Sophomore Olson No Longer an Upstart

UCLA quarterback Drew Olson will be making his ninth college start today when the Bruins play Washington in their Pacific 10 Conference opener in the Rose Bowl, but the sophomore doubts he’ll be as relaxed, or as sure of himself, as he was during his first college start last Nov. 2 in Husky Stadium.

Olson was told only six hours before the 2002 Washington game by then-Coach Bob Toledo that he would be starting, an assignment that would leave most freshman quarterbacks quaking in their cleats.

Yet, for some reason, Olson felt surprisingly calm as he took the field and grew more confident as he went along, completing 13 of 27 passes for 189 yards in a 34-24 victory over Washington.

“We were big underdogs in that game, and I remember the headlines that morning, saying a freshman quarterback can’t win in Husky Stadium,” Olson said. “So it was almost like I was going out there to prove a point. Just go out and play, just let it loose.

“At times this year, as an offense, we’ve pressed. It’s almost like we had to be good, not that we wanted to be good. I think it flowed better last year, and that’s how it was at times last Saturday too.”

The Bruins haven’t quite mastered Coach Karl Dorrell’s complex West Coast offense -- the first four games have been marked more by breakdowns than breakthroughs.

But UCLA showed glimpses of offensive prowess last week in beating San Diego State, 20-10, and seems flush with confidence going into today’s game, which can’t hurt: The Bruins will need every mental boost they can generate against 18th-ranked Washington, which has a defense to rival UCLA’s and a lethal pass-catch combination in quarterback Cody Pickett and receiver Reggie Williams.

“They’re real active up front, they play hard, and no one has really been able to run the ball against them much,” Dorrell said. “

UCLA (2-2) relied on the big play against San Diego State, Olson’s 41-yard touchdown pass to Junior Taylor and a 55-yard pass to Craig Bragg accounting for about a third of his 258 yards passing.

Dorrell would like to balance the offense with more ball control and a better ground game and has vowed to incorporate tailback Tyler Ebell, a 994-yard rusher in 2002 who has essentially been missing in action in 2003, into the game plan against the Huskies (3-1).

The Bruins worked on pitch plays in practice this week and probably will try to get the ball to Ebell where he has some working room. Virtually all of Ebell’s 38 carries in the first four games went between the tackles, and the 5-foot-9, 180-pound sophomore has had little success, rushing for only 126 yards and no touchdowns.

“We’re going to try to utilize him better,” Dorrell said. “We have to do a better job of coaching, getting the maximum from that position in the game.”

Manuel White, a more physical runner and a better blocker and pass catcher than Ebell, will still get most of the carries at tailback, but it’s doubtful freshman Maurice Drew, who had seven second-half carries against San Diego State while Ebell stood on the sideline, will be featured ahead of Ebell.

Ebell was so frustrated with his lack of playing time that he and his father met with Dorrell on Monday to discuss the tailback’s current role and future in the program.

Ebell declined to discuss details of the meeting, but he seemed satisfied with its outcome. He said his role was “more defined” and that he felt better about his standing with the new coaching staff.

He did not threaten to transfer and seemed to accept Dorrell’s admission that his lack of carries was “an oversight” on Dorrell’s part and not a deliberate attempt to bury him on the depth chart.

“The decision to throw Maurice in there [against San Diego State], it wasn’t like we were saying, ‘He’s the guy,’ it was more of a spur-of-the-moment thing,” Dorrell said. “That’s where I have to be more sensitive to understanding those opportunities, because Tyler is a proven guy, he had a great year last year, and given the situation, it should have been more of my decision to give him more opportunities.”

Dorrell said the Bruins also need to do a better job of conserving the versatile White, to make sure the 6-3, 236-pound junior is not used to the point where he’s exhausted or at risk of injury.

“He’s kind of a dual-role guy who can run and catch the ball, and we might overlook how that can overload him,” Dorrell said.