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After spending a week in a training camp environment, UCLA entered game-planning mode Monday with the first teams facing scout teams as the Bruins prepared to face Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl on Dec. 31 in San Francisco.

And for offensive tackles Mike Harris and Jeff Baca, that meant getting ready for No. 85.

Neither Baca nor Harris could name Illinois defensive end Whitney Mercilus by name, but they had seen enough film on him to know why No. 85 is a consensus All-American and the winner of the Bill Willis Trophy as the nation's top defensive lineman. He leads the nation in sacks with 14.5 and forced fumbles with nine -- one short of the NCAA record.

"Going up against a guy like that you have to bring your A-game," Baca said. "He’s really quick. He’s quick off the ball, he’s got some great moves, great hands, plays with great leverage. He’s an all-around great football player."

Mercilus, a 6-4, 265-pound junior, is the first Fighting Illini defensive player named first-team All-American since Kevin Hardy in 1995. He is tied for fifth in the nation in tackles for loss with 19.5 and is two sacks shy of the Illinois single-season record held by Simeon Rice.

"I’ve had a few weeks to prepare for him so that’s what I’ve been doing, watching films and tendencies," Harris said. "He’s a high-motor guy. If my technique is not right then I won’t be able to get my job done so I have to go in there on every play and make sure my fundamentals and technique are proper so I can try to dominate."

Harris, a senior, said he is relishing the opportunity of going up against a future NFL player so that he can measure his own ability and hopefully improve his stock as he enters the NFL draft season.

"I know this is a very important game for me, especially if I want to continue my career at the next level," Harris said. "I know a lot of scouts are going to be watching this game and I’m excited for the challenge."

Interim coach Mike Johnson said No. 85 has been a major part of the early game planning.

"He’s a big-time player," Johnson said. "He’s one of those guys who has great lateral movement. He’s quick off the ball. It’s a guy that we have to account for, a guy that we have to know where he is at all times."

A few tidbits from practice:

• Linebacker Patrick Larimore was at practice for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament and bone chips in his right thumb. Larimore did not practice but said he was hopeful to be back by Friday and was probable for the bowl game.
• Alex Mascarenas needed eight stitches after getting run over on the sidelines when Jordon James and Randall Carroll crashed in to him during a practice drill. Mascarenas, sidelined because of a concussion, was observing from out of bounds when the play came his way. He ended up with two major gashes, one below his eye and one above it. He is not going to play in the bowl game.
• Linebacker Sean Westgate was not dressed as he continues to recover from a concussion. Johnson said his status for the bowl game was "still up in the air."
• Safety Tony Dye did not attend practice as he tries to recover from an ankle injury suffered against USC. Johnson said Dye "has a good chance to come back" for the bowl game. Defensive lineman Damien Holmes also missed practice as he attended a personal matter.
• Grades from the fall quarter are beginning to trickle in and that means the coaching staff is on the lookout for anyone who might be academically ineligible for the bowl game. Johnson said he feared there were one or two guys who might fall into that category. "I think they are still trying to finalize the final list for the guys," Johnson said. "Grades are coming in today, tomorrow. So by the middle of the week I’ll know more about who is going to be here and who are the potential problems. I think there’s one or two guys that may be in question and I’m just waiting to get more information."

If there were such a thing as the Bounce Back Bowl, UCLA would have long been eligible.

It turns out, however, that if the Bruins want to become eligible for post season play, they are going to have to bounce back from a loss one more time.

The Bruins are coming off a loss at Utah but each time UCLA (5-5) has lost a game this season, the Bruins have come back the following week with a victory. Keeping that streak alive Saturday against Colorado not only would make the Bruins bowl eligible, but it would keep them on track for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game.

"It’s incredibly important that we bounce back because of the Pac-12 race the way it is and our desire to play in the Pac-12 championship game and bowl eligibility on the line and everything," quarterback Kevin Prince said. "And with the seniors going out with their last game at the Rose Bowl, it all makes this a huge game for us."

The Bruins lost, 31-6 at Utah last week, ending a mild two-game win streak and stopping some of the momentum the Bruins had built, but the blowout loss doesn't necessarily mean UCLA is down and out. They rebounded from a 49-20 loss against Texas by winning at Oregon State the following week for their only road victory this season.

