Seidman and Smith:a Good Act to Catch

It was just like seventh grade, Mike Seidman creating thunder in the middle and Ryan Smith making plays near the sideline.

The sport was basketball then. Seidman played center and Smith was a forward on a Thousand Oaks travel team.

Now, of course, it’s UCLA football. The roommates began the season in reserve roles but have emerged as sticky-fingered targets for quarterback Cory Paus.

Seidman, a 6-foot-5 junior tight end, had catches of 40 and 19 yards against California. Smith, a redshirt sophomore split end, had four catches for 69 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown.

“Mike and I talk about it a lot, that we’d get an opportunity and make the most of it,” Smith said. “We were recruited together and it’s great to see him make an impact.”

Both quit basketball after playing a year or two in high school, Seidman at Westlake, Smith at Flower Mound Marcus in Texas, where he moved at 16. But they love to play pickup games during the off-season with fellow members of the 1999 recruiting class who starred on the hardwood in high school--Kevin Brant, Asi Faoa and brothers Mat and Dave Ball.

Smith said he and Seidman had extra motivation against Cal because their former seventh-grade basketball teammate Kevin Howard was at the game. Howard also eventually found another sport more to his liking--he’s an All-American infielder at Miami.

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Stanford quarterback Randy Fasani is out for four to six weeks because of a sprained knee and will be replaced by Chris Lewis, leaving freshmen Ryan Eklund and Kyle Matter to battle for the backup position.

Neither has played a college game, although Eklund used his redshirt season in 2000. Matter spent last season leading Newhall Hart High to a third consecutive Southern Section championship, throwing for 3,754 yards and 33 touchdowns. Matter started at quarterback for two seasons at Hart.

“Both have to prepare to be the backup,” offensive coordinator Bill Diedrick told Bay area reporters. Teyo Johnson, a 6-foot-7 receiver who played quarterback last season, will remain where he is, providing whoever is passing the ball with a tall target against UCLA’s short cornerbacks.

Johnson had five catches against the Oregon Ducks last week.

Eklund, also 6-7, would be the likely choice if Lewis is injured because Matter is using his redshirt year.

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Cornerback Matt Ware smiled after running on his sprained ankle Tuesday. He told coaches he believes he will be ready to play.

Ware, who is 6-3, is the only Bruin cornerback taller than 5-11, so his presence would be important against Johnson.