When redshirt junior Pat Cowan took every rep with the first-team offense in the UCLA football team’s first spring scrimmage on Saturday, many speculated that he had won the No. 1 quarterback job over redshirt junior Ben Olson.
But for Cowan it was just another day of practice in 90-degree heat.
Afterward he went for a swim.
“It was really hot,” Cowan said with a smile. “I think that’s what I remember most from it.”
Cowan’s laid-back attitude toward the quarterback competition is nothing new; he’s competed with Olson for the starting job twice, before the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
But this time around it looks as if the 6-foot-4-inch Southern California native may have an early edge against Olson, who won both of those prior competitions.
At Monday’s no-pads practice, Cowan again took all the reps with the first team. He completed a fade pass to Marcus Everett in a 7-on-7 drill. Cowan also worked one-on-one with new coach Rick Neuheisel, as the two discussed throwing mechanics.
Olson practiced with the second team.
“I think Pat has shown great leadership and a great understanding of what we’re trying to get done even though it’s kind of new,” Neuheisel said after Monday’s practice. “That’s why he might be slightly ahead in the competition, but the competition is far from over.”
Both Neuheisel and offensive coordinator Norm Chow were quick to shoot down the suggestion that Cowan is the certain pick to be the No. 1 quarterback.
Cowan said his mentality hasn’t changed a bit and he isn’t paying attention to the speculation.
“I’m going to have the same focus every day,” Cowan said. “If I’m named the starter then I will continue to work hard, and if I’m not then I will do the same because, as the last few seasons have shown, it’s a very long season, and you never know what’s going to happen.”
Those two seasons have given the 22-year-old Cowan plenty of on-field experience because of persistent injuries to Olson. In 2006 Cowan threw for 1,782 yards and 11 touchdowns and led the Bruins to a win over USC. In 2007 he started five games and threw for 695 yards.
In his four years at UCLA, Cowan has worked with four different offensive coordinators, but he said the transition to a new staff this spring hasn’t added any pressure. He also said he has especially enjoyed working with Neuheisel, a former Bruin quarterback.
“Coach Neuheisel was a quarterback, so he can give you little technique help, little screws to fix things,” Cowan said. “It’s fun learning from him because you’re on the same quarterback terminology.”
Chow said he has been impressed by the way Cowan, Olson and the other quarterbacks ““ Osaar Rasshan, Kevin Craft and Chris Forcier ““ have learned the new offensive scheme.
UCLA has now finished half its spring practices; Monday’s was the eighth so far. The Bruins will scrimmage again Friday night at Spaulding Field.
Neuheisel and Chow have both acknowledged the benefit of choosing a No. 1 quarterback by the end of spring because the coaches can’t work with players over the summer.
“Obviously you’d like to have a guy step up because you need him to be in control,” Chow said.
“Whenever you solidify who’s in there, you end up growing leaps and bounds,” Neuheisel said.
But that doesn’t mean the staff is so eager to name a top quarterback that it will just give the job away, Neuheisel said.
“We can’t go so fast that we make the wrong decision,” Neuheisel said. “Certainly Ben (Olson) has made a lot of big plays, too, so we’re still working at it, but we need to move toward that decision as quickly as is possible.”
There are just six more practices left until the Bruins’ spring game at the Rose Bowl on April 26; the staff’s final decision could come in the next week.
But Cowan is as calm as ever.
“All the new offense, the competition, everything we do, it’s just really fun,” he said. “That’s what playing football is all about.”
LANIS RETIRES: Neuheisel received some bad news Monday when redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Aleksey Lanis told him that he wished to retire and would no longer be a part of the team.
Lanis was a highly touted recruit out of Crenshaw High School who started 12 games in his redshirt freshman season in 2006. He played in just six games in 2007 because of nagging knee injuries, and he has had two knee surgeries during his career.
Neuheisel said the injuries were the reason for Lanis’ decision.
“It’s a hit to us, but we wish him well,” Neuheisel said. “Obviously that happens to everybody at some point where they realize it’s the end of the line.”
Neuheisel said he did not try to convince Lanis to reconsider.
“It was clear in his face that he just wasn’t ready to go on,” Neuheisel said. “I thought there would have been hope, and I would have pushed harder, but he is pretty set in his decision, and you have to respect that.”
The loss of Lanis hurts the Bruins’ depth at the tackle position, and the team is already lacking depth in the offensive line. Lanis was listed as the team’s No. 1 right tackle on the spring depth chart ““ behind him the Bruins have freshman Mike Harris. Micah Kia and Sean Sheller are the team’s top left tackles. Sheller could be a possible replacement for Lanis.
CHANDLER SITS: Redshirt freshman tight end Nate Chandler did not practice Monday after he had trouble breathing in Saturday’s scrimmage.
The 6-foot-3-inch Chandler has been a bright spot this spring, and Neuheisel has compared him to a young Kellen Winslow.
“He went through a battery of tests today,” Neuheisel said. “We’ll get those back and hopefully have him back at practice as early as Wednesday. We’re just making sure it’s nothing serious.”
Neuheisel said he thought it may have been dehydration.
QUICK HITS: Neuheisel said he thought his team needed the lighter day of practice after the heat on Saturday. … Tight end Logan Paulsen continued his consistent play on Monday with a couple of catches over safety Bret Lockett. … Cornerback Chris Meadows dislocated his shoulder and probably won’t play again this spring. … Running back Raymond Carter participated on Monday but still hasn’t played in any contact drills; the freshman is still recovering from a torn ACL. … Reserve tight end Travis Martin has left the team to focus on school.