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Rick Neuheisel was well aware of his reputation, and he wasn't proud of it.
Although few doubted his coaching abilities, Neuheisel realizes his name became synonymous with sneaky dealings and sloppy player discipline during the first two stops in his mostly successful career at Colorado and Washington.
When Neuheisel returned to take over his alma mater's program, he resolved to do everything by the book at UCLA. No shortcuts in recruiting, no interviewing with NFL teams behind his administrators' backs, and no breaks on players discipline, even if it meant suspending multiple starters for violating even the smallest team rules.
And certainly no NCAA basketball tournament bracket pools.
''In my past, people have pointed at me and said maybe I was not as good at that as I should have been,'' Neuheisel said. ''I'm on record saying there were times I should have been sterner. That has not been the case at UCLA. There are policies here to adhere to, and when they cross the line and do things that are inappropriate, it's important for them to know that there are repercussions.''
Neuheisel apparently has stayed true to his vision of a squeaky-clean program in Westwood, as his list of suspended starters would attest.
Only problem is, now he's having trouble with what most consider the most important aspect of his job: winning.
With three straight losses killing the good feelings from a three-game winning streak that included two wins over ranked teams, his Bruins (3-5, 1-4 Pac-10) are mired in eighth place in the Pac-10 for the third straight season of his tenure.
UCLA's passing game has been awful, and its defensive struggles despite a wealth of talent put heat on defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough. When Oregon State (4-3, 3-1) visits the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Neuheisel realizes the Bruins must finish the season with a flurry of upset victories just to reach a minor bowl game for the second straight season.
''I'm an eternal optimist, and continue to be so, and I'm never going to change,'' Neuheisel said. ''When you pour yourself into something and you don't get the expected result, and you don't quite attain what you were there to fight for, there is a disappointment in that.''
Neuheisel left behind dozens of NCAA violations and two years of probation when he jumped from Colorado for a big-money contract at Washington in 1999 after winning three bowl games in four years with the Buffaloes.
Neuheisel then won the Rose Bowl in his second year with the Huskies - he's still the only active Pac-10 coach who has won the conference's big bowl game, he notes - before his legendarily messy firing. After a stint in the NFL, Neuheisel landed his self-described dream job back at UCLA and vowed to keep it clean.
''Coach Neuheisel and the coaches run a tight ship, no joke,'' said receiver Josh Smith, who served a one-game suspension last month. ''We know what they expect of us, and when we mess up, we know there's consequences. That's how it is.''
UCLA suspended Smith and F-back Morrell Presley for one game Oct. 12, while receiver Ricky Marvray and offensive tackle Sean Sheller were hit with one-game suspensions Oct. 25. Three freshmen were dismissed in June after getting arrested. Offensive tackle Mike Harris was suspended for the season opener, and four other players were suspended for a game last year, all for violating rules.
Neuheisel said he isn't allowed to comment on the reasons for the suspensions, but the coach pointedly hasn't contradicted numerous reports his players were suspended for positive drug tests.
''You find out the reasons, even though we're not allowed to talk about it,'' Neuheisel told reporters. ''It's about addressing the issues and making sure you're going to solve the problem.''
Neuheisel also said the Bruins have ''increased the amount of supervision'' that resulted in the rules violations, refusing to go into specifics about increased drug tests or extra screening.
''I think we're very close to the solution now,'' Neuheisel said. ''When you have 105 kids in your program, there are going to be kids that make mistakes. We're going to get less and less of that as we continue to hold the line, and they understand it's for their benefit.''
