UCLA’s Defense Is Hit Hard by Injuries

The Monday morning injury report took a little spunk out of UCLA’s football coach.

Terry Donahue, riding a six-game winning streak and favored to beat archrival USC at the Coliseum Saturday for an unprecedented fourth straight time and just as strongly favored to win the Pacific 10 title and a trip to the Rose Bowl game, was slightly down in the mouth.

“I wish I could be bright and cheery and all fired up, but I’m not,” Donahue said. “Obviously I’m upset and disappointed that we are not going into the game with all of our players.

“I’m sure that Coach (Ted) Tollner has felt the same way at times this season. USC has had injuries, too. . . . I don’t mean to create the impression that we’re the only team that has been through this. Lots of teams are quite thin and quite disabled at this time.

“If we had had these injuries two or three weeks before, we wouldn’t be competing for the title.”

UCLA had a couple of key injuries earlier this season. Tailback Gaston Green missed five weeks with a knee injury, and wide receiver Mike Sherrard has not yet come back after missing five weeks with a broken collarbone.

There were some others, too, but they were spread around and they occurred at positions where there were reserves who could fill in effectively.

This time, though, the defense--specifically the secondary--has been hit hard.

Senior strong safety Craig Rutledge went out with a knee injury two weeks ago. Then last Saturday, the Bruins lost starting cornerback Dennis Price with a dislocated shoulder, and backup cornerback Darryl Henley, who is hospitalized with a bruised kidney.

Nose guard Terry Tumey severely sprained his ankle two weeks ago, and Saturday, defensive tackles Frank Batchkoff and Doug Wassel both went out, Batchkoff with stretched ligaments in his knee, Wassel with a bruised foot.

“I am quite concerned about our defensive football team,” Donahue said. “It’s hard to lose that many starting football players out of one unit and continue to play at the same level. We won’t play at the same level.”

David Clinton, who doubles as a receiver and kicker John Lee’s holder, still has his left arm in a sling because of his dislocated shoulder.

Donahue said that if Clinton doesn’t practice this week, backup quarterback Matt Stevens will hold for Lee against USC.

“This is the worst physical condition we’ve ever been in going into this game,” Donahue said. “But our football team has done a nice job of responding all year. I assume they’ll respond again. Part of it is being able to respond and the other part is being good enough to accomplish it.”

The good news for the Bruins is that Sherrard will probably be back and that tailback James Primus, who had a shoulder injury, may be.

Donahue said: “The way I understand it, the doctors are going to talk to Mike Sherrard and explain to him the highs and lows and what the alternatives are. It’s been five weeks. The injury has healed. The doctors feel that the decision to play should be Mike’s.

“He hasn’t had any contact, but he’s been running and he’s in good shape. The question is how he’ll take a hit, and from what I’ve been seeing on films of USC, those guys are going to hit him.”

Donahue found lots of good things to say about USC, not taking much note of the Trojans’ 4-5 record. Asked what he thought of the rumors that Tollner might soon be out at USC, Donahue seemed surprised.

He said: “Is he taking a lot of heat? I don’t know. I don’t read the papers. All I know is that in 1979, people were talking about who was going to be the next coach at UCLA. I can’t find those people now. I don’t know what happened to them, but I’m still coaching. . . . Often, the people talking are people who don’t know anything about the case.”

Bruin Notes Pete Dalis, UCLA athletic director, reacting to a story in The Times Monday morning, said that it was incorrect to assume that if UCLA did not make it into the Rose Bowl, the team would be bound for the Aloha Bowl with no other considerations. “We would go to the Fiesta Bowl if we were eligible and if we were invited,” Dalis said. “We would not be foolhardy enough to turn down a Jan. 1 bowl.” That means that the Bruins would not be foolhardy enough to turn down a bowl game that pays almost three times what the Aloha Bowl pays.

No UCLA team has ever won four straight over the Trojans. The last coach who won three straight was Red Sanders, 1953-’55. . . . UCLA’s winning percentage of .793 in Pac-10 play since the start of the 1982 season is the best in the conference. . . . Kicker John Lee leads the Pac-10 in field goals with an average of 1.9 a game. . . . Quarterback David Norrie leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency. Norrie completed 16 of 22 passes last Saturday for a career-high 236 yards. . . . UCLA’s offense leads the Pac-10 in scoring with 30.5 points a game, is second in the Pac-10 in total offense with 412.3 yards a game, and is second in the Pac-10 in rushing with 219.2 yards a game. . . . After holding Oregon State to two yards rushing last Saturday, the Bruins passed Oklahoma and lead the country in rushing defense, giving up an average of 60.1 yards a game.

Once again, Gaston Green rushed for more than 100 yards, gaining 108 against Oregon State. Despite missing four games with a knee injury, Green leads the team in rushing. He has averaged 104.2 yards in games that he has carried the ball. Last season, as a freshman, he gained 134 yards against USC.