Defensive Help Isn’t on Its Way : Secondary Hurting for UCLA in Opener Against Tennessee

Michael Williams has Terry Donahue over a barrel. A walk-on from Crenshaw High School, Williams is expected to start at cornerback tonight when UCLA plays Tennessee at the Rose Bowl in the Bruins’ season opener.

The unexpected assignment could pay for Williams’ education this year.

“If Michael comes up and says he won’t take a snap until he gets a scholarship, that is one demand that management will have to meet,” Donahue said.

Donahue can ill afford a holdout in his ravaged secondary.

Injury, suspension and poor grades have taken six defensive backs out of the UCLA lineup:

--Free safety Willie Crawford and cornerback Damion Lyons have been suspended for the season. Both were listed No. 2 on the depth chart, but Crawford was expected to make a strong push for a starting job.

--Strong safety Anthony Burnett, also listed No. 2 on the depth chart, was declared academically ineligible last month and is out for the season.

--Free safety Eric Nelson, who became No. 2 on the depth chart in Crawford’s absence, underwent reconstructive surgery on his right knee, injured last month, and is out for the season.

--Strong safety Patrick Bates, a highly regarded freshman, has a strained knee and is not expected to suit up tonight.

--Cornerback Randy Beverly, the only one of the six projected to be a starter, broke the big toe on his right foot last week and is listed as doubtful for tonight.

Williams, a 5-foot-9, 159-pound freshman, is expected to replace Beverly in the starting lineup against a Tennessee team that, according to Donahue, “has as much wide-receiver speed as we’ll see at any time this year.”

The precarious situation in the secondary has left the Bruins “more stressed and strung out maybe than we ordinarily would be,” Donahue said.

So much so, in fact, that the UCLA coach seems almost unconcerned that his sixth-ranked team will open the season with a starting quarterback who has yet to take a snap in a college game. That would be Bret Johnson, a freshman who will lead an otherwise experienced unit that includes seven returning starters, four of whom are linemen.

An eighth returning starter, tight end Charles Arbuckle, is listed as doubtful because of an ankle injury, but the Bruins are probably as deep at tight end as any team in the country. Corwin Anthony is expected to start in Arbuckle’s place, as he did five times last season, and backup Randy Austin also is highly regarded.

“I hope we can let our quarterback grow and develop slowly and not put undue pressure and demands on him,” Donahue said. “But that doesn’t mean he’s not going to be a featured performer.

“If you play quarterback at UCLA, you’re going to be involved in the offense and you’re going to be a featured performer. Period.”

Johnson, however, won’t be as conspicuous as, say, Troy Aikman was last season.

Everybody knows that, including Tennessee Coach Johnny Majors, who said of the Bruins this week: “I wouldn’t be surprised to see them try to run the ball right down our throats.”

Most of the running will be done by tailbacks Brian Brown and Shawn Wills, which says a lot about UCLA’s depth at that position. Two years ago, Kevin Williams was considered the No. 1 high school running back in the country, but the redshirt freshman is clearly behind the more experienced Brown and Wills in his development, Donahue said.

Offensively, at least, the Bruins seem to be fairly well set.

But they are looking for volunteers to stop the Volunteers, who opened their season last week with a 17-14 victory over Colorado State.

Bruin Notes

Tennessee, which lost its first six games last season, has since won six in a row. . . . Against Colorado State last week, running back Reggie Cobb ran for 98 yards and a touchdown in 16 carries. Cobb ran for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns two years ago as a freshman but injuries last season limited the 6-foot, 210-pound junior to 547 yards.

A crowd of about 55,000 is expected. A free shuttle bus will transport fans to the Rose Bowl from a parking lot just west of Fair Oaks Avenue between Holly and Walnut streets in Pasadena. . . . UCLA is listed as a 15-point favorite.