Olson Hasn’t Gotten Into N.Y. State of Mind

Quarterback Drew Olson leads the nation in passing efficiency, touchdown passes and interception percentage, and the 12th-ranked Bruins are 9-1. But that doesn’t mean Olson is a lock to attend the Heisman Trophy award presentation in New York next month, which doesn’t bother him at all.

“That’s out of my hands ... whatever happens happens, it really doesn’t matter,” said Olson, who has thrown 163 passes without an interception -- a single-season school record.

For Olson to be mentioned in the same sentence as the Heisman Trophy was a longshot at the start of the season, but with 30 touchdown passes and only three interceptions, Olson has moved into consideration for at least a trip to New York.

“He’s playing as good ... as anybody in the country and does he deserve that type of recognition? Yes,” Coach Karl Dorrell said of Olson, who passed for 510 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Arizona State last week.

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Dorrell said the Bruins would focus on fundamentals, such as blocking and tackling, this week since they don’t play again until Dec. 3 against USC.

“I learned from last year, when we had a similar bye situation two weeks before game week, that we did some good things to prepare ourselves for the game, but we didn’t do as many individual drills as we should’ve,” said Dorrell, whose team lost, 29-24, to the Trojans at the Rose Bowl in 2004.

UCLA, 9-1 overall and 6-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference, probably will practice today in full uniform with plenty of hitting, just as the Bruins did last Tuesday.

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Linebacker Justin London (ankle) and center Mike McCloskey (shoulder) could be back in the lineup after sitting out the last few games because of injures, Dorrell said. He also said he expects injured linebackers Aaron Whittington (thigh) and Fred Holmes (groin) to return to practice soon. ... The Bruins moved up to No. 11 in the latest BCS rankings ... The Bruins have scored 35 touchdowns and seven field goals in 48 opportunities inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. UCLA has had three red-zone possessions turned over on downs, one end on a missed field-goal try, another on a fumble and one when the quarterback took a knee.