Is it possible that when Pat Cowan is healthy, that he could take over the starting job for Olson, even though Dorrell has made it clear the last couple of years that Olson is his guy?

Brian-

How did Brian Price look thus far/this week? Should we expect to see him more plays?

What is your evaluation of how PJ Irvin did against Washington? I realize he had 2 miscues resulting in penalties, but it seemed that after he settled down, he did an adequate job and seemed to give adquate protection.

Brian,

What offense do you think would best suit this UCLA team, or what style offense would take advantage of their strengths? Unless you believe the WCO does this and if you do why?

If UCLA ends 7-5, does Dorrell stay? I know you mentioned previously "a discussion would ensure," but other message board quarterbacks claiming inside knowledge state the AD is looking for excuses to keep, rather than fire, Dorrell. Thoughts?

Are you hearing any noise about Guerrero and Co drawing up any lists for names of replacements for Dorrell in '08? If so, any names you can share?

The day of the USC game, will you and Scott Wolfe do a one-on-one hot-dog eating competition so we can find out, once and for all, who truly is the big dawg in the LA Division-I college sports scene?

If Dorrell is fired, do you think UCLA administrators will be more committed to hiring a proven/quality coach? I know that UCLA will never plunk down huge cash for any coach, but do you think they would provide enough salary to attract a coach at the level of Ben Howland (when he was hired)? Thanks Brian.

With all the flea-flickers and rb passes, when are we going to see OR to do his highly anticipated WR pass?

Your colleague Scott Wolf has often alluded to recent "bad blood" between the USC and UCLA football coaching staffs. Can you offer your perspective on that relationship? Friendly rivals, or is there real animosity between the two staffs?

Any more news on Golden, Stevens, and Mobley? Did Reuland's dad give any indication that UCLA would be his leading choice>

Brian,I was thinking would'nt the offense be great if UCLA put Cowan in that Spread option offense,ala Tebow,Locker, Dixon it seems that would be the the way to utilize his talents?

Any feedback on the J'Mison Morgan visit?

Brian, thanks as always for fielding our questions.

1. From various accounts, the team seems to be galvanized around Pat Cowan more so than Ben Olson even though it is not necessarily because of anything that Olson is doing wrong. Do you perceive this trend and if so, is it just a matter of Olson needing to make plays to get everyone excited or is there more to it than that?

2. What if anything have the coaches and players done to try to cut down on the rather large number of big plays the secondary has given up through the air? Granted, big plays happen from time to time but it seems the Bruins have given up more than their fair share this year.

3. How much of the much improved offensive line play in the second half against Washington was attributed to focus and aggression rather than the Husky line perhaps starting to feel the after-effects of having played a physical Ohio State team the previous week?

Rumor has it that there was a great sigh of relief over at the Morgan Center. Do you believe that this was due to the idea that if KD did not win the Washington game that there would be increased pressure to fire KD? Also, do you believe that KD is actually changing the culture of UCLA football and is that what the other coaches feel is happening?

Do you feel that Terrence Austin and Dominique Johnson can be go-to guys when our three senior starters at WR graduate next year? Are they not playing as much as the starters right now only because they are less experienced, or are the seniors actually better?

Each week, we keep hearing that Osaar is going to be a bigger part of the offense, that he looks great in practice, etc. Our offense needs playmakers and a lot of our WRs are hurt. Is this the week to expect significant playing time for Ossar? Is he doing any work with the QBs in case of emergency?

Thanks for providing this forum, Brian. Question about hoop: Do you see tim floyd doing for sc basketball what pete carroll did for usc football and do you think the ucla administration will be as passive if the hoop prgram falters as it has been with football? Thanks.

Brian:

Is there any possibility that you and Wolf would square off in one of those celebrity boxing events like the one that featured Tanya Harding vs. The Long Island Lolita? I heard he's been running off at the mouth claiming that he could "thump Dohn's head, no problem". And I noticed that you took down your link to his blog, so there must be no love lost there.

