Quarterback Kevin Prince

These were not your 2008 UCLA Bruins. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince didn't find a red-faced Coach Rick Neuheisel in his face on Saturday, arms flailing as if he were attempting liftoff. The offensive line provided holes to run through, rather than digging them. Bruins fans left the Rose Bowl murmuring sounds of content. There was such a different feel to UCLA's 33-14 victory over San Diego State that defensive players even complained a little about their offense keeping them off the field.

UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin paused to sign a few autographs before slipping through a door leading to the locker room. Quarterback Kevin Prince was next, stopping to pose for a photograph with kids before he too disappeared into the recesses of AT&T Park. The last two Bruins were off the field, and neither looked back. What UCLA was this season -- disappointing, inconsistent -- the Bruins were again Saturday in a 20-14 loss to Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel got to good news quickly enough following the Bruins' spring scrimmage. "On the bright side, I think the first-team defense is growing fast," Neuheisel said. "They run like a Pac-10 team. They fly around like a Pac-10 team." The trick now is to give the defense a Pac-10 offense to practice against. That remains the chore, as a herky-jerky performance at the Rose Bowl demonstrated.

There was a moment during UCLA's game against Washington State when two paths joined. Coach Rick Neuheisel was running out of time. Quarterback Kevin Prince was running out of chances. In a fan vote that October night they would have been the two most disliked people at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins trailed in the third quarter and Neuheisel pulled Prince aside. "He said, 'I trust you, you need this and I need this,' " Prince said. "Both our futures were looking a little, uh, hazy.

The "pistol" offense can be effective in the Pacific 10 Conference. Proof came Friday night during Nevada's 52-31 victory over then-No. 24 California. Quarterback Kevin Prince, sequestered in a hotel with the rest of the UCLA football team, watched that game on television — and took notes. "[Nevada quarterback] Colin Kaepernick was pulling the ball out and running quite a few times," Prince said. "When we learned the offense, I didn't think the quarterback should be running a lot. But I saw how it helps keep a defense honest.

UCLA's football players bounded into a circle early Saturday afternoon and soon began shouting, jumping and fist pumping like barbarians. Inside that circle, a few at a time slammed into each other in a series of loud collisions as the result of the Oklahoma drill, which the Bruins used to mark the first day of spring practice in pads. But the old-school, mano a mano setup may be something the Bruins should hold off on since the injury bug took more than a nibble out of the team's roster last season.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince came to the sideline, slipping past the pats on the back. He went to a red phone, talked to offensive coordinator Norm Chow, then listened to what Coach Rick Neuheisel had to say. "It's up to you to win this game," Neuheisel shouted. The game was put in Prince's hands with 44 seconds left -- and ended with him on the ground, unaware that his final pass had found wide receiver Taylor Embree, who was stopped well short of the goal line. Oregon State players whooped it up after holding on for a 26-19 victory Saturday at Reser Stadium.

The up and down UCLA Bruins found their way back up Saturday night against California at the Rose Bowl. The last time UCLA played, more than a week ago at Arizona, the Bruins lost by 36 points. But the one thing the Bruins have going for themselves is that they haven't lost two games in a row this season ?- and they haven't won two in a row, either. The victory over California improved the Bruins to 4-4 overall, 3-2 in Pacific 12 Conference play. California dropped to 4-4 and 1-4. UCLA was good on offense and defense in overpowering California.

Fullback Chane Moline seems to be making the most of his last few college games. Moline scored on runs of two, seven and 16 yards -- his only carries -- in UCLA's 43-7 victory over Washington State, becoming the first Bruin to have three touchdowns runs since Maurice Drew in 2005. "I have only two, maybe three games left in a UCLA jersey," Moline said. "I'm happy get the opportunities." Moline scored on a one-yard run against Washington the previous week, as the Bruins turned to him to handle short-yardage situations.

