http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/teams/ucla_bruins/570 Recent articles about UCLA Bruins en-us OMAHA, Neb. -- Never has a team swinging metal bats produced so few runs through two College World Series games yet found itself in such an enviable position. These UCLA Bruins are proving that in this day and age of college baseball, pitching and defense, more than ever, can be a winning formula. It showed again Tuesday night in the Bruins' 2-1 victory over North Carolina State. That, by the way, was the same score of UCLA's Sunday night win over LSU. "It's Bruin baseball," coach John Savage said. "Sometimes it's grueling, and it's tough to watch, I'm sure. Our kids hung in there. We were opportunistic. It's like walking a tight rope, that's for sure." The Bruins' four runs so far are the fewest by a team that won its first two games in Omaha in the metal-bat era. The previous record was six, by Eastern Michigan in 1976 and South Carolina in 1977. Arizona State scored three runs while winning its first two games in 1972, but that was in the days of wood Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:31:54 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_edges_nc_state_2_1_at_college_world_series/13867838 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_edges_nc_state_2_1_at_college_world_series/13867838 UCLA edges N.C. State 2-1 at College World Series http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucla_edges_nc_state_2_1_at_college_world_series/13867838 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png OMAHA, Neb. -- Never has a team swinging metal bats produced so few runs through two College World Series games yet found itself in such an enviable position. These UCLA Bruins are proving that in this day and age of college baseball, pitching and defense, more than ever, can be a winning formula. It showed again Tuesday night in the Bruins' 2-1 victory over North Carolina State. That, by the way, was the same score of UCLA's Sunday night win over LSU. "It's Bruin baseball," coach John Savage said. "Sometimes it's grueling, and it's tough to watch, I'm sure. Our kids hung in there. We were opportunistic. It's like walking a tight rope, that's for sure." The Bruins' four runs so far are the fewest by a team that won its first two games in Omaha in the metal-bat era. The previous record was six, by Eastern Michigan in 1976 and South Carolina in 1977. Arizona State scored three runs while winning its first two games in 1972, but that was in the days of wood Wed, 19 Jun 2013 04:31:54 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_edges_nc_state_2_1_at_college_world_series/13867841 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_edges_nc_state_2_1_at_college_world_series/13867841 UCLA edges N.C. State 2-1 at College World Series http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucla_edges_nc_state_2_1_at_college_world_series/13867841 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Welcome to the Fallout - Sunday news and notes. The Impression That I get. A Bruins Nation blogger gives his opinion of UCLA head football coach Jim Mora Jr. after hearing him at a UCLA on the Road event, saying "I strongly believe that after years of futility, UCLA finally has a football coach who has a vision and plan." The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little longer. Pat Dooley tries to explain which team are moving to which conferences, and when they're going. (The Gainesville Sun) Charles in Charge. Drew Roberts profiles Boise State offensive tackle Charles Leno. (One Bronco Nation Under God) Spencer for Hire. Drew Roberts profiles Boise St. offensive guard Spencer Gerke. (OBNUG) North by Northwestern.  Rodger Sherman profiles Northwestern OT Kenton Playko. (Sippin' On Purple) Recruiting Nothing But Flowers.  Florida high school rising senior quarterback Quinton Flowers commits to South Florida&#... Sun, 16 Jun 2013 06:58:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/the_fallout_jim_mora_jr_johnny_manziel_recruiting_and_more/13845905 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/the_fallout_jim_mora_jr_johnny_manziel_recruiting_and_more/13845905 The Fallout: Jim Mora Jr., Johnny Manziel, recruiting, and more. http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/the_fallout_jim_mora_jr_johnny_manziel_recruiting_and_more/13845905 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/d/adbae7d1b9b4ab1efc42fd5af8a7b21bb3ab6647/mini/6802514.jpg Earlier in the week, Dave told you about USC’s recent offer to an 8th grade WR. Not to be outdone, crosstown rival UCLA is getting in on the act by offering 8th grade QB Lindell Stone from Texas. Per Yahoo! blog Prep Rally, the Bruins were sufficiently wowed by Stone at a regional Elite 11 competition to offer him a scholarship before he’s even taken one high school snap. Well, that and the need to one-up USC and steal whatever headlines they can. This is all getting out of hand. People that get into following recruiting have all manner of cliches and canards about what makes a good recruiter. They’ll tell you that being a good recruiter means being a good talent evaluator. Being a good talent evaluator means you can identify hidden gems before other recruiters, and get ‘em on board early and lock ‘em down. That sounds really good, and maybe even logical. By that rationale, being first in on middle schoolers is something every coach should seek to be. Unfortunately, that’s not how i... Thu, 13 Jun 2013 16:40:12 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_offers_8th_grade_qb/13829609 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_offers_8th_grade_qb/13829609 UCLA offers 8th grade QB http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucla_offers_8th_grade_qb/13829609 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora is currently living the dream in Los Angeles. Here