Just when UCLA fans thought it was over, Karl Dorrell appeared
to reopen the “Great Quarterback Controversy of 2003″
when he substituted backup Drew Olson for the final two series of
the game against Stanford. Dorrell may have been looking for Olson
to energize the Bruins ““ then behind by 14 points ““ but
by taking Moore out, he renewed the possibility of switching
starting quarterbacks. “We were trying to generate offense,
trying to generate a spark to do something at that point in the
game,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “Drew came in and
engineered a drive that put us back into contention. Drew likes the
shotgun, and he seemed to find himself a little more protection
that way.” Through the shotgun formation, Olson was able to
get the Bruins within one touchdown of the tie, completing 5 of 12
passes for 94 yards, but wasn’t able to move the ball fast
enough down the field on the last series. Moore went 19-of-31 for
145 yards but was sacked eight times for loss and had trouble
against the Cardinal’s defensive schemes. “There were
some defenses that were unfamiliar to us,” he said. While
those surrounding the program foresee more debate between the two,
both quarterbacks dismiss any problems and deferred opinion to
Dorrell. “We’ve gone over this before,” Moore
said. “That’s (the coaches) decision. I’ve got
nothing against it, and there’s nothing I can do about it.
But I’m not worried at all, and there aren’t any
problems.” “The decision is not up to me,” Olson
said. “But I’ll be ready just in case, like I was
today. If they want me to start, I will, and if not, I’ll be
ready to come in.” But it was Dorrell who left the question
open for further speculation when asked if Moore would play next
week: “We’ll determine that in a future time, probably
within the next few days.” Â BITTERSWEET FOR
BALL: One highlight from Saturday’s loss included
defensive end Dave Ball’s lone sack, which tied him for the
UCLA career mark at 26.5. Atop the record books with Ball is Eric
Smith, who played for the Bruins from 1984-1988. Unfortunately for
Ball, the sting of defeat took any excitement out of the
achievement. “I could care less about the sack, I just wanted
to win,” Ball said. “It’s nice to get it; records
are cool, but it’s the wins that people remember.” Ball
also moved up the list for single-season sacks to reach a three-way
tie for second with Donnie Edwards (1993) and Carnell Lake (1994)
with 12.5.
INJURY REPORT: Defensive end Mat Ball saw
limited play in Saturday’s game with a strained lower back he
suffered in practice last week.