Football Notebook
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 22, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff UCLA quarterback
Cory Paus drops back to pass in the game against
Cal on Saturday.
Ware-y ankle
The Bruins may be without one of their most talented defensive
weapons this Saturday when they take the field against the
Cardinal.
Matt Ware, a 6-foot-4 defensive back who suffered an ankle
injury in the third quarter of the Cal contest, is listed as
questionable going into the week and will be re-evaluated early
this week to determine his status for Saturday’s game.
The uncertainty of Ware’s condition poses a potential
problem for the Bruins: Stanford’s No. 3 receiver is 6-foot-7
Teyo Johnson, a possible threat to UCLA if they’re forced to
start the 5-foot-9 Ricky Manning Jr. against him.
“Teyo only plays about one-third of the time, but when
he’s in there, he’s a pretty important person,”
head coach Bob Toledo said. “That’s a big matchup for
us. Manning’s a fierce competitor, but then again
you’re talking about covering a guy that’s a foot
taller.”
Ware’s replacement, if it becomes necessary, will likely
be 5-foot-11 junior Joe Hunter, but Toledo and the Bruins may be
forced to think of alternative ways of stopping the lanky Cardinal
receiver.
“We might have to put David Ball out there on him,”
Toledo said jokingly. “He’ll put a little WWF on
him.”
Armed with old shoes
Cory Paus attributes some of his success against Cal to an
adjustment he made prior to the game.
“I changed my shoes,” Paus said at Monday’s
press conference. “I went back to the shoes I wore last
year.”
Paus decided to make the adjustment from the low-tops he wore
previously in the year to a mid-top shoe like the ones he wore
during the 2000 season.
The superstitious quarterback was making calls to the team
equipment manager late Friday night to ensure that he had his shoes
for Saturday’s game.
“I think I’m just more of a mid-top guy,” said
Paus, who finished 13-of-16 for 273 yards and three touchdowns
against the Bears.
Butkus hopefuls
Seniors Robert Thomas and Ryan Nece were each selected to the
12-man list of semifinalists for the Butkus award on Thursday. The
award, which honors the nation’s best college football
linebacker, will be presented on Dec. 7 by the Downtown Athletic
Club of Orlando, Fla. UCLA is the only school with two players on
the list.
Bright future
The Bruins nailed down a commitment from one of the
nation’s top prep quarterbacks before the Cal game even
began.
Drew Olson, a pro-style prospect out of Piedmont High School,
gave UCLA a verbal commitment Saturday. The two sport star harbors
intentions to play for the UCLA baseball team as well, unless he is
drafted this spring.
Olson’s commitment is one of 15 current commitments for
the Bruins this recruiting season, and the second blue-chip
quarterback commitment after Hart High School’s Matt Moore,
who committed in mid-September.
By Joshua Mason, Daily Bruin Staff.
