Fauria comes up big...and comes up big...and comes up big...

HOUSTON -

Whenever UCLA junior quarterback Richard Brehaut was lost, scrambling, with no one to turn to, all he had to do was look up.

Approximately 80 inches and straight down the middle of the field.

There he would find 6-foot-8 tight end Joseph Fauria towering over his defender, his long frame an ample target.

Fauria had 110 yards on six catches, including a 5-yard touchdown pass, in a 38-34 UCLA loss at Houston's Robertson Stadium, living up to the promise he showed in a productive fall camp.

After watching his Crespi High teammate and good friend Kevin Prince go down with a concussion early in the second quarter, Fauria maintained the chemistry with Brehaut.

"We didn't skip a beat," Fauria said. "We have a rare, good thing to have in college football and that's two starting quarterbacks that can lead us to victory. Richard did his job and I trust Kevin, too. It's a shame that he got hurt but we're going to wish him a speedy recovery. He's one of my best friends. (But) Richard did his thing. He led us."

He was particularly effective on third down, as Brehaut hit him for first downs on three occasions, the passes going for 29, 26 and 21 yards, respectively.

On the 26-yard grab, Fauria played the role of safety valve to perfection, as Brehaut essentially alley-ooped it to himself, dropping the ball and then caroming it after it bounced off the ground before scrambling to find a streaking Fauria down the right sideline.

Fauria showed on Saturday what he can do without a limp in his step, as he entered the season fully healthy after being nagged by a bad groin last season after transferring from Notre Dame and redshirting.

"I was hurt - you can call it improved, you can call it whatever you want - but it's me finally being healthy," Fauria said. "Finally coming into the scheme of things, earning my trust with the coaches and my teammates. In the past, the quarterback probably wouldn't have thrown it to me. Now, I've earned my trust in camp and it's just going to carry on."

Fauria showed glimpses of his potential last season - two of his three catches went for touchdowns - but he was mostly targeted in specific packages or used as a decoy.
Now, he's clearly a focal point of the offense.

But even with his expanded role, Fauria was not happy after the Bruins' loss, though he sounded resolved to make a big statement next Saturday against San Jose State at the Rose Bowl in the team's home opener.

"Horrible," Fauria said about his post-game emotions. "But you see the feeling around the locker room is way different than it was last year. Guys are hurt. When you have it so close in your grasp and you let it go ... we know, the defense and offense know, we have to come together and respond."