Moore Practices Only With the First String

Matt Moore worked out exclusively with the first team during both practices Wednesday, and Drew Olson took snaps with the second team, but UCLA coaches still went to great lengths to propagate the perception that Moore and Olson are in a dead heat for the starting quarterback spot.

Coach Karl Dorrell has said all week that Moore is “in the driver’s seat,” and that he’d like to make a decision by the end of this week, and Olson has no illusions about who the starter is going to be.

“They’re giving Matt the ones and me the twos, so you guys figure it out,” Olson said.

But Steve Axman, the Bruin offensive coordinator, muddled the picture when he floated the possibility of waiting until the season opener to pick a starter.

“I have a feeling we won’t make a decision until we walk out on the field for the Colorado game,” Axman said of the Sept. 6 opener. “They’re that close. It’s not looking like one guy has massively pulled away from the other.”

Such a scenario would be a repeat of Nov. 2, when former coach Bob Toledo informed Olson during breakfast that he would be the starter over Moore against Washington that afternoon.

“That was brutal,” said Olson, who guided UCLA to a 34-24 win over the Huskies. “Matt and I joked about that one.”

Could it happen again?

“No, that won’t happen,” Olson said. “Not with this staff.”

Moore, who had an excellent day throwing the ball with the exception of one interception Wednesday, has felt since Saturday’s scrimmage that he has edged out Olson.

“I feel like I have the job,” Moore said. “I thought [Dorrell] was gonna tell us [Wednesday].”

Dorrell said this week that it would be important to have a starter in place when preparations for the Colorado game began today, and the feeling among several players is that they would like to have the issue settled.

“We’re getting antsy for game week,” receiver Craig Bragg said. “Matt has stepped up, and it looks like he’s going to be the starter.”

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In an effort to reconnect with past UCLA teams, Dorrell has asked former players to be honorary captains for the coin flips at home games. Chuck Doud and Rudy Feldman, co-captains of the 1953 Pacific Coast Conference championship team, will handle the duties in the home opener Sept. 13 against Illinois.