It’s Means to an End for Dragovic

After a week of football practice, one of the biggest surprises for UCLA’s defense has been the play of third-year sophomore end Nikola Dragovic.

With Kyle Morgan out because of a family death and William Snead slowed by an ankle injury, Dragovic made his presence felt.

“He’s having an excellent camp,” defensive line coach Thurmond Moore said. “He worked hard over the summer and he looks like he’s having fun. He plays extremely hard and he’s a gifted athlete, strength- and speed-wise.”

Dragovic began training camp a year ago buried deep in the defensive depth chart after spending his redshirt season practicing at fullback and the offensive line. Once the season began and UCLA started losing linemen to injuries and suspensions, however, Dragovic slowly moved up and became a steady contributor with five tackles, including a sack against Stanford.

But last spring, Dragovic suffered another setback when he injured his knee.

“After that happened, something clicked in me,” said Dragovic, 6 feet 3 and 252 pounds. “I realized my clock was ticking ... and it’s now or never.”

Knowing that Coach Karl Dorrell wanted quicker players, Dragovic improved his speed without losing strength. That combination has caught Dorrell’s attention.

“There’s no question that the little experience that he had a year ago helped him,” Dorrell said. “He loves rushing the passer. He wishes the offense was throwing the ball every time. He does a nice job on the run game too.”

Dragovic says his confidence has always been high.

“I never thought of myself not playing,” he said. “Last year, when guys were dropping like flies, I didn’t look at it as if it were a blessing. I looked at it as if it was an opportunity.

“The coaches have told me that I’ve made a big improvement. I know that I have, so I really don’t need to hear that. I just want to play and help the team.”

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Sophomore running back Chris Markey, who has been limited in camp because of a tight hamstring, went through Monday’s morning practice but rested in the afternoon. Safety Chris Horton (foot) and linebacker Bruce Davis (knee) also practiced in the morning but not in the afternoon.

Running back Derrick Williams (groin), safety Robert Kibble (knee), guard Chris Joseph (knee), center Mike McCloskey (shoulder), linebacker Wesley Walker (knee), and receivers Galvin Ketchum (shoulder) and Brandon Breazell (family death), did not practice.

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After struggling the first week of camp, redshirt freshman quarterback Patrick Cowan has thrown the ball well the last two days. Sophomore inside linebacker Fred Holmes had another strong morning practice, highlighted by a goal-line scrimmage tackle on running back Maurice Drew.