Mitchell May Get to Play

He had been watching UCLA practice since two-a-day drills in August, but always from the outside while he pondered a way to remedy his academic and athletic future.

A week ago, Freddie Mitchell became an eligible freshman and got a look inside.

“College is different from what I thought it would be,” he said Wednesday. “The plays are more sophisticated. Myself, I have no doubt about my ability to play in college. I knew I had college ability in high school, but there’s a lot to learn.”

He is being force-fed the offense with an idea that he can offer the Bruins another deep receiving threat, opposite Jim McElroy, who did not practice Wednesday because of lingering headaches from the concussion he suffered in a 39-31 win at Oregon.

McElroy is expected to play this week, and Mitchell isn’t sure whether he will. It is possible he can get in a few plays, in part because he only knows a few plays, and he also could return kickoffs or punts.

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Skip Hicks practiced lightly Wednesday, working on individual drills and cutting while recovering from a bone bruise near his knee. He is taking anti-inflammatory drugs to ward off pain and swelling around the injury, which was sustained when he dived for a touchdown at Oregon.