Paus will start, step up against Oregon
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 5, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 DANIEL WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Junior quarterback
Cory Paus, dropping back to pass against Cal
earlier this season, was named the starter against Oregon this
week.
By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Reporter
Saturday night the quarterback position was a question. Monday,
UCLA head coach Bob Toledo named Cory Paus the starting quarterback
for this weekend’s game against Oregon.
After Paus’ 7-of-19, three-touchdown performance against
WSU, though, the question mark remains.
“I hate to make excuses for a young man, but he is not
throwing the ball as well as he did in spring and I relate it to
his thumb,” Toledo said.
Paus jammed his thumb over the summer and could not practice for
three weeks. According to Toledo, he has not thrown the same
since.
Paus re-injured the thumb against Stanford two weeks ago and sat
out the second half after completing only 5-of-16 passes.
Should Paus struggle this weekend against Oregon, Toledo hopes
Scott McEwan will be ready.
“McEwan knows if Cory struggles considerably, he’s
back in the mix,” Toledo said.
Whether or not McEwan’s ankle allows him to step up is
another question, however. Although McEwan says he has recovered,
trainers say they will have to see him run around this week before
making a decision.
Ryan McCann will be back at third -string after a disappointing
start Saturday, where he completed only 3-of-8 passes for 33 yards
and two interceptions.
“I felt really good going into the game. Then they showed
a different defense so the game plan got thrown out,” McCann
said.
“If (McCann) was ever going to get a chance, it was going
to be then,” Toledo said. “I would hope those two
(interceptions) didn’t lose the football game; there were a
lot of contributing factors. I don’t regret starting
him.”
Toledo hopes that naming the starter early in the week will give
the team some stability.
“It was crazy the whole week, with everybody getting
reps,” redshirt freshman wide receiver Craig Bragg said.
“We didn’t know who would be the
quarterback.”
The team did not find out until Saturday that McCann would
start. The rhythm of the passing game was off with McCann and Paus
combining for only 140 yards in the air.
Asked if the team has confidence in Paus, Toledo replied that he
did not know.
“They believe in his leadership, but they realize
he’s struggled a bit,’ Toledo said. “I think Paus
probably gives us our best chance at this point.”
