UCLA’s Eddie Vanderdoes escapes sanctions from Pac-12 Conference

UCLA defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes will not be punished by the Pac-12 Conference for punching an Oregon player Saturday.

Vanderdoes was called for a personal foul for the punch, which occurred after a play in the second quarter. Pac-12 officials reviewed the tape, but UCLA Coach Jim Mora said Tuesday that “all disciplinary measures will be handled in-house.”

The Pac-12 has suspended players for throwing punches, either for a game or half a game.

“I made a dumb decision, that’s all it is,” Vanderdoes said. “I regret it. That’s not me. I have never done that before to a player in a game.”

Asked whether an Oregon player did something to make him angry, Vanderdoes said, “no.”

Vanderdoes is expected to start against California on Saturday. He was not ejected from the Oregon game, which may have played a part in the Pac-12 decision. Suspensions have usually followed an ejection.

Mora addressed the incident with Vanderdoes on the sidelines after the series, which resulted in a touchdown and a 15-3 Oregon lead.

“He got on me a bit,” Vanderdoes said. “He told me I can’t make stupid decisions like that and put the team at risk.”

Staying the course

Mora scoffed Tuesday when asked whether he was contemplating wholesale changes after losing to Utah and Oregon on consecutive weeks.

“When you believe in what you’re doing, you don’t make wholesale changes,” Mora said. “I believe in what this program has become. I think anyone looks at this program, where it was and what we have become, would say, ‘Why would you make wholesale changes?’

“You’re always tweaking things. But if you panic, you perish. There is no reason to panic. We have won a whole lot of games the past three years. Probably as many as they have won over the course of three years at UCLA.”

Well, the Bruins did have a 26-4 record under Red Sanders from 1953 to 1955, and won their only national championship in 1954. But as far as three-year stretches under a new coach, Mora is in the ballpark.

Tommy Prothro had an .828 winning percentage in his first three seasons and Terry Donahue won at a .727 clip his first three seasons. Mora, at 23-9, is third with a .719 winning percentage.

Front-line reinforcement

Conor McDermott played more against Oregon than he had all season. It was a significant step in his return from shoulder surgery.

McDermott started at tight end and played tackle through the fourth quarter, replacing Malcolm Bunche.

“No one can understand how excited I was to be back out there,” McDermott said. “Even just getting a couple plays at tight end was unbelievable. Standing on the sidelines is a hard one to take.”

McDermott is not fully recovered from the separated left shoulder he suffered against Stanford last season.

“I feel stronger each day, 100 times better than I did in camp,” McDermott said. “I keep going until I feel something is not right. I haven’t felt that in a while.”

Mora said UCLA’s medical staff closely monitors McDermott.

“We’re trying to get him more work,” Mora said. “I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. It’s hard for him to play a whole game, but we’re increasing his workload as we go.”

McDermott was expected to compete for a starting spot at tackle after being cleared for full contact in June, but he suffered a setback during training camp.