Extra Points: Cowan’s time to shine ““ humbly

So what are we to make of Pat Cowan?

It’s a question too many people have been ignoring for too long. Perhaps it is because Cowan has taken creative, at times dramatic, strides to avert the media spotlight. Perhaps it is because fans have never really warmed up to the idea that Cowan is the most capable quarterback on the UCLA roster, which would be an admission that the Ben Olson experiment hasn’t worked out so well.

Whatever the reasons might be, the reception for Cowan has been indifferent at best, which is pretty mind-boggling when you consider that he is the only UCLA quarterback in the last eight years who’s been able to orchestrate a win over USC. And that win wasn’t exactly in an over-hyped, meaningless rivalry game; it kept the hated Trojans out of the Bowl Championship Series title game last year.

But after UCLA followed up its upset over USC with a clunker against Florida State in the Emerald Bowl, there was little doubt that Olson would be given yet another chance to prove he was worthy of all the hype. As it turned out, Cowan was given a nice pat on the back and shown his way to the bench. Yet nobody really cared. A lot of folks still had grandiose ideas about Olson’s potential.

But another injury interrupted yet another poor season for Olson. So maybe it is time we all get comfortable with the Cowan era. Whether we like it or not, he gives the Bruins the best chance to win on a weekly basis. Quite frankly, he deserves the job. Even if he’s only won that one big game for UCLA, it’s still more than Olson ““ a man who is starting to hear whispers of the word “bust” following him around.

UCLA’s offense has only looked halfway decent in one game since its win over Stanford in the season opener, and that was the 44-31 win over Washington. Remember who was behind center for that one? Cowan, who temporarily saved a sinking ship by delivering a much-needed win one week after the Utah debacle.

Barring injury, Cowan deserves to finish out the rest of the season as the starter. Until he is anointed the unequivocal leader of the team ““ without having to look behind him to see how Olson is healing ““ we’ll never really know what kind of a player he could be. He’s saved Karl Dorrell enough times now to earn a little bit of trust.

So now that we’ve got that settled, what do we know about Cowan? Not a whole hell of a lot.

It has been difficult to latch onto Cowan because he is constantly evading the media blitz.

Take, for instance, this Tuesday, the last day for the local media to interview the UCLA starting quarterback about the upcoming game.

Television cameras enveloped Cowan, asking him about his chances against No. 10 Cal on Saturday. Cowan brought an entourage of offensive linemen with him to answer the sportscasters’ questions about the strength of his sprained knee. It was painfully obvious how staged and awkward the whole scene was. Some might call the move petty. Others might think it is hilarious, especially when you consider the stupid questions that litter local television interviews. It was just another way Cowan showed his contempt and disregard for the sports media, which has hounded him when he’s been in the lineup and ignored him when he hasn’t.

Some think he is shy. Others think he is glib. But maybe we need to borrow an admonition we reserve for another enigmatic athlete, and just chalk it up to “Pat being Pat.”

You’ll recognize that there are none of Cowan’s words in this little diatribe. It’s mainly because Cowan skirts questions and refuses to indulge in his ego by talking about himself. When he does, he is a horrible quote and reveals nothing about himself.

Nobody should take these words to think that Cowan’s a prima donna. His teammates love him, and he is more than willing to gush over the play of his offensive line, running backs and wide receivers ““ just not himself.

After practice Wednesday, Cowan went up to each and every guy on the first team offense and slapped them on the rear. Cowan is enigmatic in front of a microphone, but don’t think for a second he is like that with his teammates.

We hear a lot about so-called “team players” who are thought to be selfless, or gutsy, or whatever. The irony isn’t lost on anyone when we hear “team players” droning on and on about how selfless they are.

In Cowan’s case, though, it is certainly true. He doesn’t have the arm strength or accuracy of Olson or the prototypical build. But when’s he out on the field, it’s evident he has a chemistry with the rest of the team. He improvises. He makes quirky plays on third down, and some of them even work. Some call it intangibles or game smarts.

It doesn’t really matter that he isn’t a media darling. He still has all the respect of the guys in his locker room. Let’s give him some room and see what he does with these next six games.

So the next time you see a television interview with Cowan, and he’s looking down at his feet and mumbling his answers, don’t worry. It’s just Pat being Pat.

E-mail de Jong at adejong@media.ucla.edu.

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