Olson Will Get the Chance to Sharpen His Game

After three games, UCLA quarterback Drew Olson’s passing numbers are nothing special. He has completed 56.8% of his passes for 582 yards and three touchdowns, with four interceptions, all after deflections.

With no game to play on Saturday, Olson said he was using this week to sharpen his grasp of the West Coast offense.

“It’s good to get back to focusing in on ourselves,” he said. “It’s been a while since we’ve done that. I still have to see my reads better because I’m still missing one here and there.”

Against Washington, Olson did not have that problem in the second half. He completed nine of 10 passes and on his only incompletion, a Husky defender knocked the ball out of his receiver’s hands. His final five completions resulted in first downs.

“Drew is taking everything that we’re teaching and going with it,” offensive coordinator Tom Cable said. “What Olson did in the second half was off the chart.... Nobody in the country played better than Drew Olson did in the second half.”

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If Olson were to get injured, UCLA would turn to David Koral, a junior college transfer who has not taken a snap this season. Coach Karl Dorrell said he was not worried about Koral, who will get additional work during the bye week.

“He gets a lot of reps at the beginning of the week,” Dorrell said. “We feel that when it is his chance to go, he’ll be ready to go.... He’s getting better with the offense and once his name is called upon, and hopefully that will not happen, he’ll get even more reps and will come along even further.”

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With Craig Bragg, the Bruins’ leading receiver, sidelined by a dislocated shoulder, UCLA will turn to running back Maurice Drew to return punts. Drew, who returns kickoffs but has yet to catch a punt in a game, will be backed up by junior receiver Junior Taylor, freshman receiver Brandon Breazell and junior safety Jarrad Page.