Cowan says he can play

UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan began only his second week of practice since August on Tuesday, with Bruins hopes seemingly on his shoulders.

Cowan missed three games because of a torn hamstring and the last two because of a torn ligament in his right knee. He said Tuesday that he felt healthy enough to play when the Bruins play 10th-ranked California on Saturday.

“He has to convince himself, and he has to convince me, he’s ready,” Coach Karl Dorrell said. “It’s not a question of whether he’s mentally ready. It’s convincing himself, and myself, that we’re not putting him at risk.”

A big step in that direction will be today, as Dorrell said, “we’ll see if there is any residual effect” from Tuesday’s practice.

Cowan was coy on whether there was pain in his knee.

“I was able to get through practice,” he said. “I wasn’t at the speed where I wasn’t hurt. I’m not going to say I had pain or didn’t have pain. I felt better.”

The Bruins will too if he is ready to go. Ben Olson, the No. 1 quarterback, was at practice but is out at least another three weeks because of a knee injury. He was walking without crutches, but UCLA officials did not allow him to speak to reporters despite an interview request.

Cowan started in place of Olson against Washington on Sept. 22 but injured his knee in the fourth quarter. He also sat out four weeks because of a hamstring injury, suffered during training camp.

Still, he said that the layoffs had not dramatically affected his play.

“It’s still throwing the ball to a guy,” Cowan said. “When you over-think it, that’s when you have problems. I have thrown the ball to a guy my whole life, or at least tried to throw it to people on my team. It doesn’t always work that way.”

Micah Reed will start at right guard for the Bruins, replacing senior Noah Sutherland. Reed, who started the season as the backup center, filled in at left guard the three games Shannon Tevaga was out because of a knee injury and his play was impressive enough to leapfrog a senior who started the Bruins’ 13 games last season and all six this season.

“He gives us some more size in there,” offensive line coach Bob Connelly said. “We moved him around a little bit, as he’s primarily a center. But he’s playing consistent football and worked himself into the starting lineup.”

Sutherland will probably get playing time as a reserve tackle as well as at guard.

Tailback Chris Markey, who sat out the Bruins’ last game with what’s being called a turf toe, was in full uniform but did only individual drills.

“If he can’t do any more than he’s doing now, the likelihood of him playing isn’t very good,” Dorrell said.

Markey was not made available despite an interview request.

Linebacker Reggie Carter will probably return to practice today. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage from his right knee and could play Saturday. . . .Reserve defensive end Chase Moline (neck injury) was in uniform but did not participate in contact drills. He is unlikely to play again this season. . . . Defensive end Nikola Dragovic, out with an undetermined hip injury, will undergo tests to see if he is suffering from a sports hernia, Dorrell said.

chris.foster@latimes.com