UCLA loses cornerback Fabien Moreau for season, but Ishmael Adams is reinstated

UCLA learned Tuesday it had lost one defensive back and gained another.

Senior cornerback Fabien Moreau was scheduled to undergo surgery on a broken bone in his foot. He will miss the reminder of the season.

Senior cornerback Ishmael Adams, who was suspended from the team after his arrest on Aug. 30 — he was accused of stealing a cellphone from an Uber driver and using force to do so — was reinstated after the Los Angeles County District Attorney decided not to file felony charges.

Adams is expected to be available when the No. 9 Bruins play No. 16 Arizona on Saturday in Tucson.

The city attorney still could file misdemeanor charges, but UCLA Coach Jim Mora said he had “evaluated the facts” and was comfortable allowing Adams to return.

“He has missed a quarter of his season,” Mora said of Adams. “He has shown remorse for the actions. . . . He has accepted responsibility. He has accepted the consequences. He has apologized profusely to his teammates and the coaches.

“If things change, then we’ll adjust.”

Whether Adams is ready to play, or how much, remains to be seen.

“Ishmael has always been a guy who kept himself in shape,” Mora said. “But football shape is different than running the track and doing 40 [yard dashes]. We’ll evaluate through the week and we’ll see as we get closer to the game where he is mentally and physically.”

Moreau had started in 28 of UCLA’s last 29 games. He is the second starter the defense has lost.

Defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes suffered a season-ending knee injury in UCLA’s season opener against Virginia. Moreau was injured last week against Brigham Young.

“Losing those two is pretty significant,” Mora said. “It’s part of this game, unfortunately. You have to take the mind-set that the next guy has to step up and perform.

“You are never going to go through a season unscathed. Your first thought is toward the player. Your second thought as a coach is, ‘How do we adjust?’”

Denzel Fisher, a redshirt freshman, played some in place of Moreau against BYU, and the Bruins also shifted Randall Goforth from safety to cornerback during the game.

Goforth, Mora said, “did fine considering he really hasn’t worked out there. He knows this defense so well and is a tremendous competitor. I don’t know if we’ll put him out there or not. We’re still working through things.”

Goforth also has health issues. He was wearing a red jersey during practice Tuesday, a warning to teammates not to hit him. He underwent surgery on both shoulders last year.

Wright stuff

Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright, an All-American who was the Pac-12 Conference defensive player of the year in 2014, is testing his injured knee during practice this week and could play against UCLA on Saturday.

Wright injured his knee Sept. 3 against Texas-San Antonio in the season opener. He underwent minor surgery and was expected to be out up to four weeks.

“He’s a great player,” UCLA center Jake Brendel said. “We have to take that into account. But we have to do what we do and not worry about the other team’s personnel.”

Payton hobbled

Receiver Jordan Payton left practice Tuesday because of an ankle injury. He returned later, but was limited in his activity.

Payton is the Bruins’ leading receiver with 12 catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns.

chris.foster@latimes.com

@cfosterlatimes