They Will Try to Get a Jump on the Run

The Bruins practiced Thursday morning then caught a charter flight to Illinois, well aware that the Fighting Illini intend to bowl them over Saturday with a running game, much as Oklahoma State did in the opener last Saturday.

“Do we expect more? Oh yeah,” Bruin Coach Karl Dorrell said. “They’re going to test it and see what we’re all about up front and we’re going to answer the bell with some improvement. I’m planning on that.”

Dorrell has reason to be more confident. Thursday, he upgraded middle linebacker Justin London, who has been nursing an ankle injury and did not play Saturday, from questionable to “playing” and added that strong safety Jarrad Page, who injured his heel, was also fit to play.

London, a junior, is the Bruins’ leading returning tackler from last season.

Dorrell also confirmed that 314-pound senior guard Eyoseff Efseaff would get some playing time on the defensive line that consists largely of freshmen and sophomores.

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Illinois Coach Ron Turner said in a conference call this week that he would employ a balanced attack against UCLA, leaving reporters to wonder whether that meant the Illini would run to the left half the time, and to the right the other half.

He was in no joking mood, however. Illinois opened the season with a 52-13 victory over Florida A&M; last Saturday but is coming off a 1-11 campaign and has not defeated a Division I-A opponent since its 31-24 win over Northwestern in November 2002.

“We’re just going to try to run our offense better, which is to have balance,” Turner said. “We’re just going to go in and do what we do.”