UCLA head football coach Rick Neuheisel is optimistic by nature. But he saw enough good things watching the tape of the Bruins' game at Kansas State to be upbeat looking ahead.

"I saw a lot of things on the tape that make me feel good about the direction we are heading," said Neuheisel, "and I believe the players feel the same way."

"We played probably 25 freshmen or sophomores in an opening game on the road and we made a lot of mistakes. But with all of that, we were a two-point play away from tying the game with just over one minute remaining after a great drive.

"A lot of our guys played major roles for the first time in their careers and they played a lot of snaps. The good news is that they as individuals and we as a team can build on the experiences of yesterday's game as we prepare for our conference opener against an outstanding Stanford squad.

"I know our team is looking forward to playing at home on Saturday night before all of our fans at the Rose Bowl."