Youth Is Served

Cory Paus on Monday was named UCLA’s quarterback.

Not the new starter in the two-man rotation with Drew Bennett.

The man.

Coach Bob Toledo made the announcement after consulting with offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Al Borges and then getting unanimous agreement from the other assistants that Paus should be given the job now rather than extend the platoon system into a third game. Bennett, No. 1 at the beginning of camp and the starter the first two games, becomes the very disappointed backup.

This is nothing like Paus’ stint as the backup, though. Under the rotation as the Bruins opened with a 1-1 record, both played in the first half and the second. Both also got a chance to play with the first team, a script so defined that Toledo even made sure both got to play with star flanker Danny Farmer when he returned on a limited basis last Saturday at Ohio State.

Under the new plan, Paus will get about 80% of the snaps in practices and play as long as necessary in games, not as long as coaches prescribe ahead of time. Bennett returns to the same backup role he held the previous two years, though hardly with the same limited job outlook as before since he was behind Cade McNown.

Being No. 2 to a redshirt freshman with 38 career passes and a need for greater poise is different. But Toledo emphasized after the decision--a surprise because Paus was coming off a game in which he completed eight of 20 attempts for 97 yards and one interception--that this no temp job or tryout. The only thing worse for the coach than going with the platoon in the first place, a move that came begrudgingly, would be to switch during the conference schedule.

“I’m hoping it’s a decision for a long time,” Toledo said. “But you never know about that. A lot of things can happen.

“If he makes a mistake, it’s not going to be over. I’m not going to have a quick trigger.”

Paus, much like McNown in leadership skills, was a first-half spark in the opener against Boise State after a nervous and tentative Bennett struggled at the start. Paus came in for UCLA’s fourth series, completed seven of the first eight passes of his college career and led the Bruins to a 24-0 lead.

He ended 12 for 18 for 128 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions that night, while Bennett used a solid second half to finish eight for 16 for 120 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. Bennett throwing that interception on the second possession of an eventual 31-point victory over against Boise State was easy to overlook, but mistakes would lead to his downfall a week later.

With coaches interested to see how each would perform in the difficult environment of Ohio Stadium, Paus had a poor statistical showing while Bennett was nine for 15 for 138 yards and ran the option as the Bruins tried to open up the ground game.

But Bennett also committed two turnovers in the third quarter as UCLA was trying to turn the momentum after giving up three consecutive touchdowns to end the first half. It was 21-17 when Bennett underthrew Farmer on the left side and was intercepted by Ahmed Plummer, ending a drive that started on the Ohio State 47. It was still a four-point game when the critical mistake came, the ball coming out of Bennett’s right hand as he rolled right, without so much as being hit.

That was the break the Buckeyes needed. They took over at the UCLA 30, then really took over, needing only three plays to score with three seconds remaining in the period and fueling a fourth-quarter blowout that became the 42-20 final.

“I don’t think Drew helped his cause as much as he should have,” Toledo said. “He fumbled the ball. He threw an interception.”

And that didn’t count the pass that could have been intercepted but instead became Matt Stanley’s touchdown catch for the Bruins.

On Monday, Bennett became a former starter.

“He took it hard,” Toledo said. “But he understands.”

Said Bennett: “I’m very disappointed, a little embarrassed. It [the job] was mine to lose and I lost it. It’s nobody’s fault.

“I didn’t even think about this. I didn’t even let it be an option in my mind, and here it is. . . . I was really arrogant, I guess. Naive. I didn’t think I was playing so bad that they would just call me off. But after watching the films, I could see that they had grounds.”

Paus was also surprised about the move, that it came after the showing at Ohio State that he acknowledged was lacking--eight for 20 for 97 yards. The disappointment over that game was replaced by excitement when he got the news Monday afternoon from Toledo, followed soon after by more nervousness than he felt in either of the first two games.

Said Paus: “I just wish it hadn’t come down to deciding between me and Drew. We had been competing since spring practice, and we put it off that this would happen.

“I just wanted to do back-flips and what not. But I felt bad at the same time.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Head to Head

Comparing the UCLA quarterbacks:

BennettPaus

Games: 22

Plays: 3740

Passes: 3138

Comp.: 1720

Yards: 258225

TD: 21

Int.: 23

*

UP NEXT

UCLA vs. FRESNO STATE

When Saturday

Time 7 p.m.

Site Rose Bowl

TV Fox Sports West 2

Radio KXTA (1150)

UCLA: Freshman Paus named starting quarterback as mistakes against Ohio State hurt Bennett’s case to stay in rotation.