The UCLA football team held its second scrimmage of spring
practice on Friday, and the Bruins played much better than they did
in the first scrimmage a week prior. In particular, quarterback
Drew Olson was impressive, demonstrating a knowledge of offensive
coordinator Tom Cable’s system, which allowed him to throw
four touchdowns in the red zone amid tight defensive pressure.
“I was pleased with our red zone offense, because it’s
one of the most important parts of our offense,” Olson said.
“We are getting more eager to get in the end zone this year.
We have a new mentality in the red zone, and I think it will help
us a lot. We won’t have as many turnovers and we will get a
lot more points on the board.” Olson completed 15 of 20
passes for 184 yards and threw five touchdowns, showing patience
and poise in the pocket. Craig Bragg led all receivers with six
catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. Joe Cowan added two
touchdowns, while Matt Slater had one touchdown. Behind Olson,
there is a battle brewing between David Koral and Brian Callahan
for the No. 2 quarterback position. Junior transfer Koral has had
to learn UCLA’s offensive system since transferring from
Santa Monica College, while Callahan had last season to learn the
complexities of the offense. Both quarterbacks played with the
second-team offense. Koral completed six of eight passes for 60
yards, including an impressive on-the-run pass to a streaking Chris
Steck. Callahan did not complete a pass on six attempts.
“Brian has done well this spring with the drills,”
coach Karl Dorrell said. “David did some good things today
too. It’s going to be a tight battle.” Running back
Maurice Drew continued his impressive streak on Friday, as he led
all running backs with 11 carries for 109 yards and touchdowns of
52 and 15 yards. Running back Jason Harrison also had a good
practice, demonstrating his strength in some short yardage
situations. The defense was led by Justin London and Bruce David,
who each contributed a sack. Opposite Matt Clark at the cornerback
position, Jebiaus Brown and Marcus Cassel shared time with the
first-team defensive unit and are competing for a starting
spot.
INJURY UPDATE: Defensive end Nikola Dragovic
sprained his left shoulder in the scrimmage, and running back
Derrick Williams sprained his right ankle.