A week after a 29-point loss at Stanford, the Bruins staged a fourth-quarter comeback in a victory over Washington State. And after hitting the low point of the season in a 48-12 loss at Arizona, the Bruins responded by winning the next two weeks to take control of their destiny in the Pac-12 South race.

"We’re just the type of gang that never gives up," center Kai Maiava said. "We just hang in there, you know because things are going to get rough and that’s just the way football is and everybody realizes that. We just hang in, stick together and just come out fighting."

It's a good news, bad news situation if there ever was one. The good news is that the Bruins know they won't go in the tank just because they have lost a game. The bad news is that they've had to do it so often.

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After getting flagged a season-high 12 times for 91 yards last week, penalty avoidance has been a priority in practice this week, especially along the offensive line.

UCLA incurred six false starts last week as they tried to implement a new silent count snap that didn't go very well.

"That can’t happen," said tackle Mike Harris, who had four of the false starts. "It puts us back five yards and I’m going to try to come back this week and give my team my all because they deserve it for me. It was just a bad game."

Coach Rick Neuheisel said the team has studied the film this week and taken the steps necessary to ensure this week's performance is better.

"We have been thorough in our investigation and our commentary on it," Neuheisel said. "There was some harsh criticism because it cost us. Our offense is such that we need to stay in rhythm and to go five yards back causes a lot of problems. We’ve done it a number of times, but it’s not something you want to do as often as we’ve tried to do against Utah."

One of the major problems with the silent count was Utah's use of a technique called "stemming." It's when the defense calls a change at the line and the offense mistakes it for the quarterback.

"The defense keyed on the silent count and they would say something like 'go' and I went off that call," Harris said. "I feel like as a whole line we didn’t play as well as we should have and I’m going to let that pass and we have two games left and I’m going to give it my all."

Center Kai Maiava said the offensive line simply had a bad game overall and is focused on making up for it this week.

"We were making mental mistakes and it was just dumb," he said. "We can’t make them again because first and 15 is way harder to convert than first and 10 and we’ve got to keep ourselves in the game. We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot."

Offensive lineman Mike Harris is entering his fourth season as a starter for UCLA and is the most experienced player on the team with 28 starts on his resume over the last three seasons. After sitting out the first two games last season, he played all but six snaps the rest of the way and also played virtually every snap in 2009.

Here, he talks about being a leader in his senior season and the improvement in the offensive line:

With UCLA preparing to open fall camp on August 8, we will break down the depth charts at each position in order to look at how the Bruins stack up heading into this season. We've previously looked at quarterbacks and defensive line. Now we move to the offensive line.

Current depth chart:

TACKLE

Sean Sheller (Sr., 6-5, 304)

Connor Bradford (Jr., 6-6, 275)

GUARD

Jeff Baca (Jr., 6-4, 305)

Casey Griffiths (So., 6-4, 284)

CENTER

Kai Maiava (Sr., 6-1, 318)

Greg Capella (So., 6-3, 292)

Kody Innes (Fr., 6-4, 291)

GUARD

Chris Ward (So., 6-4, 330)

Wade Yandall (Fr., 6-4, 328)

TACKLE

Mike Harris (Sr., 6-5, 326)

Brett Downey (Jr., 6-7, 290)

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When UCLA took the ball at its 1-yard line in the fourth quarter with the score tied Saturday against Washington State, the Bruins had only one thing on their minds.

“Time to get filthy,” guard Eddie Williams said.

It worked. UCLA went on a 99-yard scoring drive, keyed in large part by the play of UCLA’s ragtag bunch of offensive linemen, who have been dubbed “The Filthy Five” by the Bruins coaches.

It’s a collection of former castoff linemen suddenly thrust into starting roles who have become the most consistent performers in what has been a wildly inconsistent Bruins team.

“This isn’t the most talented group that I’ve ever coached in my career, but they work as hard as any group I’ve ever coached,” said Bruins veteran offensive line coach Bob Palcic. “They work for each other. There’s no selfishness in the group. They’ve bought into what we’re doing and it’s showing up on the field.”

There are actually six of them -- Williams, Sean Sheller, Ryan Taylor, Darius Savage, Micah Kia and Mike Harris -- but the name applies to whichever five are on the field at the time.

On Saturday, all six were blasting open holes for a UCLA running game that piled up 437 yards rushing—the most by a Bruins team since 1979. Johnathan Franklin had a career-high 216 yards rushing and Derrick Coleman set his career high with 185.