he is surrounded by more UCLA Pi Beta Phi sorority girls than one could shake a stick at. Mon, 10 Jun 2013 20:53:21 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/photo_a_jim_mora_ucla_sorority_girl_sandwich_life_is_good_for_the_bruins_head_coach/13806419 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/photo_a_jim_mora_ucla_sorority_girl_sandwich_life_is_good_for_the_bruins_head_coach/13806419 Photo: A Jim Mora – UCLA sorority girl sandwich, life is good for the Bruins head coach http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/photo_a_jim_mora_ucla_sorority_girl_sandwich_life_is_good_for_the_bruins_head_coach/13806419 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/d/adbae7d1b9b4ab1efc42fd5af8a7b21bb3ab6647/mini/6802514.jpg UCLA defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa will sit out the 2013 season after surgery on his right hip Tuesday. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. Odighizuwa, who will be a junior this fall, underwent surgery on his left hip during the off-season and did not participate in spring practice. He started experiencing pain in his right hip before spring practice began. The loss is significant, as Odighizuwa was ticketed to replace Datone Jones at defensive end. Jones was a first-round draft by the Green Bay Packers last month. Odighizuwa saw considerable time last season, finishing with 44 tackles. He had 3.5 sacks and recovered two fumbles. Odighizuwa's injury hurts a defensive front that has struggled to remain healthy since the season ended. Nose tackle Ellis McCarthy sat out spring while recovering from minor knee surgery. Defense end Sam Tai was also limited, as he was still recovering from a knee surgery that forced him to miss the 2012 season. Nose tackle Brandon Tuliaupupu will miss the 2 Tue, 14 May 2013 15:27:11 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_de_odighizuwa_to_sit_out_2013_season/13616708 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_de_odighizuwa_to_sit_out_2013_season/13616708 UCLA DE Odighizuwa to sit out 2013 season http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucla_de_odighizuwa_to_sit_out_2013_season/13616708 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/b/bb87cd66967f5b5cfddeb9d39a8a449f0e3f78c1/mini/6563800.jpg Charles Drakes words to his longtime friend Courtney Morgan were powerful. Concise. Convincing. Also, some of the last words he heard his best friend speak. He told me do it! Morgan recalls the conversation the two had at Ladera Park in the spring of 2012. His friend told him, If I had the opportunity, I would do it. Just do it, no matter what you have to do. You know how it is in sports, you have to come in from the bottom. At the time Morgan, who spent six years working in sales, was debating giving up nearly everything to pursue an opportunity in the UCLA football department as a coaching intern, a position he wound up taking in April 2012. Less than six months after that conversation, Drake died unexpectedly at the age of 30. Morgan was crushed. The two had been friends since their freshman year at Westchester High School. They were teammates during an era in which the Comets became known for more than just their basketball exploits as they guided the football team through one of the bright eras Fri, 10 May 2013 19:51:51 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/football_is_more_than_a_game_for_uclas_morgan/13593425 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/football_is_more_than_a_game_for_uclas_morgan/13593425 Football is more than a game for UCLA's Morgan http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/football_is_more_than_a_game_for_uclas_morgan/13593425 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png UCLA cornerback Marcus Rios had dreams of shutting down Pac 12 wide receivers and locking horns with USC wide receiver Marqise Lee. Rios now will be in for the fight of his life. The L.A. Times is reporting that Rios will miss six months and probably the whole season with a rare and deadly fungus infection in his sinus area. Rios reportedly has undergone six surgeries to remove the infection since last October. He will undergo another surgery in the next two weeks. Rios told the L.A Times that “it’s very rare. Only 12 people have ever had it and eight of them have died. Two others recovered and then died later.” It started as a sinus infection last October,” Rios said. “Then they found the fungus infection behind my eye and beneath my brain.” “It’s very rare. Only 12 people have ever had it and eight of them have died. Two others recovered and then died later.” Rios has spent much of this off-season in and out of hospitals. He is currently taking antibiotics through a peripherally i... Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:08:37 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_cb_marcus_rios_to_miss_2013_season_with_deadly_fungal_infection/13514771 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_cb_marcus_rios_to_miss_2013_season_with_deadly_fungal_infection/13514771 UCLA CB Marcus Rios To Miss 2013 Season With deadly Fungal Infection http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucla_cb_marcus_rios_to_miss_2013_season_with_deadly_fungal_infection/13514771 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Instead of enjoying his college years, UCLA cornerback Marcus Rios is dealing with a rare and deadly fungal infection that will probably sideline him for the year. Sun, 28 Apr 2013 16:19:15 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/uclas_marcus_rios_diagnosed_with_ultra_rare_deadly_fungal_infection/13506257 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/uclas_marcus_rios_diagnosed_with_ultra_rare_deadly_fungal_infection/13506257 UCLA CB has deadly infection http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/uclas_marcus_rios_diagnosed_with_ultra_rare_deadly_fungal_infection/13506257 