Communication Skills Face Test

The UCLA players have been working on what they call a “whisper drill” to practice conveying plays in the din they expect from more than 102,000 fans in Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Quarterback Cade McNown tells the center and guards, who pass it on to the tackles. He hand-signals the receivers and tells the fullback, who passes it on to the tailback. It all looks disjointed and awkward, but it’s worked so far. Whether it will in Knoxville is another story.

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Bjorn Merten has been practicing field goals from long range, hitting consistently from 55 yards and saying he hopes he will be allowed to kick from farther out this season. His best in a game has been a 47-yarder, and the longest he has tried has been from 53 yards, a miss by about a foot against Tennessee four seasons ago in the Rose Bowl. . . . Running back Ali Azziz now says his name is Ali Abdul-Azziz.