Heading into Saturday, it was originally thought that the UCLA
football team’s first scrimmage would help clear up the
Bruins’ muddled quarterback picture.
After the scrimmage, however, coach Karl Dorrell’s
decision on whether Drew Olson or Ben Olson would assume the
starter’s role became even more difficult.
Each given the opportunity to separate himself from the other
before nearly 2,000 onlookers at Drake Stadium on Saturday, neither
Olson did.
Instead, both struggled early, found their rhythm late and left
teammates, coaches and themselves unsure who would be taking the
snaps in the Bruins’ season opener on Sept. 3.
“It’s as tight as it has ever been,” said
Dorrell, who expects to name a starter by the end of this week.
Yet while the quarterback competition is still up for grabs,
Drew is already operating under the mind-set that he will be the
Bruins’ starter, and made his case for the official title on
Saturday.
In his first game experience since injuring his left knee in the
Las Vegas Bowl on Jan. 7, Olson shook off some early missed throws
and apparent rust to finish the day completing eight of 15 passes
for 105 yards and a 31-yard touchdown to receiver Joe Cowan.
With a stronger arm, increased mobility and a larger pocket
presence to show for it, Drew, who has started 15 consecutive games
for the Bruins behind center, believes he has played up to the
point in fall camp where he has maintained his job as the
starter.
“I’m still the starter until otherwise, and until
someone starts in front of me, I take on the responsibilities of
being the starter,” said Drew, who was UCLA’s
quarterback on the opening series of Saturday’s two-hour
scrimmage.
“In my mind, I feel, why not? I don’t think
I’ve played down. This is the best camp I’ve had in
college by far.”
Yet for as good as Drew looked on Saturday, heralded freshman
Ben was equally impressive. Not having experienced a game-type
situation since January 2002, Ben shrugged off a slow start to
complete the scrimmage, connecting on eight of 12 passes for 82
yards and two touchdowns, perhaps finding a new favorite target in
the process.
Both of Ben’s touchdowns went to Marcedes Lewis, as the
redshirt freshman quarterback connected with the senior tight end
for a 38-yard pass over the middle and a 15-yard pass to the corner
of the end zone.
And if it wasn’t the two touchdown strikes to Lewis that
did the convincing, it was the rest of Ben’s performance
Saturday, including maturity in the huddle and the ability to
connect on short passes, that was yet another reminder that Ben
appears far removed from his struggles in spring practice.
“Ben is starting to feel comfortable in our system, and
it’s starting to show,” Dorrell said.
“It wasn’t as weird as I thought it was going to
be,” said Ben, who received the loudest ovation before
Saturday’s scrimmage and commanded the largest
autograph-seeking group after it.
“I just have to be prepared for when my time does come to
be ready. Everyone prepares themselves to start. You just have to
be ready. You never know.”
With only two weeks before the Bruins’ season opener at
San Diego State, the competition for quarterback is only expected
to intensify.
So while the last two weeks have whittled down a four-man
marathon to a two-man sprint, the next two weeks should yield the
definitive starter for the upcoming season, as well as satisfy
fast-spreading curiosity.
“It’s going to be real interesting come two
weeks,” Lewis said.
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While most of the attention was fixated on the battle at
quarterback, the defense quietly outperformed the offense on
Saturday.
The secondary blanketed UCLA’s crop of young receivers
while the defensive line was able to contain the Bruins’
rushing attack and repeatedly found an easy route to the
quarterback, recording at least eight sacks.