.
‘You want it,’ Neuheisel said. ‘Now, you just cannot let that happen in a game. You can’t allow yourself to lose focus on the task at hand.’
-- The Bruins broke training camp Monday night and will begin working toward the Sept. 5 opener against San Diego State.
San Diego State is under first-year Coach Brady Hoke, making preparation a little more difficult.
Said Neuheisel: ‘You try to harness as much information as you can from the background of the particular coach … and you guess.’
-- Presley, who injured a quad muscle in the morning practice, participated in contract drills in the afternoon. Carroll missed the morning workout while in traffic court, but returned for the afternoon.Defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski, who missed the last three days with a back injury, returned to full-contact drills.
-- Chris Foster