UCLA quarterback Matt Moore’s baseball cap never left his
head Saturday. Unlike last week, when Moore came in to close the
first half, head coach Karl Dorrell elected to stay with sophomore
Drew Olson for the entire game against Cal. Dorrell never looked
Moore’s way, despite struggles by Olson throughout much of
the game. “It’s not really surprising,” Moore
said. “The coaches know that I’ll be ready whenever
I’m called upon. This isn’t anything new. I’m
used to this by now.” During one 20-minute stretch, from
UCLA’s second drive of the game through halftime, the Bruins
didn’t complete a single pass. Olson took three sacks and
even fumbled a snap, yet Moore still stood on the sidelines.
“We were trying to get Moore some time, but as for the game
unfolding, we just didn’t feel it was right today,”
Dorrell said. “He’s a team guy and he knows the
situation. We’ll see what we can do next week.” Moore
had been named the starter after training camp before a deep bone
bruise sustained in UCLA’s season opener against Colorado
relegated him to the bench. The sophomore showed far more restraint
Saturday than he did prior to the season when he made waves with
comments about possibly transferring if he were not named the
starting quarterback after training camp. Moore seems to have
changed his mind-set ““ at least for now. “I’m
just trying to play my role on this team,” he said.
“When I’m on the sidelines, I’m Drew’s eyes
and ears. If I see something, we’ll talk. I’m just
happy we got the win.” Olson finished the game 9 of 20 for
173 yards as the Bruins won their fourth straight with him under
center.
EBELL CARRIES LOAD: Sophomore running back
Tyler Ebell seems to have re-established himself as UCLA’s
feature back. With blitzers coming on virtually every play, UCLA
had to keep junior Manuel White at fullback for blocking purposes.
This allowed Ebell and freshman Maurice Drew to take the majority
of the carries. “It felt good to get running again,”
said Ebell, who carried 14 times for 54 yards. “We were a
little more patient today, just trying to find the holes.”
It’s the second straight game in which Ebell has led the team
in carries. He also had an 82-yard touchdown run wiped out by a
holding call. White took it all in stride. “It’s a week
to week thing,” White said. “If coaches want me to
block, I’ll block. If they want me to run with the ball,
that’s what I’ll do.”
LEISLE INJURED: Senior defensive tackle Rodney
Leisle left the game late in the second half with a bruised left
clavicle. X-rays taken Sunday showed no further damage, but his
status for Saturday’s game against Arizona State is
undetermined at this time. Prior to sustaining the injury, Leisle
had four tackles, including two for losses, and was instrumental in
slowing down the Cal running game.
HEAT TAKES A TOLL: With a 12:30 p.m. start
time, both the Golden Bears and the Bruins had to fight torrid
temperatures and dehydration. The game-time temperature of 93
degrees took its toll on both teams. “We were well aware of
the heat out there,” Dorrell said. “We did everything
we could to make sure our guys stayed replenished.” Players
had to receive intravenous fluids at halftime, and Bruin sophomore
wide receiver Junior Taylor even went to the locker room in the
middle of the second half due to cramping. Taylor did return later.
The players were particularly vulnerable in the trenches. UCLA
continued its wholesale defensive line changes, but they were not
as frequent as normal. Instead, trainers started hydrating players
on Thursday, well before the start of the game. “Coaches made
a point of keeping us fresh,” senior defensive tackle Ryan
Boschetti said. “The training staff kept giving us a fresh
supply of stuff to keep us hydrated. We knew it was going to be
hot.”
NOTES: Freshman backup defensive lineman Junior
Lemau’u missed the team bus from campus Friday and
didn’t dress for the game … With three sacks, senior
defensive end Dave Ball now has 11.5 on the season. He now has 26
career sacks, good enough for second all-time … As expected,
junior cornerback Matt Ware sat the game out with an ankle sprain.
He watched the game in street clothes from the sideline … The
normally stoic Dorrell was livid at UCLA’s extra point miss
when the referees failed to flag a Cal player for taking off his
helmet.