Kickoff Unit Undergoes Changes

Concerned about kickoff coverage, with UCLA next to last in the Pacific 10, the Bruins brought in Jim McElroy, Keith Brown and Eric Whitfield to the right side of the unit.

That was the side that appeared most vulnerable Saturday, when UCLA took a 7-0 lead on its first series, then found itself tied with Arizona State 13 seconds later when Terry Battle returned a kickoff 99 yards.

“We keep talking about being a young team,” said Coach Bob Toledo. “Well, we’ve got some young scholarship players on that team that are not doing as good a job as they need to do.”

UCLA is last in punt returns, with a 5.1-yard average, and plans to have Paul Guidry--the leading returner in the Pac-10 last season--on the unit on Saturday at Washington. Guidry has had a thigh injury that kept him from returning punts until Saturday against Arizona State.

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Punter Chris Sailer is next to last in the Pac-10 with a 39.3-yard average, and UCLA is next to last in net punting with a 35.3-yard average, clouded by an 86-yard return for a touchdown in the season opener by Tennessee’s Terry Fair.

“His timing is just a little off,” Toledo said of Sailer. “He’s not punting as well as he can.”