COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT / UCLA : McEwan Moves Up to No. 2

The good news for Scott McEwan is that he has become the backup quarterback and could get more opportunities Saturday at Stanford.

The bad news for Scott McEwan is that he has become the backup quarterback and could get more opportunities Saturday at Stanford.

The chest injury to Cory Paus has made Drew Bennett the Bruins’ starter in Palo Alto and also promoted McEwan to second string, meaning he could have the chance to play in a critical moment for the first time if Bennett gets hurt or falters. It’s an increased role that McEwan, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, relishes.

But given his brief history, it also brings the possibility of something besides playing time. He was in for four snaps at the end of the opener against Boise State, and suffered a separated left--non-throwing--shoulder. He was in for two plays at the end of the loss to Ohio State, and sprained his left knee badly enough that a brace was needed.

“Every player and coach has broken into me about it,” McEwan said. “It’s kind of become a running joke. Coach [Al] Borges [the offensive coordinator] said he woke up one day with a stiff neck and wanted to go see the trainer, but they were all working on me.”

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Reserve linebacker Asi Faoa (sprained lower back), reserve receiver Cody Joyce (concussion) and reserve linebacker Billy Pieper (sprained knee) have been ruled out for Saturday.