Snead Helps Out on Offense

Although junior William Snead did not catch any passes against Stanford, he was used at tight end for the first time in his college career in the hope of bolstering UCLA’s offense.

With J.J. Hair not in uniform because of a hip injury and Tyler Holland slowed because of a hamstring injury, Snead -- a backup defensive end for the first three games -- was switched to offense this week.

“I think he’s done a nice job,” UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said about Snead. “He knows some of the stuff we are doing offensively so we are going to throw him in there and give him a chance to get some reps.... I know he’s excited about it and he looks pretty good.

“You know he is doing this for the football team and it is also giving him a chance to get on the football field more, and he still knows that he can move back to defense if he’s needed there so he’s the two-way guy right now.”

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UCLA sophomore wide receiver Gavin Ketchum and senior linebacker Eric McNeal made their presence felt early against Stanford when they teamed up to score the Bruins’ first touchdown of the game.

Ketchum blocked Jay Ottovegio’s punt and McNeal picked up the ball and returned it 12 yards for a score to give the Bruins a 7-0 lead with 10:23 left in the first quarter.

It was the second consecutive game that UCLA’s special teams forced a punting mistake. Last week, the Bruins tackled Washington punter Sean Douglas after he dropped a snap to set up UCLA’s only touchdown in a 29-19 loss.

For Stanford, it was the second consecutive game that a punt by Ottovegio was blocked; Washington State did so in a 36-10 win last week.

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Former tight end and defensive end Jim Stanley was UCLA’s honorary captain for Saturday’s game. Stanley lettered for the Bruins in 1960, 1962 and 1963.

He spent the 1961 season fulfilling Army duties.

-- Lonnie White

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Rose Bowl fans weren’t happy.

Not at halftime anyway. Not after the Bruins had a third and goal from the one-yard line. Not after Dorrell used a timeout to send in a curious pass play from quarterback Ben Olson to Snead that was incomplete. That was followed by a sweep in which tailback Chris Markey lost two yards.

So the fans booed loudly. The Bruins were leading winless Stanford, 7-0, at the time, but only because of the blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown.

So it was that the UCLA juggler got cheered at the 50-yard line, while the quarterback and his coach were chased away with jeers.

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Before he was asked, Dorrell expressed his confidence in freshman Terrence Austin. Austin, from Long Beach Poly, fumbled a punt near the end of the first quarter, a mistake Austin said “humbled” him and “disappointed” him and, he said, “will make me think about it in my sleep.”

But Dorrell said, “I’ll keep playing that young player. He’ll make mistakes, but he’ll also make great plays like he did last week.”

Austin returned a punt 79 yards in the loss to Washington last Saturday.

Diane Pucin

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Lonnie White’s keys to the game and how the Bruins measured up:

1. Win turnover battle. Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles, which could not have been a better setup for UCLA’s defense. Bruins quarterback Ben Olson was picked off twice and freshman Terrence Austin fumbled a punt, but their turnovers did not cost them.

2. Pressure quarterbacks. Edwards was sacked seven times for minus 56 yards as Stanford did not have an answer for UCLA’s pass rush, which dominated the game. Olson was sacked only once and the few times he was pressured, he was able to get rid of the ball most of the time.

3. Ball control. With receivers Evan Moore and Mark Bradford sidelined because of injuries, Stanford did a solid job of controlling the ball but did not score any points. UCLA was able to make the most out of its opportunities in the second half.