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/8/58120a13982472fcf344845f17a6e09aa3295f6c/mini/153103301.jpg UCLA defensive back Marcus Rios is out six months and likely the season because he is battling a rare sinus infection. Rios has undergone six surgeries since October for the infection, the Los Angeles Times reports. They say he will have another operation in two weeks. Rios told The Times’ Chris Foster how deadly the disease can be. “It started as a sinus infection last October,” Rios said. “Then they found the fungus infection behind my eye and beneath my brain. “[The infection is] very rare,” Rios told The Times. “Only 12 people have ever had it and eight of them have died. Two others recovered and then died later.” Rios played nine games last season as a freshman but experienced migraine headaches before having surgery. He has been in and out of hospitals the entire offseason and has been currently taking antibiotics. He thinks he is out for the season. Despite the infection, Rios seems to be in good spirits. He took a picture with Sure West Sports’ Mike Finnerty at UCLA’s spri... Sun, 28 Apr 2013 04:53:17 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_db_marcus_rios_has_rare_deadly_infection/13503803 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/ucla_db_marcus_rios_has_rare_deadly_infection/13503803 UCLA DB Marcus Rios has rare, deadly infection http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/ucla_db_marcus_rios_has_rare_deadly_infection/13503803 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png P. Diddy’s son, Justin Combs, has been committed to the UCLA football program for well over a year now. Like most other high school athletes who are recruited to play a sport in college, the cornerback received a full scholarship from the Bruins. Unlike most others, he didn’t need the full ride. Obviously, P. Diddy has enough money to pay for his son’s college tuition. The fact that Justin accepted the scholarship has led to a great deal of criticism, but Diddy said his family has not been bothered by it. “I wasn’t annoyed at all,” Diddy told E! News at a WWE Hurricane Sandy fundraiser on Thursday. “I kind of welcomed it, because if he’s going to be doing what he’s doing, if he’s going to be in the city of L.A., he has to be able to handle the pressure. So I thought it was a great learning tool for him to be humble, handle it and go out there and prove himself on the field and prove himself at school.” In a certain sense, I see Diddy’s point. Everyone loves to complain about how celebr Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:38:59 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/p_diddy_welcomed_criticism_of_son_justin_combs_accepting_ucla_scholarship_offer/13354771 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/p_diddy_welcomed_criticism_of_son_justin_combs_accepting_ucla_scholarship_offer/13354771 P. Diddy welcomed criticism of son Justin Combs accepting UCLA scholarship offer http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/p_diddy_welcomed_criticism_of_son_justin_combs_accepting_ucla_scholarship_offer/13354771 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Football pads where a beautiful sight to Malcolm Jones, who put them on for first time in eight months in UCLAs first full-pad spring practice on Saturday. It was a happy moment for the UCLA running back who at one point during his hiatus from the Bruins thought he might never wear them again. Being away from the game for eight months like I was, it makes you realize a lot about life and what football really means to me, Jones said. Jones was once a highly-touted running back out of Oaks Christian. He was a Gatorade National Player of the Year and was thought to be a cant miss prospect and big recruiting get for then-UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. But following two lackluster seasons in which he rushed for only 313 yards and one touchdown, as well as a handful of coordinator and position coach changes, Jones was fed up. Behind Johnathan Franklin and Damien Thigpen on the depth chart last season, he played in one game before calling it quits. Jones made what he called a mistake to transfer. Hed been Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:54:39 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/rb_jones_returns_to_ucla_after_calling_it_quits/13345711 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/rb_jones_returns_to_ucla_after_calling_it_quits/13345711 RB Jones returns to UCLA after calling it quits http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/rb_jones_returns_to_ucla_after_calling_it_quits/13345711 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png For those who follow college football (like we know all of you do), it’s no secret that this past season UCLA had quite a bit of success under a first-year, former NFL head coach in Jim Mora. Ironically however, had the sands of time shaken out a little differently, Mora might’ve never gotten the UCLA job at all last winter, and instead the Bruins might be led by a current NFL head coach as we speak.   That head coach is John Harbaugh, who had a nice little evening for himself on Sunday, leading the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl to a Super Bowl victory. But according to a very candid interview with CBS Sports’ Clark Judge following the game, before Harbaugh was ever offered the Ravens job he very nearly ended up as the UCLA head football coach instead. According to Harbaugh he finished second to Rick Neuheisel in the search process in 2007, a tough break for a career assistant who wondered if he’d end up with any head coaching job, at any level. It’s also safe to say that... Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:24:28 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/john_harbaugh_was_nearly_named_uclas_coach_in_2008/12835129 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/john_harbaugh_was_nearly_named_uclas_coach_in_2008/12835129 John Harbaugh was nearly named UCLA's coach in 2008 http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/john_harbaugh_was_nearly_named_uclas_coach_in_2008/12835129 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/1/3/13eda4d91453d42625d1db9545628bce8df5eaba/mini/Baltimore_Ravens_v_06c5.jpg Last week I was lucky enough to interview one of the best defensive ends in the Pac-12, UCLA’s Datone Jones. The Bruin isn’t necessarily a household name, but he continues to produce and grab attention of more scouts each week. The impressive end remains one of the best-kept secrets in this upcoming draft. Clearly I’m not the only one to think so. Sports Illustrated Tony Pauline says NFL Scouts have “raved” about the performance by UCLA senior DE Datone Jones this season. (Rotoworld) Pauline noted, “…Teams love his size, speed and upside. They are infatuated with the flashes of brilliance he’s shown at times this season.” Last season Jones led the Bruins in tackles for loss (6.5) and sacks (three), and this year the DE has only improved in Jim Mora’s 3-4 scheme, as he has been instrumental for the UCLA defense with his certain knack for disrupting the backfield. Heading into the Stanford game, Jones currently ranks second on the team with 13.5 tackles for loss including four sacks.... Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:53:08 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/q_a_with_ucla_de_datone_jones/12284644 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/q_a_with_ucla_de_datone_jones/12284644 Q&A With UCLA DE Datone Jones http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/q_a_with_ucla_de_datone_jones/12284644 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/e/8/e85a567581c86d8b82d0f05183f08b1dfb808249/mini/1e.jpg Johnathan Franklin had a huge day (28 carries, 160 yards and 2 touchdowns) as the UCLA Bruins beat USC in the battle of LA. After scoring the final touchdown for UCLA, Franklin, rightfully so, was given an excessive celebration for his throat slash gesture. Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:21:40 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/uclas_johnathan_franklin_throat_slashes_crowd_after_td_against_usc/12238408 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/uclas_johnathan_franklin_throat_slashes_crowd_after_td_against_usc/12238408 UCLA’s Johnathan Franklin throat slashes crowd after TD against USC http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/uclas_johnathan_franklin_throat_slashes_crowd_after_td_against_usc/12238408 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/9/5/95af47da2aea04386af79848cc35fa7ca493a02b/mini/jf.jpg Just in case you thought UCLA was only courting Cordell Broadus because of his famous father, think again. Back in June, we passed along a story saying UCLA had offered a scholarship to Broadus, who was a sophomore-to-be at the time. UCLA coach Jim Mora said at the time he had no idea Broadus was the son of famous rapper/entertainer Snoop Dogg when he offered him the scholarship. Whether you believe that or not is up to you, but what’s not debatable is whether other top programs see the talent in Broadus. Max Preps’ Sean Ceglinsky had an excellent feature on the 6’2″ wide receiver/defensive back last week, and in his article he notes that Broadus has received interest from other big schools. Ceglinsky says Broadus was recently offered a scholarship by Duke, and that the youngster has heard from Florida State. Broadus’ coach at Diamond Bar High (Calif.) raved about the wide receiver/DB’s work ethic to Ceglinsky. Broadus says he got his work ethic from his father. Broadus added to... Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:44:49 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/snoops_son_cordell_broadus_has_received_interest_from_florida_state/12084466 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/snoops_son_cordell_broadus_has_received_interest_from_florida_state/12084466 Snoop's son draws interest from FSU http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/snoops_son_cordell_broadus_has_received_interest_from_florida_state/12084466 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/a/6/a63bca79246f967d0abed3f6823ccccdfe27b0a9/mini/cordell-broadus-2.jpg Since taking over at UCLA last December, new head coach Jim L. Mora has been known for one thing: His near-maniacal intensity. That intensity led to him throwing his own team out of practice in summer camp. It led to him kicking the media out of practice last week. And it has also led at least in part to UCLA’s 4-1 start. Mora’s intensity has been credited for a newfound toughness on the Bruins roster this season, a toughness that they simply never had in years past. Unfortunately though, it also seems as though Mora took that intensity one step too far last week, and in the process may have created some uneasy tension between he and the entire UCLA athletics department. That’s because on Monday morning, noted the Los Angeles Times T.J. Simers released a column in which he further detailed last week's incident where Mora apparently not only kicked the media out of practice, but berated a UCLA Sports Information assistant, in the process. Even worse, it came in ... Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:21:56 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/mora_sets_bad_example_in_latest_incident_with_ucla_sid/11854087 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/mora_sets_bad_example_in_latest_incident_with_ucla_sid/11854087 Mora sets bad example in latest incident with UCLA SID http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/mora_sets_bad_example_in_latest_incident_with_ucla_sid/11854087 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png