Across the country, it’s a fall tradition. Fans gather to
see their first glimpse of their favorite college team before the
real games begin just two weeks later. At USC last year,
50,000-plus fans packed the Coliseum to see Reggie Bush and Matt
Leinart scrimmage against their second-string counterparts. There
won’t be nearly that many people this Saturday at Drake
Stadium, where the Bruins hold their annual fall scrimmage, but
that doesn’t mean coach Karl Dorrell isn’t excited
about what the scrimmage can show about his team. “It’s
a great indicator. (The scrimmage) is as close to a game situation
as you can get, and I want to see how the players will
react,” Dorrell said. “There (are) going to be fans in
the stands, and no coaches on the field. “It will tell me a
lot about where people stand on this football team.” The
scrimmage will feature around 100 plays and be evenly divided among
the first three teams and the scout team. Redshirt sophomore Ben
Olson and Pat Cowan will be splitting the reps at quarterback, and
the scrimmage will be a great chance for both to show what they
have. “I’m excited,” Olson said. “Like
I’ve said all along, I want to go out there, and prove that I
deserve the starting position. “The only way to do it is to
go out there and do it.” The scrimmage will also provide a
chance for young freshmen such as defensive linemen Darius Savage
and cornerback Alterraun Verner to show they can play with the
first and second team. For Savage, he had the scrimmage marked on
his calendar before fall practice began. “I want to show the
coaches what I can do,” Savage said. “After going
through the two-a day practices, it will be nice to have some fans
in the stands, and get some real game experience.” The Bruins
will certainly need all the experience they can get as the season
opener against Utah at the Rose Bowl is only two weeks away.
BROWN NEGATIVE: The result of the MRI on defensive
lineman Kevin Brown’s right ankle came back negative on
Thursday, meaning that Brown should be able to rejoin his teammates
back on the field sometime next week. “The results came out
well for us,” Dorrell said. “He won’t be able to
participate in Saturday’s scrimmage, but he shouldn’t
miss too much time on the field.” Last year, Brown missed the
entire season with a left ankle fracture. EXTRA
POINTS: The Bruins will spend the rest of practice at
Spaulding Field, forgoing their original plans to practice the
first two weeks at the intramural Field. “¦ Tight end J.J.
Hair went down with a strained calf muscle in Friday’s
practice and won’t participate on Saturday. Also not
participating will be receiver Marcus Everett and tight end Ryan
Moya, both of whom are recovering from various injuries. Defensive
linemen Brigham Harwell and Nikola Dragovic will be game-time
decisions for the scrimmage.