Lewis Expands His Role

One day last spring, UCLA junior tight end Marcedes Lewis owned the main basketball court in the Wooden Center.

Scoring on fadeaway jump shots and three-point baskets, mixed in with a few dunks and rebounds, Lewis dominated the play, keeping his pickup team on the floor with a string of victories.

When Lewis was done, an impressed bystander asked why he didn’t play varsity basketball.

Lewis shook his head and said, “Nah, I just play for fun now. I have other things to concentrate on.”

That decision seems to have given Lewis’ football career a boost.

In helping UCLA to a 4-1 start, including a 2-0 record in the Pacific 10 Conference, the former high school basketball all-star has had his NFL stock rise.

“He’s made a commitment to be a total player,” said one NFL scout. “He’s always been very athletic but something always seemed to be missing. He’s improved as a blocker and he’s starting to make big plays as a receiver.”

Doing good things with a ball is something Lewis has been known for since his days as a two-sport standout at Long Beach Poly. In last Saturday’s 37-17 victory over Arizona at the Rose Bowl, Lewis had six catches for 99 yards and three touchdowns.

With Arizona determined to stop UCLA’s running attack, quarterback Drew Olson kept finding Lewis open down the middle of the field.

“I was like, ‘If they’re going to stop the run, who’s going to guard me?’ ” said Lewis, who had only three catches for 30 yards in his previous two games. “When you’ve got the receivers going out and they try to guard the receivers, often teams forget about the tight end.”

On Lewis’ first touchdown, Olson lofted a pass to him in the end zone but the tight end did not catch it cleanly, tipping the ball to himself before Arizona safety Lamon Means was able to make a play.

Lewis’ second touchdown broke the game open when late in the second quarter, he caught a pass, broke a tackle and scored, giving UCLA a 23-3 lead at halftime.

In the second half, Lewis continued to rip through the Wildcats’ secondary, catching his third touchdown pass in the third quarter.

“I know he’s that type of athlete who could make those types of plays,” said junior safety Jarrad Page, who battles against Lewis in practice every day. “I was really happy to see him have a game like that.”

It was the type of performance many expected when Lewis stepped onto the Westwood campus two years ago. But his first two seasons were anything but spectacular.

As a freshman, Lewis played in every game but finished the season with six catches for 51 yards and one touchdown.

Last season, his numbers improved to 30 catches for 377 yards and three scores, but he didn’t dominate.

Enter new offensive coordinator Tom Cable. One of the first things Cable did was get Lewis to understand that he needed to become as good a blocker as he was a receiver.

That’s no longer an issue.

“The biggest strides he’s made have been in our running game,” Coach Karl Dorrell said. “He’s developed into a really good run blocker for a tight end.

“The receiving part was the easier part of his development.”

Lewis’ commitment to blocking has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

In early-season victories at Illinois and Washington, Lewis had as many pancake blocks -- knocking a defender to the ground -- as some of UCLA’s offensive linemen.

“He’s accepted that blocking is a big part of playing tight end,” Page said. “It’s not all catching. Most of the time, it’s about blocking and that’s what has made him such a better player.”

With six games remaining, the Bruins are hoping that Lewis continues to be a force. Lewis is willing.

“I take the same pride in blocking as I do catching,” he said. “I just happened to catch some passes [against Arizona]. I’m happy either way....

“The bottom line is that I’m willing to do whatever to help the team win.”