Every college football team hopes for a duo like quarterback
Cody Pickett and wide receiver Reggie Williams.
When UCLA opens its Pac-10 schedule Saturday afternoon against
No. 17 Washington at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins (2-2) will have to
worry about the Huskies’ (3-1) experienced senior quarterback
and their superstar wide receiver.
“Reggie presents a lot of problems,” UCLA head coach
Karl Dorrell said. “I don’t know if you can shut him
down. He will have opportunities to make big plays.”
After finishing the 2002 season with a school-record 94 catches
for 1,454 yards, Williams is having another strong year. Despite
facing heightened defensive attention, he has 28 receptions for 415
yards after four games. Williams will catch passes from Pickett,
who set the Pac-10 and Washington record with 4,458 passing yards
this past season.
According to Dorrell, the Bruins will have to modify their
offense to the junior star receiver.
“We will have a defensive plan that will adjust to him so
that we can restrict him,” Dorrell said.
Washington boasts the No. 4 offense in the conference, while
UCLA’s is ranked No. 9. On the other side of the ball, UCLA
has the conference’s top defense, while Washington’s
unit is ranked second.
“The UCLA defense is having a heck of a year,”
first-year Washington head coach Keith Gilbertson said. “The
key to the game will be turnovers, and for each team to generate
offense against a good defense.”
In terms of generating some offense, the Bruins ““ who have
struggled to move the ball this season ““ have their work cut
out for themselves. While sophomore quarterback Drew Olson will
start, sophomore Matt Moore has returned from injury and is the No.
2 option. According to Dorrell, Moore will play a few series, and
he has shown improvement in practice this week.
Olson has had some good experience against the Huskies. In his
first start the 2002 season he led the Bruins to a 34-24 victory
over Washington in Seattle. Olson went 13 of 27 for 189 yards and
threw no interceptions.
“In that first start I felt very comfortable,” Olson
said. “We were underdogs and, at the time, I remember reading
headlines that said, “˜Freshman quarterback can’t win at
Husky Stadium.'”
Gilbertson also has distinct memories of the 2002 season’s
matchup between the two teams, and said the Huskies did not, and
will not, take the Bruins lightly.
“Did we take UCLA lightly? We had come off one of our
worst (losses) at the hands of Arizona State. Did we take (UCLA)
lightly? That is ridiculous,” Gilbertson said. “It was
a close game and a heck of a football game.”
Washington’s co-defensive coordinators are both former
UCLA assistant coaches ““ Tim Hundley, who coached at UCLA
from 1990-95 and Phil Snow, who coached in Westwood during the
2001-02 season.
UCLA offensive coordinator Steve Axman was the quarterbacks
coach at Washington for the past four seasons. However, both UCLA
and Washington coaches dismiss the idea that these personnel swaps
give either team an advantage.
However, Dorrell is not dismissive when it comes to the
importance of UCLA’s Pac-10 opener.
“This is conference play now and it comes down to the end
in this race,” Dorrell said. “You have to be very good
to be the best in the Pac-10.”
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Senior Asi Faoa is starting at defensive tackle in place of
senior Rodney Leslie, who will return for the second half of play.
Leslie will miss the first half as per an NCAA rule after being
ejected during this past week’s victory over San Diego
State.