Harwell Becoming a Core for Defense

If No. 20 UCLA is to continue to move up the national rankings, the Bruins say they will need young players on defense such as sophomore tackle Brigham Harwell to grow into dominant players.

Harwell understands this better than anyone. It has been his goal since he signed with UCLA as a senior at Los Altos High.

“When I came here, I thought that this was a program on the rise,” said Harwell, who has 10 tackles, including three for losses this season. “I liked how Shaun Cody went to USC and became a key in the football program’s turnaround. I want to do the same thing here.”

A year ago, Harwell’s career at UCLA got off to a slow start because of arthroscopic knee surgery, but he ended his freshman season well. He started four games and finished the year with 22 tackles, including 2.5 for losses.

But after the season, UCLA coaches decided to move Harwell from end to tackle.

“I had a lot of fun playing defensive end my first year,” Harwell said. “When they told me that they were going to switch me to tackle, I was a little disappointed. I wanted to stay at end.”

That’s when Harwell thought again of Cody, also a former Los Altos standout.

“I realized that Shaun Cody had to do it too, and it helped him and the SC program,” Harwell said. “So when the coaches told me that it was for the good of the team, that was good enough for me.”

After playing at 245 pounds last season, Harwell now weighs close to 270, a size that seems to be working for him.

In UCLA’s last game, a 41-24 victory over Oklahoma, Harwell finished with four tackles, including his first sack and two that went for losses.

“When he first came in, I knew that he was going to grow into a force once he got more comfortable at the college level,” senior linebacker Justin London said of Harwell. “He’s ready to take over now. The game has slowed down for him a little, and he knows what to do in order to be successful.”

London said that Harwell has made the transition from end to tackle because “he’s a playmaker and playmakers make plays,” London added. “He never had played inside before, but now that he’s figured out what to do, he’s making plays.”

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Coach Karl Dorrell said there’s a chance that redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Olson, sidelined since training camp because of a small fracture in his throwing hand, will see his first action of the season against Washington on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

“I would like to get [Olson] in the game,” Dorrell said. “To see him throw the ball and get his timing back ... that would be my goal.”

Olson practiced on Monday and threw with more velocity. Although he said there’s still some pain, Olson said he hopes to play Saturday. “Yes, hopefully this is the week,” he said.

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Senior Drew Olson on UCLA’s offense, which ranks fourth in the nation in scoring at 49.33 points per game: “I think the passing game has finally caught up to speed with our running game, I think that’s a good way to put it.”

The Bruins average 265.7 yards passing and 175.7 yards rushing.

“This passing game is tricky. It’s complex and I think I finally got a great handle on it,” Olson said.