COLLEGE FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : UCLA : Passing Attack Figures to Improve

UCLA’s air attack was a problem last season as the Bruins finished seventh in the Pacific 10 Conference in passing yards per game.

This season, however, UCLA figures to be much stronger because of its wide receivers. That, despite the graduation of Sean LaChapelle, the school’s all-time leader in yardage and catches.

“We were fortunate and unfortunate last year in that a lot of guys got playing time because of injuries,” said junior Mike Nguyen, UCLA’s starting flanker. “It was bad because we struggled from the injuries, but it also helped us because some younger guys who will play for us this year got on the field.”

Heading the injury list last season was LaChapelle, who caught only 30 passes and sat out four games because of a rib injury. And junior Bryan Adams redshirted the season because of an ankle injury .

A more experienced Nguyen, who caught 25 passes for 316 yards last season, and the return of Adams, who averaged 20.5 yards per catch his first two seasons, should add some punch to an offense that had only nine touchdown passes.

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Whether it’s Wayne Cook, Rob Walker or Ryan Fien at quarterback, UCLA’s wide receivers are confident that the team’s passing attack will be improved.

“The entire summer, we all worked out together,” said split end J.J. Stokes. “It really doesn’t matter who we have back there. The results will be the same.”

Stokes, who led the team in receptions with 41 in 1992, will be the Bruins’ main target based on his last two games last season. Against Oregon and USC, Stokes caught 16 passes for 406 yards and four touchdowns.