As camp ends, Mora is uncertain of reserves but confident about starters

SAN BERNARDINO—In his high school years, Jim Mora once denied himself a thrilling evening, staying home from a Led Zeppelin concert he had tickets to after hearing rumors that the decibel level from the band’s guitarist would be loud enough to crack the roof of the Kingdome, the former home of the Seattle Mariners.

That same uncertainty characterized the Bruins’ first stay at Cal State San Bernardino a year ago, also Mora’s first year as the team’s head coach. His quarterback, offensive line and much of the rest of his team’s starting units were yet to be determined.

A year later, despite losing 11 starters, Mora feels more confident in the ability of his first team. On a roofless practice field and with his starting 22 mostly solidified, the new concern, Mora said, is trusting UCLA’s reserves.

“There’s less uncertainty about who our starters are and what they’re capable of doing,” Mora said. “Still, the uncertainty lies in the backups and depth. I think a lot of young guys … are going to figure into our depth, and I think that what we saw in these last two weeks is a really good freshman class and getting them up to speed so that if we need them to play, they can play.”

Much like rock and roll in its early stages, these young Bruins, 9-5 last season, have been successful but could always use some fine-tuning.

Quarterback Quick Hits

Listed at 222 pounds heading into fall camp, redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley showed even more size, arm strength and ability in San Bernardino over the last two weeks than in his breakout freshman season.

A year after having to compete with Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut for a starting job until the middle of camp in 2012, Hundley appeared more relaxed and poised, even stopping every now and again during team downtime to try to hit UCLA football’s new camera drone helicopter out of the sky.

“There’s a lot more for me to focus on other than winning a starting job and I feel a lot more comfortable knowing the job is mine,” Hundley said. “Now I can focus on the things I really need to focus on, like being the best quarterback I can.”

He’s also helping a freshman quarterback, a title he held two years ago, along the way. Asiantii Woulard, who said he has only started 21 games in his football career, has shown he has big-time potential in his first camp, but has plenty to improve on from a decision-making standpoint and could benefit from taking a redshirt year, Hundley said.

“I would say (redshirting) was probably the best thing to ever happen to me,” Hundley said. “That redshirt makes so much of a difference, because next year he’ll be able to come in as a freshman and still maybe have another year to grow.”

For now, the focus for Hundley will remain on the little things, including sliding, a seemingly small part of a demanding quarterback job that gave him slight trouble last season.

“He’s athletic, so you don’t want to take that game away from him because he’s so creative on his feet,” said quarterbacks coach Taylor Mazzone. “At the end of the day, you want to protect him as well, so Coach Mora and I work on making sure he slides more in practice.”

Tackling O-Line Depth

A young, deep set of talent along the offensive line won left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo’s praise throughout fall camp in San Bernardino. The All-American junior noted the line’s considerable talent and utility in lessening the number of repetitions experienced by the starting unit.

“More bodies helped immensely. When we have two different lines, it’s easier for (offensive line) Coach (Adrian) Klemm to concentrate on the film and correct what we were doing … wrong,” Su’a-Filo said. “I think that keeping us fresh helps us have a better, more productive practice.”

Su’a-Filo has taken offensive tackle Kenny Lacy under his wing, praising the freshman as a “great pass blocker” with room for improvement. He also named Caleb Benenoch as a noteworthy, strong freshman offensive lineman, and was impressed with the way Benenoch handled himself when taking reps with the first team offense as a guard and tackle.

Su’a-Filo demonstrated his own capabilities at left tackle at times in San Bernardino, receiving reps at left tackle after Simon Goines hyperextended his right knee earlier in the week. He did not miss a beat Saturday morning, using his arm extension and quick feet to keep senior outside linebacker Anthony Barr away from Hundley.

“Of course, I loved playing left tackle,” said the 305-pound Su’a-Filo, who normally plays guard. “It’s always fun being out there in space and getting to compete against (senior defensive end) Cassius Marsh and Anthony Barr every day. It’s a great opportunity for me to improve and help them improve.”

Injury Report

·Freshman wide receiver Eldridge Massington had a minor finger infection but should return to practice Monday.

·Freshman offensive tackle Poasi Moala will return Monday, and Mora said there’s “a chance” freshman offensive guard Alex Redmond will see the field in UCLA’s first fall camp practice in Westwood as well, after both experienced concussion-like symptoms last week.

·Redshirt sophomore offensive guard Ben Wysocki will return Monday, per Mora, while he is “hopeful” fellow redshirt sophomore offensive guard Kevin McReynolds will return to team drills as well.

·Redshirt junior inside linebacker Eric Kendricks returned to team drills Friday night, and Mora said he will do “quite a bit more” on Monday.