UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince’s wait is nearly over
By Blair Angulo
Aug. 31, 2009 1:34 a.m.
Kevin Prince thinks about his upcoming debut and can’t help but smile.
After all, he has always dreamed of walking through the tunnels at the Rose Bowl wearing UCLA’s powder blue jerseys. He attended Bruin football games alongside his parents for as long as he can remember, yet Prince admits that even the lifelong familiarity won’t prepare him for what he’s sure to feel on Saturday. The redshirt freshman quarterback, who has quickly earned the reputation for being poised beyond his age, does not know if he’ll be able to contain himself once he takes his position under center in the Bruins’ season opener against San Diego State.
“We’ll see,” Prince said with a smirk on face. “It will be surreal because it’s something I’ve always dreamed of.”
Most notably, though, will be Prince’s long-awaited return to the field. The 19-year-old has not played in a meaningful game since injuring his knee in the first quarter of the first game of his senior season at Crespi High two years ago today. Prince was so devastated by the season-ending injury that he did not know whether he’d ever play again.
“It’s really a blessing that I’m even here,” he said. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
Prince took a redshirt last season, something he said he absolutely needed. Physically, Prince still had doubts about the stability of his knee. Mentally, he did not have a firm grasp of Norm Chow’s complicated offensive scheme.
“I don’t necessarily think I was ready to go (last year),” Prince said. “The redshirt gave me time to watch and then do it myself. I wasn’t thrown into the fire.”
Prince, who beat out senior Kevin Craft, true freshman Richard Brehaut and eventual-transfer Chris Forcier during Spring Practice, will become UCLA’s first freshman to start a season-opener with Saturday’s start since Bret Johnson in 1989. Named as the team’s starting quarterback shortly thereafter, Prince erased any lingering doubts with a solid showing throughout Fall Camp, which he said was a direct result of the work he and receivers, like senior Terrence Austin, put in during the summer.
“Once I hit a certain step, I know to turn and (Prince is) there on time with the ball,” Austin said. “His timing is really good.”
Sophomore receiver Nelson Rosario said that Prince has been really consistent for the most part.
In the short time as labeled starter, Prince has shown both glimpses of his potential greatness and of his relative inexperience.
Coach Rick Neuheisel, a former signal caller, has generally been impressed but has not been shy about voicing his displeasure when Prince commits mistakes.
“Kevin has done a great job,” Neuheisel said following a recent practice. “I just want him to be more urgent about learning what defenses do so that he’s ahead of them rather than him trying to catch up to them as the ball is snapped. You can’t play that way.”
And before Neuheisel continued, he paused and took a second to think about the reality of the situation.
“He’s doing fantastic, I mean, he’s a freshman,” he added.
Despite the pressures that come with being “the future,” Prince views his coach’s criticism in a positive way.
“He sees potential in me, at least I’m hoping,” Prince said of Neuheisel. “When coaches yell at you it only means they care; it means they want you to get better.”
That’s exactly what Prince, Neuheisel and Chow want UCLA’s passing offense to accomplish this season. The Bruins ranked sixth in the conference last season with just over 200 passing yards per game. Then-quarterback Kevin Craft set a school record with 20 interceptions.
A key factor in Prince’s performance will be the play of a revamped offensive line, which has shown improvement from a year ago. Perhaps the most critical components of the line are true freshmen Xavier Su’a-Filo and Stanley Hasiak, who are slated to start on the left side ““ Prince’s blind side.
“Of course I think there’s a little bit of pressure protecting his blind side,” Su’a-Filo said. “But I’m confident that we’ll be fine.”
Prince doesn’t seem concerned either.
“If they weren’t ready for it they wouldn’t be there,” Prince said of the young linemen. “The coaches trust them, I trust them. They’re going to get the job done for us.”
The first indication will come Saturday, not with Prince cheering from the bleachers or holding a clipboard on the sidelines, but taking the snaps as UCLA’s starting quarterback.
