Injured Seniors Might Be Back

UCLA, 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, will have plenty of time to rest before playing USC on Dec. 3, which is a good thing for seniors Justin London and Mike McCloskey, who have been sidelined the last couple of weeks because of injuries.

“This makes going into our last game a lot easier,” Coach Karl Dorrell said after the Bruins’ 45-35 victory over Arizona State on Saturday. “We got the bad taste out of our mouths, and we are excited about the momentum in our program. We are ready to take our best shot. It will not be an issue about whether we are ready [for USC], it is just if we are healthy or not.”

For the last two seasons, London has been dealing with a right ankle injury that initially occurred in training camp last year. After last season, London had arthroscopic surgery on the ankle, which forced the linebacker to sit out spring practice.

After a good start this year, London reinjured the ankle last month and has been sidelined since, with freshman John Hale filling in for him. There’s a chance London could play against the Trojans, which would be a boost for a defense that gave up 515 yards to the Sun Devils.

UCLA’s offense also could get back center McCloskey, who suffered a shoulder sprain in the first quarter against Oregon State on Oct. 22 and hasn’t played since.

“We really know how to handle adversity,” Dorrell said. “We know each time we step out on the field, we are going to give our best effort, and our team takes a lot of pride in what we do.”

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In 10 games, UCLA quarterback Drew Olson has completed 218 of 322 passes (67.7%) for 2,909 yards and 30 touchdowns with three interceptions. He’s the UCLA single-season record holder in touchdown passes, breaking Cade McNown’s mark of 25 set in 1998, and he’s the national leader in passing efficiency (172.47 rating), touchdown passes and interception percentage (0.93).

“He’s been putting up video game numbers,” fullback Michael Pitre said of Olson after his 510-yard, five-touchdown performance against the Sun Devils. *

UCLA moved from No. 14 to 12 in the Associated Press rankings on Sunday. The Bruins are No. 11 in the coaches’ poll.