ESPN College Football

The eighth of 12 quick updates on offseason Pac-12 goings on.

UCLA in a sentence

• Coach Rick Neuheisel is on the hot seat after a second 4-8 season in three years and a 8-19 mark in conference play, but while expectations are low among the pundits, there is enough talent on this team to reach a bowl game and even contend in the Pac-12 South Division if quarterback play is at least adequate.

The big issue

• With intriguing talent on defense and talent and depth at running back, it all comes down to the passing game. If the Bruins can effectively throw the football -- and protect their quarterback -- the program will take a major step forward.

Quick hit news

• Neuheisel cleaned house on his coaching staff, dispatching both coordinators -- Norm Chow on offense and Chuck Bullough on defense -- as well as defensive line coach Todd Howard, receivers coach Reggie Moore and special teams coach Frank Gansz. He hired Mike Johnson to run the offense (and coach receivers) and Joe Tresey to coach the defense. Neuheisel will oversee the quarterbacks. Inoke Breckterfield takes over the defensive line, while Jim Mastro -- hired away from Nevada for his knowledge of the pistol offense -- will coach tight ends/F-backs. Angus McClure takes over special teams.
• The Bruins picked up a couple of transfers who could help immediately. Junior college transfer offensive lineman Albert Cid could work his way into a starting role, while cornerback Jamie Graham, a former starter at Vanderbilt, should bolster the secondary.
• The biggest competition of preseason camp is at quarterback, where incumbent starter Kevin Prince is battling Richard Brehaut. Prince is the leader to start, but after sitting out spring practices due to a knee injury, he'll have to win over Johnson and Neuheisel again. True freshman Brett Hundley was in the mix until he tore his meniscus, which will sideline him for the opening weeks of preseason camp.
• OG Stanley Hasiak left the program after being ruled academically ineligible.
• Jeff Baca, who could play either guard or tackle, is out until late September with a broken foot. Cornerback cornerback Anthony Jefferson is going to be out at least six weeks after back surgery.
• Tight end Morrell Presley, cornerback Courtney Viney and defensive end Derrick Bryant each decided to transfer. Presley and Viney are experienced players who were expected to contribute this fall.

Every team has hope heading into the offseason. And every team has concerns.

Ergo, we're going to run through the conference and look at the chief matters -- on the up and downside -- for each Pac-12 team.

Next up: UCLA

Biggest reason for hope: The defense is going to be sneaky good.

The Bruins' defense lost two elite players to the NFL draft -- outside linebacker Akeem Ayers and safety Rahim Moore -- and the unit was mediocre to bad in 2010, which provided a push out the door for coordinator Chuck Bullough. So what suggests improvement in 2011? Well, for one, the Bruins have a potential All-Pac-12 end in Datone Jones, who was expected to be a dominant presence last fall until he broke his foot. Further, a number of young defensive linemen looked like they were growing up this spring, while some older players seemed to find their rhythm. End result: It looks like UCLA will be able to throw seven or eight D-linemen at opposing offenses, which is a good start. There's also intriguing talent at both linebacker (not a ton of depth, though) and in the secondary (far more at safety, though), with those levels led by middle linebacker Patrick Larimore and safety Tony Dye. Further, new coordinator Joe Tresey runs an aggressive attacking scheme that is probably going to be easier on the athletic, young talent that isn't salty with experience. Is this unit going to transform into the conference's top defense in 2011? Probably not. But it will be good enough to keep the Bruins in a handful of games even when the offense struggles.

Biggest reason for concern: No idea who the quarterback will be. And whether he'll stay safe.

It's not good to have nagging questions at quarterback. It's even worse to have nagging questions at both QB and offensive line, which is what the Bruins have. Whether some Bruins fans want to admit it or not, UCLA's best chance to win next fall is a healthy Kevin Prince, who was a capable passer in 2009 and did a solid job running the new pistol option game in 2010 -- recall the effort in the win over Texas -- before he got hurt. Now hear this: Prince with 12 regular-season starts would lead the Bruins to a bowl game. That happening also probably requires the offensive line playing better than expected, because only a healthy Prince is going to produce every Saturday. And there is hope on the offensive line. If the Bruins trot out their best five guys, the line will be at least average. These are, of course, two big "ifs."

Only Oregon and Washington didn't experience any staff turnover this offseason, so we're running through the staff changes for the other 10 Pac-12 teams.

Next up is UCLA , which went through considerable -- and highly public -- staff upheaval this offseason.

Team in parenthesis is where the departing coach ended up.

