Lasley tries a new twist for practice
Jordan Lasley didn’t hide from his failure. He intentionally revisited it, putting himself in the same position that led to dropped passes.
The UCLA junior receiver oddly contorted his body on the practice field last week while catching balls launched out of a machine.
“I saw him on the JUGS just like a madman after that, you know, catching it in weird positions, not just standing there and catching the ball but putting his body in the position that it was in when he dropped the ball,” Bruins coach Jim Mora said. “You love to see that.”
The extra work on hand placement and keeping his eyes on the ball helped Lasley bounce back against Stanford on Saturday. He made eight catches for 158 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown, and did not drop any passes like he had the previous week against Memphis.
Lasley, fiery and emotional, sought to become less erratic by modeling his work ethic after that of NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
“I’ve still got a little bit of fire left, but it’s more of a tamed fire, more of a controlled fire,” Lasley said. “You know, young Lasley [was] a little bit out of control, emotions a little bit outside of his self. And right now I have everything checked, my mind-set [is] I’m always ready to play. I still have the same passion, the same fire, the same emotions, it’s just more controlled.”
Lasley is part of the nation’s only receiving corps with three players averaging at least 100 yards per game. Darren Andrews leads the way with 114.2 per game, followed by Lasley at 106.7 yards and Caleb Wilson at 106.2.
Andrews and Wilson were added Tuesday to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the top receiver in college football.
Lasley has provided plenty of highlights. His twisting, 10-yard touchdown catch on a back-shoulder fade with 43 seconds left provided the tying score during UCLA’s 45-44 comeback victory over Texas A&M in its season opener. Lasley knelt after the play, spent from a rally from 34 points down.
“That was like the fifth straight drive in the fourth quarter where we just went tempo, tempo, tempo, tempo,” Lasley said. “So my first thought was, ‘Man, I'm gassed.’ So I had to take a knee.”
If it seems Lasley and UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen have formed the kind of connection that takes more than a handful of years, it’s because they have. They occasionally were teammates in seven-on-seven passing tournaments even though they attended different high schools.
“Him coming to UCLA, me coming to UCLA, it was just kind of embedded, it was kind of a thing that we always wanted to do,” Lasley said. “So having that good chemistry and connecting on the field, it’s fun.” Conf idence game
In Theo we trust. That was the message coaches conveyed to sophomore receiver Theo Howard after the most demoralizing game of his college career. Howard dropped a pass that would have put UCLA up by two touchdowns against Stanford and had a ball stripped after making a catch on a slant route.
Bruins offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said part of restoring Howard’s confidence was showing him footage of the good plays he had made this season.
“I told him that, hey, if there was a guy that I’d bet on to make that catch in the end zone,” Fisch said, “he’d be one of them for sure.”
Howard’s struggles against the Cardinal led to increased playing time for senior receiver Eldridge Massington, who caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from Rosen in the fourth quarter.
“We just keep finding guys to give opportunities to and keep building up all their confidence,” Fisch said.
Color scheming
UCLA will wear its traditional white road uniforms and the Rose Bowl field will bear a special design intended to accentuate a “White Out” during the Bruins’ home game Saturday against Colorado. Free white pompoms will be distributed and the first 2,500 UCLA students in attendance will receive complimentary white Under Armour Tshirts.
Colorado and the Pac-12 Conference agreed to allow the Bruins to wear their road uniforms.
Fans can purchase official “White Out” T-shirts at www.bruinteamshop.com.