COLLEGE FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : UCLA : Donahue Says Bruins Are Starting Over

Changing quarterbacks hasn’t worked. Neither has fiddling with the offense. Substitutions haven’t generated any spark.

Nothing else has worked, so Coach Terry Donahue declared Monday the opening day of the second half of UCLA’s season, with the Bruin record at 0-0. They were 2-4 in the first half.

“I reflect back to the Tennessee game,” Donahue said of the season opener. “Our team looked good. I felt we played well, and (quarterback) Wayne Cook had a career day. Somehow, some way, despite the fact that some players aren’t playing now that were playing then, we’ve got to get our players back to that mentality, back to that kind of confidence and back to that kind of execution.”

The Bruins will play Saturday night against Oregon State at the Rose Bowl, where they were booed off the field three weeks ago.

“What I’m going to tell the team is that if we perform, the fans will cheer,” Donahue said. “In my 24 years at UCLA, I’ve never heard us booed when we scored.”

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The Bruin coaching staff has asked linebacker Tim Waddleton, a transfer from Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, to forgo his redshirt season. Waddleton played his first game Saturday at California and had two tackles, one a sack of the Bears’ Dave Barr.

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Linebacker Donnie Edwards and defensive back Teddy Lawrence will be limited in practice this week but are expected to play Saturday. They have shoulder and ankle injuries, respectively. Defensive tackle Grady Stretz, who leads the Bruin linemen in tackles with 24, will sit out at least two weeks because of a sprained ankle. Wide receiver J.J. Stokes is doubtful for Oregon State but is expected back for Arizona in two weeks. Guard Matt Soenksen is doubtful for Oregon State, but guard James Christensen might play after sitting out three weeks because of a partially torn knee ligament.