COLLEGE FOOTBALL ’88 : COACHES, PLAYERS, TEAMS AND TRENDS TO WATCH THIS SEASON : USC and UCLA Facing Some Tests : Aikman Provides a Needed Boost for Young, Inexperienced Bruins

Because it is young and largely untested, the UCLA football team that will open the season against San Diego State Saturday night at the Rose Bowl has been described by Terry Donahue as the most interesting he has coached.

Whether it is also one of the best, Donahue isn’t sure.

Not surprisingly, considering his reputation as a naysayer, Donahue has some reservations about his team, which was ranked as high as No. 3 in some publications.

Foremost among his reservations are the lack of depth in the secondary and the offensive line, and an overall lack of experience. Only eight starters return, and the two fastest players on last season’s team, tailback Gaston Green and split end Willie Anderson, now play for the Rams.

That’s not to say, however, that Donahue is building from scratch as he begins his 13th season.

This is a talented group. Four Bruins have been named to various preseason All-American teams, and the quarterback, Troy Aikman, is said to have few peers among the nation’s undergraduates.

And the schedule is advantageous, with 7 of 11 games being played at the Rose Bowl, including a date with Nebraska Sept. 10 and the season finale Nov. 19 against USC.

This is a team seemingly intent on settling a few scores.

Although they were 10-2 and ended the year by winning a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season, the Bruins failed to reach the Rose Bowl. They squandered a 13-0 third-quarter lead and lost to USC in the regular-season finale, 17-13.

“It put a damper on the whole season,” Aikman said of the loss. “We felt like we had the best team in the conference, and it was disappointing that the only time we didn’t play well was in the last game of the season. . . .

“There were a lot of things we didn’t accomplish last season.”

Aikman, who hopes to rectify that, is coming off a junior season in which he completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,527 yards and 17 touchdowns.

After spending almost two months of the season as the most efficient passer in the nation, Aikman, a transfer from Oklahoma, wound up No. 2 behind Don McPherson of Syracuse. He fell from the top spot after he threw three interceptions--doubling his season total--in the second half of the loss to USC.

So Aikman, it seems, will be as motivated as anybody on the team.

But does he have the supporting cast to reprise his big year?

With Green, Anderson and No. 2 deep threat Paco Craig no longer around, the Bruins may lack the big-play capabilities they had last season. Junior flanker Mike Farr, who averaged 12.3 yards on 24 receptions, is the only returning wide receiver who caught more than 4 passes last season.

Steve Axman, who is in his second season as offensive coordinator, said that he has worked to diversify the attack and that, to keep pressure off the wide receivers, Aikman will throw more to the running backs.

“We don’t have that burner threat,” Axman said. “That bothers us, because any time a defense has to be concerned about somebody puncturing them deep, that opens things up in the middle. We’ll try to do some other things in order to stretch some people deep.

“If we can get more balance by throwing more to the backs--and have them run routes, as opposed to just being a final option--I think it will allow our wide receivers to mature and grow as the season goes along.”

Donahue hopes Aikman doesn’t lose patience. “His surrounding cast is young and has to bloom,” Donahue said.

Only one other senior, tailback Eric Ball, is expected to be a full-time offensive starter for the Bruins.

Still, center Frank Cornish, a sophomore All-American last season, and junior tight end Charles Arbuckle, who was hampered last season by a knee injury, are said to have All-American potential, and both are experienced.

In Arbuckle and sophomore Corwin Anthony and Randy Austin, the Bruins believe they have the best pair of tight ends in college football. Between them, Arbuckle and Anthony caught 36 passes last season.

Ball has never been a regular, but he showed his ability in the 1986 Rose Bowl, filling in for the injured Green and running for 227 yards and 4 touchdowns. Injuries have hampered him since--”His reputation has been built on one game, quite frankly,” Donahue said--but if he falters, sophomore Brian Brown is ready to take over.

Brown ran for 421 yards last season, including 134 in 19 carries against Arizona State, and his receiving skills, Donahue said, are superior to Ball’s.

A former walk-on, sophomore Mark Estwick, is listed ahead of freshmen Maury Toy and Kevin Smith as the starting fullback.

Farr has stood out in practice this fall as the best of the wide receivers, but sophomore Reggie Moore and junior David Keating have also impressed the coaching staff--and Aikman.

“We’ll miss Willie,” Aikman said of Anderson. “Nobody has that great breakaway speed, but I still think we’ll be able to go deep on some people. Great routes are the most important thing, and the guys have been well-disciplined in running their routes.”

Up front, Cornish and junior guard Rick Meyer started every game last season and are expected to start every game in the next two, also. Sophomore Lance Zeno, who played a lot last season as a reserve, is battling freshman Scott Spalding for the other starting guard position, and Donahue will choose his tackles from a group that includes senior Bobby Menifield and two juniors, Bill Paige and Keith Jacobson.

It’s a young offensive unit, but Aikman alone makes it formidable. As Axman said: “If you want experience in one area, you want it to be at quarterback. There’s no doubt about that.”

Defensively, the Bruins are more seasoned and, Donahue said, will be similar to the team that limited opponents last season to an average of only 93 yards rushing.

The linebacking corps, led by seniors Carnell Lake and Chance Johnson, seems especially deep. Lake led the Bruins last season with 13 sacks.

Eric Smith, who missed last season with a back injury after leading the Bruins two years ago with 11 sacks, is expected to join Lake on the outside, but Donahue said that Billy Ray and Marcus Patton will play extensively as Smith’s backups.

Joining Johnson on the inside will be Craig Davis.

Jim Wahler, the Bruins’ best defensive lineman, has been moved from tackle to replace departed all-conference nose tackle Terry Tumey. He’ll be the only senior starter in the line, but Donahue describes the unit--which also includes junior Mike Lodish and sophomore Bryan Wilcox--as solid and steady.

Donahue’s major concern with his defense is a lack of experience in the secondary, where cornerback Darryl Henley is the only returning starter. The other corner will be manned by senior Marcus Turner, with freshman Matt Darby and sophomore Eric Turner listed as the starting safeties.

Eric Turner, however, is bothered by a chronic shoulder injury that may require surgery after the season. A freshman, Dion Lambert, will fill in if the injury becomes too bothersome.

Based on last season, Donahue can at least relax when Alfredo Velasco is on the field. The junior kicker made all 19 of his field goal attempts from inside 45 yards and was 48 of 49 on extra points.

“I think our team will develop,” Donahue said. “I sure as heck don’t think we’re one of the top five teams in the country, but I do think our team will grow and get better.”

Donahue calls this “the most unsettled team I’ve ever had.”

That doesn’t mean it’s not good.