Donahue Keeps Winning Formula, Names Norrie Starting Quarterback

Sticking with what has been a winning formula, UCLA is starting the football season with a senior quarterback for the fourth straight year.

Coach Terry Donahue announced Tuesday that fifth-year senior David Norrie would start in the opener at Brigham Young on Sept. 7, instead of junior Matt Stevens.

For months Donahue has been saying that he would be comfortable with either quarterback, and he has been weighing the argument that he should establish a quarterback for this year and next year against the evidence that senior quarterbacks work pretty well for the Bruins.

With senior Tom Ramsey, UCLA won the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, 1983. With senior Rick Neuheisel, UCLA won the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day, 1984. And with senior Steve Bono, UCLA won the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day, 1985.

Norrie, himself, explained it this way: “At UCLA, we have the program at a point where we’re not planning ahead for next season. We’re not building. We want to go with the players who can win games now. And we have been successful with senior quarterbacks.”

That was on Monday afternoon, just hours before Donahue told the two quarterbacks that Norrie had the job.

In making the announcement official Tuesday morning, Donahue continued to say that both Norrie and Stevens were capable of playing the position and that there was little difference between them.

At the start of fall practice, Donahue had said that he would decide on the Friday before the opener, and as late as Monday afternoon he was still saying that he would wait at least another two or three days.

But on Tuesday morning, Donahue said that he wanted to make a decision so that the team could get on with the business of preparing for the opener.

“David is a fifth-year senior and he has proven to me that he deserves the chance to start because of his hard work,” Donahue said. “That doesn’t mean that I am displeased with Matt’s efforts, because I feel he has done everything I have asked of him, but someone has to line up and take the first snap, and I’ve decided it is going to be David. He’s earned that and I owe him the chance.

“I plan to use Matt like a relief pitcher off the bench against BYU and then see who is able to get the job done.”

Norrie said he considered it unlikely that the same quarterback would start all 11 games for the Bruins, but he said it is a big advantage to get the first chance at the job. “I think they are going to go with the guy who is winning games,” Norrie said. “With our offense, I think we’re going to do some winning.”

Stevens was ahead of Norrie last season, and it was Stevens who started the three games that Steve Bono missed because of shoulder problems. Stevens was ahead of Norrie after the first weeks of spring practice, too, especially with Norrie recovering from two automobile accidents, but Norrie came on later in the spring to challenge for the spot.

“The team responded very well to me, and that was important,” Norrie said. “The coaches thought I was lacking in the area of leadership, so I was pleased that the team played well with me.”

Norrie also had the best completion percentages in the spring, completing more than 75% of his passes in full scrimmages.

When Norrie arrived as a freshman from Jesuit High in Portland, Ore., Jay Schroeder, Tom Ramsey, Rick Neuheisel and Steve Bono all were ahead of him. Norrie has had to wait a long time for his shot.

He thinks it’s worth the wait.

After all, Neuheisel had to wait until his fifth year to start a game and he went on to win the Rose Bowl game.

“Rick has been a great example for me here,” Norrie said. “He was a good friend to me here.

“All those years that Rick wasn’t playing, he competed so hard and he got so much out of it. He used to tell me if he never started a down, he was glad he came to UCLA. I thought he was crazy then, but I’m starting to understand it.”

Now Norrie has the opportunity to match Neuheisel’s last-minute success story.

There is still the chance that Donahue will use Norrie, a 6-foot 4-inch athlete with both mobility and the ability to place the football, in a complementary role with Stevens, a 6-footer who, as Donahue says, “puts some steam on the ball.” Stevens has what quarterback coach Homer Smith calls an arm like a blacksmith’s.

Donahue said: “You may see a situation where we have a quarterback, a starter, and another quarterback who, hopefully, can provide a spark in a relief-pitching type of a role.

“But we can’t say we have two quarterbacks. In L.A., particularly, you don’t want to get into a quarterback controversy. I don’t want the fans to be calling for one guy and booing the other.

“I’m opposed to two quarterbacks, and I can’t stand controversy.”

Bruin Notes Because right cornerback Dennis Price is out with a dislocated shoulder, Darryl Henley, who was No. 2 at left cornerback behind Chuckie Miller, has been moved to the other side and is listed as the starter. . . . Outside linebacker Tony Phillips, one of just three returning starters on the Bruin defensive team, hurt his knee in a scrimmage and is expected to be out for about four weeks. . . . The search continues for a kickoff man, with senior Jim Bray and junior David Franey competing for the spot against Wes Denton, a freshman with a very strong leg. If all else fails, placekicker John Lee will kick off.