Despite Austin’s Errors, Dorrell Likes His Effort

It’s a long walk back to the sideline for a player who has made a mistake on the football field. It’s even longer when the head coach had warned against making the error that was made.

That was the case for UCLA freshman Terrence Austin after he fumbled a punt in the Bruins’ 31-0 victory over Stanford last week. Although Austin had a couple of nice returns in previous games, he knew the gaffe might cost him his job.

“Every day we go over it in practice, and that’s to always make the safe play,” said Austin, whose 21.2 punt-return average is second in the Pacific 10 Conference. “We had set up a nice return, and I saw the ball coming. All I had to do was catch it and go, but I wasn’t able to get there. Instead of having a 70-yard big return, we ended up with a turnover.

“Yeah, I was a little concerned.”

But Coach Karl Dorrell left Austin in to return punts the rest of the game.

“That was big,” Austin said. “I just have to learn to calm down more, but I will be OK.... This is a lot different than in high school where I would just get to the ball any type of way. Coach Dorrell has helped me with technique and every day I’m catching a lot of punts, so I’m getting a lot more confident.”

Early in the fourth quarter against Stanford, Austin had his first chance to redeem himself. But before he left the sideline Dorrell told him to call for a fair catch.

Instead, Austin returned the punt five yards.

“He wanted to make a play,” Dorrell said. “You like that attitude with a guy who makes a mistake who comes back the very next opportunity, he catches it and he almost creased right through the defense like he did the week before against Washington.

“That’s the kind of attitude that I think this team is starting to exude. Whenever a mistake or a little issue comes up they want to go back and attack it and make it a positive break to eliminate that mistake.”

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UCLA defensive end Bruce Davis on facing Arizona after losing, 52-14, to the Wildcats last year: “Since we walked off that field in Tucson, I can’t wait to pay these guys back. We have a lot to prove because they really ruined our season last year. That’s hard to take.... We were undefeated when we went there and left with our first loss. We all feel like we owe them one.”

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In last year’s game against Arizona, UCLA was caught off guard on the Wildcats’ first play when quarterback Willie Tuitama completed a 51-yard pass to wide-open running back Mike Bell.

Defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker says the Bruins will be ready for any trick plays from Arizona offensive coordinator Mike “Chico” Canales.

“You always coach disciplined football, which means being ready for any gadget plays, especially from a team known for doing those type of things,” Walker said. “I know Chico has a little of that in him, so our guys are going to have to be very disciplined with their responsibilities.”

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Arizona has played four of its five games at home. The Wildcats offense has struggled, averaging a conference-low 253.5 yards a game. Their rushing attack is ranked 113th out of the nation’s 119 Division I-A teams. Their average of 185 passing yards is 75th.

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Keys to the Game

1 Stop or go. UCLA’s defense against the run is statistically the best in the Pac-10, giving up 2.3 yards a carry and 65.8 a game. Arizona’s rushing attack gains averages of 2.7 yards a carry and 68.4 a game -- both conference lows. Wildcats running backs Chris Jennings and Chris Henry must be more effective against a Bruins unit led by middle linebacker Christian Taylor.

2 Red zone or dead zone. Arizona’s offense has scored six touchdowns and three field goals in 13 trips inside its opponents’ 20-yard line. UCLA leads the conference in red-zone defense, giving up only two touchdowns in the four times an opponent has been inside the 20.

3 Get out of the gate. UCLA has scored first in every game this season; Arizona has trailed at halftime in four of five games. Bruins quarterback Ben Olson needs a strong start to build his confidence. Arizona prides itself on defense.

-- Lonnie White