Offense Has Field Day Against No. 2 Defense

A UCLA defense that has set a goal to cut down on giving up big plays surrendered several Saturday afternoon in the first scrimmage of camp, a sting lessened only in that the second string was responsible while going against the first-team offense.

Such comfort is slight, however, since the depth of the defense will play a key factor. Compounding that, it was an especially bad day for contenders for the backup jobs at safety, an unsettled position that concerns the coaches.

“I thought we looked tired,” defensive coordinator Bob Field said. “We had a lot of different combinations in there and only played some of our main guys for six plays. But we gave up too many big plays in the secondary.”

With Marques Anderson set as the starting strong safety and Jason Zdenek in the lead at free safety, Kevin Brant, Jason Stephens, Audie Attar and John Hall all had bad moments against the No. 1 offense, especially in the early going before about 2,000 fans at Drake Stadium. A screen pass from Cory Paus to DeShaun Foster turned into a 54-yard gain on the second play, just before Foster scored from five yards to cap an effortless 65-yard drive. On the first play of the next series, Jermaine Lewis ran for 35 yards.

“We were getting on them, saying, ‘We have to pick it up,’ ” starting linebacker Robert Thomas said. “I know our offense is good, but we need to eliminate some of that. But overall, I think we did good. We got some good experience.”

The first-team defense offered more of a stable showing, brief as it was. Linebacker Ryan Nece didn’t play because of a shoulder injury, and linemen Kenyon Coleman, Ken Kocher and Rusty Williams and linebacker Tony White got only brief action.

“I thought they performed pretty solid,” Field said of the first unit.

The No. 1 defense went mostly against the No. 2 offense, and vice versa, while the third-stringers went head-to-head. In all, five touchdowns were scored: Foster’s run, a one-yard plunge by Matt Stanley, a 65-yard pass from Ryan McCann to Jon Dubravac, an 18-yarder from McCann to Drew Bennett, and a 65-yard throw down the middle from Paus to tight end Gabe Crecion. Also, Chris Griffith kicked a 47-yard field goal with room to spare, and Nate Fikse connected from 25 yards.

Paus, feeling more and more confident he will be named the starting quarterback, completed seven of 10 passes for 184 yards and the touchdown. Challenger McCann went six of nine for 155 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Coach Bob Toledo said an announcement on a starter will probably come Monday or Tuesday.