Orange County Register

LOS ANGELES _ The future of UCLA’s running game may have been on display at the end of practice Wednesday and Thursday. Milton Knox and Johnathan Franklin finally got to show their moves in front of a live audience.
The two tailbacks, relegated to the scout team all season, got to run some of UCLA’s plays while the players and coaches looked on from the sideline.
“I liked our two backs,” Neuheisel said afterward.
Knox, a Parade All-American from Birmingham High of Lake Balboa, probably would have played this season except the NCAA Clearinghouse kept him in limbo through the first four games. He still might be the most talented back on UCLA’s practice field on any given day.
Next year, he might actually get to prove it.
“Coaches told me and Johnathan that when it comes to the spring, we’ll see where the chips fall and see who’s going to earn their spot and retain it heading into the fall,” Knox said. “It’s going to be real good.”
Knox (5-foot-9, 200) is a squat, powerful runner with the ability to break tackles and keep on his feet. Franklin (5-foot-10, 186) might be the Bruins’ fastest back. You don’t earn the nickname Jet Ski by being a sloth.
“For everyone, it’s disappointing to take a year off, but I understand everything happens for a reason and I’m taking the best from it,” Franklin said. “I’m just getting better, faster and stronger.”
The redshirt season has allowed both players to learn the nuances of the Bruins’ blocking schemes.

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