Out
Norm Chow, offensive coordinator/QBs (Utah)
Reggie Moore, receivers

In
Mike Johnson, offensive coordinator/WRs
Head coach Rick Neuheisel will coach QBs

Out
Chuck Bullough, defensive coordinator (Cleveland Browns)

In
Joe Tresey, defensive coordinator

Out
Todd Howard, defensive line (Washington State)

In
Inoke Breckterfield, defensive line

In
Jim Mastro, tight ends/F-backs
(A GA worked with TEs in 2010)

Reaction: Well, it was a messy offseason -- at least in terms of public perception -- as Neuheisel re-made his staff. He faces a make-or-break campaign in 2011. But at least you can say this: This is Neuheisel's staff. When he was hired before the 2008 season, his staff was in some ways forced upon him, particularly Chow and defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker. Further, the Bruins biggest question heading into spring practices is quarterback. And that's the position Neuheisel will coach. So, really -- pass or fail -- this season should provide a fair window to assess where the program is under Neuheisel. Johnson and Neuheisel know each other well from their days with the Baltimore Ravens, so they should be able to work together. The hiring of Mastro away from Nevada means that both get an expert in the Wolf Pack pistol offense who can help them incorporate however many elements they want to this season. Tresey wasn't the first choice on defense, but he's got a solid resume and likes to attack, which should be appealing to fans. Breckterfield, 33, was a star at Oregon State who might inject some fire into a unit that sometimes lacked it. Still, with this much turnover, there's a lot to get done before the Bruins visit Houston on Sept. 3.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel admitted that his nearly two months search for a new defensive coordinator was "long and exhaustive," but even the hiring of Joe Tresey has not completely ended the coaching intrigue for his team.

For one, the Bruins still have a vacancy on the defensive side of the ball after Neuheisel fired line coach Todd Howard last week. While Neuheisel said he "probably" would be looking for a defensive line coach, he and Tresey have not decided position responsibilities for 2011. Tresey is a secondary specialist but he has also coached linebackers. Presently, Tim Hundley is the Bruins secondary coach and Clark Lea oversees linebackers.

Further, Tresey is a 4-3 coach. One of the reasons Neuheisel fired Chuck Bullough in December is a stated desire to adopt a 3-4.

During a conference call Tuesday, Neuheisel said what he most wanted was "flexibility." For his part, Tresey said that his scheme is a "multiple 4-3" and that "we have the ability to play some 3-4."

Said Neuheisel, "It became very clear listening to Joe explaining his tactics that there are a lot of different ways you could go."

It is no secret that Tresey wasn't Neuheisel's first choice. Neuheisel even said last week that he "had the guy picked three times" but things didn't work out.

Neuheisel wasn't sure of the date he first interviewed Tresey -- either late December or early January -- but he then turned his primary attention to other candidates, such as Rocky Long, Vic Fangio, Randy Shannon and Rocky Seto. Part of that, he said, was a familiarity with the other candidates that he didn't have with Tresey.

"I wanted to be thorough; I didn't know Joe," Neuheisel said. "I wanted to be right."

That included Neuheisel calling Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. Kelly, while head coach at Cincinnati, fired Tresey after the 2008 season, and one of the reasons -- at least one made public -- was Kelly's desire to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Neuheisel noted that he needed to understand what he called a "a hiccup" on Tresey's resume.

"I wanted to get to the bottom why that happened," Neuheisel said. "I was comfortable after the conversation with both Coach Kelly and with Joe that there wasn't anything that would be of concern to me going forward with Joe as our coordinator. [The problem at Cincinnati] was a timing issue."

Tresey said that Neuheisel kept him in the loop on where he stood throughout the long and exhaustive search.

And, in the end, he got the job.

A lot of names have been attached to the UCLA vacancy at defensive coordinator, but the guy Rick Neuheisel tapped on Tuesday was not one of those names.

Joe Tresey, 52, a former defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and South Florida, has been named UCLA's defensive coordinator, ending a lengthy and winding search since Chuck Bullough was fired on Dec. 18.

“He has an aggressive style that forces turnovers and negative-yardage plays and I feel our players, especially our youngsters, will benefit greatly from his style of play," Neuheisel said in a statement. "He is a fine teacher and I can’t wait for him to get started.”

Tresey coached at South Florida in 2009 and Cincinnati -- under current Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly -- from 2007-08. Last year, he was the defensive backs coach for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. (Recall that Bulls coach Jim Leavitt was fired in January 2010 after a school investigation concluded he grabbed one of his players by the throat, slapped him in the face and then lied about it.)

In 2009, South Florida ranked 24th nationally in total defense (321.8 yards) and 19th in scoring defense (19.8 points) while compiling an 8-5 record. The Bulls forced 23 turnovers that season. In 2008, Cincinnati ranked 31st nationally in total defense (321.9 yards), 19th in rushing defense (115.0) and 25th in scoring defense (20.1 points).

Tresey is a secondary specialist "with a reputation for forcing turnovers and piling up sacks."

But also consider this paragraph from a Tampa Tribune story on Tresey's hire at South Florida: "Tresey was fired last month by Bearcats coach Brian Kelly, who said he had philosophical differences and was shifting to a 3-4 defense, but the move could have also been prompted by Tresey's talks with Miami."

Recall that one of the reasons Neuheisel dispatched Bullough was a desire to switch to a 3-4 scheme. Tresey is a 4-3 guy.

Here's a Q&A with Tresey, also from the Tampa Tribune.

