Choice Still Clear to Coach

Unlike last week, when he cast uncertainty over the quarterback situation by saying after an ugly loss to Stanford that he would determine his starter “at a future time,” UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell left no doubt after Saturday’s 31-13 loss to Washington State who his signal-caller is.

“Matt Moore will be our quarterback next week,” Dorrell said. “There is no controversy.”

Maybe there should be.

Most Bruin followers agree that Moore, a sophomore from the quarterback factory that is Newhall Hart High, has more upside than sophomore Drew Olson -- Moore is taller, has a quicker release and stronger arm, and he seemed to have -- at least, going into this season -- the swagger needed to direct a major college offense.

But after Moore’s struggles against Stanford, which sacked him eight times and knocked him out in the fourth quarter Nov. 1, and Washington State, which limited him to 11-of-29 passing for 138 yards and intercepted him twice, UCLA fans have begun to wonder: Would Olson have been the better choice for this team at this time?

Olson guided the Bruins to four consecutive victories before relinquishing the job to Moore, who suffered a knee injury in the season opener and didn’t reclaim his starting spot until Oct. 25 against Arizona State.

At the time, Olson was clearly the more experienced college quarterback, having made 11 NCAA Division I starts compared with Moore’s two. But there was pressure on Dorrell to start Moore, who had been unhappy about backing up and had hinted at transferring if he wasn’t the starter. Olson was no Heisman Trophy candidate, completing 58 of 94 passes for 878 yards and four touchdowns during the streak, and the Bruin victories came against four mediocre teams -- San Diego State, Washington, Arizona and California.

But Olson was relatively efficient, had a knack for making big plays, didn’t make many mistakes -- he threw two interceptions in the four games -- and seemed to gain a grasp of UCLA’s complicated West Coast offense.

Moore did connect with Craig Bragg on a quick out pass on his first play against Arizona State, a play Bragg turned into a 52-yard gain, but for Moore, it has been all downhill from there. After completing 10 of 17 passes for 186 yards in the first half against Arizona State, Moore connected on four of 11 passes for four yards in the second.

Moore wasn’t a target of blame for the 21-14 loss to Stanford, a game in which he completed 19 of 31 passes for 145 yards. Because of breakdowns on the offensive line and Stanford’s relentless blitz, Moore spent much of the afternoon on his back or scrambling.

But Moore had enough time to operate against a tough Washington State defense Saturday night. The UCLA line did a better job handling the Cougar blitz, and coaches incorporated more rollouts and shotgun formations to give Moore a little breathing room. Still, the Bruin offense gasped and wheezed, and Moore sputtered right along with it. He admitted afterward that he “tried to do too much,” and it showed.

Moore chose to throw too many low-percentage passes, misfiring on four bombs down the sideline and one ill-advised fade into double coverage in the end zone.

And when he made good decisions, he didn’t always execute -- Moore missed a potential touchdown pass when he overthrew Marcedes Lewis, who had good inside position near the goal line in the second, and the Bruins had to settle for a field goal.

The one touchdown pass Moore threw, a 34-yard completion to Bragg in the third, was underthrown -- Bragg made a nice play coming back to the ball. Moore lost two of his three fumbles, and his last pass, a bomb intended for Bragg in the fourth, was intercepted. In addition, Moore appeared to lose his composure briefly in the first, steaming as he came off the field after an apparent miscommunication with receiver Junior Taylor.

“He did some good things early on, and then late in the game ... it was almost similar to last week,” Dorrell said of Moore. “We wanted to do something at a critical time in the fourth quarter to spark the offense -- that’s the reason for giving Drew a shot. Both quarterbacks made mistakes ... but I thought Matt played fine.”

Olson, though, has played a little better in his two brief fourth-quarter stints, completing five of 12 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown against Stanford and seven of 12 for 82 yards and an interception against Washington State.

Despite Olson’s success and Moore’s struggles, Dorrell continues to downplay a quarterback controversy. Moore is his quarterback of the present and, apparently, the future.

And he’s sticking with him.