It was the first time in school history that two backs had rushed for 180 yards in a game, and it was no fluke. The offensive line has allowed Franklin to eclipse the 100-yard mark in three consecutive games—the first Bruins back to do that since Maurice Jones-Drew in 2004.

(Read full post)

Quick notes from Thursday's practice as the Bruins prepare to play Texas on Saturday in Austin:

• UCLA took it's energy level up a notch last week in its 31-13 victory over Houston and coach Rick Neuheisel said it would take a similar intensity to make a good showing Saturday against Texas. "We set a bar last week about what we expect from each other and we’ll have to do the same," Neuheisel said. "And it can’t just be because we’re ahead that we get that kind of energy. We have to get that all the time and have the discipline to have that all the time."
• The way Neuheisel sees it, the Bruins will have to try and play with heavily-favored Texas for the first three quarters and then make something happen in the fourth. "We can’t go in there and hope to hang around," he said. "Hope isn’t a strategy. It’s about energy and intensity and I think we’ll have both."
• Neuheisel said the experience of going to Kansas State in Week 1 should help in dealing with this trip to a hostile environment at Texas. Dropped passes, procedure penalties and turnovers were major problems for the Bruins in their only other road game this season. "Those are the kinds of things you can’t do on the road," he said. "It gets the crowd going and becomes kind of like a tidal wave. You just have to be able to weather that."
• School started Thursday at UCLA, which Neuheisel said caused some distractions but could also help the team in the long run. "A lot of distractions this week as compared to last week with regard to school starting and guys having all sorts of things to do with respect to that," Neuheisel said. "I’m imagining when we get on the plane there will be a lot of sleepy people and so we’ll get some good rest on the way there and get to bed early tomorrow night and get up early and be ready to rumble because it’s going to take that kind of fight."
• The starting right tackle spot is still a game-time decision. Micah Kia is still limited by a sore ankle, but Neuheisel said he would be ready to play. Mike Harris started there last week. Receiver Taylor Embree was also still limited by a strained hip flexor but should be ready by game time.
• The start of school also meant that members of the marching band are back on campus so the football team could continue it's tradition of bringing some band members out to play during the end of Thursday practice and letting one of the band members catch a kickoff and run it back. "Nothing like band music to remind you it’s college football season," Neuheisel said.

-- Intensity took a step up Wednesday, when coaches were putting their command of the expletive dictionary on full display.

Coach Rick Neuheisel said the players are finally beginning to understand the type of obstacle the Bruins are facing.

"I was pleased today with our practice," he said. "It was what it needed to be. Guys are running around excited about the contest. It’s a huge, huge challenge. We’ll find out about how it goes once we get out there, but I’m excited about the way we’re preparing."

-- Neuheisel said he expected Texas to show more offensively this game than in its first three as Longhorns quarterback Garrett Gilbert, the sophomore who replaced Colt McCoy, develops at the position.

The first three games have been "Probably not as open a playbook because of the inexperience of the quarterback and growing him up slowly," Neuheisel said. "I would say that they’ll be more expansive offensively this week as they get ready for the meat of their conference schedule."

-- Running back Derrick Coleman completed his concussion protocol and was in full-contact mode. He took regular snaps with the first- and second-team offenses. He missed last week because of a concussion and strained neck suffered against Stanford and was limited to non-contact Tuesday. Neuheisel wouldn't name a starter at tailback, saying only that Coleman would be "in the mix" with Johnathan Franklin, who had 158 yards rushing last week against Houston. Freshman Malcolm Jones will also get carries, Neuheisel said.

-- Receiver Taylor Embree was again limited by a strained hip flexor, but Neuheisel said he expected Embree to start against Texas.

-- Offensive lineman Micha Kia returned to action, working with the first and second team. Kia sprained his ankle last week in practice and did not play against Houston, though Neuheisel said he could have gone in if needed. Neuheisel said it would be a game time decision if Kia or Mike Harris starts.

-- Defensive end Datone Jones, who broke his foot the first day of fall camp, is walking without crutches, but he's still at least four weeks away from getting out of the boot cast he has been wearing and it looks more and more like a redshirt year for him.

Mike Harris watched UCLA's loss to Kansas State on television, which is odd considering he is one of the Bruins' best offensive lineman.

