A Less-Than-Perfect Display

The protection on the blocked extra-point attempt in the third quarter of UCLA’s 31-30 loss to Oregon was not as airtight as linemen claimed Saturday.

A review of the film indicated that Duck defender Haloti Ngata pushed into the Bruin backfield before raising his arms and tipping the ball with his fingers.

“Their big guy knocked our guard back,” UCLA Coach Bob Toledo said. “And it was a low kick.”

Kicker Chris Griffith, who had made 80 PAT kicks in a row before the block, believes the trajectory of the kick was fine.

“Probably 40 of those 80 I made were the same trajectory as that one,” he said.

Toledo said another problem was that holder Garrett Lepisto set the ball down seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, half a yard closer than normal.

The coach made certain that none of the Bruins blamed Griffith, Lepisto or Eyoseph Efseaff, the guard assigned to block Ngata. At a team meeting Monday, Toledo said that anybody who made a mistake in the game should stand up.

“I will be standing too,” Toledo said.

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Griffith, a senior, is in no danger of losing his job.

Chris Kluwe, a redshirt sophomore, is considered a punter, although he kicked a 60-yard field goal for Los Alamitos High. Freshman Justin Medlock, who is redshirting, is considered the kicker of the future.

“Kluwe is not in their category,” Toledo said. “He has a strong leg but kicks line drives. But he’s going to be an excellent punter.”

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The defensive backfield could become a concern later this week. Cornerbacks Matt Ware and Joe Hunter did not practice, joining safety Ben Emanuel on the sideline.

Ware has tightness in his back and said he will practice today. Hunter has flu.

Emanuel, who did not play against Oregon because of a pinched nerve in his neck, is questionable. The sophomore experienced numbness in his arm last week but said that the feeling has returned.

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Sophomore Jibril Raymo started in place of Emanuel and played well, making eight tackles and forcing a fumble.

“I felt aggressive and fast out there,” he said. “I had some mistakes though.”

Raymo is a devastating hitter who only needs experience.

He was out of position a few times because it was his first game at free safety.

“The main thing is to do the exact same thing every time,” he said. “I was overthinking at times. But after a while I got in a flow and just ran with it.”

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The Bruins’ game at California on Saturday will be at 4 p.m. and televised on TBS.