PASADENA ““ After weeks of watching the Matt Moore-Drew
Olson saga play out,
and now having seen Moore quarterback UCLA to a win over Arizona
State, I have come to this conclusion:
Drew must start.
True freshman tailback Maurice Drew, that is.
On a Saturday night when leading rusher Manuel White suffered a
season-ending shoulder injury, Drew staked his claim to the job
with a game-winning 83-yard scoring scamper in the third
quarter.
It was an electrifying jaunt down the left sideline that saw
Drew, using his 4.4 speed, outrun two Sun Devil defenders to mark
the longest run by a true freshman in UCLA history.
Drew’s 18-carry, 176-yard career-high performance marked
the first time a true freshman has run for 100 yards or more since
DeShaun Foster did it against USC in 1998.
So let me be the first to send a congratulatory memo to Maurice:
Stay clear of those Hollywood types and the SUVs they
“lend.”
But in all seriousness, what’s UCLA without a good
controversy?
Believe me, I know what Tyler Ebell has done for UCLA. He has
been the face of Bruin football for the past year, and deservedly
so, having been featured on the covers of numerous pre-season
publications after a breakout redshirt freshman season.
But is that all he is? Gloss?
With an offensive line that has been shaky at times this season,
Ebell has failed to regain his form, and has had his weaknesses
exposed.
Sure, Mighty Mouse does fine when he scurries around to the
outside. But despite his willingness to run inside, his 5-foot-9,
180-pound (soaking wet) frame renders him ineffective in between
the tackles.
Drew, at 5-foot-8, 200 pounds isn’t all that much greater
in size. But, he is in potential, because he can do anything Ebell
does better.
Drew is faster and shiftier than his counterpart. He also has a
more muscular build and conjures up images of Barry Sanders when
showing off his moves on moves, allowing him to be more effective
when running up the gut.
And Drew also has a winning attitude, hailing from De La Salle
High School, which is currently riding a national-record 145-game
winning streak.
“If they don’t feel I should start, that’s
fine with me,” Drew said. “I’m all about the
team. I’m a little bit bigger (than Ebell) and more of a
power back, but he has more experience, so he’s
better.”
Did I mention he was modest, too?
“Whoever gets hot is the man toting the rock,” said
running backs coach Eric Bieniemy, who recruited Drew to UCLA.
“It’s just whoever is executing.”
It doesn’t take the Stat Geek to figure this one out.
Minus the touchdown run, Drew still averaged over five yards per
carry. Ebell, meanwhile, groveled for his 19 yards on nine attempts
““ good for a 2.1 average.
So ideally, Drew will be starting Saturday at Stanford, but
Bieniemy said it wouldn’t be his decision.
No, this one falls once again on the shoulders of offensive
revisionist Karl Dorrell, who has claimed forgetfulness when it
came to not giving White or Ebell enough carries at certain points
this season.
“(Drew) is a strong slashing type of runner, and he
provided the punch. He provided a punch when we needed
something,” Dorrell said.
Let’s just hope Dorrell doesn’t make another
“oversight” when it comes to remembering just that when
he announces his decision today.
Because I want to see Mo’.
Leung was a football beat writer in 2002. He can be reached
at dleung@media.ucla.edu.