At Monday’s press conference, someone asked Utah coach Kyle Whittingham for his thoughts on upcoming opponent UCLA and quarterback Ben Olson.
“We remember him from last year,” he said.
That memory, a painful one for the Utes hoping to steal a win from the Bruins — ranked No. 21 at the time — dates from Sept. 2, 2006.
It was the season-opener at the Rose Bowl and the Utes had high hopes invested in taking advantage of first-time starter Ben Olson. The former BYU quarterback was expected to get his feet wet against a tough Ute defense led by Eric Weddle.
Three touchdowns and 318 yards-on 25-for-33 passing-later, Olson pretty much dove head first into the water.
The Bruins went on to win, 31-10, and increase their all-time record against the Utes to 8-0.
This year, the Bruins (2-0) enter into Saturday’s game ranking No. 11 in the nation, an improvement from 2006’s team’s record of 7-5. Thus far, they have picked up solid wins over Stanford and BYU and expect to make it three in a row against the Utes.
Olson began this season on fire with a 286-yard, five-touchdown (second most for a single game in UCLA history) outing against Stanford. The following week, he struggled against a physical Cougar defense, tossing for 126 yards and an interception.
“He could’ve played better,” UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said of Olson’s performance against BYU. “We had a lot of dropped passes and miscommunication.”
Coming out of Thousand Oaks, Calif., Olson ranked as the top prep recruit in the nation in 2001. Since then, his career has taken a hit from two injuries — one to his throwing hand in 2005 and the other a season-ending knee injury against Arizona last year. Olson has rebounded this season and is fifth in passing efficiency and sixth in passing yards among Division I quarterbacks..
Now that the quarterback slot is cemented for 2007, UCLA has a backfield situation to solve between two talented running backs — senior Chris Markey and junior Kahlil Bell.
Dorrell said he believes their differences complement one another and each offers the UCLA offense unique advantages.
“Both those guys are very competitive and both guys want to carry this team on their shoulders,” he said.
Markey led UCLA last season in total yards as he rushed and received for more than 1,100 all-purpose yards. He is currently 8th on the Bruins’ all-time list for total yards.
Bell, a 6-foot-tall 219-pounder from San Anselmo, Calif., makes a strong case to take the starting spot, which currently belongs to Markey. Bell is leading the Pac-10 with 137 rushing yards per game.
Utah’s secondary will have its hands full with seniors Marcus Everett and Brandon Breazell. Everett is ranked 21st on UCLA’s all-time receiving list and Breazell enjoyed a strong start to the season with 111 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals.
The offensive line is led by 6-foot-2 324-pound guard Shannon Tevaga — one of the best in the business at his position with a whopping 33 starts to his resume.
UCLA employs a pressure defense embodied by senior DE Bruce Davis. The nation’s leading returning sack specialist (fourth overall last year) is on the watch list for five awards including the Lott Trophy and the Lombardi Award.
Linebackers Christian Taylor, a senior, and Reggie Carter, a redshirt sophomore, are both Butkus Award candidates and look to be the toughest test yet for Utah QB Tommy Grady.
Senior strong safety Chris Horton is a Jim Thorpe Award candidate, which is given to the nation’s top defensive back. He’s a fast, hard-hitting, dreadlocks-sporting clone of Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu.
Senior CB Trey Brown is one of the best corners in the Pac-10 and leads the nation in passes defended per game (nine breakups and one interception).
The Bruins will be without starting defensive end Nikola Dragovic, who suffered a concussion in a game against BYU last weekend.
Coach Dorrell is aware of the Utes’ injury circumstances, but the Bruins won’t be taking it easy on Saturday, he said.
“They’re playing hard,” Dorrell said. “They’re playing the style of football that Coach Whittingham typifies. They’re gonna be ready to play us regardless of the injuries. We’re not going to be overconfident.”
Associated Press