Long watches the team

Friday, October 17, 1997

Game PreviewLonging for success

Defensive squad storms the field

When UCLA has the ball

Basheer Elahee

Rocky Long, Defensive Coordinator

"This was an opportunity to go to a place that has a great …
tradition and a great football program."

Basheer Elahee

Basheer Elahee knows how it feels for a quarterback to be
intercepted.While a starting quarterback at Oak Ridge High School
in Texas, Elahee threw 13 interceptions over two years. As a high
schooler, Elahee played quarterback, wide receiver and cornerback.
Four years later, he is still switching positions regularly. He got
the starting job at cornerback as a true freshman at OSU. He later
started off the 1996 campaign (his third year) as the No. 1 strong
safety and ended up starting two games at rover back, one at
cornerback and eight at free safety. In 1997, new coach Mike Riley
shifted Elahee back to cornerback. Elahee has already matched his
season-high for interceptions with two, one of which he returned 29
yards for a touchdown.

 

 &nbspUCLA

OREGON STATE

WHEN UCLA HAS THE BALL

Skip Hicks returns healthy to an offense that fell from
second-best to fourth-best in the nation with a meager 39 points
last week. UCLA needs to avoid turnovers — the Beavers have forced
23 this season.

WHEN OREGON STATE HAS THE BALLStarting running back DeShawn
Williams is out with an injury. Redshirt freshman Ricky Walker
fills his shoes nicely, but the wrinkle in Oregon State’s offense
is that the Beavers actually pass now. They should move the ball
against UCLA.

TIE

SPECIAL TEAMS

Williams, Oregon State’s best kick returner, is injured. It’s
just as well: Bruin kicker Chris Sailer sends every kickoff into
the end zone for a touchback. Sailer has made 13 field goals in a
row. OSU’s Jose Cortez is 8 for 12 this season.

OVERALLOregon State has improved enough to avoid a last-place
conference finish. The Beavers (3-2) have a good chance to win five
games for the first time since 1971. But UCLA has too much offense
to be one of the Beavers’ upset victims.

&nbspUCLA 33 OREGON STATE 16