McNown to Start, but Buck May Play

UCLA coaches have told quarterback Cade McNown that they will be watching closely his performance against Washington State on Saturday and that any problems with moving the Bruins will prompt moving him to the sideline.

Coach Bob Toledo said that he had talked with both McNown and backup Steve Buck.

“They know the situation and they understand it,” he said. “Cade will start, but we won’t hesitate to bring Steve in if Cade is struggling, and if Steve struggles, we won’t hesitate to bring Cade back in.”

McNown has had an up-and-down season, throwing for 395 yards in a loss to Arizona State, but ranking 10th in the Pacific 10 in quarterback efficiency. He has thrown only seven touchdown passes and has had 12 passes intercepted, three in last week’s 21-20 loss to Stanford.

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Toledo spent time Thursday with the offense, going over what he calls “the 51-second fiasco” at the end of the loss.

“We’re hoping that the young players can learn from it and that the other quarterbacks can learn from Cade’s play,” he said.

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Tod McBride, who dropped a pass during the last-ditch effort against Stanford, has been dropped to third string, behind Jim McElroy and Derek Ayers at flanker.