Bruins Offense

I turned on the UCLA-Washington game at the start of the second half and I was soon struck by two things. First, it appeared the UCLA offensive game plan consisted entirely of plays that could gain only about two yards. Second, it looked as if TBS was experimenting with special effects during its broadcast. Somehow, it had the UCLA quarterback moving in slow motion, while every other player moved at full speed! MICHAEL STEINER Newport Beach Now we know why UCLA wasn't ranked.

Taylor Mazzone , UCLA's offensive graduate assistant, has spent the last three years in the family business. Noel Mazzone , his father, is the Bruins' offensive coordinator. And Taylor never forgets his No. 1 duty. "Someone had to babysit him," he said. The acorn doesn't fall too far. TIMELINE: College football 2012-13 bowl schedule Noel Mazzone, in his first season at UCLA, has mixed play calling with the occasional wisecracks. His son seems determined to follow that path.

What's new with the UCLA football team? For starters, there's a new offensive coordinator, Steve Axman. He is replacing Homer Smith, who has gone on to the pros. Axman was the quarterback coach and offensive coordinator at Arizona for five years and also coached the offensive line at Stanford. Here, he will tutor the quarterbacks, call the plays and have a lot of input into the design of the offense. Coach Terry Donahue promises, though, that the Bruin offense will undergo few major changes.

The mutual admiration society in Westwood thrives these days. UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley finds joy in putting the ball in running back Johnathan Franklin's hands. "Sometimes I'll hand off, do little quick fake, then turn and watch him run," Hundley said. Franklin loves watching Hundley on film, viewing him as a combination action star and comedian. "I always laugh at him when he tries to hurdle people or when he dives around; it's hilarious," Franklin said, adding, "What he does on Saturdays is amazing.

In the wake of UCLA's close call against Concordia -- a 62-61 victory at Pauley Pavilion Wednesday -- Coach Ben Howland and his team had some thoughts about backcourt play, perhaps the most troubling aspect of a bumpy night. The Bruins looked disorganized on offense for much of the game, unable to establish a rhythm against smaller, quicker defenders. Even after timeouts, they failed to execute several sets in the final minutes. Fans might have been reminded of the loss at Washington last season.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince never saw the guy coming. He was making a dash for the sideline in the season opener when Houston's D.J. Hayden sent him head over heels. Prince suffered a concussion and a separated shoulder. UCLA quarterback Richard Brehaut has no idea who landed on him. He cut up the middle for five yards last week and a Washington State player plopped down on his left leg. Brehaut hobbled off with a broken bone in the leg. The Bruins' "pistol" offense may need a warning label: Can be hazardous to your quarterback's health.

UCLA receiver Jerry Johnson appears ready to rejoin the Bruins offense. Sore ribs prevented him from playing against Utah and limited him to one series against California. “He will helps us,” Mora said. “We use a lot of guys. It's not uncommon to have 11 different guys catching the ball. We need to do that and I don't think we did that last week.” UCLA had six receivers catching passes against Utah. The Bruins used three first-year freshmen at receiver -- Kenneth Walker, Jordan Payton and Devin Fuller.

UCLA's Kai Forbath is tied for first nationally in field goals with 12. That's not necessarily a good thing for the Bruins. Both UCLA and Stanford were perfect in the red zone Saturday, going four for four. Stanford, though, scored three touchdowns in the 24-16 victory Saturday. The Bruins settled for three field goals. Continuing that seven-three split will make it hard to pick up strikes in the Pacific 10 Conference. The Bruins are averaging 22 points per game. Only Washington State, at 15 points per game, ranks below them in conference.

UCLA has a pretty good place among the Pacific 10 Conference's muddled masses . . . first. Of course, first place includes 40% of the conference, with two other teams lurking one game back. But the Bruins walked away from Pauley Pavilion after surviving against Stanford, 77-73, with their fourth victory in five games. "We're just a good team," freshman Tyler Honeycutt said. That may be enough to be dominant in the Pac-10 this season. Trouble is, everyone else can claim that as well.

For half of its first game, UCLA was half a football team. The Bruins turned back Tennessee after an 11-play drive ended in a missed field goal . . . And two plays later, the defense was back on the field. The Volunteers were denied again . . . And three plays later, the defense was back on the field. So went the Bruins' yin-and-yang first half in a 27-24 overtime victory. The offense handed over the ball, with four passes intercepted. The defense held, yielding only one touchdown.

