Hogging the Spotlight

Young men are fitter to invent than to judge, fitter for execution than for counsel, and fitter for new projects than for settled business.

-- Sir Francis Bacon

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It’s no slam on Jack Ham, Floyd “Pork Chop” Womack or the Hogs who blocked for the Washington Redskins to suppose that Bacon knew his pigskin.

The esteemed English philosopher, essayist and statesman was born several centuries before the invention of football, but many of his most memorable quotations describe the current group of UCLA freshmen in uncanny fashion.

From tailback Tyler Ebell to linebacker Spencer Havner to quarterbacks Drew Olson and Matt Moore, blue and gold greenhorns are reinventing the Bruin season, skillfully executing plays and learning on the fly.

Fitter than their foes? More often than not.

With 22 freshmen and redshirt freshmen contributing, UCLA is a surprising 7-3 and has won its last three games.

Dismiss it as youthful naivete, but the Bruins will start their rivalry game against USC Saturday believing they can capture a city’s heart, gain a Rose Bowl berth and establish superiority for the foreseeable future.

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A man that is young in years may be old in hours, if he have lost no time.

-- Bacon

Or, as Ebell put it 400 years later, “It’s cool so many of us are getting to play right now. It’ll make us better a lot sooner.”

The tailback is doing his part, taking the ball and running with it. He has had six consecutive 100-yard rushing games.

Havner, a turnover-causing tornado and the team’s leading tackler, is another freshman making a high-profile contribution.

Olson and Moore, too, are in the spotlight, having led the Bruins to three victories since the injury to senior quarterback Cory Paus. Neither has thrown an interception and both exhibit poise beyond their years.

But the depth chart yields a veritable fountain of youth, a steady spigot of first-year players making an impact.

Mike McCloskey became the starting center in fall camp and coaches rave about his quickness, intelligence and rapid improvement.

Jarrad Page turned down a lucrative pro baseball contract and won the job at strong safety, solidifying a secondary that has allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete only 47.9% of their passes.

J.D. Groves and Keith Carter shared the load at fullback when an injury kept sophomore Manuel White sidelined for four games. Both are excellent blockers, and Carter -- grandson of NFL Hall of Famer Gino Marchetti -- can also play tight end.

Marcedes Lewis and Junior Taylor are explosive receivers whose playing time is restricted because veterans Craig Bragg, Tab Perry and Mike Seidman are having strong seasons. Lewis, a 6-foot-6 tight end, is a formidable blocker and creates mismatches when he lines up at wide receiver. Taylor has five catches and is averaging 25.8 yards in four carries on reverses and trick plays.

Jason Harrison and Wendell Mathis began fall camp ahead of Ebell at tailback. Harrison is an excellent receiver with the versatility to play fullback. Mathis, coaches say, will shine, given an opportunity.

More than a dozen freshmen have made impacts on special teams, most notably cornerback Glen Ohaeri and linebackers Justin London and Wesley Walker.

“I would have to say that because so many have contributed, this is the best freshman group since I’ve been here,” Coach Bob Toledo said.

Yes, it appears that while Bruin fans were fumbling for the eject button on Toledo’s hot seat, the program found a future.

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The good things which belong to prosperity are to be wished, but the good things that belong to adversity are to be admired.

-- Bacon

Ebell, Havner, Carter and McCloskey are among the freshmen who red-shirted last season. They toiled on the scout team, getting pummeled in practice. Off the field, they were mostly ignored by a glittering group of seniors with NFL aspirations.

The Bruins won their first six games, then splintered, losing four in a row. Those who were redshirts took note.

“I remember thinking that when my time came, I would not be part of a team that let that happen,” Havner said.

Senior tailback DeShaun Foster was suspended for the last three games last season because he broke NCAA rules by driving a car that did not belong to him. That made a stronger impression than any lecture from a coach on the vagaries of the rule book.

“The season went down the drain,” Havner said. “When DeShaun was suspended, it took the heart out of almost everybody. He was the heart and soul of the team. He brought the swagger.”

A year later, it’s the freshmen who are strutting their stuff. Ebell scored three touchdowns against Washington, and Havner returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown, pointing his finger in the air before he reached the goal line.

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The invention of young men is more lively than that of old, and imaginations stream into their minds better, and as it were, more divinely.

-- Bacon

They live the moment each Saturday, walloping opponents supposedly older and wiser. Only on Monday do the freshmen allow themselves to look ahead.

“We get together and dream big dreams,” Taylor said. “I hate to look into the future, but with every coming year, we will be better and better. And some of these guys are pretty good right now.”

Youthful indiscretions have been remarkably rare. The only turnover committed by a freshman has been a bungled center snap from McCloskey to Moore.

“I can’t believe how good we can be,” Harrison said. “It wasn’t until the last couple of weeks that I could fully appreciate all the talent.”

Ten games into the season, many of them no longer feel like freshmen.

“So many of us are playing right now, getting experience, we could have 40-50 games under our belts in our careers,” Havner said.

Fresh challenges await. Facing USC, for starters. And turning the tables. Bruins who were redshirts last season watched in disgust as teammates they regarded as mentors were pummeled by the Trojans, 27-0.

And USC is much improved, a veteran team ranked No. 7 and focused on winning a Pac-10 championship. The Trojans will start 10 seniors and eight juniors Saturday. Their only freshman starter is tackle Winston Justice, although leading receiver Mike Williams plays extensively.

Age and cunning very well could overcome youth and exuberance. It often does, and that’s a big reason USC is favored.

Should the Bruins falter, the words of another eminently quotable Briton might temper the disappointment, reminding the freshmen that another day will dawn:

For God’s sake, give me the young man who has brains enough to make a fool of himself.

Robert Louis Stevenson

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THE RIVALRY

USC vs. UCLA

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

at Rose Bowl, Ch. 7