The UCLA football team breathed a collective sigh of relief
after learning that quarterback Matt Moore would only be out four
to six weeks, as opposed to the entire season. Moore, who spent the
full nine months since last year’s Las Vegas Bowl trying to
win the starting position, suffered a deep bone bruise from a low
hit late in the first quarter of Saturday’s game at
Colorado.
“His recovery sort of depends on the individual,”
Bruin head coach Karl Dorrell said. “The good thing is that
there is no ligament damage, and we feel very fortunate that we
didn’t lose him for the entire season.”
Backup quarterback Drew Olson will now take the helm, and Olson,
who made five starts last season, is quite capable. He had a solid
game on Saturday, going 13 for 23 with 164 yards and two
touchdowns.
“For the first couple series, it was a little bit shocking
to be in there so early,” Olson said. “It took a while
to get in the flow of the game. I felt a little rusty at first, but
as the game wore on, I felt a lot more comfortable.”
Olson was generally regarded as the leader for the starting
position coming out of spring practice but was overtaken by Moore
during fall practice.
“During the fall camp, I don’t think I was as
focused as I should have been,” Olson said. “I
didn’t put myself in a situation where I could succeed, but I
won’t let it happen again.”
Should Olson go down, the Bruins would then have to turn to John
Sciarra. Sciarra last played this past year against Cal, when both
Cory Paus and Olson went down to injury. In that game, Sciarra
completed one pass in seven attempts for 10 yards in a 17-12
loss.
Home Field Advantage?
Olson and Dorrell have differing views on returning to the
familiar confines of the Rose Bowl.
After enduring the raucous crowd and thin air of Folsom Field,
Olson said, “Home field advantage is always big in football.
It’s always nice to have the crowd on your side. I think
everyone is looking forward to it.”
Dorrell wasn’t quite as excited to be returning to
Pasadena.
When asked about whether returning home would be a special
moment, Dorrell said, “No, not really. The field is still 100
yards long. It’ll be fun during the pre-game with the fans in
the stands, but once the game starts, it’s
football.”
True Freshman
Defensive tackle Kevin Brown, defensive end Junior Lemau’u
and running back Maurice Drew, all part of the incoming freshman
class, all had chances to play against Colorado. While Brown and
Lemau’u played solid football as part of the defensive line
rotation, Drew had a forgettable afternoon, with a fumble as a kick
returner and a fumble on a handoff on the second possession of the
game.
“It’s tough,” Dorrell said. “I remember
playing at Nebraska as a freshman. I was the kick returner, and
that ball seems like it hangs up there forever. And by the time I
caught it, I saw all these white helmets about 10 yards from me.
That’s something that you don’t learn to get better at
unless you do it. We live through that with young players. They
have to get that experience.”
Brown and Lemau’u were part of an unusual substitution
pattern, where all four first-string defensive linemen were taken
out and substituted by all four second-string defensive linemen,
much like a line change in hockey.
“We have six senior defensive linemen, so there are two
seniors playing with the two freshmen defensive linemen,”
Dorrell said. “We have a lot of confidence in our second-team
line, and our young players are going to need that
experience.”
Other Notes
Linebacker Spencer Havner, who suffered a sprained right
shoulder during the game, is expected to play Saturday. . . . As
the new backup quarterback, Sciarra will be expected to receive a
lot more reps this week. . . . Illinois will come to the Rose Bowl
fresh off a 49-22 rout of Illinois State, but the Fighting Illini
will be less than healthy. Fullback Carey Davis will be out due to
a staph infection, and defensive end Mike O’Brien is out for
the season with a torn ACL injury.