A 1982 graduate of Ohio State, he also has coached at Central Michigan (2006), Georgia Southern (2004-05), Akron (2002-03) and VMI (1999-2001).

Before Neuheisel tapped Tresey, a multitude of coaches were touted as potential candidates, including Vic Fangio, Randy Shannon, Rocky Long, Chuck Heater, Teryl Austin, Rocky Seto, Jeff FitzGerald and Steve Brown.

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel is on a quest: "A quest to be thorough," he told the Orange County Register.

In other words, no, Neuheisel hasn't found a new defensive coordinator and, no, he hasn't made a decision on whether offensive coordinator Norm Chow will return in 2011.

So the news is this: “The process is moving forward,” Neuheisel told the newspaper.

As for the known vacancy at defensive coordinator.

Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is believed to be Neuheisel’s first choice to replace Chuck Bullough, who was fired by Neuheisel Dec. 18. Fangio worked with Neuheisel with the Baltimore Ravens and has had a strained relationship with Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

Neuheisel said he has not asked Stanford for permission to speak with Fangio.

Scott Reid did get some things out of Neuheisel.

• Reid reported that "Neuheisel said he is not waiting for Chow to find another job and has not approached UCLA boosters about donating to a fund to buy out Chow."
• As for his discussions with Chow, Neuheisel said, “I’m still playing with a lot of things in my mind as to what’s the perfect scenario.”
• Neuheisel has not decided if the Bruins will stick with a pistol offense, and that decision won't be made until after national signing day on Feb. 2.

Checking in with the news items from the weekend that was.

• The big news was UCLA, which announced the firing of two coaches: defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough and receivers coach Reggie Moore. Moreover, coach Rick Neuheisel is clearly conflicted on bringing offensive coordinator Norm Chow back: "The offense is still a place I'm evaluating and Norm as the coordinator is certainly in that category," he said Saturday. As for Bullough, Neuheisel's interest in using more 3-4 schemes on defense -- Bullough was a 4-3 guy -- might suggest he's eyeballing a coach with an NFL background. Here's the LA Times on the firings. And the LA Daily News.
• Arizona won't have co-coordinators on defense in 2011. After Greg Brown left for Colorado, Wildcats coach Mike Stoops decided that Tim Kish will be the solo defensive coordinator going forward. But that means that Stoops still needs to hire a new defensive line coach -- Mike Tuiasosopo also left for Colorado -- and secondary coach, which Brown oversaw.
• USC's defensive line, which already lost Jurrell Casey to the NFL draft, took another hit with the transfer of Hebron Fangupo to BYU. While Fangupo fell short of his early promise with the Trojans -- injuries seemed to be a constant problem -- that's a significant loss of a big body inside as a position of strength starts to thin.
• And, finally, is this guy -- the best prep offensive lineman in the nation -- back in play for a Pac-12 school?

In 2009, coach Rick Neuheisel's second season, UCLA won a bowl game and finished 7-6. That represented clear improvement from the Bruins' 4-8 finish the season before.

So that was progress.

But UCLA faceplanted in 2010, returning to its 4-8 record of two years before. Neuheisel entered the season talking about a wide-open Pac-10 and bowl hopes. At the end of the season, more than a few fans were grumbling about regression and wondering if Neuheisel was the right guy for the job.

ESPN.com is taking a look today at teams that didn't earn bowl berths in 2010, breaking down how the hopes of August were dashed by December.

What went wrong? Lots of things went wrong, but if you want to name a starting point it was quarterback Kevin Prince's inability to stay healthy -- and we're not just talking about the knee injury that ended his season. During the Bruins' 0-2 start, back and shoulder injuries prevented Prince from practicing. In fact, Prince essentially missed all of preseason camp, so he had little to no preparation going into those games in the new pistol offense. And when he did practice? UCLA looked impressive in wins over Houston and Texas, scoring 65 points in the process. But he first hurt his knee at Texas, and his return for the visit to California on Oct. 2 was a disaster. Are we saying the season would have been different had Prince been healthy for 12 games? Yes. But we're not going to re-engage in the whole Prince vs. Richard Brehaut debate, because there were plenty of other issues this season, including Neuheisel's obvious frustration with both coordinators -- Norm Chow on offense and Chuck Bullough on defense. And for good reason: The Bruins were sloppy -- their 29 turnovers were six more than any other Pac-10 team -- and statistically terrible. They ranked ninth in the Pac-10 in scoring offense, total defense and run defense. They ranked 10th in passing offense and total offense. But it didn't really become a lost season until a feeble effort at Washington on Nov. 18 became defeat No. 6. That was a team the Bruins beat last year, but the Huskies seemed more hungry to get bowl eligible after falling short in 2009. So the teams went off in different directions.

How can it be fixed? First, Neuheisel has to be confident in his coaches. And his coaches need to be confident in -- and loyal to -- him. He'd take a PR hit for dumping Chow, who's darn near an offensive coaching legend, but it's his team and it might be the right call, particularly if he wants to stick with the pistol. Question is: Can he get an A-list replacement(s)? Once the coaching staff is squared away, Neuheisel needs to turn his attention to quarterback. Is it time to move on from Prince? Just like passing accuracy, durability is a requisite quality -- in fact, one of the most important -- for a football player. But if Prince is put on the backburner, can Brehaut get his mental game together? Or is it time to just hand the keys to incoming freshman Brett Hundley this fall? Oh, and by the way, the offensive line must be rebuilt. There's some young talent on defense, but the consistency will need to take about four steps forward.

Bowling again in 2011? Just like this year, the Bruins likely will be picked in the bottom half of the conference during the 2011 preseason. The nonconference schedule includes a road opener at Houston and a visit from a Texas team that will surely be hungry for revenge. The good news on the schedule? No Oregon. If you squint hard enough at the schedule, you can see six wins. Maybe seven. More than that seems unlikely. Six might be enough for a bowl berth. And Neuheisel may need at least six wins in order to survive into season five.

The Rick Neuheisel Era at UCLA -- after just three years -- is at a crossroads. No matter how bad the injuries were, a second 4-8 finish leading the Bruins has put Neuheisel squarely on the hot seat heading into season four. His new pistol offense sputtered much of the year. His defense was weak. Both coordinators -- yes, even Norm Chow -- might not be back next year.

The Bruins started terribly, then seemed to find their stride. Then, they lost starting quarterback Kevin Prince -- who was struggling mightily in the passing game -- to a knee injury, and things mostly stunk thereafter.

The start couldn't have been worse. The Bruins lost to a mediocre Kansas State team they had whipped the year before, and then Stanford humiliated them at home 35-0. But just when they were about to be written off, they beat Houston and Texas -- before either of those teams seasons went south. A win over Washington State put the Bruins at 3-2. Then they dropped three in a row and lost Prince. He was replaced by Richard Brehaut, who could look great one moment, horrible the next.

Still, a 17-14 win over Oregon State set up a simple task for the final three games: Win two out of three over Washington, Arizona State and USC, and UCLA would go bowling. The Bruins lost all three badly.

So, for the second time in three seasons under Neuheisel, the Bruins are staying home for the bowl season, which isn't going to charm many folks in Westwood.

Offensive MVP: Running back Johnathan Franklin rushed for 1,127 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He seemed to respond well to the Bruins new pistol offense. On the downside, he continues to struggle with ball security issues.

Defensive MVP: Junior linebacker Akeem Ayers started brilliantly but fell off late. Still, he's one of the nation's most talented defenders and a likely early-round -- perhaps first round -- NFL draft pick if, as expected, he opts to bolt a year early. He had 10 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.

Turning point: The Texas win was supposed to be the turning point -- in a good way. But the 35-7 loss at California on Oct. 9 was the first of six losses in seven games, so the prevailing turning point was a downturn. Prince had originally hurt his knee at Texas but had tried to play through the pain. The California game is where his season ended; he played poorly and it was revealed afterward he needed knee surgery.

What’s next: There is a lot on Neuheisel's plate. Is he going to bring Chow and defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough back? What about other coaching changes? Are the Bruins going to stick with the pistol offense? Who's the quarterback going forward -- and can Prince, who may not be ready for spring practices, stay healthy? Neuheisel has recruited well, but he will lose a number of key players -- juniors Ayers and safety Rahim Moore are expected to enter the draft -- so it's hard to say how things will go in 2011 in the new Pac-12 South.

Who's running with a bull market? Who's battling the bears (not the Golden ones)?

Stock up

LaMichael James & Darron Thomas: Is there a better QB-RB combination in the country. No, you're wrong. There isn't.

Nduka "Junior" Onyeali: The true freshman had three sacks and forced two fumbles vs. Washington State. His name is Nigerian for "Your quarterback is in trouble."

Jacquizz Rodgers: The Oregon State running back was brilliant against California. He and James are odds-on favorites to be the first-team All-Pac-10 running backs. Wonder who ends up with more TDs? Rodgers has 16 -- if you count his TD pass -- compared to James' 15.

Stanford's defense: While it's had a couple of mediocre-to-bad games -- the Ducks gutted the Cardinal, for example -- pitching two shutouts in Pac-10 play is impressive by any measure. Kudos to first-year coordinator Vic Fangio.

Jeff Maehl: Arizona's Juron Criner is the best receiver in the Pac-10. Anyone else starting to think Maehl is No. 2?

Stepfan Taylor: Quick: Name the only Pac-10 running back who's eclipsed 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games? Here's a hint: His name is typed in bold on the left. [James officially ended up with 94 yards at Arizona State, according to Oregon.] The Stanford running back has averaged 114.2 yards per game during that span. Toby who?

Stock down

The state of Washington: Losing is one thing, but both teams getting shut out -- and blown out -- by a combined count of 83-zip? That's just yucky. Someone should send me a bushel of oysters and some Cougar Gold cheese just for having to write about it. I'm being serious -- I need those for Thanksgiving.

