‘Sluggish’ Ebell OK After Tests

Starting tailback Tyler Ebell left practice at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday to undergo medical tests at UCLA because he has been feeling “sluggish” for a couple of days, but he returned to camp later in the afternoon, UCLA spokesman Marc Dellins said.

Ebell’s mother, Karin Hewlett, said she spoke to her son after doctors evaluated him. “He’s fine,” she said.

His father, Dennis Ebell, also spoke to his son.

“I guess he was taking all the reps at his position around Tuesday because of injuries and he had some exhaustion and they’re going to rest him,” he said. “It was hot. They checked him out and he had some dehydration and that’s about it.”

Complete test results were not expected until later.

Coach Karl Dorrell called the move “precautionary,” but school officials were limited in what they could say because Ebell has not signed the standard release required by federal law to allow school officials to discuss a player’s medical condition under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Ebell authorized UCLA’s limited announcement.

“The only thing I would say is we’re doing some things to make sure he’s OK,” Dorrell said. “It’s really a fatigue issue more than anything.”

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These are the dog days of training camp, with numerous players sitting out because of minor injuries.

“The one thing I’m glad is there are no major injuries,” Dorrell said. “What we’re going through are just the training camp injuries, the hamstring pulls, the muscle pulls, the strains. You get some fatigue, you’re sore and they’re getting ornery. It’s the typical thing as you go through a camp.”

A day off is not in Dorrell’s plans.

“We can’t afford any days off,” he said. “We [have to] keep pushing forward.... The coaching staff is starting to scream a little bit louder now, trying to keep the prods on them. You’ve got to push through the soreness to make them stronger mentally by doing the things we need to get accomplished in practice.”

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Ebell’s absence and other running back injuries gave standout freshman Maurice Drew plenty of work -- enough that he was justifiably exhausted for team conditioning drills at the end of practice. No problem, Dorrell said, especially after watching the short but powerful tailback break what would have been a long touchdown run.

“I’m impressed,” Dorrell said. “He’s doing real well.”

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Neither Ryan Smith nor Junior Taylor, who was hampered earlier by a sore hamstring, has claimed the starting receiver’s spot opposite Craig Bragg, though both will play.

“That’s still a competition,” Dorrell said. “Both players aren’t exactly stepping ahead and saying, ‘I’m the guy.’ ”

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UCLA will hold a public scrimmage at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Cal State Fullerton stadium. Admission is $5. There will be a free youth clinic featuring former UCLA players on the Fullerton baseball field from 9:30-10:30 a.m. before the scrimmage.