Puppy Chow

The only two skill positions set right now are QB and FB. You could say since Jake Locker has been out all week with a hamstring strain that position is also up in the air. You hate to see Jake lose work, but it is a good thing for Ronnie Fouch to get extra work since he is just a heartbeat away from having to lead this team.

It is good to hear that Paul Homer and Luke Kravitz are scheduled to get extra opportunities in games this year. I have always felt that they should get more of a chance to catch the ball coming out of the backfield and over the middle. It is a great changeup type of play. Both of these guys can knock down DB's like bowling pins when they catch the ball in stride.

Willingham is being pretty coy about the tailback position. We kept hearing rumors that Brandon Johnson was having trouble with his knee. Now we hear it is just a strained calf muscle which limits his work, but is not a season long reason for concern. Brandon Yakaboski is a bigger concern since he has a chronic hip flexor thing going. He has missed time in his two fall camps and during spring. He needs to get some reps to ever be a factor in this offense. I could see him moving over to LB at some point because they really like the three freshmen.

If you were playing a game tomorrow the pecking order at TB would be C.Polk, Griffin, Freeman, and Fogerson. Expect Freeman to burn his redshirt this season. The coaches really like the way this kid performs. I could see him as one of the possible answers out of the slot also.

Over at WR it looks like Vince Logan is going to be your starter opposite D'Andre Goodwin. Logan is a very good athlete who can catch the ball and block. He has had a good camp and has shown he can be very consistent. Cody Bruns, Jermaine Kearse, and Jordan Polk are all going to play a lot this year. All three of these kids have impressed so far. Walk on Charles Hawkins will be in the top seven and Chancellor Young is also going to get a fair shot at playing time. Aguilar has been coming on lately to make a bid. Boyles still looks pretty light but I doubt they red shirt him since he sat out last season. Vince Taylor is likely to redshirt and I still think his future is safety once the depth setlles out on this side of the ball.

Kelemete Cometh

Senio Kelemente was at practice yesterday and the coaches have indicated that they are going to give him every chance of cracking the rotation on the line. I saw a few pictures of him and he is a ripped 290 lbs.

We should find out about Craig Noble anytime. His test results are due to arrive any day. Having his big body out on the practice field is a real big plus. Ta'amu, Kelemente, Noble, and Thompson are definitely the foundation of future Rose Bowls.

Nathan Ware

Nathan is back at it over at his blog. Our weekly feature Backtalk with Johnny B will continue this season. We are working on the first edition this week.

So many good Pac-10 storylines for the upcoming season, let's take a look at some of the issues that we'll be tracking.- Is anyone going to steal the conference crown from USC this year? I've lost track of how many Pac-10 titles they've won in a row at this point (actually, they've won 5 in a row). 2008 should be another title season for them.

Bob Condotta

Hats off to Bob Condotta over at the Seattle Times. Bob kept his blog going almost ever day during the off season. Today he has an article with the Dawgfather.