2008 UCLA Bruins Football Preview

2008 UCLA Bruins season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official UCLA Bruins football preview as well as the 2008 UCLA Bruins Football Schedule. Haven't had much luck beating your bookie? This season up your chances and order Maddux's winning college football picks.

Coach: Rick Neuheisel (1st year at UCLA)
Team Name: Bruins
2007 Overall Record: 6-7
Returning Starters: 9

The UCLA Bruins (6-7 overall, 5-4 Pac-10) tied for fourth in their conference last season. They won a spot at the Las Vegas Bowl where they met BYU, losing 16-17. Coach Rick Neuheisel starts his first season at UCLA, having coached for eight years on the college level and earning a 66-30 record.

Junior college transfer Kevin Craft could fill the quarterback position. He’s third on the depth chart. The problem for the Bruins is that starter Patrick Cowan is out for the season with a torn ACL and backup Ben Olson is nursing a broken foot and looks to miss two months of off-season work. Another problem is at running back, due to the fact that probable starters Kahlil Bell and Raymond Carter are both recovering from knee surgery. Freshman Aundre Dean may see some work. The offensive line is also banged up and inexperienced. The good news is that the receiving unit is deep. WR Dominique Johnson (25 REC, 322 YDS, 4 TDs) returns as one of three major talents with experience.

The Bruin defense allowed teams 22.3 points per game, which ranked the team 29th in the nation. That’s not bad except that the team’s offense put up a measly 22.4 points per game. And this season with so much uncertainty on the scoring side of the ball, the defense will need to be even better. The team was sound against the run, ranking 14th nationally. The tackle position is solid while the weakside linebacking spot looks tough to fill. Junior Alterraun Verner (75 tackles, 53 solo) is the only returning secondary player. He’s fast and skilled.

The fact that UCLA has five swing games in its schedule says reams about how unpredictable this team will probably be. They open with four difficult to call games—against Tennessee (September 1), BYU (September 13), Arizona (September 20) and Fresno State (September 27). They also face a swing contest versus California on October 25.

UCLA is rebuilding. They have a tough schedule and many questions in major areas such as quarterback and the O-line. There are also worries concerning depth. This could be a very tough season for new coach Neuheisel. However a mid-to-low level bowl berth is possible.

UCLA Bruins Football Schedule

Date	Opponent	Home/Away
Sep 1	Tennessee	Home
Sep 13	BYU	Away
Sep 20	Arizona	Home
Sep 27	Fresno State	Home
Oct 4	Washington State	Home
Oct 11	Oregon	Away
Oct 18	Stanford	Home
Oct 25	California	Away
Nov 8	Oregon State	Home
Nov 15	Washington	Away
Nov 28	Arizona State	Away
Dec 6	USC	Home

 

For more info on the 2008 UCLA Bruins football program, view the Bruins football site or you can read about other Pac-10 teams below.