Coming into the 2006 season, there were plenty of questions
facing an offense that had lost its quarterback, leading receiver
and leading rusher. The only sure thing seemed to be a veteran
receiving corps that was ready to absorb the loss of tight end
Marcedes Lewis. Four games into the season, UCLA wide receivers are
having a tough time proving their worth. With the maturation
process of quarterback Ben Olson showing its pains, UCLA receivers
haven’t had the opportunities to be much of a factor,
particularly in the vertical passing game. UCLA’s passing
game has stalled, especially against Washington and Stanford, when
Olson faced dime defenses that only rush three lineman and drop
eight men into pass coverage. Heading into Saturday’s game
against Arizona, UCLA (3-1, 1-1) will be looking to reverse the
trend by stretching the field, with more deep passes to its speedy
receivers, to keep the Wildcat defense off balance. “We knew
that Ben would have an adjustment period as a first-year starter,
and he’s getting better,” senior wide receiver Junior
Taylor said. “If we can give the defenses different looks,
and get the ball into our hands down field, it will help
everybody.” Starters Taylor and Marcus Everett have modest
numbers through the first four games, combining for 16 catches for
154 yards and one touchdown. Instead, the leading receivers at this
point are not exactly household names. Tight end Logan Paulsen
leads UCLA with 10 catches for 144 yards while senior Matt Willis
has nine catches for 75 yards and a touchdown. Although the
Bruins’ passing game spreads the ball around, nobody is on
pace to catch more than 30 catches by season’s end, which has
happened only twice in the last 26 years. The fact that running
back Chris Markey has nine catches for 74 yards, more than Taylor
or Everett, suggests that Olson has been more likely to throw the
ball off the safety valves ““ the second or third option on a
play ““ than find the primary target. “If we can get
into a rhythm, we’ll do some damage,” Everett said.
“It’s really just a matter of time before we (the
receivers) and Ben click, and then we’ll be dangerous.”
Taylor, who said that the offense is “really close” to
hitting on all cylinders, noted that if UCLA can balance its
passing attack with a consistent running game, the red zone
problems that have plagued the Bruins will vanish. “When you
get down near the end zone, everything tightens up,” Taylor
said. “If we have that balance and can keep the defense
guessing, those field goals will turn into touchdowns.”
PLANTING A SNEAD: Redshirt junior William
Snead, who was moved from defensive end to tight end last week in
practice, is continuing to impress the coaching staff and will see
increased playing time against Arizona, UCLA coach Karl Dorrell
said. Snead’s position change is partly to add depth to an
injury-riddled tight end corps, and partly to get Snead’s
athletic ability on the field in some way. Although Snead
didn’t catch a pass against Stanford in his first appearance
on offense, he was put into the game on goal line situations and
was thrown a ball in the end zone that was out of reach.
“He’s looked good,” Dorrell said.
“We’re going to continue to spoon-feed him to help him
along, but he’s done a nice job so far.”
INJURY UPDATE: Sophomore running back Kahlil
Bell left Tuesday’s practice early because of a left leg
injury, but he returned to full practice on Wednesday and will play
on Saturday. … Senior wide receiver Joe Cowan, sidelined since
the start of training camp because of a PCL injury, is making
progress and could play in UCLA’s game at Oregon on Oct. 14,
Dorrell said. … Junior cornerback Michael Norris is still out
indefinitely with a PCL injury.