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Drew Could Make It Hard to Remain a Trojan Fan

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I was just teasing Maurice Drew. You know, just pulling his leg -- which means I got closer to him than any San Diego State defender did Saturday night -- when I suggested the Bruin season was over before it began, at best doing what they could to finish somewhere behind my Trojans.

So what does the half-pint running back do? He takes the handoff from quarterback Drew Olson on the first offensive play from scrimmage and doesn’t stop running for the next 64 yards for a UCLA touchdown to begin the season.

My first thought, of course, is for my Trojans, and how close the Bruins came to upsetting USC a year ago, and that was without Drew, who couldn’t go more than two carries on a gimpy ankle.

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It’s going to be tough enough going undefeated this season -- and obviously I’m not talking about the Bruins -- without throwing a major roadblock in front of the Trojans in their own hometown.

By that time, of course, I expect the other Olson will be playing quarterback for the Bruins, but does it really matter who hands off to Drew?

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I REALIZE I have just written five paragraphs and made no reference to Karl Dullard. It might be tough to do this season if he continues to put the ball in Drew’s hands. Let’s see him try to contain the smile on his face watching the half-pint at work.

Drew, who prepared himself for football early on by taking ballet lessons, has scored 11 touchdowns of more than 40 yards -- via run, pass, punt return and kickoff return -- in his brief Bruin career.

That’s Reggie Bush-like. That’s exciting. So unlike the UCLA I have come to know. Remember, I went to the Silicon Valley Classic and the Las Vegas Bowl.

Now the thing that you come to learn watching the Bruins, the way they have played under Karl Dullard so far, is that for every step forward there is going to be a quick retreat. A year ago they start 4-1, then lose two in a row. They scare USC, then make Wyoming’s season.

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So I guess I should have expected Drew’s fumble on his third carry. What the heck, just another reminder of Reggie Bush.

First and goal from the Aztec two-yard line later in the second quarter and Dullard took Drew out of the game. Maybe it is going to be a long season.

The Bruins are all about unity this season, meeting twice a week during the off-season with the coaches just to talk. The players agreed to wear blue wristbands as a sign of unity. Apparently nothing was said about shoes, because while everyone else came out in black sneakers, Chris Markey came out sporting blue shoes.

If you’re playing behind Drew, I guess it makes sense to do something that gets you attention. I would have suggested scoring a touchdown, but in two rushing attempts at the goal line, Markey failed to find the end zone.

That brought Drew back on the field, the Aztec faithful making a ruckus on fourth down, and the half-pint doing a pirouette into the end zone for another touchdown. Reggie Bush couldn’t have done it better, and I never thought I’d write such a thing, especially about a Bruin.

“We got one guy you like,” cracked former UCLA coach Terry Donahue, a sideline visitor before the game. “He’s really something, all right, almost Barry Sanders-esque. He’s short, but not small, and so powerful a runner it’s tough to tell how fast he’s running.”

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By the looks of it, he’s fast enough that everyone else was chasing him Saturday night.

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I MENTIONED earlier that Drew has scored 11 touchdowns longer than 40 yards. Make that 12. He just took a punt and split the Aztec coverage for a 72-yard touchdown, drawing a genuine emotional fist pump from the Bruin head coach.

An official had tossed a flag on the play, but four of them got together for a confab, leading me to believe one of them was wired to ESPN, because they all agreed there was no penalty, allowing the half-pint’s touchdown to stand and be shown later on “SportsCenter.”

It appears the only one who can stop Drew is Dullard, who apparently has no idea how important it is to crush an opponent in the first half of a late-starting night game with newspaper deadlines looming.

The Bruins had a chance to stomp the Aztecs, moving inside the 10-yard line on a second-quarter interception, but instead of throwing the half-pint at them, Dullard went to blue shoes and assorted other nondescript players and eventually UCLA had to settle for a field goal and a 24-6 lead.

The half-pint had 110 yards rushing in 10 carries at the intermission in a nationally televised game. He also had three touchdowns and a fourth one was probably negated by Dullard’s reluctance to run him every play. I told you the guy is a big bore.

One carry into the third quarter and Drew limped off the field. Thanks for the memories. Tell me it’s only a cramp, or I’ll be going to hockey games come October.

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“He’s in the locker room and they are rehydrating him,” a UCLA spokesman said.

I suggest they hurry, I said, before they lose their national TV audience.

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THE LOS ANGELES Sports & Entertainment Commission has scheduled this year’s edition of Basketball 101 for Oct. 19 at Staples Center, calling it: “Understanding the Triangle Offense with Phil Jackson.”

Or, why the Lakers figure to struggle once again this season.

The event will also include a panel discussion with Marge Hearn, wife of former Laker announcer Chick Hearn, and Jeanie Buss. It will be a good opportunity for Buss to ask Jackson publicly why he hasn’t come up with a ring. It might be fun to watch the Zenmaster squirm.

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FORMER RAIDER receiver Tim Brown, who intends to become a NASCAR team owner, will be the guest today on the father/daughter gabfest on 570 at 9 a.m. As part of the conversation, Brown is expected to pinpoint the exact moment that Al Davis lost it.

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THE DISPUTE between the Los Angeles Athletic Club and John Wooden boils down to this: “What the heck is the LAAC thinking?” Wooden is 94, earning the right at this stage in his life to no longer be annoyed, aggravated or put out. Dwyre is only 60 or 70, and at least I give him that. The proper thing for LAAC officials to say at this point is, “Whatever you like, Mr. Wooden. Your wish is our command.”

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T.J. Simers can be reached at t.j.simers@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Simers, go to latimes.com/simers.

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