How is it that Cal can retain its lofty status as #1 public school in the country while relaxing admission standards for athletes, creating easier majors, etc. while UCLA can't/won't adopt this method and continues to field a team that loses 6 or more games in 3 out of four years?

If Cowan had not gotten hurt, do you get the impression they still would have gone back to Olson? Last week, Bell and Markey were great, but why aren't Moline or Ramirez getting any carries as bigger backs?

Don't know if you heard the interview with the PMS show, but Terry Bowden mentioned UCLA and how he viewed it as a top 7-8 coaching position in the world of college football. He felt that just because your great in one sport didnt mean you had to be average in another. He mentioned that UCLA should embrace SC success and not fear it. You should use it as a source of motivation to be better. He did say he was going to throw his name out there to all AD's who might be interested. Do you agree UCLA football is a top 7-8 position and do you think Terry could be a good fit if CKD didn't perform to expectations?

Brian,

1. Why do you think Brian Price didn't get more than 3(?) snaps against Washington?

2. KD keeps saying Osaar Rasshan is going to be more involved in the offense this season but so far it's been nothing for him. Why do you think KD says these things and then they don't happen? As a fan, I'm really anxious to see what the kid can do and I'd think the coaching staff would want to test him too.

3. Have you heard any talk/rumors about the Pac-10 (Tom Hansen, ugh!) trying to improve their ridiculously crappy bowl game commitments in the next few years?

How would you compare the average UCLA fan to the average Rutgers fan?

Defense question. Do you feel about our Defensive line play this year? What's your take on our DE given we don't have Hickman this year?

Also, how do you feel about our cornerback play? Trey Brown seems to be doing great but what is your take on Verner and/or Van?

To me, DE and Cornerback play is critical in the pass happy PAC-10 so I wanted your insight into our defense "at the edges (DE/Cornerback)" Any improvements or regressions from last years play to your eyes so far this season?

How capable, really, is McLeod as a starter, in your opinion, from what you've seen of him?
Thanks for doing this Q&A. Very informative for the most part.

Brian,

I wanted to point out an error on the Daily News site, a caption under a photo of Austin running with the ball on that long pass play incorrectly states that he received the pass from Ryan Graves, it was Brandon Breazell that threw the pass.

Thanks

hi brian..i just wanted to say you are doing a very fine job covering the bruins and its a pleasure to have you.can you let us know what backups are starting to push the 1st teamers for more playing time?what 2nd teamers stand out in practice?

How does UCLA's facilities compare to those the best athletic departments in the country have? UCLA doesn't have a football stadium of their own, but is the Acosta Center and their practice facilities up to par? Pauley is on track to be renovated, but are their training facilities and locker rooms up with the best in the country?

Who, among of the incoming class of 2008, (football) will have the biggest impact on current positions of need and weakness?

Looking at the hoops schedule, is it correct that ESPN gameday will be coming to Pauley for the Arizona game? And how did this occur...I thought FSN had exclusive cable rights for Pac-10 hoops?

Based on your interaction with the coaches, players and recruits,etc... how much attention do they really pay to web sites such Bruins Nation, Bruin Report, etc...?

Pitre has been sorely missed.Do you know why it took so long for him to heal? When he is back, how do you see this impacting the offense? Lastly, do you think Moline will fit in without a hitch next year when Pitre is gone?
P.S. Thanks for your hard work!

One more from me - what's up in your opinion with the passing D this year? I have my theory, which is DeWalker is adjusting to the spread with more blitzes, which are consistently getting stuffed. Carter seemed to blame it on over-focussing on the run. Your thoughts?

Brian, a few weeks ago you mentioned that aside from a core group of die-hard fans, most Bruin fans are apathetic. I think this can be generalized to include most fans who live in the Los Angeles area. Why is this the case and what can be done by us, the die-hard fans, and the university to change this attitude?

Do you think Renardo Sidney will eventually get a scholarship offer from UCLA?

Brian: What did you think of the Blade's pass and did you know it was going to be run against Wash?

was there any truth to the rumor last year about UCLA/Dan Guerrero contacting Steve Marriuci through some backchannels? If not, do you know where that rumor originated from?

