Dorrell’s Home Is in Path of Fire

UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell arrived at practice Tuesday afternoon not knowing whether his Stevenson Ranch home would still be standing by the time the two-hour workout was over.

Dorrell’s wife, Kim, and two children, Chandler (7) and Lauren (4), were ordered to evacuate their home at about 4 p.m. Tuesday when flames from the Simi Valley fire approached within a mile of their Santa Clarita Valley subdivision.

Dorrell was awaiting word Tuesday night on the status of his home, and his wife was trying to contact neighbors.

“[The fire] was close [Monday] and real close [Tuesday], but my family is safe, and they’re here with me,” Dorrell said. “I feel more for the families who have lost their homes and who have lost loved ones. That’s more of a tragedy than [our situation]. My family is safe.”

Dorrell and his family spent Tuesday night in a Westwood hotel, and the coach seemed remarkably calm, almost unfazed, by the situation.

“We have our health,” he said. “We can’t control those other issues.”

*

Neither cornerback Matt Ware nor defensive tackle Rodney Leisle, who are suffering from high ankle sprains, will play Saturday at Stanford, but Ware said he was “optimistic” about returning for the Washington State game on Nov. 8.

“It feels a lot better,” said Ware, who has missed the last two games. “I’m making progress now. Things are looking up. The swelling has gone down a lot.”

Ware removed a protective boot from his left ankle on Sunday but did not practice Tuesday. The left ankle of Leisle, who was injured in the first half of Saturday night’s game against Arizona State, remained in a boot Tuesday, and the senior was pessimistic about his chances of returning in the next two weeks.

“It’s pretty bad,” Leisle said. “It doesn’t look pretty from here.”

UCLA was awaiting results of a CT scan on the fractured right shoulder blade of running back Manuel White to determine if White, who is out for the season, needs surgery.

*

Bruin defensive end Dave Ball, who leads the nation with 11 1/2 sacks, is one of 12 finalists for the Lombardi Award, which honors the top lineman in college football.

The other finalists are linebacker Matt Grootegoed (USC), defensive tackle Tommie Harris and linebacker Teddy Lehman (Oklahoma), linebacker Jonathan Vilma and tight end Kellen Winslow (Miami), defensive ends Bo Schobel (Texas Christian), David Pollack (Georgia) and Will Smith (Ohio State), offensive tackles Shawn Andrews (Arkansas) and Robert Gallery (Iowa) and center Jake Grove (Virginia Tech).

“That’s some good company right there,” said Ball, a senior who is known as much for his sense of humor as his sacks. “I’ve been making some good strides, putting up some good numbers, so I wasn’t that surprised.... The main part is I’ve got to get ready for the swimsuit competition. That’s what I need to work on.”