Offense wins practice game
The UCLA football team held their first scrimmage of fall
practice Saturday. The first string offense went against the second
team defense and generally had their way with them. In the second
play of the scrimmage, junior tailback DeShaun Foster caught a
screen pass and raced 54 yards. He scored two plays later. The very
next play, Jermaine Lewis cut through the defense for 35 yards.
Although the coaching staff has not said so, Cory Paus appears to
be solidifying his bid for the starting quarterback job. In the
scrimmage, he was seven of 10 for 184 yards, including a 65-yard
touchdown pass to tight end Gabe Crecion. The other quarterback
candidate, Ryan McCann, also performed well, going six of nine with
two touchdowns and one interception. Paus, however, seems to have a
better grip on the offensive scheme the Bruins want to run. Head
coach Bob Toledo said that the a starter will probably be named
Monday or Tuesday. Other touchdowns included a one-yard Matt
Stanley rush, a 65-yard McCann to Jon Dubravac connection and
18-yard McCann to Drew Bennett hook-up.
An attempt to build depth
In Saturday’s scrimmage, the full first team defense made
only a brief appearance against the second team offense. The rest
of the scrimmage was mixed, with any number of first-, second- or
third-stringers in at any given time. Starting end Rusty Williams
and linebacker Ryan Nece both missed the entire scrimmage. In
Williams’ place, Stephen Sua recorded a pair of sacks. In the
linebacker spot, Marcus Reese sat out with a concussion, thrusting
two inexperienced players into major roles. Walk-on Kevin
Stromsborg and freshman Brandon Chillar both held their own playing
with the defense. Other defenders forced to sit out were Ben
Emanuel, Tim Warfield, Dashaun McCullough, and Rob Kolaczynski.
No safety at the safety spot
With Jason Bell, Ricky Manning and Marques Anderson holding a
solid grip on their starting jobs, the free safety position is
still up in the air. Earlier in fall practice, John Hall was
awarded a scholarship while vying for the position. Hall, who has
brought attention to himself as a strong tackler, is competing with
Jason Zdenek, Jason Stephens, Audie Attar and possibly Ben Emanuel
for the starting spot. Stephens has frustrated coaches by looking
All-Pac-10 one moment and second-string high school the next, a
pattern continued from last year.
Cabrera goes down
Starting offensive lineman Oscar Cabrera has suffered a high
ankle sprain that will almost certainly keep him out of action
against opening-day opponent Alabama. Cabrera was originally listed
as day-to-day, but now may miss the first three games of the
season. Cabrera has been unable to practice with the team, using
crutches and a walking cast to get around. In 1999, wide receiver
Danny Farmer suffered a similar high ankle sprain and never
regained the form that had made him a pre-season Biletnikoff Award
candidate.
Notes compiled by Greg Lewis, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.