UCLA needs two victories to get to the Pac-12 Conference title game. Step one is Saturday against a Colorado team that is next to last in the South division. Staff writer Chris Foster examines the game's issues and matchups: Grudge match? There has been a lot of chatter considering these two universities have played football against each other only six times. The Bruins and Buffaloes have not faced each other since 2003, long before any of the current players were in college.

UCLA linebacker Glenn Love squirmed a little when reminded that the Bruins have spent four seasons getting back to same spot they occupied in 2007. "No program is perfect," Love said. "Other programs mess up. It's not just ours. " The Bruins got a look at one of those other programs Saturday. Colorado came to the Rose Bowl and lived down to expectations in a 45-6 UCLA victory. The easy win secured, the Bruins could let their eyes wander to next Saturday, when they play USC for a chance to go to the Pac-12 Conference title game.

UCLA needs two victories to get to the Pac-12 Conference title game. Step one is Saturday against a Colorado team that is next to last in the South division. Staff writer Chris Foster examines the game's issues and matchups: Grudge match? There has been a lot of chatter considering these two universities have played football against each other only six times. The Bruins and Buffaloes have not faced each other since 2003, long before any of the current players were in college.

The up and down UCLA Bruins found their way back up Saturday night against California at the Rose Bowl. The last time UCLA played, more than a week ago at Arizona, the Bruins lost by 36 points. But the one thing the Bruins have going for themselves is that they haven't lost two games in a row this season ?- and they haven't won two in a row, either. The victory over California improved the Bruins to 4-4 overall, 3-2 in Pacific 12 Conference play. California dropped to 4-4 and 1-4. UCLA was good on offense and defense in overpowering California.

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.

Quarterback Kevin Prince took one last snap, and took a knee. UCLA fans cheered. Prince had been on the shelf -- where many fans preferred him to be -- the previous three weeks. He had been watching since Texas intercepted three of his passes Sept. 17, two after he'd separated his left shoulder. The Bruins lurched along without him. By late Saturday evening, Prince's shoulder seemed fine and his standing with Bruins fans rehabilitated. Prince led a frantic fourth-quarter rally that may have salvaged UCLA's season.

Reporting from Houston — UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince, no stranger to injuries, suffers a concussion in the second quarter. This is Prince's second concussion; he has also had knee surgery, a broken jaw and a separated shoulder. The sequence has become all too familiar. One moment, UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince is in the game; the next, trainers are talking to him on the sideline. Prince left Saturday's 38-34 loss to Houston in the second quarter, after being flipped during a tackle by Cougars defensive back D.J. Hayden . Prince suffered a concussion and will be reevaluated Sunday.

There are many ways to describe how completely UCLA dominated in a 43-7 victory over Washington State on Saturday. Nick Crissman, the Bruins' fourth-string quarterback, got in the game for the first time ever. Walk-on punter Danny Rees was allowed to kick, another first. And guard Jeff Baca was already thinking about his stomach before he entered the locker room, spying the postgame feed and squealing, "ooooh, smoothies." But nothing showed how much fun the Bruins were having at Martin Stadium than senior linebacker Reggie Carter's rebellion when he refused to leave the field with the game in hand early in the fourth quarter, forcing the Bruins to call a timeout.

A great morning evolved into a decent day for UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince . Prince had "maybe as good a practice as he has had," according to Coach Rick Neuheisel , on Wednesday morning. The follow-up was a solid afternoon effort. He had a long touchdown pass to tight end Joseph Fauria and several crisp completions. "The ball was flying where I wanted it to go," Prince said. "Ball placement is key, especially in tight spaces down in the red zone where we were working today.

UCLA concluded spring practice Saturday night at Drake Stadium with a scrimmage that looked nice against an evening sunset but settled nothing at the quarterback position. Next stop is fall, to the backdrop of Tom Petty's song "Into the Great Wide Open. " Four UCLA passers combined to complete 23 of 45 passes for 185 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. Photos: UCLA spring practice scrimmage Please, though, don't draw any conclusions. Kevin Prince, last year's starter, didn't participate as he recovers from knee surgery.