Neufeld Back on Right Side of Ball

Ryan Neufeld played tight end in high school, and was recruited at the position by several Pac-10 schools.

After UCLA coaches made him a linebacker, he grew to like the position and sensed a future there.

Now he’s a tight end again.

“The hardest part was the transition from tight end to linebacker,” Neufeld, a junior, said Wednesday. “In the spring, moving back to tight end was easier.”

The plan was to use him primarily in running formations to block, though he showed in spring practice that he still had the ability to catch the football. The transition has been hampered by problems with hamstring pulls, and he said last Saturday’s game against Houston was the first in which he did not feel the effects of the injury.

He showed it, making his first college pass reception and turning it into backup quarterback Drew Bennett’s first touchdown pass in a 66-10 victory.

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After a game in which he caught passes No. 2 and 3 of his college career and turned them into touchdowns No. 1 and 2, freshman Brian Poli-Dixon will be sidelined for Saturday’s game at Oregon because of a sprained ankle.

He turned the ankle in the final quarter against Houston, and aggravated the injury in practice Tuesday.

Also out Saturday because of injuries are reserve guard Sean Gully, reserve fullback Durell Price and defensive tackle Jayson Brown, who probably will require knee surgery.

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Damon Griffin, from Monrovia, Oregon’s second-team All-Pacific 10 receiver a year ago, has been redshirted because of a broken thumb. . . . UCLA is second in the nation in scoring, averaging 46 points a game, 3.4 behind No. 1 Florida.

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NEXT UP FOR UCLA

WHO: Oregon

WHERE: Autzen Stadium

TIME: Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

TV: FX

RADIO: AM 1150