Havner Is Around Blocks

Brandon Chillar used to be the “leaper.”

He has three copies of Sports Illustrated to prove it, with that stunning double-page-spread photo of him blocking an extra-point attempt against Colorado.

But Spencer Havner, his fellow UCLA linebacker, took over the job Saturday against California and blocked two field-goal attempts -- the second of which was scooped up by Chillar and returned 65 yards for a touchdown.

“We switched this week,” Chillar said. “I got my legs chopped out from under me pretty bad last week against Arizona.”

With teams keying on Chillar, Havner replaced him and displayed the 36-inch vertical leap he uses when he plays basketball, making blocking kicks like soaring for a dunk, he said.

“He’s a great athlete,” Chillar said admiringly.

Havner gave credit to the players in front of him.

“Our defensive line was pushing them so far back, it made it easier for me,” he said. “I could step up closer and then leap.”

Havner won’t get his own photo in Sports Illustrated, but he admitted he has a couple of Chillar’s.

“I would have that framed if it was me.”

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Defensive tackle Rodney Leisle will undergo a third set of X-rays today or Monday to determine the extent of a bruised left collarbone, an injury that knocked him out of Saturday’s game early in the fourth quarter. The first two X-rays were inconclusive.

“The first one wouldn’t go through the muscle, and the second one got crumpled in the machine,” said Leisle, a 6-foot-3, 289-pound senior who was hurt when a Cal player blindsided him while he was pursuing the quarterback. “I don’t know, it hurts pretty bad.”

If Leisle can’t go against Arizona State next Saturday night, it would be a considerable loss, but the defensive line might be the area in which the Bruins have the most depth, with C.J. Niusulu, Asi Faoa and Kevin Brown filling in.

Special teams player Mil’Von James was knocked out in the first half because of a right hip strain, but the injury is not believed to be serious. Wide receiver Junior Taylor returned to the locker room in the second half to be pumped with a bag of intravenous fluids but returned late in the fourth quarter.

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With cornerback Matt Ware sidelined because of an ankle injury, Keith Short started at corner along with Matt Clark. ... Tight end Marcedes Lewis caught four passes for 67 yards and one touchdown Saturday, a 31-yard scoring strike from Drew Olson to beat a Cal safety blitz in the first quarter. ... Defensive end Dave Ball had three sacks to bring his total to 11 1/2 and his career total to 26, a half-sack behind school-record holder Eric Smith, who had 26 1/2 from the 1984 to ’86 seasons and in 1988. ... Chillar’s scoring run after a blocked field goal was the first by a Bruin since 1961, when Kermit Alexander returned a blocked field goal 87 yards at Stanford.