Jake Locker: Ever had a broken rib? One word: hurts. But the bottom line is Locker went onto the injury list as the ninth-rated passer in the Pac-10.

Matt Barkley: Barkley has played well most of the year and validated the hype that has surrounded him since high school. That said, he had poor-to-middling performance vs. Oregon, with two interceptions. He's not there yet.

Shane Vereen: Vereen was bottled up at Oregon State -- he rushed for just 53 yards for the second time in three games -- and saw his streak of 33 consecutive games with at least one reception end. He'll need to step up now that QB Kevin Riley's season ended with a knee injury.

UCLA's defense: The Bruins gave up 583 yards to Arizona after yielding 582 to Oregon. They are giving up 30.4 points per game, which ranks eighth in the conference (thanks, state of Washington!). Coordinator Chuck Bullough might be concerned that head coach Rick Neuheisel has been helping out this week.

Paul Wulff: The Washington State coach is fighting to retain his job, and the Cougars are clearly a more competitive team this year. But Wulff probably can't take too many more feckless efforts and blowout defeats after the 42-0 drubbing at Arizona State gave the Cougars their 15th consecutive Pac-10 defeat.

UCLA's must replace six starters on defense, including three first-team All-Pac-10 performers.

That is a cause for concern.

On the other hand, safety Rahim Moore, linebacker Akeem Ayers and end Datone Jones are future high NFL draft picks who provide a cause of optimism.

Although the Bruins walked away from spring practices with some questions -- particularly at two linebacker spots -- and an obvious need for some youngsters to immediately contribute, there's enough talent for them to again rank as one of the Pac-10's top defenses.

Here's what coordinator Chuck Bullough had to say.

You lost a lot of guys who saw a lot of action: Who's going to be hardest to replace?

Chuck Bullough: All of them were good. The hardest to replace? It's really different aspects. Obviously, Brian Price being such a disruptive force up front -- that's a guy you're going to miss. Then we have our two linebackers. Reggie Carter was a four-year starter, so obviously his experience, him knowing everything. He was a team leader of the defense. And obviously Alterraun Verner, who was one of the best corners to ever play here. But we have young guys who played well in spring who we hope can step up. Now, I don't know if they will be at the same level as those guys were because those guys were obviously seniors and these guys are younger. But these guys have the ability to get to that level.

How might the 2010 defense be different than the 2009 unit?

CB: We'll be a little younger. We lost those five seniors. But the guys who played this spring -- [middle linebackers] Steve Sloan and Patrick Larimore -- played really well. Replacing Kyle Bosworth at "will" linebacker we've got [Sean Westgate] and we moved a safety down there, Glenn Love, who played real well and was a real surprise of spring. They have a chance to be comparable to the guys from last year. We moved Nate Chandler over from tight end to defensive tackle. He's a big 6-foot-5, fast with great feet. Between him and David Carter and a couple of the young puppies coming in, we'll replace Brian Price. Well, a Brian Price only comes along every once in a while with his explosiveness. But these guys are good football players. The guy stepping in for Verner would be Sheldon Price. He was a freshman last year but he started as a true freshman just like Verner did. It all depends on them taking that next step and being leaders. We lost all our leadership. So I think, with the defense, it will have to be seen as to who takes over the leadership role with these guys gone, when it comes to the fall and it's time to play games, who are the leaders of the defense.

Let's go through the three levels: What are you happy with concerning your defensive line and what concerns you?

CB: We feel very good about our D-line. Obviously, we lost both our tackles, but like I said, Nate Chandler came over and played really well. David Carter has improved. Both of those guys are big bodies -- 6-5 and 6-4, 290 and both of them can run. A tackle we have coming in, Cassius Marsh, who we've been keeping in touch with, is really strong for a freshman, which is usually the problem they have coming in and trying to play Pac-10 football from high school. They aren't strong enough. But he's really strong and he's got a nasty streak. So we're expecting him to have to be in the rotation. We've got a guy, Sealii Epenesa, from Hawaii, who's a big, huge body guy. We'll have to see if he can hold up strength-wise but he'll definitely have the ability down the road. Then we have a guy named [Wesley] Flowers who's coming in. We're not sure if he's a D-end or D-tackle yet. But defensive tackle-wise, I feel pretty confident with the switch-over with Nate and having those other guys step up and grow up and the young puppies coming in and being able to help -- they probably won't be able to start -- but they will be able to help. We'll play about four tackles a game. Defensive end, we lost Korey Bosworth, but we have Iuta Tepa and Keenan Graham who made big improvements during spring. Obviously, Datone Jones should become a dominant defensive line player at tackle and end. He's taken a step up. I project for him down the road that he will be a first-round draft pick. He's that good, that big, that fast and he's really hungry. The other two guys obviously didn't play much, so when the live action starts we'll have to find out about those two. And obviously we have [Owamagbe Odighizuwa] coming in -- one of the top defensive ends in the nation. Then again, can he learn the defense? He's got the ability. But you never know until they get here and try to learn the defense. Obviously there's a lot more scheme in college. So we came out of spring feeling pretty good defensive line-wise, compared to going in. Going in we didn't know what Nate Chandler had, we didn't know what Keenan Graham had, we didn't know that Datone had made such a big jump, which he did.

