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Cowan showing big-play aptitude

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Times Staff Writer

UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan may be 0-2 as a starter, but he has shown the ability to make big plays for the Bruins, who are coming off a last-minute, 20-17 defeat at Notre Dame on Saturday.

Cowan, who led UCLA to a victory over Arizona after he replaced injured starter Ben Olson in the first quarter earlier this month, has completed 52 of 82 passes for 530 yards and four touchdowns with two interceptions over the last three games.

“Pat played real good,” wide receiver Marcus Everett said about Cowan’s two-touchdown effort against the Irish. “He made some real good reads and showed that he’s able to get away from pressure at times.”

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Cowan, who lost a battle for the starting job in training camp, has impressed his teammates with his toughness. He suffered a throat injury against Oregon but never left the game despite losing his voice by the fourth quarter.

Against Notre Dame, Cowan stood strong against a fierce pass rush.

“We didn’t protect Pat well enough and they put a lot of pressure on him,” center Robert Chai said. “Pat played his butt off. I don’t think any of us blame Pat. If anything we’re putting it on ourselves.”

It will be interesting to see how UCLA handles its quarterback situation once Olson recovers from his left knee injury.

Olson, who tore his medial collateral ligament on Oct. 7, is expected to play again this season, and he said last week that he hoped to return to practice this week. Although doctors have said that his injury will take at least four weeks to heal, Olson could be cleared to play soon. When that happens, he expects to return as a starter.

“I hope so, that’s why I’m coming back,” Olson said last week, “not to sit on the bench.”

When asked about starters losing their positions because of injury, Olson answered: “I don’t think that I’ve lost my job. Obviously, that’s not my call. But I would be pretty frustrated if that was the case.”

Olson, who was with the team at Notre Dame, still walks with a slight limp but has made good progress in his rehabilitation. Before his injury, Olson completed 79 of 124 passes for 822 yards and five touchdowns with five interceptions.

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“I know my body and I know what I can do,” said Olson, who has made five starts this season. “I’m trying to push it so I can get back as quick as I can.”

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Notre Dame had nothing but praise for UCLA after its come-from-behind victory.

Quarterback Brady Quinn: “UCLA has a great defensive line. And usually they try and get pressure on the quarterback while the rest of the defense drops back in coverage. They are very successful at doing that and it makes it tough.”

Defensive tackle Trevor Laws: “I thought they had a good O-line. A lot better than I expected, actually.”

Safety Tom Zbikowski: “They have a tough defense and a tough offense and they came out to play. “

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The Bruins, 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Pacific 10 Conference play, have a key game this weekend when they play Washington State in the Rose Bowl. UCLA is tied with Oregon State for fifth in the conference and trails Oregon and the Cougars by half a game for third with five conference games to play.

Washington, which defeated the Bruins early this season, now has three losses in conference play after last week’s defeat at California. Oregon, which gave UCLA its other conference defeat, is coming off a loss at Washington State and still has to play at USC.

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Senior Justin Medlock kicked a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter against Notre Dame to move into a tie for No. 2 all-time on UCLA’s field goals made list with 57.

lonnie.white@latimes.com

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