COLLEGE FOOTBALL / BOWL GAMES REPORT : HANCOCK : Donahue Passed on Recruiting Verduzco

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue acknowledged the he didn’t try to recruit Illinois quarterback Jason Verduzco from Antioch, Calif.

“He’s a good player,” Donahue said of Verduzco, the Big Ten’s leader in total offense. “A lot of good players are overlooked in recruiting.”

The Bruins will play the Illini Tuesday at El Paso.

Donahue said that the 5-foot-9 Verduzco reminds him of UCLA’s reserve quarterback, Jim Bonds.

“Verduzco has all kinds of heat on the ball, and Bonds has a tremendous arm,” Donahue said. “Verduzco is a little more mobile than Jimmy. He’s an athlete who is never quite out of the game. He is always pecking away at you.”