Reggie Carter

UCLA has had a rough time with the Mountain West Conference recently. That is expected to change today, as oddsmakers have installed the Bruins as a 19 1/2 -point favorite over San Diego State. The Aztecs have a new coaching staff and are coming off a 2-10 season, but UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel leaned heavily on coach-speak throughout the week when asked about playing San Diego State in the opener. "This is a great coaching challenge," he said, adding, "After last season, we're not in a position to take anyone lightly."

UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter sits in front of his locker on game day, his ears filling with lyrics and his eyes filling with tears. His teammates see the intensity build. I gotta thank the Lord that you made me There are no words that can express how I feel Ya never kept a secret, always stayed real And I appreciate how ya raised me And all the extra love that you gave me Carter tries to live every day as he was taught by his mother, but game days are when the Tupac Shakur song "Dear Mama" really lights a fuse.

As UCLA's football team opens official practice today in preparation for its Sept. 5 opener against San Diego State at the Rose Bowl, here's a look at the positions where there is the most -- and least -- competition for playing time: Jobs open Offensive line: The only thing more in need of reshaping is the U.S. auto industry. Center Kai Maiava has a role. Everyone else has to audition -- with good reason. Last season, the Bruins couldn't run block or pass block. Runners averaged 2.6 yards a carry, and quarterbacks were sacked 35 times.

Some feelings were hurt when UCLA was picked to finish seventh in a preseason poll about the Pacific 10 Conference football race. Well, in a word, that's progress. The Bruins finished eighth last season, Rick Neuheisel's first as head coach.

With two minutes remaining against Arizona State last week, UCLA linebacker Reggie Carter huddled the defense together, alerting his teammates that they were on pace to hold the Sun Devils to the fewest yards since the Bruins gave up 42 to Arkansas in the 1989 Cotton Bowl. "It was just something to push the guys to finish," said Carter, knowing a 34-9 defeat was looming. "With the game lost, some may hang their heads low because it was all over. But we still had something we could accomplish."

PROVO, Utah -- Mano y mano didn't work out very well for UCLA on Saturday. The Bruins' plan was to disrupt Brigham Young's offense by playing cornerback Alterraun Verner on Cougars wide receiver Austin Collie. Collie had 10 catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-0 BYU victory. And Verner was left with no choice but to admire Collie's handiwork. "I knew he would do curls, but I didn't think he would do so many as he did in the beginning," Verner said. "He runs good routes and the one thing that surprised me was his catching ability.

PROVO, Utah -- Relentlessly optimistic ran into harsh reality Saturday. There may come a day when the football monopoly in Los Angeles is over, but for now UCLA has enough trouble passing "Go." An embarrassing 59-0 loss to Brigham Young was a big indication of that, and left first-year Coach Rick Neuheisel offering up his favorite catch phrase in a different light. "We're going to test 'relentlessly optimistic,' " Neuheisel said after UCLA's worst loss since 1929. "But we knew it would be tested."

Offense As a preseason primer, rent "The Money Pit" with Tim Hanks and Shelley Long. Watch it. Suffer through it. UCLA fans, you're ready for the season. The Bruins' offense could be an equally unpleasant remake about Coach Rick Neuheisel rebuilding his dream house. The Bruins have good people in place on offense, but the best and the brightest will be wearing headsets, not helmets -- offensive coordinator Norm Chow and line coach Bob Palcic. Everything comes down to the offensive line.

For the past two weeks, "Rocky Top," the Tennessee fight song, has periodically blared over the loudspeakers at UCLA's practice field, a not-so-subtle reminder that the Bruins' season opener was approaching. The music stopped Thursday -- partly because of a power failure at the facility -- but the Volunteers were not far from the thoughts of those on the field. UCLA went from theory to practical application in preparing for its Sept. 1 season opener against Tennessee at the Rose Bowl.

Reggie Carter, banished from the Saddleback lineup because of fumbles earlier this season, took advantage of a second chance Saturday. He scored on an 89-yard kickoff return and a 16-yard run to help Saddleback to a 21-11 victory over Golden West in Mission Conference Central Division game at Orange Coast. The victory broke a two-game losing streak for Saddleback (3-3, 1-1 in the division). Carter fumbled three times, all of which led to touchdowns, as Mt.