All the elements seem to be in place for the UCLA football team
to snap its two-game losing streak Saturday against Oregon. Matt
Ware and Rodney Leisle’s injuries have finally healed and the
Bruins boast an undefeated record at the Rose Bowl this season.
Even with those factors favoring UCLA, the principal variable
will be the play of Drew Olson, who was recently reinstated as
starting quarterback.
Olson, who led the team to five wins out of six starts in the
wake of an injury to fellow quarterback Matt Moore, regained the
starting job Monday after UCLA dropped three of four games under
Moore.
“I’ve got to get back in the saddle,” Olson
said. “This wasn’t something I was counting on. And
it’s not the easiest thing to come back from. I’m still
a little rusty.”
Getting back into the flow will be of utmost importance for
Olson since Moore will be waiting for another chance. The coaching
staff has proven in past games that they have no qualms about
switching quarterbacks to help spark the offense; Olson played in
the fourth quarters of the last two games.
The team will be motivated by revenge, since the Ducks beat UCLA
each of the past two seasons, with both games decided by
last-second kicks.
The reality is that this game is a must-win for the Bruins (6-4,
4-2 Pac-10). With the impending cross-town visit to national
championship contenders USC, the Bruins need to defeat Oregon (6-4,
3-3) to secure a solid Bowl bid.
Luckily for the Bruins, Leisle will likely start for the first
time since he suffered a high ankle sprain against Arizona State
several weeks ago.
“It would take a lot for me to not be there, especially
since they beat us the last two years,” Leisle said.
Ware, who is recovering from a high ankle sprain, is also
expected to start. Though the junior cornerback played limited
minutes last weekend at Washington State, he still managed an
interception.
Both Ware and Leisle will be needed against Oregon’s
potent offense, led by tailback Terrence Whitehead and receiver
Demetrius Williams. Whitehead leads the Ducks in rushing yards,
while Williams is averaging 84.5 receiving-yards a game.
“Oregon played very well last week against Cal, and Cal
was on a pretty good roll,” UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell
said. “Offensively they do enough things where your defense
has to prepare for a lot of stuff.”
The defensive line has been another strong point for the Ducks
this season, and protecting the quarterback has been problematic
for the Bruins. In the first 10 games of the season, UCLA allowed
37 sacks for a loss of 277 yards.
A stable running game would be the best means of protecting
Olson and the Bruins will depend on Maurice Drew in that area.
The freshman tailback has struggled this season with fumbles,
fumbling twice last week in Pullman and once at Stanford. The
coaching staff has made him a high priority, creating a
“Fumble Mountain” in practice to help the freshman
practice holding onto the ball.
“He just has to have a little better consciousness of
taking care of the ball in those situations when he’s running
through tacklers,” Dorrell said.
With Oregon also in the hunt for a postseason berth, the Bruins
will be tested to see if the two-game losing streak was thing of
the past or an indicator of what’s to come.