BearTalk

In usual cases, after the Bears huddle up for announcements and a talk from Jeff Tedford at the end of practice, the players break into short meetings with their position coaches scattered across the field. Not today. Those meetings were scheduled to take place on the team bus. The players immediately left the field to go shower, grab some dinner and board their busses for Pasadena.

Practice ended at around 4:45. The Bears likely didn’t get out of there until a little before 6, meaning they probably hit some rush hour traffic at the beginning of their trek. Jeff Tedford had estimated a midnight arrival time, but it will probably end up being a little later than that. It shouldn’t pose any negatives for the Bears. For those who can or want to, they can sleep on the bus. And their wake-up call Friday morning isn’t until 9 a.m.

Before they hit the road, we were able to talk to Tedford for a few minutes. He confirmed that Matt Summers-Gavin will start at left guard. As for wide receivers Nyan Boateng and Verran Tucker, they will play, but it’s unknown how much. Guys like Michael Calvin and Alex Lagemann were getting more reps at practice this week, and they could see more playing time against UCLA. Tedford said he would “play it by ear” in determining how much Boateng and Tucker will play. He’ll have to see how each player feels and how they respond to being in game situations.

The Bears practiced once again at Memorial Stadium today. A couple of players said at Tuesday’s press luncheon that they were planning on practicing on Witter Rugby Field because it has natural grass, as does the Rose Bowl. But Tedford said today that the grass at the Rose Bowl is very “tight,” and that the Memorial Stadium turf actually is more like Saturday’s playing surface than Witter Field.

Finally, Tedford said Beau Sweeney will be the backup quarterback for the third straight game. When asked if Sweeney is solidifying a spot as the No. 2 quarterback, Tedford said: “As of right now.”