Bruins Cutting Down Choices

New Orleans Saint assistant Mike Riley staved off giving Alabama an answer for another day and is expected to meet with UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale to finalize an offer to become coach of the Bruins.

However, UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero is doing some stalling of his own. He doesn’t want the Bruins to commit to Riley until he conducts an interview Saturday with Denver Bronco assistant Karl Dorrell.

Riley, however, needs assurances fast. New Orleans Coach Jim Haslett said Wednesday that Riley is set to meet with Carnesale after the Saints play Sunday, but Riley might travel to Los Angeles after an early-afternoon practice today because Alabama is pressuring him to respond to a five-year offer that sources said is worth $1.3 million a year.

Alabama Athletic Director Mal Moore requested a response by Wednesday morning, but the deadline passed and the offer was not withdrawn. Three coaches -- Frank Beamer of Virginia Tech, Jim Leavitt of South Florida and Crimson Tide assistant Carl Torbush -- already have spurned Alabama offers, so Moore has little choice but to wait it out with Riley.

There are two sticking points, according to sources. Riley wants a longer deal because the Crimson Tide is on NCAA probation, and he requested that Alabama pay him an additional $750,000 next year because a contract with his previous employer, the San Diego Chargers, guarantees him that amount unless he takes another head coaching position.

UCLA’s offer would be substantially less, in the $700,000 range, plus incentives. But Riley’s wife and two high school-age children live in San Diego and reportedly are pushing for him to return to Southern California. He has said that he would accept less money to come to UCLA.

However, the $750,000 he would forfeit from the Chargers could again become a point of contention because sources indicate that UCLA would be even less inclined to pay it than Alabama.

Riley, who declined comment after practice, is also under consideration for the opening at Kentucky. Wildcat Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart worked with Riley at Oregon State in 1997-98.

Before Oregon State, Riley was offensive coordinator for four years at USC. He directed Oregon State to a 5-6 record in 1998, its best in 27 years, and many of the players he recruited helped the Beavers go 10-1 and win the Fiesta Bowl two years later under Dennis Erickson.

Riley’s three years with the Chargers did not go as well. He was unable to develop first-round pick Ryan Leaf into an NFL quarterback and the Chargers were 14-34, including a 1-15 record in 2000. They lost their last nine games in 2001 and Riley was fired.

Given Riley’s ho-hum record, some UCLA boosters openly wonder why he is so highly regarded. Guerrero’s focus has been almost exclusively on Riley and Dorrell, a former UCLA player with a strong resume as an assistant and substantial support among former Bruin players.

But those same boosters admire Guerrero for not committing to Riley before interviewing Dorrell, whose only question mark is a lack of head coaching experience.

“In the best of all worlds, yes, you’d like someone who has experience making the calls,” Guerrero said Wednesday. “But possessing the qualities that go into a successful head coach is more important.”

Several potential candidates are waiting to hear from Guerrero. Greg Robinson, the Kansas City Chief defensive coordinator and a former UCLA assistant, has not been contacted for an interview despite public backing from Chief Coach Dick Vermeil. Robinson is respected as an excellent defensive coach and a hard-nosed disciplinarian, qualities that Guerrero is seeking.

Washington State Coach Mike Price and former Oregon coach Rich Brooks are potential candidates should Riley and Dorrell be bypassed. However, Washington Coach Rick Neuheisel -- who earlier this week discreetly put out feelers about the job -- made it clear Wednesday at a Sun Bowl news conference that he is not a candidate.

“I have no desire to change jobs,” Neuheisel said.

Guerrero doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to make a decision. At a Las Vegas Bowl news conference Wednesday, he said there is no urgency to hire a coach before the Christmas Day game between the Bruins and New Mexico.

He plans to attend the NCAA men’s soccer final Sunday in Dallas provided UCLA wins a semifinal today. However, he might be inclined to stay close to campus and monitor Riley’s meeting with Carnesale.

“People understand the nature of the business,” Guerrero said. “There is no deadline.”

*

Times staff writers David Wharton and Larry Stewart contributed to this report.