Bruins Go With a 60% Solution : UCLA: Walker doesn’t know all the plays, but he says he’s ready for BYU.

Although classes don’t begin until Thursday at UCLA, new Bruin quarterback Rob Walker spent this week cramming.

Thrust into the lineup when starting quarterback Wayne Cook suffered a season-ending knee injury in UCLA’s 37-14 season-opening victory over Cal State Fullerton last Saturday, Walker took a crash course in the Bruins’ offense from offensive coordinator Homer Smith.

Walker, who said he knows about 60% of the offense, will start for the first time in a college game when No. 15 UCLA (1-0) plays Brigham Young (1-1) today at Cougar Stadium.

BYU figures to confuse Walker, a redshirt freshman, by blitzing, mixing pass coverages and double-covering receiver Sean LaChapelle, who caught seven passes for 154 yards against Fullerton.

“Rob’s a bright quarterback and I think he’s going to notice that I’m getting double-covered, if that happens, and he won’t throw to me,” LaChapelle said. “But we have great receivers other than me and they’ll be able to get the job done if I can’t.”

LaChapelle apparently has confidence in Walker, who completed five of 12 passes for 58 yards after replacing Cook with 3:51 left in the first half last weekend.

“Now that (Rob) knows his back’s against the wall and he has to come in and perform, he has to take on that challenge and he’ll do fine,” LaChapelle said.

Because of Walker’s inexperience, Coach Terry Donahue may emphasize the short passing attack and the running game.

Tailback Kevin Williams, who led the Pacific 10 Conference in rushing last season, gained 124 yards in 23 carries and scored a touchdown in the season opener.

Backup tailback Daron Washington added 85 yards in seven carries, including a 63-yard touchdown run, as the Bruins rushed for 285 yards against the Titans.

“I really don’t notice anything different about the offense,” Walker said. “We’re going to come out against BYU and do the same kind of things as if Wayne Cook was there. It’s just going to take a little more time and concentration.”

The Bruin secondary wasn’t tested against Cal State Fullerton, which threw only four passes, but figures to get plenty of work against BYU quarterback John Walsh and wide receiver Eric Drage.

Walsh has thrown for 682 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two games. Walsh passed for 380 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-38 loss to San Diego State last week. Drage has caught 15 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns.

“When you think of BYU quarterbacks, you expect those big stats,” Bruin cornerback Carlton Gray said. “The stats impress me in a way, but I expect those from a BYU quarterback. I taped the San Diego State-BYU game and (Walsh) looks like he has a real strong arm. But I think we’ll be able to put a lot more pressure on him than we have been able to on a lot of quarterbacks in the past.”

Bruin Notes

Brigham Young’s defense surrendered 299 yards to San Diego State tailback Marshall Faulk last week. It was the most yards the Cougars have given up since UCLA’s Gaston Green ran for 266 in the Bruins’ 31-10 victory over BYU in the 1986 Freedom Bowl. . . . UCLA has won its last three games against BYU, including a 27-23 victory last year at the Rose Bowl.

Bruin wide receiver Sean LaChapelle needs 10 receptions to surpass Mike Sherrard as UCLA’s career receiving leader. LaChapelle, who has 119 receptions, trails Sherrard, who had 128, and Mike Farr, who had 124. . . . Rob Walker is the third redshirt freshman quarterback in the last four years to start a game for UCLA. Bret Johnson did it in 1989 and Tommy Maddox in 1990. Coincidentally, those were the Bruins’ only two losing seasons since 1979.