Nowhere to Go but Up for Young Receivers

Because of Junior Taylor’s season-ending knee injury, UCLA will start Pacific 10 Conference play against Washington on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl with a group of unheralded receivers.

But according to quarterback Drew Olson, UCLA’s young receivers will be a factor because they’re far from being finished products.

“They played good [against Oklahoma] and they’re going to continue to get better,” Olson said of the remaining receivers, who caught 16 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown against the Sooners.

Starting flanker Joe Cowan, a junior with 27 catches, is the most experienced, but the Bruins expect sophomores Marcus Everett and Brandon Breazell to contribute in the passing game.

Everett, a former three-sport standout at Chaminade College Prep in West Hills, sat out the first two games of the season because of a shoulder injury.

He made up for lost time with a big game against Oklahoma, catching six passes for 66 yards, earning him a start in place of Taylor.

“I like pressure,” said Everett, who caught nine passes for 110 yards last season. “I feel that I’ve been under pressure to step up all of my life. I like knowing that I have to make plays and catch the ball ... that just motivates me even more.”

Breazell, coached by former USC safety Tim McDonald at Fresno Edison High, also is making the most out of his opportunity.

Breazell, who caught two passes for 16 yards last season, has emerged as a big-play receiver. He has seven catches for 103 yards, including a 48-yard scoring play against Rice, and ran a 25-yard reverse against San Diego State.

Breazell takes special pride in his toughness, which he displayed against Oklahoma when he carried a defensive back on a key third-down catch.

“Last year, Drew Olson really didn’t talk to me,” Breazell said.

“He would just brush me off. Now, he talks to me all of the time.”

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Coach Karl Dorrell said that junior Matt Willis, a former sprinter on the track team, had the early edge in moving into the rotation at receiver. Sophomore receiver Matthew Slater has returned to practice after sitting out the first month because of a leg injury.... UCLA’s game against California at the Rose Bowl on Oct. 8 will start at 4:30.p.m.