The return of Prince is likely near
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince returned to practice Tuesday.
By Andrew Howard
Oct. 6, 2009 11:18 p.m.
For three weeks, Kevin Prince could not eat solid food.
Since suffering a fractured jaw in the UCLA football team’s 19-15 win over Tennessee on Sept. 12, the redshirt freshman quarterback has had his jaw wired shut, limiting him to liquids only.
So when the wires were taken out this weekend and Prince finally ate solid food, he decided to make his first meal a special one: prime rib at Lawry’s.
So how was it?
“It was the best meal I’ve had in three weeks,” Prince said.
A day after his steak Prince returned to practice Tuesday, taking the majority of the first-team reps.
While he has yet to be officially cleared to play when the Bruins (3-1, 0-1 Pac-10) host No. 13 Oregon (4-1, 2-0) on Saturday, Prince said he is preparing as if he will play.
And if Tuesday’s practice was any indiction, Prince will start for the Bruins on Saturday.
“I thought he was pretty good,” said coach Rick Neuheisel of Prince on Tuesday. “He still gets a little bit long in his stride and then his accuracy diminishes a little bit. I like Kevin. I think we’ll wait and see what the X-rays say (today) but I think he’s ready to play.”
Prince admitted that he was not perfect in his first practice, noting that his touch is not there quite yet. But he emphasized how great he felt to be back out on the field.
“I missed it. It was three weeks but it felt like an eternity,” Prince said. “It sucks. I’ve been injured before in high school and I’ve had to watch seasons go by, and it was nice at least to still be able to play this year. Only missed two games and hopefully I don’t miss this one.”
Prince’s injury is unique in that he was able to run and throw while he was out, something he said was key.
“I think it’s critical,” Prince said. “You get so little time to prepare for the game during the week, and I wouldn’t be in the right shape that I needed to be in. My throws are still a little off, I’m getting my touch back slowly. But I wouldn’t be nearly where I am right now if I didn’t get to be able to practice a little bit.”
Sophomore wide receiver Taylor Embree was impressed with Prince’s timing in his first practice since the injury.
“I thought he did really well,” Embree said. “He had some pretty good timing, especially after being out for so long.”
Prince looked crisp when he completed six-of-eight passes in the final 11-on-11 drills. But there were also signs of rust, with Prince missing on a few deep passes.
All told, Prince said he was pleased with his performance.
“It’s not going to be perfect on the first day out after three weeks,” he said. “I’m anxious to get going but I’m not freaking out that if things didn’t go exactly the way I wanted them. I’ll get the touch back by Saturday if I get to play.”
Richard Brehaut gets second-team reps
While Prince returned to the practice field with the first-team, freshman quarterback Richard Brehaut practiced with the second-team offense, ahead of redshirt senior Kevin Craft. Craft, who started the two games that Prince missed, was third string, mostly relaying signs to the quarterbacks during practice.
After practice Neuheisel said he simply wanted to get Brehaut some reps and that he does not want to be tied down to anything in particular.
NOTES:
Senior cornerback Alterraun Verner and redshirt junior fullback Tobi Umodu missed practice with the flu. Neuheisel said both would return today. … Redshirt junior offensive lineman Brandon Bennett suffered a left knee sprain. … Freshman defensive back Stan McKay suffered a right knee sprain.