At linebacker, what does Akeem Ayers need to do to become an All-American sort of player?

CB: He's a guy who should be another high-round draft pick for the NFL. He's grown with the defense and he's probably the most athletic linebacker you're going to find. He's a guy who, the more he's in the system, every year, he's gotten better. His second year, we had to play him as a nickel linebacker because he couldn't mentally handle both base and be a nickel. Those were just two different spots. Last year, he could. This year, we feel he should be even more comfortable with the defense. He should not even have to think at all. He still had to think a little bit last year, I believe, but he should just react now because he knows the defense inside and out

How do the competitions at middle and weakside linebacker stand?

CB: I've mentioned Sloan and Larimore need to battle it out next fall and Westgate and Love got to battle it out in the fall. Both are open. Both will be competitions in training camp. They have three months here to improve and we'll see in training camp. But we've got four guys who we believe can play. They did a good job in spring and showed it. Now it's just going to be a training camp battle.

Rahim Moore is already an All-American: Where can he improve?

CB: He's started for two years. He's into the system for a third year. Now his role has become that he has to be the leader in the secondary. Verner was kind of the leader last year. Now Moore has got to be the leader.

Besides Moore, tell me about what's good and what concerns you in the secondary?

CB: We feel pretty good with our two safeties. Obviously, both Tony Dye and [Moore] have both played. They've started for two years now. That's where our veterans are in the secondary and the safety position. And obviously we have Dietrich Riley coming in who's a big-time recruit who is very bright. We expect him to be able to come in and contribute and play. And we've got some guys who've got another fall to improve. We feel good about the safety position. The corners, obviously I mentioned Price before. He's a second-year starter. He's a tall guy who's gaining weight. Last year, he didn't have enough weight. He was probably 160 pounds. He was too small. But he's gained 15 or 20 pounds, I think, without losing his 10.5 speed in the 100 [meters]. He could be a special player and it's his turn to take over at corner. Then we have Aaron Hester who was a starter before he broke his leg. He's another big, tall, long-armed guy who can run like the wind. We feel comfortable with him. We have Andrew Abbott and Courtney Viney behind those two who are two savvy veterans that we feel can play. And obviously we've got a couple of freshmen coming in. We've got Anthony Jefferson and Tevin McDonald. With Tevin McDonald, we don't know if he's a safety or a corner. We also have Shaq Richardson coming in. So we have some guys there. But it's hard to know with those rookies until they actually play. If those guys can play, they will just be bonuses.

When you lose six guys like you lost, most folks think you'll take a step back. Do you think the 2010 unit can be as good as your 2009 crew?

CB: I think it will be interesting who steps up and becomes a leader. The "mike" [middle] linebacker in my defense has always been that guy. He makes all the checks. So Sloan and Larimore, one of them -- whoever it is -- has got to step up. Reggie Carter grew up into that leadership role as he got older. In spring, we saw Datone and Ayers and Rahim take up that leadership role which last year was with the older guys. Those three guys should be the leaders because they've played so much and gotten a lot of accolades.

UCLA has promoted Clark Lea from graduate assistant to linebackers coach and assigned the entire secondary to assistant Tim Hundley.

Hundley shared responsibilities for the Bruins' secondary last year with cornerbacks coach Carnell Lake, who left the staff Monday for family reasons, according to the school.

The release announcing Lea's promotion said that although defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough was officially listed as the linebackers coach in 2009, Lea, a second-year graduate assistant, "was hands-on with the linebacking corps."

“Clark is an outstanding young coach with a very bright future,” UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said in a statement. “I thought he did a fine job this past season with our group of linebackers. In addition, he is a dogged recruiter. Even though he was not allowed to go off-campus, he made a great impression on recruits and their families when they came to campus and built great relationships with several of the young men who signed with us, most notably Aramide Olaniyan.”

Lea (pronounced Lee) also coached as a Bruins graduate assistant under former defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker in 2006. In between his two stints as a UCLA GA, he served two seasons (2007 and 2008) as linebackers coach at South Dakota State and was recruiting coordinator the latter year.

In 2005, he served as an intern for the UCLA staff and also was an assistant football coach at Harvard-Westake High School.

Prior to UCLA, Lea served as an offensive graduate assistant at Vanderbilt, where he played fullback from 2002 to 2004, the final year as a graduate student.

During his collegiate career, Lea was a member of the SEC Honor Roll and an All-Academic SEC honoree. He was also a John Wooden Cup finalist, a trophy awarded by Athletes for a Better World, and a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame honoree. He earned a bachelor’s in political science from Vanderbilt in 2005 and a master's in political science from Vanderbilt in 2007.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Under new coordinator Chuck Bullough, UCLA's defense had been dominant until it slipped a bit at Stanford in a 24-16 defeat.