When a recruit takes an official visit to UCLA, such as J'Mison Morgan last weekend for men's basketball, there are typically no interviews with the target by Bruin beat writers such as yourself. Is this due to the school not making the prospect available for such because conducting an interview and publishing an article would violate the NCAA rule proscribing the university from publicizing recruiting visits? Or is there another reason?

It has been widely speculated that UCLA men's hoops may not recruit Fairfax High School junior Renardo Sidney. If so, one of the best Division I programs in the country will have shunned an incredible talent from its own backyard who is perhaps the top national prospect in the 2009 class. This is a pretty compelling and interesting story, but it tends to involve some of the more controversial aspects of recruiting. Do you expect to pursue this story? Do you think any of your colleagues in the print, radio, television, or on-line media will pursue it? Or is this facet of recruiting just too hot for the media to handle?

Brian: On the quarterback situation. We all know Olson was recruited for his legendary high school talent. Due to many possibly excusable reasons, he hasn't lived up to the expectations... How long would you guess KD will keep him as his primary QB assuming Olson continues to disappoint?

Brian,

Thanks for a great blog. Last time I saw Russell Westbrook, he looked taller than his listed 6'3". How tall is he now?

Today Jill Painter cited KD as being "quite indignant to a group of beat writers". If you were there at the time, would you agree with her characterization? If you were not there, have you noticed any difference in KD's attitude towards sportswriters post-Utah, or possibly towards any specific writers? Also, do you have any guess as to what may have caused the change if there is one?

Looking WAY ahead into the future, if the football team somehow has to play in the Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22 as the men cagers are in Michigan to play the Wolverines, which game do you cover? How will the coverage be divided between you and Jill once hoops goes into full swing in November?

Is Horton's health OK? He seems a step slower than last year. How does Lockett's coverage skill compare to the current starting safety pair?

brian, is a feisty Karl Dorrell a good or bad sign for the team's performance? What is UCLA's record in the weeks where Dorrell is feisty with the media versus the weeks where he is passive and pliable?

Brian, i know your heart leaped into your mouth when Pat Cowan converted an impossible 3-20 v UW when he connnected with Ketchum on a perfectly thrown flag route. The pass was thrown with perfect touch. Why can't Ben Olson convert 3rd downs throwing the ball? Olson was only 2 for 12 on 3rd down conversions throwing the ball. That's just throwing the ball, there were no planned runs.

Brian, the difference between Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan on 3rd down is outright staggering. No wonder UCLA almost lost to BYU (!) and did to Utah (!!!). Against Stanford, a horrible D, Olson was only 2 for 12 throwing the ball on 3rd down, and many times the guy was wide open and the ball was horribly off line. Versus UW, a much, much, much better team, Patrick Cowan converted 7 3rd or 4th downs out of 12 chances. Wow! I excluded a spiked pass on 3rd down and the Hail Mary that followed it to end the 1st half. Have you really given enough airtime to how amazing Cowan's performance was under pressure, given his bad leg and lack of practice time? Has Olson ever converted on 3rd down like that? And is Karl Dorrell even the least bit aware how good Cowan was on 3rd down? I get the sense that Ben Howland would be raving about Cowan if Howland could coach FB...

Brian, less than 50% of those polled elsewhere on the internets believe UCLA is wired to be a "top 15" FB program. Unscientific, sure. But what does your research tell you? Here are some other notable CFB programs across the country:

Big East: WVU

ACC: FSU, Miami, VaTech

SEC: LSU, FL, bama, Arkansas, GA, Auburn, Tennessee

Big 10: The OSU, Michigan, Penn State

Big 12: OU, TX, Nebby, K-State

P10: sc, Cal, Oregon, UW, ASU

Indy: Notre Dame

(That's 24 schools right there.)

Two questions, Brian. First what exactly do you mean when you say Pac-10 teams don't travel well. Second, I'm really confused about what you said about Trey Brown's assignment. If he is our best corner, why wouldn't it be prudent to always put your best corner on their best reciever? I don't get it.