UCLA football wraps up training camp with surprise ending

LOS ANGELES >> When UCLA opened its training camp on Aug. 2, a picturesque sunset tinted the sky over Wasserman Football Center pink and purple. Admiring the view from afar, former UCLA receiver Jordan Payton, who is currently in his second NFL training camp with the Cleveland Browns, perhaps felt a small tinge of jealousy.

“@UCLAFootball spoiled now,” the school’s all-time leader in receptions tweeted. “I still remember San Bernardino.”

Not only did the Bruins not have to spend training camp at Cal State San Bernardino for the first time in Jim Mora’s six-year tenure, but their head coach really spoiled them Sunday night by canceling the final practice of training camp. Sunday’s surprise was the end of a welcomed change to the previous training camp regimen as players got to sleep on queen-sized beds in the Luskin Conference Center and lift weights in the new Troy Aikman Strength and Conditioning Center.

“The heat is not as excruciating as it is in San Bernardino, but being close to home and being able to be around this environment is definitely good,” junior defensive back Octavius Spencer said Saturday.

In San Bernardino this month, temperatures reached higher than 95 degrees on 11 days. Meanwhile, in Westwood, a gentle breeze blew through afternoon practices as temperatures stayed in the low 80s to high 70s.

UCLA spent all two weeks of training camp in San Bernardino for the first four years of the Mora era before splitting time between the Inland Empire and Westwood last year.

By staying in the Luskin Center, players have a short walk, approximately 400 steps, from their rooms to the Wasserman Football Center for meetings. The weight room in the new football facility opens directly onto Spaulding Field for practice. In San Bernardino, the dorms were at least a half-mile walk across two parking lots from the athletic fields.

“Staying in Luskin is like a dream,” redshirt freshman offensive lineman Michael Alves said.

Despite the plush conditions, players said training camp was still a grind. Camp was a week longer than in previous years to accommodate the end of two-a-day practices. On-field practices can be longer, and the coaching staff often takes advantage of the three-hour limit to get more plays on film for later study. The Bruins try to maximize their time by using both practice field simultaneously, nearly doubling the amount of work. Of the 17 practices, only six were not in full pads, and four of those came within the first four days.

“We make up for everything,” senior defensive lineman Matt Dickerson said. “Whether it’s in the weight room or on the field, we’re going to fill in that gap.”

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