Bruins Win Opener but Lose Quarterback : UCLA: Cook suffers sprained knee and will miss next game. LaChapelle, Williams sharp in 37-14 victory over Fullerton.

The day before UCLA’s football team opened practice, Coach Terry Donahue warned that injuries were the only thing that could keep UCLA from having a good season.

And the 16th-ranked Bruins lost the one player they could ill afford to lose Saturday night when quarterback Wayne Cook sprained his right knee after he was sacked by Cal State Fullerton defensive tackle Randy Strickland with 3:51 left in the second quarter of a 37-14 season-opening victory over the Titans before 37,965 fans at the Rose Bowl.

Donahue said Cook will miss next Saturday’s game against Brigham Young.

“Obviously, we are all deeply saddened by the loss of Wayne,” the coach said. “He’s absolutely out for next week. He worked harder than any other player in our program to get ready.”

Cook, who had to be helped from the field, sat out the second half. Using crutches to support himself, Cook wore street clothes as he watched backup Rob Walker play the second half.

“I don’t think it would have been a good idea if I would have played any more or else I would have stayed in there,” Cook said. “I was stepping up in the pocket and (Strickland) got a hold of my leg and I was trying to pull away and someone else hit the side of my knee. If I had any speed I would have pulled away. It was really a disappointment to have to go out.”

The severity of Cook’s injury won’t be determined until he undergoes a magnetic resonance imaging test today.

“I’m extremely concerned about his knee and the prospects for the rest of this year,” Donahue said. “We’ll know more tomorrow, but it’s the same knee Wayne hurt in high school.”

Cook tore ligaments in his right knee in a high school all-star game in the summer of 1989 and delayed his entry to UCLA until the January of 1990.

Cook was the only experienced quarterback the Bruins had. And his college experience was eight snaps last season.

He was playing well until he had to be helped from the field, completing eight of 13 passes for 155 yards and one touchdown as the Bruins raced to a 20-0 first-half lead, scoring two field goals and two touchdowns on their first four possessions.

Wide receiver Sean LaChapelle, who had seven catches for 154 yards, made Cook look good as he caught six passes for 141 yards in the first half, including pass plays of 31 and 40 yards.

“It was great having him out there; he kept getting open,” Cook said. “I forced one to him in the end zone. That was a mistake on my part.

“It’s been a long time since I actually started a game. The first series I was a little shaky, but after that I felt great.”

Walker, a redshirt freshman who ran the scout team last season, replaced Cook and completed five of 12 passes for 58 yards.

“Rob came in and did a wonderful job,” Donahue said. “I’ve always felt he was the most improved player from spring practice and two-a-days. If Wayne Cook can’t play, Rob Walker will be elevated to the No. 1 quarterback.”

After struggling on his first four possessions, Walker drove the Bruins 84 yards to a touchdown at the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth quarter to give the Bruins a 30-7 lead.

Walker, who failed to complete his first four passes, completed three of five passes for 42 yards in the drive, which ended in a two-yard touchdown run by backup tailback Ricky Davis.

UCLA tailback Kevin Williams, the Pac-10’s leading rusher last season, had 124 yards in 23 carries, including a three-yard touchdown run.

Backup tailback Daron Washington broke away for a 63-yard touchdown run with 3:16 left in the game. He had 85 yards in seven carries.

UCLA kicker Louis Perez had field goals of 43, 37 and 29 yards for the Bruins.

Cook and LaChapelle were working well. They combined for a 31-yard completion on UCLA’s first play from scrimmage, setting up one field goal. They had back-to-back plays of 19 and 15 yards on the second drive, leading to a 37-yard kick by Perez.

Cook guided a 68-yard, 13-play touchdown drive on UCLA’s first possession of the second quarter, which ended with Williams’ three-yard touchdown run.

Cook and LaChapelle combined on a 40-yard play on UCLA’s next possession to set up Cook’s nine-yard touchdown pass to reserve wide receiver J.J. Stokes.

On third and six at the Bruin 49, Cook dumped a six-yard pass in the left flat to LaChapelle, who ran 34 yards to the Fullerton 11. Cook threw a timing pass to Stokes for the touchdown two plays later to give the Bruins a 20-0 lead with 6:58 left.

But Cook was hurt on UCLA’s next series and Walker was ineffective on the Bruins’ final two possessions of the half.

After watching his team gain only 34 yards on its first four possessions, Fullerton Coach Gene Murphy pulled starting quarterback Trendell Williams and inserted backup Quincy Guy, who led the Titans to their two touchdowns.

Bruin Notes

A group of Bruin boosters boycotted the season-opener because they claim that UCLA turned down an informal offer to play Notre Dame in the Disneyland Pigskin Classic. However, Don Anderson, executive director of the game, said Notre Dame would have been unable to play UCLA in the season-opening game because the game conflicted with orientation. UCLA Athletic Director Peter Dalis said he was approached by the Pigskin Classic but declined the informal offer after consulting with Chancellor Charles Young and Coach Terry Donahue because it would have required players to report 2 1/2 weeks early. Anderson said he plans to pursue UCLA. “Although we’ve had three successful games, we’ve said all along that we need an SC or a UCLA or a Notre Dame to have the game be a success,” Anderson said.