Moore Probably Out at Least Four Weeks

A raging quarterback controversy would have been far more palatable to Coach Karl Dorrell than the apprehension he’ll be feeling about the position over the next month or so.

An MRI test on the left knee of Bruin quarterback Matt Moore, who was knocked out late in the first quarter of Saturday’s 16-14 season-opening loss to Colorado, revealed a severe bruise of the upper tibia, and the sophomore probably will be out four to six weeks.

Although Sunday’s medical test brought relief -- there was no major ligament damage, eliminating any fear Moore would miss the season -- the injury robs UCLA of the precious depth it had at quarterback.

Drew Olson, who lost the starting job during a pitched training-camp competition with Moore, replaced Moore on Saturday and completed 13 of 23 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and though he’s only a sophomore, he’s a seasoned veteran, having started the final five games in 2002.

“We are happy that Matt’s injury is not as serious as we thought it would be, and we look forward to his return,” Dorrell said. “At the same time, we are confident in Drew’s ability to lead this football team.”

But what if Olson gets hurt, a prospect that is not that difficult to fathom with a Sept. 20 trip to No. 1 Oklahoma for a game against the Sooners’ ferocious defense lurking on the schedule right after Saturday’s game against Illinois?

The Bruins can absorb an injury to Moore because Olson is such a capable and experienced backup, but with Moore out, the drop-off from No. 1 to No. 2 on the depth chart is now far more dramatic.

If Olson goes down, the Bruins would turn to John Sciarra, a 6-foot-1 sophomore whose only significant experience came in a 17-12 loss to California last Oct. 19.

UCLA lost Cory Paus and Olson to injury that day, and Moore wasn’t on the trip, so then-coach Bob Toledo turned to Sciarra, who completed one of seven passes for 10 yards.

Sciarra comes from good stock -- his father, John, was an All-American quarterback who led the Bruins to victory in the 1976 Rose Bowl over Ohio State -- but he lacks the physical tools that Moore and Olson have.

If Olson and Sciarra were to get hurt, Dorrell would turn to Brian Callahan, a freshman walk-on scout-team quarterback who is the son of Oakland Raider Coach Bill Callahan, or cornerback Matt Ware, who played quarterback at Los Angeles Loyola High and has dabbled at the position during practice.

Giving Sciarra more repetitions in practice to get him game-ready for Illinois won’t be the only focus of the Bruin staff this week. Another priority is shoring up a disappointing running game that netted only 38 yards against Colorado.

Among the rushing-related questions: Why did tailback Tyler Ebell rush for 26 yards in one carry and total only 21 yards in his other 17 carries? Why did it seem that every time Ebell appeared to have running room, he was corralled by an unblocked defender from the back side? What to do about Maurice Drew, the highly touted freshman who fumbled the only two times he touched the ball?

“It seemed like every time I looked up it was second and 10,” offensive coordinator Steve Axman said. “We didn’t establish even a mediocre running game.... What our coaches seemed to think is that we were having trouble getting the back side cut off and winding a lot of plays into an unblocked player.”

Look for the Bruins to incorporate fullback Manuel White into more of the offense. White, a 6-3, 245-pound junior who rushed for 691 yards and eight touchdowns the last two seasons, did not touch the ball Saturday.

“He’s too good of a back not to get the ball into his hands,” Axman said of White.

“That’s something we have to evaluate.”

So is Drew, who fumbled on the Bruins’ second possession and did not play another down on offense the rest of the game.

The only other time he touched the ball, Drew juggled a kickoff at the goal line and returned it to the 10 late in the fourth quarter, saddling UCLA with awful field position on its final possession.

“The bottom line is you have to remember he’s a pure freshman,” Axman said. “He’s going to be a great player. It’s a shame he had a fumble, but by the same token, we have a lot of confidence that he’s going to be an excellent player.”