Brett Hundley Returns: A Smart Decision UCLA's Celebrating

As I said above, Brett Hundley made the right business decision staying at UCLA. You can praise him for his loyalty but Hundley isn't risking his career for that alone. He's doing it to grow as a quarterback and a leader. Applaud him for realizing that he could improve his skill set as well as contribute to something special at UCLA.

For every Matt Leinart, Jake Locker, Matt Barkley or others who come back to get burned, there’s guys like Johnny Manziel and Vince Young who improved their stock by getting better on the field. So what does this mean for the Bruins? Let's break it down.

15 Years Gone: UCLA's Downward Spiral and Uptown Revival

It's funny how rivalry week shakes out. 2007, I was at the Coliseum where UCLA got spanked by USC and Karl Dorrell's press conference sounded like a funeral of a man who would be fired soon. This year, USC changes coaches after being spanked and Jim Mora re-ups with UCLA for a longer extension.

One thing is clear. As my friend Rahshaun Haylock of Fox Sports showed in that picture above, UCLA runs the city now. It's something I thought I'd never see after 1998 and this week marks the 15th anniversary of the game that changed UCLA's fortune. The collapse against Miami.

You might remember that year as the Bruins were the first team to debut at No. 1 in the BCS. The Bruins were in the middle of a 20-game winning streak. Cade McNown was poised to be invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony and two freshman named Deshaun Foster and Freddie Mitchell (before he got hurt that year) had me excited. I had the season poster as one of my book covers.

Did I mention the Bruins had an eight-game winning streak against USC? Foster went wild that game and I remember ABC calling it "Foster's Freeze". Everything was clicking and the Bruins seemed ready for their first national title game in my lifetime.

Weekend Wrap (Pac-12 Roundup + More Links)

It was a busy sports weekend for me and while the Chargers and Cowboys handled their business, it wasn't pretty seeing my UCLA Bruins get punched in the mouth. At least USC lost to Notre Dame. Here's what I was up to.

Narbonne-San Pedro has become the most competitive high school football rivalry in the LA City Section since 2008. I covered their latest chapter, a 12-11 Narbonne win, and also contributed some postgame notes (Daily Breeze)

I also covered a lil JUCO football action at El Camino College. Tough loss for the Warriors but I ran into former Dorsey HS/USC standout Stafon Johnson, who was working with the running backs. (Daily Breeze)

My UCLA Report Card: With a nod to my tutoring roots, I graded UCLA as harsh as I possibly could because they deserved it. (UCLA 24/7)

Recapping the Pac-12 was a lot of fun this week and it just shows that there's Oregon/Stanford and everybody else. After the Top 5 teams, it's a mess. (Bro Jackson)

Also I threw in a little extra today on the first BCS poll coming out Sunday. The beginning of an American past time for the last time - hating the BCS before it goes away for the college football "playoff". (Bro Jackson)

Weekend Links!! (It's Friiiiday, Throw Your Neighborhood in the Air)

Some things for the road as we enjoy today. As usual, I'll be out on Friday Night Lights hanging at Narbonne vs. San Pedro. I've seen three absolute thrillers with both teams (twice in 08 - including the infamous tied City Final, once in 2009) so I'm excited except for the prospect of being cold out there.

Here's some last minute things to throw at you.

UCLA vs. Stanford. Biggest game for the Bruins all year and they have a much better chance of winning that I thought two weeks ago. I got your preview, breakdowns and predictions for how tomorrow will go.  (UCLA 24/7)

For the rest of the Pac-12 this weekend, visit Bro Jackson and see my preview. You might learn some things about why the conference is stronger than anybody not named the SEC.

I spread my wings a bit with the Daily Breeze this week. I covered my first water polo match and Thursday, I covered my 2nd cross country match. Check out those videos on the side cause those were shot by yours truly.

And if you missed that piece I wrote here on Steve Bartman and how we wrongfully label folks goat and chokers, here you go. Enjoy the weekend.

Recapping UCLA/Utah and Week 6's Pac-12 Preview

Happy Friday everyone. Couple of quick links and then I'll let you enjoy your weekend. I got a couple of prep assignments this weekend so stay tuned on my Twitter for the links and what not.

1st link of the day: My report card for UCLA's narrow victory over Utah at UCLA 24/7. The Bruins exorcised a few demons having not won in their last two trips to Salt Lake City and their defense led the charge with six interceptions.

Hat-tip to Brett Hundley doing it all with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown, as well as a punt. Also props to Myles Jack showing why he'll be a Freshman All-America team candidate with the game-saving INT and tipping a pass to lead to another. I rarely call linebackers ballhawks but he's turning into one.

