College football could use more guys like Brandon Breazell.
Hearing what the UCLA senior wide receiver out of Fresno has been going through the past few weeks, it sounds like another stark reminder of the vicious injuries that are suffered at the hands of a rather simple game.
But I defy anyone to talk to Breazell about his senior year thus far, and have him explain why he has been shuttling back and forth between oral surgery appointments and the practice field, and and try to keep a straight face. Even the grouchiest of cynics ““ namely, sportswriters ““ can’t help but smile at the enthusiasm Breazell has for the game that’s responsible for all the aggravation he’s been dealing with for the better part of September.
Here’s what happened. In the midst of UCLA’s 27-17 win over BYU at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 8, Breazell lost his front two teeth. On the back end of a Ben Olson interception, Breazell got his bell rung ““ accidentally ““ by Bruin tight end Logan Paulsen. Ever since then he has met with dentists and oral surgeons to remove the shattered pieces of his teeth that were still lodged in his gums. That was done the week of practice in between the BYU game and the Utah game.
Last week, before the road trip to Oregon State, an oral surgeon put a bone structure in Breazell’s gums ““ just inside his left nostril.
Breazell had been taking painkillers throughout the week of practice. Last week after practice when I asked Breazell how much his mouth was bothering him, he had a jarring response.
“You see me scratching my nose,” he said. “That hurts really bad.”
“I had surgery Monday,” Breazell said after UCLA’s 40-14 win on Saturday night. “They had to pull the rest of my tooth out. I’m just sitting there, and they’re drilling in my mouth, drilling in my mouth some more. I’m thinking, “˜as soon as the medicine is gone, it’s going to kill me.’
“They kept drilling and put a bone structure in there, and put stitches in there. The stitches fell out (Friday night).”
After spending last week on a steady diet of painkillers, all Breazell did in Corvallis was single-handedly deliver a Bruin win. Breazell hadn’t yet touched the ball when his team was on the wrong end of a 14-12 score in the middle of the fourth quarter Saturday. That’s when Breazell’s number was finally called and he took a simple slip-screen pass up the middle of the field, and torched the Beavers’ defense for a 69-yard touchdown.
Breazell’s second touch, a 30-yard touchdown reception less than two minutes of game time later, sealed the win.
I know that some skeptical readers might be wondering, “Just what medication was Breazell taking?”
“I didn’t take anything today, because I’m not allowed to,” Breazell said. “I took a Vicodin and half (Friday night) and I was out. But it didn’t hurt that bad today because the adrenaline starts pumping, and I didn’t even think about it once the game started.”
Oral surgery or not, Breazell has undoubtedly developed into UCLA’s most dynamic offensive player. His acceleration, which was on display on his slip-screen touchdown, gives Karl Dorrell’s offense an explosive element that was sorely missed last year. Now whether or not Breazell is being utilized to his full potential is another question.
He does have more than twice as many receptions (22) and yards (396) as the next closest receiver (Joe Cowan with 10 and 181). But after a performance like the one delivered on Saturday night, it seems like UCLA offensive coordinator Jay Norvell should try and get Breazell a few more touches per quarter from here on out.
Of course, nobody will hear Breazell publicly second-guess his coaching staff.
“No I wasn’t frustrated (at not getting the ball early on Saturday),” he said. “I believe in this team. I want everybody to make plays and I want everybody to step up. I was just waiting for my number to be called and when it did I wanted to make a play.”
Breazell plays a position rife with prima donnas, from high school on up to the NFL. But one wouldn’t know that by his actions or his words. A breakout senior year would certainly boost his NFL draft stock, but nobody has heard or read anything from Breazell that isn’t focused on his teammates, rather than himself. Even with a bone structure up to his nose, the guy doesn’t feel comfortable talking about himself too much.
“I’ve worked hard, knowing this is my last season,” he said. “But I’m here to help the team and do whatever I can.
Don’t you just love this guy?
E-mail de Jong at adejong@media.ucla.edu