Coleman Has New Chapter of His Great Expectations

Defensive end Kenyon Coleman, after deciding against an early jump to the NFL, begins his senior season being hyped as an All-America candidate and leader of the defense.

But, apparently, not with any pressure.

“I’ve always had high expectations of myself,” Coleman said. “Now, it’s just a matter of other people do too, so it’s not anything I can’t handle. There’s not any extra pressure because most of the pressure I get is from myself.

“The only person I’m worried about disappointing is myself. I can deal with that. I’m very confident in my ability and what I can do. I’m just looking forward to going out and playing against Alabama.”

Coleman, a 6-foot-6, 280-pounder, was a second-team All-Pacific 10 selection as a junior, when he was one of only four Bruins to start all 11 games. He finished sixth on the team in tackles, hardly top-of-the-resume stuff for national recognition, but coaches were still very pleased with his play, noting he was getting double-teamed a lot.

In an attempt to counter that, it was decided he would not play inside in nickel packages. The Bruins will now keep him outside, at end, all the time in hopes that will free him to become more of a presence, boosting the success of the entire line and his NFL stock.

“He needs to have a great year,” Coach Bob Toledo said. “And he knows that.”

For the team or for his pro aspirations?

“Both.”

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Hoping to increase attendance because classes do not begin until Sept. 28, UCLA is offering free bus service to the Rose Bowl on Saturday for students who have a ticket to the game. They must get a bus ticket from the Central Ticket Office today and can get the transportation from the dormitory area and from Lot 32.

There are also shuttle services available for the general public as UCLA encourages fans to leave extra time to get to the stadium because the crowd could reach 80,000. Parking will be available for $5 at the Ralph Parsons Engineering Building on Fair Oaks and Walnut in Pasadena with free busing to the Rose Bowl beginning at 8:30 a.m.

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Backup tackle Micah Webb, a senior, probably will undergo shoulder surgery and be lost for the season, thereby ending his career because he has already used his redshirt year. This comes as his twin brother, Josh, rehabilitates from operations on both shoulders, keeping him on the sideline. “I told them, ‘I thought the doctor pulled you both out by the arms,’ ” Toledo said. . . . Ryan Smith, who quit the team last week after learning he would be on the scout team for the second consecutive season, reconsidered over the weekend and decided he will remain in the program.