Harris, suspended from the game for an undisclosed violation of team rules, did not make the trip to Manhattan, Kan., but he will be reinstated and become a part of the Bruin's offensive line rotation Saturday against Stanford.

"It was an odd experience watching my team on TV when I should have been there," Harris said. "I never want that to happen again and I'm really excited to be able to help my team."

Harris started at right tackle for all 13 games in 2009 and started the last five game in 2008. By missing the Kansas State game, he ended the longest consecutive games started streak on the team.

Coach Rick Neuheisel said he'd work Harris back in a rotation. The offensive line, considered a question mark entering the season, was one of the bright spots in the loss to Kansas State and Neuheisel doesn't want to disrupt the chemistry of the starting unit just now.

"As a group, I thought for the first game out, they did darn well," Neuheisel said. "We don’t need to make any changes to the starting lineup right now. It’s great to have Mike back and it’s going to be fun to watch him compete."

Harris said he's fine with not starting for now and that he's just glad to be able to get back on the field. He also said that watching on television, while difficult, actually had some benefits.

"I was watching each and every guy seeing what they’re doing right and wrong," Harris said. I became a student of the game so hopefully that will make me better."

With UCLA already running into depth issues after three days of practice, it’s certainly nice to have Nate Chandler on the roster.

Chandler will be moving from defensive tackle to defensive end to replace Datone Jones, who broke his foot Tuesday in practice and could be out for the season.

Switching positions is nothing new for Chandler, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound junior who has shown positional versatility since his arrival from Mira Mesa High School in San Diego.

UCLA recruited Chandler as a tight end but moved him to the offensive line a year later. Last year, he was back at tight end but played sparingly so he asked to move to defense for this season.

Coaches slated him to start at tackle, but now he’s sliding over a spot.

“I don’t really see it as that big of a deal,” Chandler said. “You need people that can move around and help the team toward the common goal of winning. I’m glad my versatility has come in handy.”

What makes Chandler so versatile is his athleticism, coach Rick Neuheisel said.

“He’s a great athlete in a 300-pound body so you have a chance to do some fun things with him,” Neuheisel said. “I think we’ve got him at the right spot on the defensive front. He’s tenacious, he’s physical. I think he’ll help us there in a big way.”

Chandler says he feels like defensive line is a natural position for him and the reason it took so long to figure it out is because he didn’t start playing football until his sophomore year in high school.

“My body didn’t mature until I got to college,” he said. “And even for the first couple of years, it kept changing.”

Chandler played last year at 270 pounds, but weighed in at 303 on Wednesday, he said. Now that he’s moving to defensive end, which requires a bit more quickness and agility than a hole-clogging defensive tackle, he plans to lose about 15 pounds before the season opener Sept. 4 at Kansas State.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said. “That’s what the team needs and I think I’ve shown I’m willing to do whatever the team needs.”

*****

The Bruins offensive line has received a lot of bad news early in camp with Mike Harris getting a one-game suspension for violating team rules and Jeff Baca learning that the is academically ineligible, but there is a bit of good news too.

Micah Kia, who started 15 games in 2007 and 2008, is back in action after sitting out last season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Kia, a 6-5, 321-pound senior from Hawaii, says he feels great and is cleared for all activities after having surgery to repair his knee a year ago.

“It feels really good,” Kia said. “It’s never easy being on the sideline watching everybody else doing something you love and being so close to something you love without being able to do it so it’s nice to be on the field now.”

*****

Receiver Josh Smith is another player who missed last season, but after transferring from Colorado and sitting out because of NCAA transfer rules, he's still out.

Smith pulled a groin muscle Monday on the first day of practice and sat out Tuesday and Wednesday. He said he has no timetable for when he can return.

“We haven’t put a date on it yet,” Smith said. “We’re just going to see how I feel each day so because of that it could be tomorrow and it could be the next. We haven’t decided yet.”

Smith, a big-play threat who averaged 13.3 yards per catch and 25.5 yards per kickoff return, said he isn’t getting too antsy just yet, despite having sat out all of last season.

“I try not to worry about it too much,” he said. “My opportunity is going to come and I expect to do well. It’s a little bit of adversity, but I’m learning a lot of patience from sitting out so much. But still, being injured isn’t fun at all and I can’t wait to get out there and add to the weapons that we have out there.”

