Redshirt freshman Robert Chai suddenly found himself thrust into
the spotlight. Heralded starting center Mike McCloskey went down in
the first half with a season-ending ankle fracture while playing
against Washington, and Chai had all of a few minutes and three or
four practice snaps to quickly get in tune with quarterback Drew
Olson.
“This week has been so hectic,” Chai said.
“This is why you practice so hard as a backup. When the
opportunity comes up, you have to be ready.”
Chai looked good in the second half, allowing Olson to complete
throws downfield and opening up holes in the running game. In
particular, there didn’t appear to be any problems with the
snap exchange.
Still, with McCloskey’s injury, an already-thin offensive
line grows even thinner. Should Chai go down, senior Tyson Clayton,
who earned a scholarship this past fall after walking on, would
step in at center.
On the defensive side of the ball, strong safety Jarrad Page is
still listed as doubtful with a bruised right shoulder, even though
UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell says that they have an official
determination today. If Page can’t go, Nnamdi Ohaeri, Eric
McNeal, Kevin Brant and Keith Short have all been mentioned as
possibilities to start in Page’s place.
Free safety Ben Emanuel, who has sat out this week’s
practices with a mild concussion, returned to practice in a
no-contact jersey. Defensive tackle Asi Faoa did not participate in
full practice but is available for Saturday.
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Given a chance to recant his post-game comments calling UCLA
cornerback Matt Ware “scared,” Washington wide receiver
Reggie Williams declined.
“It was the truth,” Williams told the Seattle Times.
“He couldn’t guard me.”
After the game, Ware had nothing but praise and respect for his
counterpart. But now, Ware’s opinion has slightly
changed.
“That’s a character thing,” Ware said.
“I still have the same character I have, and he can have
whatever character he wants.”
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Running back Adrian Peterson, widely considered the top high
school running back in the nation, took an official visit to UCLA
this past weekend and returned to his native Texas raving about the
trip.
“It was awesome,” Peterson told
BruinReportOnline.com. “I really enjoyed myself. I had never
been to California … but it was awesome.”
The 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pounder is now deciding between UCLA,
Oklahoma and Texas.