Back on Board

When the UCLA Bruins opened the season 10 days ago against Oklahoma State, it took only two carries for Manuel White Jr. to prove there were no aftereffects from a freak shoulder injury that made him sit out the final five games last season.

On his first carry against the Cowboys, he sprinted around the left end for nine yards. On the second, after a collision with defenders at the line of scrimmage, he ran for eight yards with several of them clinging to his waist and shoulders.

Then on his third carry, White made his most powerful statement. The 245-pound running back burst through the line and went 60 yards to a touchdown. By game’s end, he had carried 20 times for a career-high 145 yards in a losing effort against the Cowboys, serving notice that his drive and desire were as intact as his physical assets.

In fact, his coaches and teammates say, the “heart and soul” of the offense is embarking on his senior season with more determination than ever. “It’s been a long time since Manuel has played football, so he’s very excited,” running back coach Eric Bieniemy said after practice last week. “He’s hungry, and he’s eager to get out there and do whatever he can to help us win.”

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Three days after the Oklahoma State game, White is talking about life and football.

He says, “It was fun getting back on the field,” but adds, “Anybody could have run through those holes.”

He credits his teammates and says, “I would feel a whole lot better about my performance if we had won the game.” White has never been one to boast about personal statistics, although he has plenty to be proud of. At Valencia High, he rushed for 6,746 yards, averaging nearly eight yards a carry, and scored 84 touchdowns. He rushed for at least 100 yards 31 times. In a playoff victory over Saugus, he rushed for 305 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Valencia’s 11-year coach, Brian Stiman, refers to White as “the best running back I’ve ever coached,” but says he is even more impressed by White the person.

“In all honesty, he’s one of the finest young men I’ve ever had the opportunity to be around,” Stiman says. “Absolutely genuine.”

White appears that as he patiently answers questions, even though he is not comfortable taking about himself.

A religious young man who is still dating his high school sweetheart, he says, “Yeah, we’ll get married, eventually. But we both have to finish school first.”

A sociology major, he puts high emphasis on his studies, although he acknowledges that priorities sometimes get jumbled with so much going on.

“When I first got here, I was OK with Cs,” he says, sheepishly. “But then I looked in the mirror and said, ‘You’ve got to pick this up.’ ”

It’s the same with football, he told himself during the spring and summer. Painfully fresh in his memory was that the Bruins were 6-2 with him in the lineup last season, and 0-5 without him.

He suffered a broken bone in his shoulder -- an uncommon injury for players who wear such heavy padding -- in the first half against Arizona State. The Bruins won, but then sputtered to a 6-7 finish.

“It was frustrating, knowing I wasn’t able to go out there and help my teammates,” White says. “If they’re struggling, I want to be out there struggling with them.”

He says he hopes to become a more elusive runner in an attempt to avoid further injury.

“I just want to finish the year and play every game, because when I’m healthy, I can help the team,” he says, emphatically. “I just want to finish the year with no injuries.”

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White’s value was evident in another way Saturday in Champaign against Illinois. The Fighting Illini expected White to get the ball and limited him to 18 yards in the first half. Apparently, however, they weren’t looking for Maurice Drew, and the smaller, speedier sophomore tailback had 87 yards by halftime -- 47 of them on a touchdown run. Drew finished with 142 yards in the Bruins’ 35-17 victory.

White was among the first to congratulate Drew, who was quick to tell reporters that it was White’s presence -- and that of a very effective offensive line -- that had enabled him to do so well.

“We make a good team,” Drew said, pointing out what might have been lost on some: that White had come on strong late, finishing with 97 yards and a touchdown.

Teamwork is the key word, according to Bieniemy.

“Manuel is going to do a lot of good things for us, but so is Drew,” he said. “They’re both going to play, and they’re both going to contribute and do what we want them to do -- and they’re both going to lead us to the promised land.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Making Up for Lost Time

UCLA statistics for 6-2, 245-pound senior running back Manuel White Jr.:

RUSHING

*--* Year Att Yards Avg TD 2004 40 242 6.1 3 2003 96 379 3.9 3 2002 85 381 4.5 5 2001 63 290 4.6 3

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RECEIVING

*--* Rec Yards Avg TD 2004 6 56 9.3 0 2003 10 101 10.1 0 2002 17 238 14.0 2 2001 5 64 12.8 0

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