Spalding an Anchor on Better Bruin Line : UCLA: Guard leads unit that hopes to do more than merely protect Maddox this season.

Frequently, the only time an offensive lineman is noticed during a game is when he is cited for holding.

As a group, they can be virtually anonymous, but their success or failure is a barometer of a team’s performance.

Last year, UCLA had a generally inexperienced offensive line that appeared to mature as the season progressed.

Left guard Scott Spalding, the only senior on the starting unit, said the Bruin line is now deep and talented, without any reference to himself.

“Last year, we had very young linemen with two freshmen at tackles. The right guards were young, and I had only two starting games in previous years,” Spalding said.

“We weren’t very good in the first game against Oklahoma, but we got better and better. The guys are very talented in the offensive line, especially the younger players. We probably have 10 guys of starting caliber.”

If junior Aron Gideon can recover from knee and ankle injuries, he will start at center against Brigham Young Saturday night at the Rose Bowl. Game time is 7 p.m.

Craig Novitsky, 6 feet 6 and 269 pounds, and Vaughn Parker, 6-3 and 270, both sophomores, are the left and right tackles, respectively.

Spalding, 6-5 and 272, and junior Mike Linn, 6-5 and 274, are the guards.

Spalding and Novitsky were the only players on offense to start all 11 games last season in the Bruins’ 5-6 season.

Even though Spalding is a veteran of the unit, he doesn’t believe that his starting status is necessarily secure.

“I competed with (sophomore) Derek Stevens for the starting job this season,” Spalding said. “I don’t have the position locked up. It doesn’t work that way. And I don’t think it should. Competition brings out the best. Stevens is a very good player.

“Ron Nielsen, a junior college transfer who is behind Novitsky, is also a very good player.”

Spalding, from El Toro High, said the offensive line has considerable responsibility.

“It’s a vital part of the game,” he said. “A good offensive line can win games, control the ball and open up holes so a back can make four yards a carry, pound out first downs.

“There’s also pass protection, keeping the defense off the quarterback so he can find an open receiver.”

Spalding said pass blocking is a technique-oriented skill.

“You never want to lose a guy to your inside,” he said. “You have to deal with head fakes and different types of pass rushes. A defense can run all sorts of stunts. There’s a myriad of things they can do.”

Spalding and the other offensive linemen are, of course, protecting quarterback Tommy Maddox.

“A prime goal is to keep that guy intact,” Spalding said. “He was amazing last year. He came in like a senior the very first game, even though he was a redshirt freshman.

“He was very upbeat. He had the attitude that nobody is going to stop him and he got it done.”

Spalding played with Bret Johnson in high school. Johnson left the team at the outset of practice last year, when he learned that Jim Bonds, who was eventually replaced by Maddox, had been named the starting quarterback.

Even though Spalding was a roommate of Johnson’s at UCLA, he said he didn’t have an inkling of the quarterback’s intentions.

“He didn’t say a word to me about it,” Spalding said. “I came back to the dorm, and he left a note that said, basically, he had to leave. I didn’t get involved. I had enough problems competing for my own position.

“We keep in touch. He said he likes it at Michigan State. I’ve said this before, that it worked out the best way for both parties (Johnson and Maddox).”

With Maddox last season, UCLA was primarily a passing team.

Spalding said a goal this season is to be more balanced offensively, adding: “We definitely have the personnel. We have to have some series where we pound the ball and establish ourselves as a running team.”

Spalding is eager for UCLA to have a winning season again, after two years of losing records.

“We’ve had a long haul the last two years.” he said. “The development of last year’s team will carry over to this year. At the end of last season, UCLA was a very good football team.

“It was the culmination of all the work we put in. We worked very hard in the off-season with a conditioning program and lifting. We have very dedicated players who are here for only one reason, to get UCLA back into contention for the Rose Bowl (game).”