UCLA Tuesday: Notes

With a lot of noise around the program, the Trojans are trying to focus on Rivalry Week.

Sophomore LB Levi Jones is no longer on the roster, head coach Clay Helton announced. Jones missed last week's game due to a violation of team rules. Helton declined to comment any further.

Here is the injury report, per Helton: RB Vavae Malepeai (limited by an ankle), RB Aca'Cedric Ware (limited by a shoulder sprain), RT Chuma Edoga (out with knee pain), C Toa Lobendahn (practiced despite ankle injury), DL Brandon Pili (pulled with ankle injury) and Jacob Lichtenstein (pulled with shoulder injury).

On the positive side, junior WR Michael Pittman Jr. has made a speedy recovery from his shoulder injury. "I'm feeling pretty good," Pittman said. "I'm pretty excited about getting a chance to get back out there."

If Edoga cannot go, RS freshman Jalen McKenzie will get his second consecutive start at right tackle. "It was just next man up," McKenzie said about playing last week. "I didn't freak out because I've been preparing for this. That's what you do as a backup, especially behind a guy like Chuma. The team needs him, so he might need to be saved for bigger games."

Despite being young, McKenzie understands the urgency of this week's game. "They like to hold space and try to rip off late, so we're going to have to really finish our blocks and keep going, going, going at them until it busts open the run game," he said about UCLA's defense. "It's going to be a rivalry game. Everything's on the line, so it's a must-win for us."

Having lost three of their last four, the Trojans have heard and read lots of criticism on social media, particularly about their head coach. "The only thing we see is angry fans on Twitter," Pittman said. "Other than that, we have everything under control. Upstairs, everything is good and all of our coaches work well together. We just control what we can control and keep moving forward."

Pittman continued his defense of Helton, saying, "I feel like Coach Helton has become a better head coach this season. It may not seem like it for people outside, but I feel like he's taken steps in my eyes that he's doing the right thing. It might not be the prettiest, but he's being a head coach. He's coaching us hard."

Helton reassured his team in a meeting that he is well supported by Lynn Swann and the University, and that he has no intention of quitting. "I let the boys know that my plan is to be here a long time," Helton said. "There's always a lot of noise out here. We are in the second largest media market in the world. The beauty of social media is that a lot of people get opinions. Those opinions on social media can affect kids. And they want to know where coach's mindset is. They also want to know the stability of their coach."

As for the added pressure of trying to become bowl eligible, it's not on Helton's mind. "The only pressure I feel is to help a bunch of seniors and a bunch of kids go out and get the Victory Bell one more year."

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