Wednesday, October 9, 1996
FOOTBALL:
Cornerback ready for fourth-ranked Arizona St. on SaturdayBy
Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The Bruins will get a welcome relief come Saturday.
Senior cornerback Paul Guidry is expected to return to the field
against No. 4 Arizona State.
Bruising his right quad, the third-year starter has not played
since the Bruins’ 44-0 victory over Northeast Louisiana Sept.
14.
"Paul seems ready to go," head coach Bob Toledo said. "We’ll try
to let Paul play a little, but as far as starting we haven’t made
that decision yet."
Senior Andy Colbert has done an admirable job filling the void,
making the decision even tougher for the Bruin coaching staff.
"Andy is performing well," Toledo said. "He is playing better
than he has ever played since I’ve seen him."
As far as Paul Guidry is concerned, he’s ready to go.
"It’s real tough (sitting out), being my senior year and this
being the last time we face all of these teams," he said. "I wanted
to make every game, but now I am just doing the best that I
can."
Even though Guidry admits that he’s not 100 percent, more like
90-95 percent, he’s not afraid to start hitting again.
"I plan on playing this week," he said. "In football you’re
never 100 percent. I would love to play significant minutes, but
with me, my brother, and Andy back there, it’s up to the
coaches."
Playing a conference opponent, and a Top-5 team at that, made
Guidry a little anxious to return to action.
"It has that much more implication because it is a conference
game," he said. "If it wasn’t such a big game, maybe I wouldn’t
rush it so much, but I want to get out there and play."
In addition to helping the defense out, Guidry should give a
lift to the special teams as well. Last year he was ranked fifth
nationally in punt returns and he entered this season as a
second-team pre-season All-American and the Bruins’ most prolific
returner in school history.
* * *
After spending nearly a week in the hospital in Michigan,
freshman linebacker Rosco Zamano, who dislocated his knee two
weekends ago in Ann Arbor, has returned to Los Angeles.
After undergoing a three-hour operation to allow circulation
within his leg, he is resting at UCLA Medical Center. He has
withdrawn from school for the fall quarter and will re-enroll later
this year.
Daily Bruin File Photo
Paul Guidry evades a tackler while returning a punt in last
year’s Arizona game. The pre-season second-team All-American will
start at cornerback and return punts Saturday vs. Arizona
State.