UCLA receiver Jerry Johnson appears ready to rejoin the Bruins offense. Sore ribs prevented him from playing against Utah and limited him to one series against California. “He will helps us,” Mora said. “We use a lot of guys. It's not uncommon to have 11 different guys catching the ball. We need to do that and I don't think we did that last week.” UCLA had six receivers catching passes against Utah. The Bruins used three first-year freshmen at receiver -- Kenneth Walker, Jordan Payton and Devin Fuller.

UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who just last year held the same position at Arizona State, won't be fanning any flames this week. His current quarterback protégé, Brett Hundley, can help UCLA become bowl eligible in October for the first time since 2005 if the Bruins can win Saturday at Arizona State. But standing in the way are the Sun Devils, who also have a prolific first-year starter at quarterback. Taylor Kelly, a redshirt sophomore, was groomed by Mazzone the last two seasons.

UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone won't have to look far to find old friends Saturday. He can just glance across the Rose Bowl field to the Houston coaching staff. Cougars Coach Tony Levine was a graduate assistant under Mazzone at Auburn. Running back coach Ken McClintock was a running back at Minnesota when Mazzone was a Gophers' assistant. Wide receiver and special teams coach Jamie Christian was on staff with Mazzone at Arizona State. "I learned everything from them," Mazzone said.

UCLA running back Dalton Hilliard swung out of the backfield, caught a short pass and turned it into a quality gain during practice Saturday. The idea of running backs as eligible receivers is essential to offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone's philosophy. But in recent seasons, the thought was treated at UCLA as if it might bring NCAA sanctions. "This is definitely different than our old offense," running back Johnathan Franklin said. "This is going to be a great opportunity to get the ball in space.

UCLA's fourth spring football practice ended near dusk Tuesday, and as the field began to empty, a 310-pound offensive lineman began sprinting, thundering sideline to sideline in a sweat-soaked shirt. Xavier Su'a-Filo is trying to shake loose the cobwebs from two years away from football, when the sophomore offensive lineman was on a Mormon mission. He's also trying to adjust to an offense with a tempo he described by snapping his fingers three times in quick succession. "It's no-huddle, you've got to constantly be going," he said.

Noel Mazzone, UCLA's new offensive coordinator, never got around to watching game tapes to see what quarterbacks he inherited. No reason, he said. Mazzone had only a few short meet-and-greet conversations with Kevin Prince and Brett Hundley, and even fewer with Richard Brehaut, during his first two months on the job. This is a new era around Westwood, and at first pass it has a laid-back look, right down to Mazzone's T-shirt and goatee. All he's missing is a flannel shirt and Nirvana CD. Then, with the voice of a general, Mazzone paraphrases George Patton: "A simple plan, finely executed today, is better than a perfect plan executed next week.

The offense took the field. In a game, a delay of game penalty would have followed. The offense lined up. Guard Eddie Williams jumped before the snap. UCLA's first team had not even run a play during Friday's scrimmage and it was already 10 yards in the hole. By the end of Friday's scrimmage, things had smoothed out a little. There were improvements. "We scored a touchdown, that's an improvement," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. But there were enough problems to prompt Coach Rick Neuheisel to say that the offense is on schedule, but, "I think guys realize we are not game-ready yet. I think that's a call to arms over the weekend while they get a little rest."

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince rolled to his right on a surprise naked bootleg with time running out against Tennessee on Saturday. He was clobbered in the end zone by defensive back Dennis Rogan for a safety. Assessing the play after the game, Coach Rick Neuheisel said, "The only thing I lost was 40 seconds." As of Sunday, add his quarterback to that bill. Prince underwent surgery Sunday to wire shut his jaw, which had two fractures on the right side, according to a source not authorized to talk publicly.

Reporting from Salt Lake City -- UCLA's "pistol" offense had been efficient and lethal in back-to-back victories over California and Arizona State. On Saturday, the Bruins merely seemed bewildered in a 31-6 loss to Utah. UCLA finished with 295 total yards. Quarterback Kevin Prince labored through his worst game since the 49-20 loss to Texas on Sept. 17. The Bruins had six false-start penalties and a delay of game. Prince had two passes intercepted, one returned for a touchdown.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince never saw the guy coming. He was making a dash for the sideline in the season opener when Houston's D.J. Hayden sent him head over heels. Prince suffered a concussion and a separated shoulder. UCLA quarterback Richard Brehaut has no idea who landed on him. He cut up the middle for five yards last week and a Washington State player plopped down on his left leg. Brehaut hobbled off with a broken bone in the leg. The Bruins' "pistol" offense may need a warning label: Can be hazardous to your quarterback's health.