They’ll Spread the Wealth Around

In the Pacific 10 Conference, which has four of the nation’s top 10 teams in passing offense, having productive receivers is a premium. Undefeated UCLA, however, does not have a player ranked in the conference’s top 20 in catches or receiving yards.

For Coach Karl Dorrell, that’s a good thing.

“Marcus Everett has done a very good job since the replacement of Junior [Taylor],” said Dorrell, who lost senior starter Taylor to a season-ending knee injury last month. “That’s one of the positives that Marcus has been. But do I envision him to be the go-to guy? [No] I envision him catching the football and making plays, just like the other six guys who are out there.

“Those guys work as a committee. When you get an opportunity to do something ... make some things happen and make those big plays.”

Tight end Marcedes Lewis leads UCLA with 23 catches for 302 yards, but Everett is the top receiver with 14 receptions for 202 yards. In the Bruins’ 47-40 victory over California last week, Everett grabbed a team-high six passes for 95 yards, including an important 38-yarder in the fourth quarter.

“He’s done a nice job of filling the role of being the starter,” Dorrell said about Everett, who sat out the first two games of the season because of a shoulder injury. “But all of those other guys are doing a good job of keeping the offense moving.”

Joe Cowan has started every game at flanker and has 12 catches for 140 yards.

Brandon Breazell has 11 catches for 162 yards, Andrew Baumgartner has five for 86 yards and Gavin Ketchum has three for 27 yards.

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Sophomore safety Chris Horton, who has been sidelined because of a dislocated right wrist, is closer to returning to full practice, according to Dorrell. Horton, a starting free safety entering the season, will see a team doctor today and could be cleared for contact.

Defensive tackle Brigham Harwell, who was forced to leave last week’s game against Cal after aggravating an ankle injury, participated in some individual drills Tuesday and is expected to play Saturday at Washington State.

“He could have done a lot more than what he did,” said Dorrell, whose defensive line has lost starters Kevin Brown and Nikola Dragovic for the season because of injuries.

Drew Olson has completed 102 of 155 passes for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns with two interceptions.