Cornered Every Week, Gray Stays Tough : UCLA: Bruin defensive back has drawn some of the toughest assignments in the country, but he has kept his edge.

There is no such thing as an easy game for UCLA cornerback Carlton Gray.

Each week, no matter the Bruins’ opponent, Gray lines up in man-to-man coverage against the opposing team’s best receiver.

“I’ve already played against two of the best receivers in the country in Carl Pickens of Tennessee and Patrick Rowe of San Diego State,” Gray said.

“People said we had an easy time against San Diego (UCLA won, 37-12), but I didn’t. I had my hands full.”

It was merely another demanding day at the office for Gray last Saturday against California at the Rose Bowl. His assignment was the brash Brian Treggs.

“When we were in man-to-man coverage, he caught only one three-yard pass off me,” Gray said. “He had nothing to say during the game because he wasn’t performing up to all the things he said before the game.”

Gray said he assumed the role of the chatterbox.

“I was talking to keep him from getting a word in edgewise,” Gray said. “I was showing confidence in my own ability and not letting him intimidate me with his talk.

“After the game he gave me a big hug, and that’s what it is all about.”

Gray, a 6-foot-1 1/2, 183-pound junior who has been a starting cornerback since his freshman season, plays a position where he is always at risk.

“People see a wide receiver catching a pass and you can’t prevent that every down,” he said. “Pass defense goes hand in hand with the defensive front. The better coverage we have, it’s easier for them (linemen, or linebackers) to get a sack. The more pressure they apply, it’s easier to get an interception.”

By the nature of his position, Gray has been beaten. However, he has four interceptions.

Gray operates in a secondary that was considered one of the team’s most experienced units at the start of the season.

But that was before cornerback Dion Lambert suffered a foot injury in the first game. He hasn’t played since.

Then, free safety Othello Henderson hurt his neck in the first half against Cal and didn’t return. Reserve safety Marvin Goodwin later left the game because of a hip injury.

But Gray remains upbeat, even though UCLA is 2-2 and has lost its Pacific 10 Conference opener.

“I’m going out on the limb, but I don’t see why we can’t win the rest of our games,” he said. “If we finish 9-2, that would be a great season.” Gray, who has a 3.48 grade-point average as a communications major, has priorities other than football.

His grandfather is Benjamin Hooks, executive director of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, and his father, Carlos, owns a radio station near Cincinnati, Gray’s home.

“When I talk on the phone to my grandfather, the first question he asks me is how am I doing with the books,” Gray said. “In fact, that’s the first question anyone in my family asks me. That’s what they expect of me, and I’m not going to let them down.”

Gray was heavily recruited out of Forest Park High in Cincinnati. Moreover, he was an outstanding student who received the Dial Award, given to the nation’s top high school scholar/athlete.

Gray made a commitment to enroll at Miami (Fla.), but changed his mind.

“I had to rush to make my decision and Miami was the last school I talked to,” Gray said. “I realized that there were more important things than football. I remembered the weight a UCLA degree would carry.

“We’ve had two tough seasons (losing records in 1989 and ‘90), but I can’t complain. I’m getting a great education and I’ve played ever since I’ve been here. It will turn around before I leave.”

Gray said he was extremely homesick when he first came to UCLA and considered leaving.

“But I finally decided it was time for me to grow up and make the best of a good situation,” he said.