LOS ANGELES -- Based on the inconsistent history of UCLA's football program, smart money would go against the undefeated Bruins overcoming the loss of starting quarterback Kevin Prince and winning the Rose Bowl this season.Why? Well, let's start with the fact that UCLA has only represented the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl twice since Jan. 1, 1986 and the last time the Bruins played a bowl game in their own home stadium was Jan. 1, 1999, when they lost to Wisconsin, 38-31.
Then there's UCLA's poor track record in bowl games. In 29 postseason appearances, the Bruins are 13-15-1, including defeats in four of their last bowl games.
Want more? Just go back to last season when rookie coach Rick Neuheisel led UCLA to a 4-8 record, the program's worst in 20 years.
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It's a good thing that the 2009 Bruins aren't into looking into the past.
"People like to think that UCLA has a soft program because we play in Westwood and enjoy all the good things about Southern California," UCLA senior linebacker Reggie Carter said before this season began.
"That could not be further from the truth. We work hard and love to play physical football. That's a perception we plan to change."
UCLA certainly played with newfound toughness in winning its first two games.
With Neuheisel turning to Prince, a redshirt freshman, the Bruins opened with a 33-14 victory over San Diego State at the Rose Bowl.
Although UCLA had never lost to the Aztecs, the Bruins found themselves trailing, 14-3, late in the first quarter before rallying behind Prince to win going away.
A good win but not as impressive as last week's gutsy victory at Tennessee, which began the season as one of the most talked about teams in the vaunted SEC.
In front of a rowdy Neyland Stadium crowd of more than 102,000, UCLA made timely plays throughout with Prince providing steady leadership in completing 11 of 23 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
The Bruins' defense also got the job done in holding the Volunteers to 208 total yards and forcing four turnovers, which included two interceptions by safety Rahim Moore.
The win, however, proved costly because late in the fourth quarter, Prince suffered a broken jaw when he was tackled in the end zone for a safety.
The injury may make or break UCLA's season.
"It's devastating for him, because he's worked so hard to be in this position," Neuheisel said Monday of Prince, a highly regarded 2008 recruit who worked as UCLA's No. 2 quarterback throughout last season but did not take a snap.
It's now up to Neuheisel to pick a replacement at quarterback for Prince, who had surgery Monday to wire his jaw shut after it was fractured in two places.
Neuheisel, who has a reputation for going against the odds, could go with a predictable choice in senior Kevin Craft, a veteran who once started at San Diego State and played one junior college season before transferring to UCLA last year, or take a chance with true freshman Richard Brehaut.
For those who know Neuheisel, his choice has already been made. Even though the Bruins have said that a decision will be made after a week of practices, expect Brehaut, who joined the Bruins' program after graduating early from high school in January, to be the man when UCLA takes on Kansas State at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
After watching Craft start all 12 games last season, Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow have a good feel of what he brings to the table.
Sometimes, Craft can look great (like when he led the Bruins to comeback victories over Tennessee and Stanford) and other times when he can struggle (20 interceptions and multiple fumbles last season).
In Brehaut, a standout recruit from Los Osos High in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., the upside strongly tops the negative.
Coming out of high school, some recruiting experts considered Brehaut a better player than USC true freshman quarterback Matt Barkley and he finished training camp listed as UCLA's backup quarterback. In UCLA's season opener against San Diego State, Brehaut got in for several plays and completed his only two pass attempts for 39 yards.
If Brehaut gets the nod, he will be the first true freshman to start at quarterback for UCLA since Drew Olson called signals in the ninth game of the 2002 season.
"Whichever quarterback we give the chance to, the other one still has to be ready," Neuheisel said. "Even with Kevin out, you're still going to be playing with a lot of inexperience on offense, whether it be Brehaut or Craft. We're going to be at home, fortunately, so hopefully we can communicate at the line of scrimmage."
After playing Kansas State, UCLA has a bye and Neuheisel said he hopes Prince will be available for the Bruins' Pac-10 opener against Oregon at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 3.