The Bruins, still ranked 20th in the nation in total defense and 21st in scoring defense, don't have long to lick their wounds, however. A rolling and 13th-ranked Oregon team comes to town on Saturday, and the Ducks, after a slow start, now lead the Pac-10 in scoring with 34.2 points per game.

	Reuben Canales/WireImage.com
	Chuck Bullough identified Brian Price, Reggie Carter and Kyle Bosworth as his best performers so far.

But Oregon will be without starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who suffered a bruise knee last week against Washington State. Backup Nate Costa is projected to start.

Bullough, a two-time All-Big Ten selection and second-team All-American linebacker at Michigan State University, brought a little Big Ten toughness -- not to mention a long NFL pedigree -- when he replaced DeWayne Walker as the Bruins coordinator.

So what does he think of the Bruins progress so far and how is he going to stop the Ducks' offense?

We decided to check in.

Four games into the season, what's your assessment of how the defense has played?

Chuck Bullough: We've played well. This last game [Stanford], we had a ton of mental errors. That was concerning. We don't know what that was. Since I've been here, when we start school -- and this is not an excuse -- but when we start school, we always have a bad game. We don't know why. We have a ton of mental errors the week we start school and that happened this game. Way more than the last three games. We've got to settle them down and get them playing into the scheme of things. Besides that, the defense has played well. This last game we had a bunch of mental errors on simple stuff, which was disappointing. We've got to go to the next game and get better.

Who's playing well for you?

CB: The guys who are really playing well are [tackle] Brian Price, [linebacker] Reggie Carter and [linebacker] Kyle Bosworth. The other guys are solid and haven't been bad. But the three studs so far have been Price, Carter and Bosworth. And obviously [safety] Rahim Moore, too.

Is there an area you are not happy with?

CB: Not necessarily. As I stated before, it was frustrating as coaches -- and it's on coaching -- but for some reason we had a lot of mental errors on stuff this past week that we generally don't do. Besides that, we've played well.

It appears you won't be facing Oregon's starting quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, on Saturday. How do things change for you with backup Nate Costa starting? What do you know about him?

CB: He hasn't started a game, so you kind of don't have a feel for him going into a game. He's had a couple of games where he's come in and taken some reps. But the head coach [Chip Kelly], this is his system. He's not going to change his system. He may do some things differently like they did when [former Ducks quarterback Dennis Dixon] was out two years ago -- some little things different -- but basically he kept his scheme the same. You don't want to change your whole philosophy on one injury. You've got to plan for somebody getting injured. So we'll just plan for him and then we'll see how the game progresses -- what are they doing with him that is different than what they were doing with Masoli? If that's even the case.

What's different for the Oregon offense from the early season, when they struggled, to the past three games, when they've played well?

CB: Well, they had that one game at Boise State. Boise looked like they came out to play. Not that Oregon didn't but just that watching film, Boise State really came out and played hard. But since then, [Oregon] has been on a roll. They seem like they've gotten into their groove. They looked out of their groove at Boise State but regrouped. Now they are 13th in the country. They've regained their momentum.

True or false: Oregon tight end Ed Dickson is a handful?

CB: Yes. He is tough.

How do you contain him?

CB: We've talked to coaches who have played against him and that's the one they say is tough. You've just got to make sure you don't get matchup problems with him. You've got to match the proper people on him. You've always got to be aware of where he is, because obviously he is a great tight end. You stress to the players where he is and what his strengths are and what his weaknesses are and all that good stuff. And then you've just got to play.

You're closing in on midseason running this defense, how are things different with you versus with DeWayne Walker last year?

CB: The structure is the same. If somebody was just a casual fan -- a fan in the stands watching -- it would look basically the same. I think the difference could be if you were a coach studying the film and compared it to last year, you'd say, 'OK, they're doing it this way. They're playing this coverage a little different than they did last year.' That always happens when a new coordinator has new ideas. But also we have two new guys on staff [secondary coaches Tim Hundley and Carnell Lake] who bring in a lot of knowledge. To the casual eye, it looks the same. If you were a coach studying it, you'd notice the details inside of it.

UCLA has played pretty good defense for a while now. In terms of the young talent on hand, how close are you guys to becoming a dominant unit?

CB: We feel we can be a dominant unit. We feel we have the players and we want them to feel that feeling of doing that. We've had some talent the last couple of years. We've never as a coaching staff stressed that you're not good enough. It's always about them wanting to think they can be that great. And you strive to it every week. We had a fall back this past week, but it was good for them to see when they watched films that if you play the system, we'll be fine. And if you don't, on any defense you run, you are going to be in trouble.

You're a Big Ten guy from birth. Has it been a struggle for you deal with all that horrible sunshine in Southern California?

