Abdul-Jabbar Looks Ready : UCLA: The final decision will be up to the injured tailback, who figures to be needed to help freshman McNown against Oregon.

Tailback Karim Abdul-Jabbar was running with the first team Friday in practice at UCLA.

Figure on the same for today.

After a painful week of recuperation from a deep back bruise, Abdul-Jabbar, the former Sharmon Shah, appears ready to take his place in the backfield for today’s Pacific 10 Conference opener against Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

The decision will be made after pregame warm-ups, but Coach Terry Donahue said it’s Abdul-Jabbar’s decision.

“I’ve left it up to Karim,” Donahue said. “He knows his body better than most athletes.

“The thing I don’t want is for him to go into the game and get knocked out. I don’t want that for our team. I’d rather he not play, get totally healthy and then come back.”

But Donahue knows how much he needs Abdul-Jabbar today.

He knows that today’s opponent, the defending conference champion, has a tough defense that calls itself Gang Green and plays tight and mean.

Donahue knows he is asking a lot of a freshman, 18-year-old Cade McNown, who is starting at quarterback in only his third college game, relying on the experience gained in the two previous games, the talent developed during a spectacular high school career and a calm demeanor that makes him seem older. McNown is replacing starter Ryan Fien, who is out because of a concussion.

Donahue knows that Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti will stack his defensive front with seven or eight men and dare the left-handed McNown to challenge cornerbacks Alex Molden and Kenny Wheaton and safeties Jaiya Figueras and Brian Collins. That secondary has proven to be a major source of strength for the Ducks. Oregon is giving up only 113 yards a game through the air.

Donahue knows that his best chance of victory in this matchup of 2-0 teams is to gain enough yards on the ground to take the pressure off McNown.

What Donahue doesn’t know for sure is whom he can depend on to get that job done.

His first choice, of course, would be Abdul-Jabbar, who has gained 335 yards in two games, despite having to leave last Saturday’s game against Brigham Young in the third quarter. Abdul-Jabbar suffered the deep bruise when a tackler smashing his helmet into Abdul-Jabbar’s lower back.

He has made a rapid recovery since last Saturday, when he left the field walking backward because of the pain, and left Utah in a wheelchair.

Abdul-Jabbar returned to the practice field Thursday, but he can’t predict what effect contact will have on his injury. And he has no doubt there will be contact.

“They read the papers,” he said of the Ducks. “They know I’m hurt. They will try to take the man out.”

If Abdul-Jabbar doesn’t play, Donahue may gamble with Skip Hicks.

Hicks had arthroscopic knee surgery a month ago on the same knee he had major surgery on last fall. The Bruins have offered Hicks a chance to sit out this season, and he is considering it.

But the Bruins have also considered the possibility of bringing Hicks back immediately.

“I am not planning on playing Skip Hicks [today],” Donahue said, but he used the junior tailback more and more in practice as the week wore on.

A lot of the the workload could fall to senior James Milliner, who played fullback for most of the last two seasons.

But Milliner insisted on switching to tailback this year, and has rushed for 158 yards, a 4.4-yard average and two touchdowns in two games.

UCLA’s running game, however, may be disrupted by the absence of starting right guard Matt Soenksen, out because of a concussion. His place will be taken by right tackle Chad Overhauser, who, in turn, will be replaced by one of two backups, Mike Rohme or Gene Waters.

Whereas the Bruins will limp into the Rose Bowl, the Ducks are expected to come roaring in, seeking redemption.

Last New Year’s Day, after a remarkable season, they played in their first Rose Bowl game in 37 years, losing to Penn State, 38-20. They have 16 starters from that squad, but nobody seems to have noticed. Oregon was out of sight in the national preseason rankings and near the middle of the pack in the Pac-10 rankings.

And it hurt.

“There’s a pride in this team at being conference champions and some resentment at not being respected for what was accomplished,” Bellotti said. “We played better than anyone [else] in the conference, and the players want to show it wasn’t a fluke.”

Bellotti is replacing Rich Brooks, who left after 18 years to coach the St. Louis Rams.

Bellotti’s team is led offensively by quarterback Tony Graziani, running back Ricky Whittle, who has rushed for 249 yards, a 4.6-yard average and four touchdowns, and receiver Cristin McLemore. Linebacker Jeremy Asher, defensive end Troy Baily and the talented secondary key the defense.

For the Ducks, it’s a chance to show they are in the running for a return to the Rose Bowl. For the Bruins, the chance to show they are in the running will probably be determined by who does their running.