Dorrell Sets Some Trip Rules

UCLA will leave for Las Vegas on Sunday and spend four nights in the desert before playing Wyoming in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 23.

Earlier this week, the players signed standard bowl affidavits stating that they have not gambled on sports or signed with an agent.

Coach Karl Dorrell has spoken to his team about the trip.

“They can have fun, but they’ve got to be in at a certain time,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of rules other than stay out of trouble and being where you need to be.”

Players under 21 will not be allowed to gamble in the casinos and Dorrell said that he doesn’t expect any problems from older players.

“We’re trying to do things as a team,” Dorrell said. “They’ll know the difference between right and wrong. Our team has done a good job of growing and not getting themselves in bad situations this year.”

With the Bruins focused on using the Las Vegas Bowl as a steppingstone for next season, Dorrell said, “We have a game to win, and we want them to have fun, and that’s part of the issue.

“We know it’s a gambling city, but we also know we don’t want to get in trouble and do things that are going to embarrass this program. We’re going to do our bit in keeping them away from those issues and educate them as best we can and move on from there.”

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Quarterback prospect Ben Olson and his parents spent time with Dorrell and his staff on the Westwood campus on Tuesday.

Olson, a top-rated player out of Thousand Oaks High in 2001, redshirted at Brigham Young in 2002 before spending two years on a Mormon mission.

On Monday, Olson eliminated the Cougars from consideration when Bronco Mendenhall was named coach. Olson reportedly has narrowed his choices to UCLA, California and Arizona State.