Link 2 looks ahead to Saturday where I preview the remaining four Pac-12 games at Bro Jackson. The best games are in the evening with Arizona State/Notre Dame and Washington/Stanford. Part of me wants Washington to upset the Cardinal but since the Cardinal haven't lost at home since 2011, it might not happen but it'll be a good close game.

Also, it could be validation why I rank Stanford ahead of Oregon. If Stanford wins, they would've beaten one very good team in Washington and another in Washington Sate. Oregon hasn't gotten to the meat of their schedule yet.

Video Soul: Recapping UCLA and USC

Regretfully I took a week off from making my weekly videos. Unless I get sick or crazy busy, I'll try to be better with it. Anyways, here's my thoughts on UCLA and USC.

Late kudos to UCLA for fundraising to build a new football facility. It's long overdue and it finally shows that the school is committed to building up their football program to a level it demands. One more strike to show recruits they are committed to winning them over and Jim Mora that they want him to keep building something.

As for USC, I'm still trying to burn that second half out of my mind. It's fitting they're heading to the desert because just like Walter White, I feel like that's where their failures will catch up to them. Arizona State's got something to prove and I think Will Sutton and that defense will be licking their chops to see the mediocre Trojan offense.

For more of my Pac-12 reactions, check out my weekly roundup over at Bro Jackson

Monday Afternoon Links (Recapping Evan's Week of Work)

Some housekeeping notes. I'll be posting a video with thoughts on USC followed by longer thoughts at Bro Jackson in a seperate post but I forgot to give you all the weekly link recap. For new readers, every week, I'll post all my links from my last week of work in one place so you can check them.

Oh and the Pac-12 roundup will be featured tomorrow along with the USC links. Til then, enjoy.....

On Brett Hundley's Heisman trophy chances as the season progresses (UCLA 24/7)

My videos on UCLA's Week 1 win and USC's Week 1 suspect performance (YouTube)

Peninsula HS coach Mike Christensen returns to the South Bay with shutout win (Daily Breeze)

Redondo girls volleyball loses season opener in five sets to Mater Dei (Daily Breeze)

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin deserves more credit for his handling of Johnny Manziel (EB Sports Report)

College Football Wrap (Pac-12 Notes and Videos)

I have more thoughts over at UCLA 24/7 where I did my weekly notebook but safe to say there were a lot of positives to take from a great win. Looks like the Bruins are back where they left off and if that offensive line can force their will, expect to see Brett Hundley in the Heisman chatter.

There's no doubt in my mind who the more confident, best team is in Los Angeles right now. Now for a few Pac-12 notes.

As I wrote in my Bro Jackson piece, beware the underrated backfield of Keith Price/Bishop Sankey of Washington. They torched Boise State without All-American tight end Austin Sefarian-Jenkins so imagine what they'll do with him.

Nice to Oregon State crap the bed against Eastern Washington but props to QB Vernon Adams, who almost singlehandedly whipped the Beavers. Several of my colleagues remember him as a dual-threat QB out here at Mission Hills Alemany so I'm happy he got payback against a conference that didn't recruit him.

My biggest concern was seeing how De'Anthony Thomas would handle a bigger load, something he hasn't done since high school. Well Saturday, the Black Momba showed he could (18 carries) that he's improved running between the tackles and he can make the small runs as well as the explosive ones.

Friday Links and New Announcements

Friday Night Lights is upon us once again (Photo by Evan Barnes 8/29/2013)

Just some housekeeping for you guys. I've gotten a little busier around these parts writing for other sites so while I may not be posting here as frequently, I decided that on Fridays, I'm gonna roll out all the links in one place so that you can see them.

First up, I started a new interim gig with UCLA 24/7 covering the football team so I'll be posting there about 2-3 times a week. 2nd, I'm also sharing my talents with the good folks at Bro Jackson helping them with Pac-12 football coverage as well as their wide variety of topics. My friend Shane is the publisher and I've been a fan of their writing for a while so I'm happy to join their stable of great writers.

Oh yeah, I'll still be on the scene for Friday Night Lights for the 7th fall in a row, my 4th with the Torrance Daily Breeze. So I'll be bringing you those prep football links on Monday (or Friday if I cover a Thursday game) as well as share some good news with you regarding them next week.

Without adieu, the links and images (after the jump.)

Pac-12 Football Preview: UCLA's Encore

UCLA and USC will be opening up fall camps this week to get ready for the 2013 season. To get ready, I'm doing a two-part preview of both schools assessing strengths and weaknesses, key players to watch and my outlook this year. I'll also do a brief follow-up before the season kicks off on August 31. First up, UCLA.

UCLA's 2012 season was one to remember. It wasn't just the best season the school had since 2005, it was a renewed optimism that the program was headed in a positive direction and could stay there. What Jim Mora Jr. did last year was more than wins and losses as he created an identity and attitude that programs could build upon for years to come.

