Osaar Rasshan has always said the right thing.
This spring, when the redshirt sophomore was contemplating a move from quarterback to wide receiver, he said he wanted to do what helped the team most. That meant switching to wide receiver.
When Rasshan was switched back to quarterback after injuries to UCLA’s top two signal-callers, he never said that the preseason at wide receiver was a setback.
And now, after coach Karl Dorrell named him starting quarterback, Rasshan is still saying that he just wants to help his team Saturday when the Bruins (5-4, 4-2 Pac-10) take on Arizona State (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10) at the Rose Bowl.
“I can’t look to the future,” Rasshan said. “We’ve got Arizona State and that’s the only goal we have in our minds right now as a team.”
After Rasshan took the snaps for the first game of his career, last Saturday at Arizona, he said that he couldn’t worry about the years spent not playing, and that he had to focus on the present.
But the story of Rasshan’s move certainly says a lot about his desire to help his team.
“(Rasshan) saw it as an opportunity to help the offense and move to a position to get himself on the field and be productive,” Dorrell said. “That was the reason (for the move), and I agreed with it.”
Backup quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson said that the entire team knew that the best thing for the Bruins was to get Rasshan on the field.
“Osaar is such a great football player, (the move) was just seen as a way to get him on the field,” Bethel-Thompson said. “That’s the most important thing, to get your best players on the field.”
Rasshan will be on the field from the get-go this week, and the Bruins are doing everything they can to put him in a position where he can succeed.
“The game plan (will) shrink down,” Dorrell said. “That’s what it comes down to; you can’t give (Rasshan) as much information as you would to an experienced guy.”
The coaches have certainly pushed their new signal-caller, doing every thing they can to prepare him for the Sun Devils’ defense. After watching film on the Bruins’ off-day Monday, and after practice Tuesday, Rasshan said that he was as tired as he had ever been after any practice in his life.
Rasshan showed his running prowess against Arizona, rushing for 57 yards, but he completed just three of his 10 passing attempts. He will have a chance Saturday to put another twist on the crazy story of his UCLA career.
For Rasshan, though, it’s a shock just to be back at quarterback.
“I honestly did not think I was going back to quarterback,” Rasshan said. “It was a switch for the team. Usually when a quarterback switches to receiver, I don’t know too many that go back.”
INJURY REPORT: Injuries have become a theme of the season for this team.
This week the Bruins hope to have running back Chris Markey back. The senior has had turf toe and injured his ankle against Arizona. Dorrell said that Markey had a lot of energy in Tuesday’s practice, but he didn’t receive the bulk of the reps because the coaches wanted to work out runners that hadn’t received as many reps this year.
Defensive tackle Brigham Harwell practiced despite a lingering knee injury, but Dorrell said that he will probably not be back in action until the Oregon game.