Quarterback While coaches may say that this is
one of the positions up for grabs and that they won’t name a
starter until the week of Colorado State, it is Cory Paus, back for
his fourth and final season, who has a stronghold on the starting
role. While Paus has shown no ill effects from the thumb injury of
a year ago, he has been susceptible to injuries and stretches of
poor play, and as such, put a sense of importance on the No. 2
spot. It appears to be a two-way battle between redshirt freshman
John Sciarra and true freshman Drew Olson, with Olson having a
slight edge in terms of overall skill. UCLA’s other heralded
true freshman quarterback, Matt Moore, still appears raw, but is
loaded with long-term potential.
Running Back Fans got a look at the future when
DeShaun Foster went out last year, and Akil Harris and Manuel White
had to step out. Harris has good speed and agility, while White, at
6-foot-3, 230 pounds, uses his strength and power to push forward.
The two are so close in the race for the starting spot that head
coach Bob Toledo has said that he is willing to use both on the
field at the same time. Should they need a break, a trio of
talented redshirt freshmen ““ Tyler Ebell, Wendell Mathis and
Jason Harrison ““ are waiting in the wings. At fullback,
sophomore Pat Norton has firm hold on the job ““ except when
White is being paired with Harris ““ and has shown himself to
be tough-nosed, hard blocker.
Wide receiver A unit absolutely decimated by
injuries a year ago, the core of the group returns, losing only
Brian Poli-Dixon. Junior Tab Perry and sophomore Craig Bragg both
possess good speed and size, and will start at the flanker and
split end positions. Junior Ryan Smith, who had a breakout season
last year, and freshman Junior Taylor, who has good explosiveness
and big-play potential, will provide the starters with respites.
Fifth-year senior Jon Dubravac will try to come back from injuries
that forced him to take a year off.
Tight End If ever there was a position that has
almost too much depth, tight end is it. Mike Seidman returns for
his senior year, and will be one of the top tight ends in the
conference, if not, the country. Freshman Marcedes Lewis, at
6-foot-7, 240 pounds, is so talented that Toledo plans to utilize
him at wide receiver as well. Keith Carter was last year’s
scout team most valuable player, and Blane Kezirian is the only
tight end beside Seidman who saw playing time last year.
Offensive Line The offensive line comes back
almost entirely intact, losing only C Troy Danoff to graduation.
The bookends ““ senior tackles Mike Saffer and Bryce Bohlander
““ may be the best pair of tackles in the nation, and both
have started the last 23 games together. At guard, sophomore
Eyoseph Efseaff will start, while Steven Viera and Shane Lehmann
battle it out for the other guard spot. The race to replace Danoff
was severely changed when John Ream and Collin Barker both had to
quit football due to injuries. As a result, both Paul Mociler and
Mike McCloskey are in the mix for the starting center position. For
depth, UCLA has a trio of redshirt freshmen in Ed Blanton, Matt
Mosebar, and Robert Cleary that allows the Bruins to go two-deep
across the line.
Defensive Line Preseason All-American junior
Rodney Leisle is set at one defensive tackle position, while Sean
Phillips, Steve Morgan and junior college transfer Ryan Boschetti
vie for the other tackle spot. Dave Ball, who started all 11 games
last year, seems pretty entrenched at one defensive end spot, while
any one of three players ““ Mat Ball, Rusty Williams or Asi
Faoa ““ will step into the other defensive end role.
Linebacker The linebacking corps loses Pac-10
Defensive Player of the Year Robert Thomas and fellow NFL draftee
Ryan Nece, but does return senior Marcus Reese and junior Brandon
Chillar. Reese is the heir apparent to Thomas’ spot in the
middle, while Chillar will man the strongside linebacker spot. For
the weakside spot, look for redshirt freshman Spencer Havner or
junior college transfer Patrick Pierre-Louis to step up. True
freshman Justin London has impressed coaches during preseason
practice, which could shake things up.
Defensive Back The strength of the defense lies
here, and it starts with All-Pac-10 CB Ricky Manning, Jr., who is
emerging as the new leader of the defense. Both safeties from last
year are gone, so Toledo has moved freshman sensation Matt Ware to
free safety, his position in high school. The other safety spot
will be between junior Kevin Brant, sophomores Ben Emanuel and
Jibril Raymo, and true freshman Jarrad Page. Manning, who has been
first team All-Pac-10 for the past two years, returns for his
fourth season as the starting UCLA cornerback. The other position
has a four-way battle between Joe Hunter, Matt Clark, Marcus
Cassell and Keith Short. All have had their moments during camp,
and it will likely be a battle that comes down to the Colorado
State kickoff.
Special Teams PK Chris Griffith and P Nate
Fikse are back for their fourth and final season together. Both are
among the top in the country at their positions, and Fikse is a
contender for the Ray Guy Award for the top punter in college
football. Should either Griffith or Fikse go down, sophomore Chris
Kluwe is capable of filling in.
Bruce Tran