NCAAF teams
ESPN.com news services 10y

UCLA plays coy with QB situation

College Football, UCLA Bruins, Arizona State Sun Devils

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA coach Jim Mora refused to update the condition of Brett Hundley and isn't saying who will start at quarterback when the No. 12 Bruins visit Arizona State in next week's Pac-12 opener.

Hundley hurt his left elbow on Saturday in the first quarter against Texas, and Jerry Neuheisel came off the bench to throw the winning touchdown pass in a 20-17 win over the Longhorns.

Mora refused to discuss the status of Hundley's non-throwing arm, saying only that "someone has to go in." He also has closed all practices and restricted media availability leading up to the game against the No. 15 Sun Devils.

"I feel good about our team," Mora said when asked about injuries. "They work hard every day. They have a great attitude. They work hard to get back on the field if they are not on the field. They work hard to stay on the field if they are on the field. I'm excited about our team."

Arizona State, meanwhile, has acknowledged that quarterback Taylor Kelly will not play against UCLA after injuring his right foot in a 38-24 win at Colorado.

Mora refused to acknowledge that Neuheisel would be the next man up if Hundley can't play.

"Just because Jerry went into that game doesn't mean that is our backup quarterback," Mora said. "We've never determined who is No. 2, 3, 4. We've got a whole bunch of guys. Next time it could be [redshirt freshman] Asiantii [Woulard]. Heck, Asiantii could start the Arizona State game, who knows?"

Said Neuheisel: "I know Brett is working his best to make sure he's the starter against ASU. I can promise you this: I'll be the starting holder against ASU."

Neuheisel was carried off the field by his teammates after going 23-of-30 for 178 yards and two touchdowns against Texas, a performance that earned Pac-12 offensive player of the week honors for the son of Rick Neuheisel, the former UCLA quarterback and coach.

"I'd definitely say there is a little bit of a newfound confidence," Neuheisel said. "There is always that indecision, 'Can I do it or not?' To go in and for it to go as well as it did, there is definitely a little bit of confidence through me."

The winner of the past two Arizona State-UCLA games has won the Pac-12 South and played in the conference championship game.

Kevin Gemmell of ESPN.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

^ Back to Top ^