2012 Holiday Bowl: UCLA S Tevin McDonald suspended for violating team rules

UCLA Bruins safety Tevin McDonald won't play against the Baylor Bears in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 due to a violation of team rules, according to Chris Foster of the LA Times.

McDonald, a sophomore, appeared in every game for the No. 17 Bruins during the 2012 regular season, accumulating 78 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. During his freshman season in 2011, McDonald picked off three passes and had 4 1/2 tackles for a loss.

UCLA head coach Jim Mora plans to fill the vacancy left by McDonald "by committee," per Foster. That committee will have to be up to the challenge of facing Baylor's formidable offense, which ranks first in the nation in total offense, averaging 578.8 yards per game.

Even with McDonald, UCLA's defense classifies as "middle of the road," ranking 55th in the country in yards per game allowed. Still, the unit is much improved from last year, when it ranked 92nd in the nation.

The Bruins and Bears will kick off at 8:45 p.m. CT on Thursday from Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif.