CATHERINE JUN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Sophomore wide receiver Ryan Smith hauls in a
pass by Cory Paus for the Bruins’ only
touchdown versus Ohio State on Saturday.
Sweet revenge
Two years ago, an injured Robert Thomas watched from his home as
his team suffered a grueling 42-20 defeat to a Buckeye squad led by
a fresh young quarterback named Steve Bellisari.
It was a loss that led the 1999 Bruins to an eventual defensive
collapse and an overall season record of 4-7, the worst in the Bob
Toledo era.
“That game just ate me up every quarter that went
by,” Thomas said. “I wanted to be out there so bad. But
that’s in the past now, and we have to learn from our
mistakes.”
Daily Bruin Top 25 College Football Teams Poll
SOURCE: Daily Bruin Staff Original graphic by MAGGIE WOO/Daily
Bruin Web adaptation by MIKE OUYANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
On Saturday, a healthy Thomas and a rejuvenated UCLA defense
posted one of the most stellar performances ever by a Bruin team,
shutting down the Ohio State offense in all aspects of the
game.
Thomas finished the day with a team-high nine tackles and five
tackles for losses. With 12 tackles for a loss through three games,
Thomas is easily on pace to eclipse the UCLA season-record of
22.
Case of fumbilitis
At least DeShaun Foster learned a lesson from his four-fumble
66-yard performance against the Buckeyes.
“When I was getting stood up in the pile, they did a good
job of stripping the ball,” he said. “I have to keep
two hands on the ball and squeeze it tight when I’m fighting
for yardage.”
The senior tailback had to learn the hard way, though, hampering
his Heisman campaign during a nationally televised game.
Saturday’s matchup on ABC against No. 19 Oregon State and
fellow Heisman candidate Ken Simonton will be a major indicator of
how Foster will fare come voting in December.
Secret weapon
Junior wide receiver Ryan Smith was regarded as UCLA’s No.
4 receiving threat going into the Ohio State contest, but at the
end of the game he looked like Cory Paus’ favorite
target.
The Bruins’ sole touchdown against the Buckeyes ““ a
24-yard connection ““ was also Smith’s first career end
zone grab. He finished the day with four receptions for 49
yards.
Saffer sidelined
A sprained right knee sustained in the Ohio State game will keep
right tackle Mike Saffer out of practice for most of this week, and
could leave a reasonable hole for UCLA to fill for Saturday’s
contest.
“He’s probably our best offensive lineman right
now,” Toledo said. “He’s performed very well. To
lose him would be a pretty big loss.”
Saffer’s potential replacement would be redshirt freshman
Steven Vierra, who hasn’t yet started a game in his college
career.
Turf’s up
The Bruins will be playing on an astroturf surface for the first
time this season when they match up with Oregon State this
Saturday.
Give an advantage to the Beaver running game, whose
small-statured backs (Ken Simonton and Patrick McCall) rely
primarily on their speed.
“Dennis (Erickson) put down turf because he wants
speed,” UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said. “If
you’re not used to running on it, you trip and fall.
We’ve got experienced guys; hopefully they’ll get used
to it quickly.”
Notes compiled by Joshua Mason, Daily Bruin Staff.