Healthy Keyes Gets Chance to Perform

Injuries kept UCLA sophomore free safety Dennis Keyes out of four games last year. This season, the injury of another player has helped thrust him into the starting lineup.

Keyes was battling sophomore Chris Horton for the starting job during training camp when Horton dislocated his right wrist. Keyes will make his first career start Saturday night against San Diego State in the Bruins’ opener. Horton is expected to sit out the next month.

“Hopefully, he’ll just go out there and do what he’s been doing in practice,” UCLA safeties coach Brian Schneider said of Keyes. “He’s been very sharp mentally. I’m kind of excited to watch him play.”

Keyes showed promise last season when healthy, making a season-high five tackles during the Bruins’ 35-17 victory over Illinois. He injured his shoulder against Washington the next week and sat out four of the next five games.

Keyes experienced some anxiety about his shoulder early in training camp but said his fears dissipated once he realized that he was physically sound.

“My nerves are gone and I’m just excited, really,” Keyes said. “I’ve put a lot of hard work into it this off-season, so I can’t wait to see how it pays off.”

Schneider said the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Keyes needed to build strength and become more of a punishing tackler, though he has already made strides in both areas.

“That’s all stuff he’s worked on and is noticeably better than from last year to this year,” Schneider said. “He’ll keep growing in that capacity.”

Keyes could cover a familiar face Saturday in former Lake Balboa Birmingham High teammate Ramal Porter, a junior receiver for the Aztecs. Porter had four catches for a season-high 55 yards last season during UCLA’s 33-10 victory at the Rose Bowl.

Keyes said he would try not to overdo it in his first start.

“That’s when people get into trouble, when they try to do more than they have to,” he said. “I’m just going to go out there and make sure anything I have to do, I do perfectly.”

*

The Bruins practiced with crowd noise pumped in through loudspeakers Thursday afternoon in anticipation of the hostile environment they expect to face Saturday at Qualcomm Stadium. “We just want to remind our team that we are going to a visiting stadium and that we will have some crowd noise,” Coach Karl Dorrell said. “You have to be able to operate and concentrate and focus so you can execute.” ... UCLA is scheduled to travel today to San Diego and conduct a walk-through practice at Qualcomm.