UCLA Football Practice Report: September 27

A few Bruins returned from injury, while some new faces were spotted banged up on the sideline.

Even after tossing the game-sealing touchdown against the Cardinal, Dorian Thompson-Robinson had to rush back to the sideline in pain.

The quarterback powered through that pain for a good chunk of the day Saturday, and now he's powered through it once again to get back to full strength and return to practice Monday.

No. 20 UCLA football (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) had several players banged up against both Fresno State and Stanford over the past 10 days, and Monday's morning training session provided a good look at where they all stand five days out from a matchup with Arizona State. Thompson-Robinson was a full participant, as his shoulder/arm injury didn't hold him back from getting out there with his teammates to start the week of preparation.

Footwork and arm motion both seem normal for DTR pic.twitter.com/lCKi8jEMD2

— Sam Connon (@SamConnon) September 27, 2021

Getting a good look at Thompson-Robinson proved difficult since he was over on the far field, but his passes in route running drills looked solid and just like they had before.

He opened things up in a short passing drill toward the middle of the field and he looked sharp. The other quarterbacks rotated between there and the end zone for deep balls, but Thompson-Robinson seemed to stay put at the start. Not long after, however, all six quarterbacks lined up on the goal line for various intermediate and deep routes, participating fully and hitting has man on every attempt with plenty of power and touch on the ball.

Safety Quentin Lake, who was dressed for warmups Saturday but did not take a snap in the game, was back as a full participant at practice Monday as well. Lake did not take part in any team drills during Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday's practices last week after leaving the Fresno State game early, but he started this week on the right foot by leading him position group in warmups and participating in the opening special teams, footwork and interception drills as well.

Back to some special teams pursuit drills for UCLA this morning. pic.twitter.com/S623XPGMfi

— Sam Connon (@SamConnon) September 27, 2021

The players who were not participating during the opening 30 minutes of practice was lengthy again, with some new names added to the list as well.

Offensive lineman Siale Taupaki, defensive lineman Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi, running back Christian Grubb, offensive lineman Benjamin Roy and linebacker Kobey Fitzgerald were all once again hanging by the stationary bikes and rotating around with trainers. While there was no sign of tight end Mike Martinez, who was seen in a boot last Monday, defensive lineman Quintin Somerville was wearing a boot and riding a knee scooter before taking some time to do some balance and strength sessions in the open weight room.

Center Sam Marrazzo was in street clothes and wearing a sleeve on his left leg after leaving Saturday's game with an injury. Running back Ethan Fernea was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie while talking with the coaching staff, and he has some kind of a cast or brace on his right wrist that was mostly covered up by his long sleeves.

With Marrazzo out, Duke Clemens was the center paired with Thompson-Robinson in snap and handoff drills. Quarterback-turned-receiver Colson Yankoff once again appeared as a quarterback in this period.

Cornerback Mo Osling III was also seen on the side to start practice, not wearing pads but still sporting his white practice jersey. He did not appear in the rest of practice open to the media.

The scout team players were mostly the same as they have been over the past few weeks, with quarterback Chase Artopoeus standing in for Arizona State starter Jayden Daniels. Kajiya Hollawayne and Parker McQuarrie were both wearing No. 14, which belongs to 6-foot-7 receiver Johnny Wilson.

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