Stepping into a cage to face off against a tiger with a broken rib is still stepping into a cage with a tiger.
When the UCLA football team faces Washington tonight in Seattle, the Huskies’ biggest weapon, redshirt senior quarterback Jake Locker, will be returning from just such an injury, one that threatened to keep him off of the field. But hurt or not, the guy is still dangerous.
“I think Jake Locker is a tough-as-nails cat,” UCLA junior safety Tony Dye said. “If he’s going to play, he’s going to play at 100 percent. We’re preparing for the Jake Locker that’s going in the draft high.”
The Bruins (4-5, 2-4 Pac-10) and Huskies (3-6, 2-4) are both fighting to remain eligible for a postseason berth, which adds a healthy dose of significance to a game between two programs at the end of disappointing seasons.
UCLA needs to win two of its final three contests and Washington must sweep its remaining games to get to the six-win plateau that would likely send either team to a bowl game.
“(For) both teams it’s a must-win,” UCLA sophomore quarterback Richard Brehaut said.
Locker, Brehaut’s Husky counterpart, was the focus of attention in both Seattle and Los Angeles this week, as both camps waited to hear if Locker’s doctors would allow him to play.
On Tuesday, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian ended the conversation via his Twitter account by announcing Locker’s medical clearance for the game.
But even on Monday, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, who coached the Huskies for four years, knew of Locker’s readiness to play, and had a clear picture of the game.
“There’s no uncertainty over Jake: He’ll play,” Neuheisel said. “And there’s really no uncertainty about rain. It will. I’ve lived there plenty enough times to know.”
Locker was projected by some to be a first-round NFL draft selection after last season, but he decided to return to UW for another year. Tonight’s nationally televised matchup will be his final game playing at Husky Stadium.
Those fans have witnessed some struggles this year, especially as of late.
Washington has been blown out in its last three games, including a 53-16 loss to No. 1 Oregon while Locker was on the sidelines.
Locker, who holds UW’s career and single-season records for rushing yards by a quarterback, is known for his mobility as well as the strength of his arm, but his ability to scramble could be weakened by his injury.
“Is he going to run with broken ribs? That’s the question,” said UCLA defensive coordinator Chuck Bullough, the man in charge of figuring out a way to stop Locker.
“As the game goes on, we’ll have to see. Or is he just going to drop back and throw the ball because he doesn’t want to expose his ribs to people?”
The Bruins have struggled against dual-threat quarterbacks at times this year, namely with Oregon’s Darron Thomas and Arizona’s Matt Scott, but Dye believes that they have the experience to know how to approach such an attack against Locker.
They did it last year when they beat the Huskies in a 24-23 nailbiter at the Rose Bowl, intercepting Locker once and holding him to just 23 yards on the ground.
“Luckily, every quarterback in our conference has run,” Dye said. “So we’ve seen it enough this year that we should be able to contain him like we want to. But man, Jake Locker is a special player.”
Neuheisel thinks that Locker’s position is key to winning games in the muddled middle of the Pac-10, which has seven teams within just two games of each other in the standings, plenty of whom have had injuries to their men behind center.
“It really comes down to the consistency of the quarterback,” he said.
In the Bruins’ last game, a 17-14 victory over Oregon State, Brehaut showed some legs himself, rushing for 61 yards and a touchdown After starting the season as the team’s backup, Brehaut has taken over the position smoothly, and will now start his fifth game of the year.
“I’m just trying to be on a steady climb right now,” he said.
Two wins away from salvaging its season, UCLA wants to be along for the climb.