UCLA’s Kevin Prince sits out practice to rest knee

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince was looking less likely to be able to play against Oregon, as he sat out practice to “rest” his injured right knee Monday, Coach Rick Neuheisel said.

Prince underwent an MRI exam on the knee earlier, as the UCLA medical staff was trying to determine the source of the pain and swelling that has persisted since he was injured against Texas on Sept. 25.

“Practice yesterday wasn’t the best thing, so we figured resting it would be the best thing rather than aggravating it any further today,” Prince said.

It leaves backup Richard Brehaut on the tarmac for the start against the Ducks on Thursday night, though Neuheisel continued with the stance that Prince could play.

“We rested Kevin today,” Neuheisel said. “We hope he will be back to moving around [Tuesday].”

Neuheisel added that the MRI exam was “precautionary” and that they were awaiting results.

Prince’s knee problem has been an ongoing issue since he was injured. He sat out against Washington State on Oct. 2, then struggled through a 35-7 loss to California on Oct. 9. Prince has been limited in practice the last week before being held out on Monday.

“We have been trying a lot of different things, but it hasn’t been improving as fast as we would have liked,” Prince said. “They want to look at it, make sure to get a good picture of what’s going on in there and make sure nothing has changed.”

Prince said that the previous MRI was “murky.” He said that the pain continues and that the swelling had gone down, though it had not gone away entirely.

Brehaut, after being close to starting on other occasions when Prince was injured, finally made the first start of his college career, managing a 42-28 victory over Washington State.

“To finally get that nod, and let the coaches know what I can do in that game, was good,” Brehaut said. “It’s night and day compared to coming in a game in the fourth quarter, when the game plan has changed.”

Quick hits

UCLA cornerback Sheldon Price (strained knee) and wide receiver Nelson Rosario (high ankle sprain) are unlikely to play against.... Bruins F-back Anthony Barr (strained calf) is expected to play.... UCLA’s game against Arizona on Oct. 30 will be at 12:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Net.

chris.foster@latimes.com

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