Seniors Get Carried Away

They were carried off the field after practice Wednesday, not with the agony resulting from injury on their faces but rather the joy generated by accomplishment.

Following a long and honored tradition, UCLA seniors are paraded off Spaulding Field on the backs of teammates of their choosing after their final practice.

Wednesday was it for this season’s seniors. While they have still have much work to do on the practice field, that will be at a high school in El Paso beginning Monday where the team will make its final preparations for its Dec. 30 appearance in the Sun Bowl against Northwestern.

“They are ready to get out of here,” said UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell as he watched his seniors depart, “until a year from now when they miss everyone.”

Dorrell can relate from personal experience. He was a receiver for the Bruins in the 1980s.

“My last practice, I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Dorrell said.

“You have to wait awhile to know what a special experience it was.”

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Bruin center Robert Chai, who has a sprained knee ligament; receiver Gavin Ketchum, who has a thigh bruise; and offensive tackle Brian Abraham, who has an ankle injury, sat out practice Wednesday.

Dorrell said he expects all three to be ready when the team next huddles up in Texas.

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UCLA has been allotted 8,000 tickets, with an average face value of $40, for the Sun Bowl. About 3,000 will be purchased or used by the school, sports information director Marc Dellins said.

The school plans to donate about 1,000 to Boy Scout troops in El Paso and military troops at nearby Ft. Bliss.

UCLA can get reimbursed by the conference for 50% of its allotment.

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A victory for the 9-2 Bruins would make this the seventh UCLA football team to reach double figures in the win column in a program that goes back to 1919. It was last accomplished in back-to-back seasons, 1997 and 1998, under Coach Bob Toledo.

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Northwestern suspended defensive tackle Trevor Schultz, cornerback Deante Battle and receiver Kim Thompson for the Sun Bowl.

Schultz, who started six games, was suspended for academic reasons. Battle sat out the final regular-season game against Illinois for academic reasons. He had started five straight games before the suspension. Thompson was suspended for a violation of athletic department policy. He also has started six games.

School spokesman Mike Wolf declined to elaborate on the suspensions.

“In terms of depth this will hurt us, but we have guys who can step up,” Northwestern Coach Randy Walker said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.