Offensive lineman Mike Harris, suspended from UCLA's Sept. 4 season opener against Kansas State for violating team rules, offered an apology to his coaches and teammates Tuesday after practice.

"These coaches, this team, this great program--everyone had so much faith in me and I let them down," said Harris, who started at right tackle in all 13 games last season. "I'm going to hopefully let this get past us. I just want the team to know I'm very sorry and that nothing like this will happen again."

Harris declined to get into specifics of the violation.

"I'm going to keep that in house," he said.

Could UCLA's offensive line -- a group with more holes than a bowling ball -- be more penetrable this year than it has been in recent years?

Apparently, the answer is yes.

Junior tackle/guard Jeff Baca said Tuesday that he has been ruled academically ineligible. Baca added that he is appealing the NCAA's ruling, which may be overturned by the Sept. 4 opener at Kansas State. Baca was the recipient of the "Coach K" award for academic and athletic excellence in 2008.

The news of his ineligibility comes a few weeks after sophomore Stanley Hasiak, a backup guard, was ruled academically ineligible. On Monday, coach Rick Neuheisel announced that junior tackle Mike Harris will be suspended for the season opener for violating team rules.

In the meantime, UCLA has to prepare without them. An offensive line that took a major step forward last season has now taken two, three steps back. Here's a look at what the tentative depth chart looked like heading into fall camp (starters first, backups second):

LT Sean Sheller (Sr.), Brett Downey (So.)
LG Jeff Baca (Jr.), Darius Savage (Sr.)
C Kai Maiava (Jr.), Ryan Taylor (Sr.)
RG Eddie Williams (Sr.), Wade Yandall (Fr.)
RT Mike Harris (Jr.), Micah Kia (Sr.)

----------

That means two starters are potentially out for the opener. Ryan Taylor is a candidate to spell Baca -- he made two starts at right guard while filling in for an injured Eddie Williams last season.

The problems just keep piling on for the Bruins.

In December, it was center Kai Maiava who missed the EagleBank Bowl due to academic problems. Sean Sheller appears to be the leader to replace Xavier Su'a-Filo (two-year Mormon mission) at left tackle, but his capabilities are unclear. Sheller spent the 2009 season on the other side of the trenches -- adding depth at defensive tackle -- and missed the entire 2008 season after suffering ligament damage in his left knee in an off-the-field accident. That means he hasn't played with the offense since 2007 (a year in which he did not see game action). Sheller tore a ligament in his right knee in 2006, missing the entire season.

The story at the other tackle spot is no different. Micah Kia is finally 100-percent healthy, according to Neuheisel. But what can be expected from a player who missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in fall camp?

Sophomore quarterback Kevin Prince said Monday that he added about 10 pounds in the offseason. He's now up to a comfortable 230. The added weight may come in handy if UCLA keeps losing linemen.

Some notes and video from UCLA's first fall camp practice:

-- Coach Rick Neuheisel announced the suspension of offensive lineman Mike Harris for the season-opener due to a violation of team rules. Harris, a starter last season, is competing for the right tackle spot.

-- Sophomore quarterback Kevin Prince spoke about his excitement, as well as adding weight in the offseason:



-- UCLA unveiled its new, slimmer practice jerseys Monday. The color scheme remains the same -- blue for defense, white for offense, black for quarterbacks -- but the tops now have the three adidas stripes by the ribcage. Prince said he likes how they feel -- but then again, quarterbacks aren't allowed to be hit at practice.

-- You'd have to do a double-take after seeing old No. 92 out on the field Monday. No, it wasn't Brian Price, who is now playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Walk-on Tre Hale has the honor of wearing Price's old No. 92. He is not listed on the official roster, but is built similarly. No word on whether he possesses Price's dominant nature.

-- Freshman defensive back Dietrich Riley looked great in one-on-one drills, jumping an out route by Christian Ramirez and nearly coming away with an interception. He played a number of snaps alongside free safety Rahim Moore and the first unit.

-- Everyone, everyone, talked about freshman F-back Anthony Barr on Monday. He backed it up by making two spectacular one-handed catches which woke up the small group of spectators in the bleachers. Sophomore receiver Randall Carroll made perhaps the best catch of the day, skying over two defenders to snag a fade from Richard Brehaut in the second session.