By Diamond Leung
DAILY BRUIN SENIOR STAFF
[email protected]
 The Associated Press
UCLA football coach Bob Toledo during PAC 10
media day in Los Angeles Wednesday, July 31, 2002.
As UCLA football head coach Bob Toledo< sat at the roundtable
eating his buffet lunch at Pac-10 Media Day on Wednesday, he
couldn’t help but smile.
After all, members of the local media, the people who had built
him up and tore him down after a tumultuous season last year, were
simultaneously eating with him and grilling him. Topics addressed
included underachievement and disciplinary problems ““ nothing
he’s unaccustomed to.
Beyond the glow of Toledo’s smile, powder blue jacket and
gold tie is the understanding that last season needs to be buried
in his memory.
“I’m very excited about this season and very much
want to put last season behind us,” he said.
The Bruins went from national title contenders to Humanitarian
Bowl rejecters last season as Toledo’s starting quarterback
Cory Paus and tailback DeShaun Foster fell into temptation. Paus
has still not been named starter this season.
And now, with incoming freshman C.J. Niusulu pleading not guilty
to felony battery last week after a fight at a drive-in theater,
people wonder if he will be able to maintain control of his team
this season.
“(Disciplinary problems) hurt the chemistry of your team,
and I didn’t do a good enough job of getting the chemistry
back last year,” Toledo said. “I’ll take the
blame for that, but we’re in an era right now when kids make
mistakes.
“I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been
doing. They know there’s discipline. I’ve suspended
guys, I’ve disciplined guys, I’ve proven I’ll do
that. It’s up to them now to start policing themselves
better, too.”
Senior offensive tackle Mike Saffer agrees.
“Everyone is saying, “˜Coach Toledo needs to police
the team more.’ But when it falls on the
coaches” shoulders, it takes away from their job of
getting us ready to play each game. It’s our responsibility
as players to police ourselves and police our teammates,”
Saffer said.
Toledo on paper won’t have one of his better teams this
year. He loses to graduation 23 seniors ““ half of whom signed
professional contracts.
UCLA was unranked in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches preseason Top 25
poll. West Coast media members, meanwhile, ranked UCLA No. 6 in the
preseason Pac-10 poll. Washington State earned the top spot for the
first time in 41 years.
“You know what? That’s fine,” Saffer said.
“If people want to pick us in the middle of the Pac-10,
I’ve got no problem with that because we’ll be happy to
surprise them. If anyone looks us over, then that’s their
mistake.”
For what it’s worth, the last time UCLA was picked to
finish sixth, the Bruins went to the Rose Bowl. UCLA finished sixth
last season and failed to earn an automatic invitation to a bowl
game. This year, a sixth-place finish would get them automatically
to the Silicon Valley Classic in San Jose.
Does Toledo feel any added pressure to perform, coming off a
roller coaster season and with a new boss in athletic director Dan
Guerrero?
“I put that pressure on myself,” he said. “I
think I’m a good coach, I think we’ll do a good job,
and I think (Guerrero) will realize it.”
NOTES: Toledo is so confident true freshman tight end Marcedes
Lewis can contribute that he has already created formations for
him, including two tight-end sets with Mike Seidman. Lewis may also
see time as a wide receiver and a defensive end on pass-rushing
situations … Sophomore defensive back Matt Ware will move to
safety after earning Freshman All-American honors as a cornerback.
Toledo will also use him at quarterback and wide receiver …
Incoming freshman Jarrad Page, according to the Orange County
Register, will report to fall camp as planned and won’t sign
a baseball contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. Page was taken in
the fifth round of the Major League Baseball Draft and could have
given up his scholarship to UCLA. Instead, he will play safety for
UCLA and possibly baseball with the Bruins.
Pac-10 preseason media poll
The predicted order of finish in the Pac-10 for the upcoming
football sesaon. The poll has correctly predicted the conference
champion in three of the past four seasons. First-place votes in
parentheses.
Team Points
1. Washington State (17) 302
2. Washington (12) 296
3. Oregon (1) 272
4. USC (3) 243
5. Oregon State (1) 207
6. UCLA 178
7. Stanford 131
8. Arizona 107
9. Arizona State 87
10. Cal 47