With the completion of Saturday’s scrimmage, quarterback
Drew Olson left with the reassuring knowledge that he was the
Bruins’ leader. Finally, this was his team. “I feel
better, I think I’m playing better, and I feel in
command,” Olson said. “If a guy lines up wrong,
it’s easy for me to put him in the right place or tell him
what to do. It comes to the point where I can direct people around,
whereas last year, I was so engulfed in what I had to do to do my
job.” Now with practice over until summer camp, the ball is
in Olson’s hands, both literally and figuratively speaking.
He must take not only the offense, but also himself, to the next
level. Both coach Karl Dorrell and new offensive coordinator Tom
Cable are looking for Olson to have a complete grasp on their style
of the West Coast Offense, a task that he often struggled with last
season. “We’re through with the incompetence of not
having the feel of (the offense),” Cable said of Olson.
During the scrimmage Saturday, Olson’s accuracy was off
compared to his performances in prior spring practices. But
improvement from last season was noticeable, especially with his
visualizing open receivers while in the pocket. Also encouraging
was his newfound command on the field. “I feel real positive
where I’m at,” Olson said. “Hopefully the
guys feel the same way I do, because if they don’t that
doesn’t do much good.” Â
PSEUDO-SCRIMMAGE: As expected, Saturday’s
annual spring scrimmage turned out to be more like a practice.
Although approximately 1,200 fans, alumni and recruits packed
Spaulding field, due to a lack of available players the coaching
staff was forced to hold a tightly controlled environment for the
team. They practiced goal-line scenarios and other situations as
well as seven-on-seven drills. No stats were taken, but wide
receiver Joe Cowan made an impression with several notable catches,
including what would have been a touchdown. Â COLORADO
UPDATE: The attorneys representing Lisa Simpson in the
lawsuit against the University of Colorado have taken UCLA running
backs coach Eric Bieniemy and tight-ends coach Jon Embree off their
list of potential deponents, according to the Orange County
Register. Both were former CU players and coached during the time
Simpson alleged she was raped by CU recruits.
FACES IN THE CROWD:Â Among those in
attendance Saturday was Bruin All-American alumnus Jerry Robinson,
who has been seen at several practices within the last two weeks.
Former Bruin running back Tyler Ebell visited from Ventura College,
where he is attending until he transfers this summer to UTEP
college. Ebell, who also came the first day of practice, left the
program after the end of the last season due to differences with
the coaching staff. Also during Friday’s practice, current
Nebraska coach Bill Callahan came to watch his son, backup
quarterback Brian Callahan. Â INJURY REPORT:
 During Saturday’s practice, tackle C.J. Niusulu and
safety Eric McNeel both had to leave the scrimmage early with
injuries to the shoulder and knee, respectively. Dorrell said that
both suffered bruises and didn’t expect any major
repercussions.