Cable Stays Focused on the Task at Hand

For offensive coordinator Tom Cable, Saturday’s game at Washington State will be somewhat of a homecoming.

Cable never played for or coached the Cougars, but he was a standout lineman at the University of Idaho in the mid-1980s and spent six years coaching the Vandals, including four seasons as head coach from 2000 to 2003.

“Going back up there will be special because it’s a great place in terms of the community of Moscow,” said Cable, a native of Snohomish, Wash. “Obviously, I’m a Idaho Vandal through and through, and returning to the area is pretty cool, but all of those things do not mean anything. The game on Saturday does. That’s what is big to me.”

In his four years as head coach at Idaho, Cable’s teams averaged 424.1 yards of total offense and finished ranked among the top 10 nationally twice. In 2001, the Vandals were sixth in the country with a 464.8 average, and in 2000, they were eighth at 453.2.

This season, UCLA is the sixth-highest scoring team in the country, averaging 43.2 points under Cable.

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Senior tight end Marcedes Lewis, who leads the team with 23 catches for 302 yards, had his least productive game of the season last week in UCLA’s 47-40 win over California.

But Coach Karl Dorrell said he’s not concerned about Lewis, who finished with only one catch for six yards against the Golden Bears.

“He had a chance to catch two other passes, but it didn’t happen,” Dorrell said. “[Marcedes] understands that we spread it out offensively. It’s not an issue about him getting his ... catches. The team is focused on winning and doing whatever it takes.

“He’ll have some games where he’ll catch a lot of passes, and then he’ll have some games when there won’t be that many. We built our offense that way.”

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UCLA’s defense, which is giving up 400.2 yards a game, will be tested against Washington State, which is averaging 506 yards of total offense per game, eighth-best in the nation.

“They’ve had one of the better offenses over the years,” UCLA defensive coordinator Larry Kerr said. “You talk about a balanced attack ... they can do everything, run and pass.”

Running back Jerome Harrison leads the Pacific 10 in rushing, gaining 148.2 yards a game, and quarterback Alex Brink established a school single-game record with 531 yards passing against Oregon State on Oct. 1.

Kerr said the pair are keys to a difficult offense to contain.

“They have a great scheme with their offense,” he said. “They run primarily a one-back offense, and he’s rushed for close to 800 yards in five games. That’s phenomenal.”

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Dorrell said sophomore safety Chris Horton had pins removed from his injured right wrist and will be able to play next week against Oregon State at the Rose Bowl.