College Football Daily Report / UCLA : Toledo Makes Three Lineup Changes

UCLA Coach Bob Toledo announced three lineup changes Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s game against Ohio State at Columbus, Ohio--two that had been hinted at and another that didn’t rate as much of a surprise either.

Jason Stephens’ tenuous hold on the starting job at strong safety gave way, but not to Audie Attar, as Toledo had indicated was a possibility the day before. Instead the switch was made to Julius Williams, who had a 53-yard interception return for touchdown in the opener against Boise State.

It also didn’t help Stephens that he has been slowed by knee injuries and that he sat out practice Monday because of the lingering effects of a concussion suffered two days earlier. Now, after returning Tuesday, he has to contend with two players at his position along with the physical ailments.

Meanwhile, the battle that emerged last week for the No. 1 spot at tight end resulted in Gabe Crecion losing his job to Bryan Fletcher, who had one of the highlight plays of the win over Boise State, a diving catch at the four-yard line that set up a UCLA score. Both started that game as the Bruins went without a fullback, but Toledo decided to open with Fletcher against Ohio State and also Matt Stanley at fullback because he attended junior high and high school in Columbus.

“I look at both of them as starters,” Toledo said of Fletcher and Crecion. “But [Fletcher will start] because he is a captain [for the week] and he’s from St. Louis and we’re going back to the Midwest.”

Additionally, Santi Hall replaced freshman Asi Faoa as a starting outside linebacker. Hall was a starter last season, but lost the chance to maintain the job for the Boise State game as an additional Toledo-imposed penalty because he sat out spring practice because of academic difficulties.

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Linebacker Ali Abdul Azziz suffered an apparently minor neck injury during a kickoff drill and was complaining of pain and numbness in his arm and neck, but was able to walk off the field. That led the medical staff to say the injury did not appear to be serious, a diagnosis that was confirmed later by X-rays.

“He can move everything,” team physician Gerald Finerman said. “His muscle strength is reasonable throughout.”

Azziz, a senior from Santa Maria, walked off the practice field in a neck brace before being immobilized and put on a stretcher for a short ambulance ride to the hospital. He was discharged after X-rays showed no fracture, and he could return to practice within a few days.