Last year, they finished 9-5 and won the Pac-12 South Division. For the first time since 1998, they had a better record than USC, who they defeated 38-28 for the first time since 2006. While they lost three straight to end the season, including twice to Stanford, there was reason to be optimistic about the road ahead.

Four Bruins were drafted, including first round selection Datone Jones and second rounder Johnathan Franklin, both to Green Bay. So what's next for Year 2 under Mora? Improvement and more of the same to get even better. High expectations as they were the media pick to win the Pac-12 South division.

"We're not where we want to be but we have a vision of where we want to be," Mora said at Pac-12 Media Day.

Andrew Abbott: Chasing the NFL Dream

During the 2013 NFL Draft, 254 men saw their dreams fulfilled as they got to hear their name called on stage. It was the culmination of years of hard work and success to get to that point.

For those whose names weren’t called, like UCLA defensive back Andrew Abbott, the dream had to wait as they face the uphill task of trying to make it as a rookie free agent or pursue other options.

After being invited to the Minnesota Vikings’ rookie minicamp, Abbott left without a contract. Since then, he’s been training with ProActive Sports Performance – whose clients include Larry Fitzgerald and others – and doing his best to stay ready for if a team calls him.

“I’m in the mindset of train, train, train,” Abbott said during a phone interview. “I feel like I had a pretty good college career to where I have enough film to be on the radar of NFL teams where if they need me, they’ll call me.”

Johnathan Franklin: Definition of a Dorsey Man

Most people know Johnathan Franklin as The Mayor, the nickname he earned at UCLA when he showed he had political aspirations and a desire to improve the city he loved. For me and others, I know Franklin as Jet Ski and a kid wise beyond his years.

Franklin's going to be drafted in the second or third round today as one of the first running backs off the board. His journey to the NFL was different than Robert Woods because while Woods was an HS All-American, Franklin had to work a bit harder to get there.

Back in 2007, I saw Dorsey play to get a glimpse of their safety Rahim Moore, one of the top recruits at his position. But Franklin got my attention as well as he ran for over 200 yards and helped Dorsey win. I hit him up right away and arranged for an interview over the weekend. It's still one of my favorites just because I was amazed at how mature he was.

(Photo by Evan Barnes)

He talked about inspiring kids to not seek the gangbanging lifestyle as well as thinking about how he would give back to his area. Growing up in the notorious Jungles (for my non-LA folks, that area in Training Day where Denzel Washington did most of his work), he was inspired to not just make it out but encourage others to do the same. Guided by his faith, he spoke like a 22-year-old at 17.

Welcome to L.A. - Steve Alford/Andy Enfield Have Work to Do

I have a message for new UCLA coach Steve Alford and USC coach Andy Enfield. If you want to last here in Southern California, you need to work hard to keep the best players here. Be a presence and make your program attractive to the players first - then the fans will come. But I'm torn on them both.

Alford's a good hire because he wins in the regular season. Alford's a bad hire because he's flopped in the tournament with his best teams (3 No. 3 seeds bounced early). Enfield's a good hire because his style of play is fun to watch and lets guys plays. Enfield's a bad hire because he's inexperienced as a head coach despite his experience as an assistant in the NBA.

So time will tell. Let's see what happens in 2-3 years when their recruiting pays off. In the meantime, my friend and colleague Rahshaun Haylock reports on Steve Alford's opening presser over at Fox Sports West.

Oh and Reggie Theus might be the most sleeper hire a team can make this year. Cal State Northridge did a fantastic job taking a chance on a coach who knows the LA prep scene and can definitely recruit solid kids to a solid program. 

Here's a fine feature on Theus from Jason Lewis, my successor as Los Angeles Sentinel Sports Editor.

A Few Words on Ben Howland's Firing

To nobody's surprise, Ben Howland got his walking papers barely 48 hours after seeing UCLA lose by 20 to Minnesota in the first second round of the NCAA Tournament. It's a long time coming.

First things first, I give Howland credit as the most successful coach since John Wooden in terms of getting to 3 Final Fours. He also made critical adjustments to turn this season around and open up the offense to benefit his personnel. I also believe that if Jordan Adams didn't break his foot against Arizona, we might be having a different conversation.

That said, I grew up in the Steve Lavin era where Sweet 16's and great recruiting classes were an annual occurrence in Westwood. I watched Baron Davis fly around, Earl Watson drop dimes and Jason Kapono light up the court. So my standards aren't Wooden-esque, it's about creating a program where people want to add to the legacy, not just come on reputation.

I admitted before the season that Howland's job was at stake depending on how this season went. Once Tyler Lamb and Josh Smith transferred, it was only a matter of time. 12 players in total. transferred under his watch and it appeared that the most promising season in 5 years was heading into the drain before he changed it up.