CB: No ... especially not for my wife. We have a lot of visitors this time of year when it starts getting cold. My parents just came in. But you know, kids are the same everywhere. I didn't know anything different coming out here to California but kids are the same everywhere, especially now-a-days because of the Internet. They're all doing the same stuff. When I was growing up, it was a whole different lifestyle, but now they're all doing the same thing.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Coordinators often impact a team as much as a head coach.

Five Pac-10 teams changed one or both coordinators during the offseason for various reasons.

Here's a rundown:

California
Offensive coordinator

• Out: Frank Cignetti. Returned home to become Pittsburgh's OC after one year with the Bears.
• In: Andy Ludwig. Ludwig, who had just been hired away from Utah in December to be Kansas State's offensive coordinator, had previously followed Jeff Tedford as OC at Fresno State and Oregon.
• Skinny: Considering the Bears struggled to pass the football in 2008, losing Cignetti isn't that hard of a hit. Ludwig had an uneven ride at Oregon when Mike Bellotti wanted to reinvent the Ducks' offense, but he's respected among his peers and Utah did OK during his tenure, right?

Oregon
Offensive coordinator

• Out: Chip Kelly. Kelly just moved over into the corner office and became the head coach. He'll still call plays this season.
• In: Mark Helfrich. Helfrich, a Medford, Ore., native hired away from Colorado, learned the passing game from former Arizona State coach Dirk Koetter.
• Skinny: It will be interesting to see how this goes. Kelly is very hands on and, make no mistake, this is his offense. But Helfrich, 35, escaped a tough situation at Colorado and now can learn a spread offense from one of its maestros. Also, say what you want about his Tempe tenure, Koetter could really run a passing game, so Helfrich figures to contribute ideas.

UCLA
Defensive coordinator

• Out: DeWayne Walker. Walker, one of the best defensive coordinators in the Pac-10, not to mention an ace recruiter, was hired to right the perennially flagging New Mexico State program.
• In: Chuck Bullough. Bullough was promoted from linebackers coach, which should bring a high level of continuity.
• Skinny: Bullough, a former two-time All-Big Ten linebacker at Michigan State, will bring more fire than the laconic, cerebral Walker (though Walker always struck me as super-intense). Also, defensive bloodlines don't get much better than Bullough's. His father, Henry, an NFL defensive coordinator for 23 years, was called the "Doctor of Defense."

USC
Offensive coordinator

• Out: Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian was hired as Washington's head coach.
• In: John Morton/Jeremy Bates. Morton was promoted from receivers coach to offensive coordinator. Bates, a former quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos, was hired as assistant head coach for offense and will call plays.
• Skinny: There's a lot to work with at USC, so the expectations are extremely high for any coordinator. A fair percentage of USC fans weren't particularly happy with Sarkisian, who will call plays this fall for the Huskies. Morton ensures continuity, while Bates brings new ideas. And, of course, Pete Carroll figures to have his say, too.

Defensive coordinator

• Out: Nick Holt. Holt was hired away from USC by Sarkisian to run Washington's defense.
• In: Rocky Seto. Seto was promoted from secondary coach.
• Skinny: Carroll calls the defensive plays, so this is his defense. But Seto has been with him since he arrived at USC and has always been a Carroll favorite. In terms of personality, the boisterous Holt is very different from the mellow, spiritual Seto.

Washington
Offensive coordinator

• Out: Tim Lappano/Jim Michalczik. The affable Lappano landed on his feet as the Detroit Lions' tight ends coach.
• In: Doug Nussmeier. He was hired away from Fresno State as quarterbacks coach but was promoted to coordinator when Michalczik bolted for the Oakland Raiders.
• Skinny: Sarkisian is running the show, but Nussmeier will play a big role in helping quarterback Jake Locker transition from a spread-option to a pro-style scheme. Losing Michalczik, who did a fantastic job coaching California's offensive line under Tedford, was a blow.

Defensive coordinator

• Out: Ed Donatell. He coached the Huskies one year, and injuries and a lack of talent likely made it one of his worst in coaching. Now the Broncos' secondary coach.
• In: Nick Holt. Holt was lured away from USC by Sarkisian with the promise the Huskies' D would be entirely his. And the big paycheck didn't hurt.
• Skinny: Holt has an opportunity to earn his bona fides after working in Carroll's shadow. He doesn't have a lot to work with now, but if he and Sark recruit like crazy and build a dominant defense, like the Huskies had in days of yore, then he'll get his own head coaching gig.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Have you seen Junior's grades? 

• The NCAA investigation into USC's athletic department is building a case for lack of institutional control, according to this report.
• Fox Sports Arizona pays tribute to former Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder, who died on April 13.
• Jonathan Okanes continues his thorough review of California's spring practices with the Bears' secondary, which should be among the nation's best.
• Checking in with former Oregon star Max Unger in Seattle, and even more here on former Duck Nick Reed. Links courtesy of Addicted to Quack.
• It's too early to judge new UCLA defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough -- obviously -- but it appears he's bringing more intensity to the Bruins.
• Former Washington and Oregon quarterback Johnny DuRocher is trying to make a comeback.