With recruiting in the books for the 2012 off-season, the Bruins are continuing their preparations for the upcoming season. But still, September is quite a ways away. What exactly is there to look forward to as the upcoming season approaches?
Coach Mora will have many questions to answer.
The Bruins are taking part in winter workouts at the moment. They will begin spring practice and have their annual spring game in April. Dates are yet to be announced. Although it must be assumed that the Bruins will begin practice on or around March 30th, with the spring game taking place possibly on April 21st.
Several competitions are expected in camp this season including the highly-anticipated battle for quarterback, which will pit incumbents Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut against newcomers Brett Hundley and T.J. Millweard. Explosive athlete Devin Fuller may factor into the competition, but he may be relegated to a role as wide receiver.
The Bruins will also be looking forward to the return of offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo, who returns from his LDS mission that forced him to miss two seasons. He will boost a Bruins offensive line that will be looking to protect their offensive stars as they try to improve on an offense that scored 23.1 points per game last season, 88th in the country.
But still perhaps the biggest anticipation coming into this new year is the coaching staff. We know that Jim Mora and his entourage of top-flight coaches can recruit. But how will it translate to the field?
Will a Noel Mazzone spread offense pay off after the incredibly poor attempt at running the pistol last season under former coach Rick Neuheisel? How about the 3-4 defense that new defensive coordinator Lou Spanos will bring forth?
If their coaching efforts mirror that of their recruiting, then Bruin fans are in for quite a treat. A favorable schedule won’t hurt their cause either.
For the second year in a row, the Bruins will open on the road in Houston, Texas. This time, they head to Rice Stadium to oppose the Owls, who finished last season 4-8. They will lose their leading passer and rusher. This game takes place on September 1st.
The following week is opening day at the Rose Bowl, and quite frankly, the Bruins could not be matched up against a tougher team as they welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to Pasadena. The 9-5 Huskers travel well and could very likely fill up the Rose Bowl with red. Thus, it is worth telling every Bruin fan to think twice before selling those tickets for a premium price. Hand them down to another Bruin if you cannot make it. If you do go, make sure to wear blue. Start off the year right by supporting the new-look Bruins. Nebraska will likely be ranked in top-10 for the contest, which takes place on September 8th.
Last year, the Bruins opened against the Houston Cougars, and narrowly were defeated. Houston would lose just one game. But in their return to the Rose Bowl, much will have changed. First, the Cougars graduated quarterback Case Keenum. Then, they saw former coach Kevin Sumlin move on to Texas A&M. Then interim head coach Tony Levine led the Cougars to a victory over Penn State in the TicketCity Bowl. The effort was enough to get the interim tag lifted. Now, Levine will take his squad back to Pasadena to oppose a Bruin team that remembers well what having a kicker might have done for them last September, when they lost by four points thanks to a missed field goal and PAT. You can check this contest out on September 15th.
Next Page: Pac-12 play begins
