Photo by Lori Shepler
Rahim Moore, left, leads fellow UCLA defensive backs Tony Dye and Aaron Hester out to Spaulding Field for practice. The talented freshman is schedule to start in the Bruins' opener against Tennessee.
The two faces of UCLA safety Rahim Moore were on display Saturday.
Moore took a pass away from receiver Marcus Everett for an interception during UCLA's scrimmage.
"Athletically, he can do it," defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said.
Moore wandered from his assignment during one of the many times a Bruins' quarterback scrambled from the pocket.
"I almost ran on the field and socked him," Walker said.
Freshmen. Can't live with them, can't live without them, or at least this one.
Moore is ticketed to start against Tennessee in the season opener Sept. 1. He is the biggest question in a secondary that needs some answers. With Bret Lockett suspended for the first game, it didn't take Walker hours in the film room to decide Moore was his best option.
But freshmen will be freshmen.
"He's going to have to come on some more these next two weeks," Walker said. "On that one play, fortunately we sacked the QB. If not, it is a wide-open touchdown. It's just little high school mistakes."
As for whether he could accept some freshman-like mistakes, Walker said, "I can't have that in a game."
Moore has been the best of a talented group of freshman defensive backs - Tony Dye, Aaron Hester and E.J. Woods. He has spent the last two weeks taking an Evelyn Wood speed-reading course on college football.
"The college level is hard," said Moore, who was ranked third nationally among defensive backs by Rivals.com. "Not so much the plays, but the players. They are bigger and faster.
"Coach Walker told me straight up, 'Rahim, there is going to be a lot thrown at you. I'm going to be doing a lot of things to you.'
"I've been going through this since I was in the 10th grade. This is not overwhelming, but it is challenging."
He can expect more challenges. Certainly, Tennessee will throw a few at him Sept. 1. The Vols are breaking in a quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, but he completed 12 of 18 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown during Tennessee's scrimmage Saturday.
Moore can expect to have a target on his jersey.
"For a young kid, I feel sorry for him because he's all that we got," Walker said. "He's good enough to come through. But we have to try to protect him a little bit and get him through this first game."
Moore won't be one and done. Walker said he would use him as one of three safeties he'll rotate, along with Lockett and Aaron Ware.
Coach Rick Neuheisel said he would like to have a decision on a quarterback done this week, though all indications point to junior Kevin Craft, a community college transfer.
While consistency has been lacking in Craft's performance and the junior tends to rush things at times, Neuheisel said "he's still ahead" after Saturday's scrimmage.
"I'm out there (on the field), I hear what's happening in the huddle," Neuheisel said. "I hear some of the confusions, so I'm closer to it."
"I felt comfortable the whole time," said Craft, who completed eight of 18 passes and had three passes intercepted. "After a couple snaps, I relaxed a little more and got into a rhythm."
UCLA's practices will be closed to all but local media, recruits and family members of players beginning Thursday.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Memorable moments in Pat Summitt's…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 16
OrangeAppeal writes:
Some good opportunities for play action and pump fakes.
F
I
R
S
T
hcjournals#206623 writes:
L
O
S
E
R
S
Volomatic writes:
w
a
s
t
e
o
f
c
o
m
m
e
n
t
s
p
a
c
e
VOLatile writes:
gimme a chance, super! 4th not LAST
VOLatile writes:
guess that would be 5th
VOLume writes:
UCLA aint Cal. Were gonna crush 'em.
VOLatile writes:
Cal was a west coast wake-up call!
VOLume writes:
UCLA aint Cal.
ibvolman writes:
It is good to hear your opponent's best QB tends to rush things, and seems somewhat satisfied with a 3 INT performance in a scrimage. Berry and Vincent may have career games come Sept 1.
andy112382#209793 writes:
Is the average age of people commenting on here, what, 5 years old?
SemperVol writes:
Kosmo, do you hold the record for most comment removals? What in the world are you saying?
Back to the story at hand:
"I've been going through this since I was in the 10th grade. This is not overwhelming, but it is challenging."...........(Yikes)
"For a young kid, I feel sorry for him because he's all that we got," Walker said.......(Dang)
Not good comments. Gotta remember the glass house though. No one in the nation has proven a single thing yet.
SemperVol writes:
Anyone else think they look like Notre Dame in those practice uni's?
I hope it will be analogous to their performance.
lomas98 writes:
More doom and gloom coming from the UCLA camp. I don't think they will be as bad as everyone thinks. From some of their coaches comments they probably shouldn't even field a team this year. Are they really starting a community college transfer at QB? We all know how backup QB's fair against UT, hopefully they will reverse the trend. By the way dtaylor, who is Vincent? Is that a new DB.
HotlantaVol writes:
Poor Kosmo Kramer is just misunderstood. It's not his fault no one wanted the muffin bottoms.
miamiVOL writes:
anyone else seeing D.Moore going deep on a nice head juke + pump fake from J.Crompton? I do
TOUCHDOWN TENNNESSEE,,,,GIVE...HIM...SIX
yeavols#228407 writes:
UCLA sandbagging...poor mouthing...all players develop and learn skills, some faster than others..but UCLA will have a good team just like everyone else..we'll see how good or how bad they really are on September 1. Till then, you have to consider UCLA players will be good..nothing taken lightly in college football. Just ask Michigan when they played Appy state..
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.