Notes : Donahue Uncertain on Whether Norrie Will Start for UCLA

UCLA quarterback David Norrie did participate in parts of practice Saturday afternoon, but Coach Terry Donahue was not at all sure that Norrie would be ready to start against Iowa in the Rose Bowl game. Donahue said that there is now some fear that the quadriceps muscle in Norrie’s right leg, which seems to be strained, might even be torn.

“It’s up in the air right now,” Donahue said. “His last practice was a week ago. We’ll go as long as we can go (before making a decision). We’d like to have him in the game. If he’s healthy, he’ll start. David Norrie has meant to us all year what Chuck Long as meant to Iowa. . . . If he can’t come out and do some work tomorrow, we’re in a tough spot and so is he. . . . We’ll know a lot more tomorrow and Monday.”

If Norrie is not ready, the starter will be junior Matt Stevens, who directed the comeback victory at BYU and started the second game of the season at Tennessee.

Senior linebacker Larry Station, the star of the Iowa defense (and the all-time leading tackler in the history of the school), chose Iowa four years ago over UCLA, Houston, Purdue and Stanford as well as his his home state school of Nebraska.

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said that when the Bruins recruited Station, coming out of Omaha Central High School, he knew Station would be as good as he turned out to be.

“We knew he would be a tremendous football player,” Donahue said. “He has unusual explosiveness. He also has unusual leverage and great quickness. . . . But California is a long way from Omaha. I guess Iowa had more things that attracted him than UCLA or Nebraska.”

Ironically, Station was swayed to the Hawkeyes because he was in Iowa City on his recruiting trip when Iowa beat Michigan State to win a trip to the Rose Bowl. He got all caught up in that excitement. If he had chosen UCLA, he would be playing in his third Rose Bowl game instead of his first.”

Six of UCLA’s opponents this season are playing in bowl games--BYU is in the Florida Citrus Bowl, Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl, Arizona in the Sun Bowl, Tennessee is in the Sugar Bowl, Washington is in the Freedom Bowl and USC is in the Aloha Bowl. Next season the Bruins will again play Arizona State, Arizona, Washington and USC and will add Oklahoma, which will play in the Orange Bowl.