For a guy who before Saturday had never suited up for the UCLA
football team, C.J. Niusulu has seen his name in a lot of
newspapers.
After allegedly punching a minor at a drive-in theater in his
home town of Barstow, Calif., over the summer, Niusulu was charged
with felony assault and became the first of three Bruins to face
legal trouble before the season even started.
The true freshman defensive tackle had expected to redshirt, but
when Rodney Leisle broke his foot, UCLA needed him to play as a
backup.
“It was really exciting,” Niusulu said. “I had
butterflies in my stomach.”
Niusulu ended up sacking Oregon quarterback Jason Fife in the
first quarter Saturday.
“Man, the crowd was going wild,” said Niusulu, whose
parents were in attendance. “I had goose bumps.”
Moments after the sack, friends phoned and neighbors hollered
their congratulations to the Niusulu household.
Niusulu will be dismissed from the team if he should be
convicted of a felony. He has a court date in three weeks. He
credits junior defensive end Asi Faoa with helping him concentrate
on football and school.
Faoa is no stranger to Niusulu’s situation. He faced a
felony assault charge of his own after a fight at a fraternity
party in 1999. He eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and
will serve jail time after the season.
And like Niusulu, Faoa got significant playing time on Saturday.
He started for the first time since 1999 because Dave Ball had to
sit out the first half for being ejected the previous week.
“Especially with everything that has happened in the past,
it felt really good to feel free, to have it not so much weighing
on my back,” Faoa said.
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Cornerbacks Matt Ware (back) and Joe Hunter (flu) returned to
practice Tuesday. Sophomore safety Ben Emanuel remains out of
contact drills until his shoulder heals.
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Former UCLA All-American safety Kenny Easley (1977-1980) was
inducted into the Seattle Seahawks’ Ring of Honor during
halftime of the Monday Night Football game between Seattle and San
Francisco.
Easley was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991
and holds the school record for career interceptions.