UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince finally returned to practice Tuesday after recuperating from a knee injury. His moves were little laid back and cautious but he was declared fit to play by the offensive coordinator Norm Chow.
"We monitored him through the whole practice, watched him closely, and he went through the whole practice," he said.
Prince sustained a knee injury Sept. 25 during the playoff against Texas. This barred him from participating in the Washington State game last week. Coach Rick Neuheisel said there were no limitations on him when he returned to practice as they wanted to know any inadequacies before the game.
Prince's throws were good but his runs were not that synchronized and this is a cause of concern for the coaches. Prince, however, was pleased with his performance as he said that he was able to take all reps without any setbacks. "Once Saturday rolls around, I'll be 100%," he said.
Although Prince is on the road to recovery, UCLA has lost another player as Nelson Rosario injured his left ankle. He is not expected to play the Wednesday game. There were speculations that Rosario suffered high ankle sprain, the dreaded injury that has proved detrimental to many players' careers. Neuheisel played down the concerns by saying that they were yet not aware of any serious repercussions of his injury.
Rosario is the star player of UCLA with 14 receptions. Randall Carroll, Josh Smith and Jerry Johnson are expected to gain increased play time after his injury with Taylor Embree playing at the wide receiver position.
