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Chances are 50/50 that tailback Maurice Drew will play in this weekend’s game against USC.<

UCLA suffered a major setback on Monday when Maurice Drew tweaked his ankle during practice. Tuesday didn’t bring much better news. The sophomore tailback tried to practice but was unable to complete drills because of ankle soreness. With UCLA’s biggest game of the season upcoming, the leading rusher’s status will be closely watched in the week. “The likelihood (of Drew playing) is probably 50/50, and we’ll just see and determine from a day-to-day standpoint,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “For him to play, he’s going to need to practice. He’s going to need to do some things in practice to be a part of the game plan and be effective on the practice field.” Drew’s questionable status is not a new issue for UCLA. Drew was optimistic of making a contribution in UCLA’s last game at Oregon but ended up not playing. In his place, freshman Chris Markey had a breakout performance, and the Bruins may need to look to him again if the use of Drew is limited. “I’m excited about the game, but I can’t say I’m excited about him being injured,” Markey said. “It’s the same situation as going into Oregon. We’re just hoping he’ll be ready to go.” Thus, while the Bruins hold their breath on whether they will have one of their most dangerous weapons, they are consoled with very capable fill-ins. “Chris Markey filled a pretty good role for us in that last game, and so did (senior Manuel White Jr.),” Dorrell said. “Manuel has been productive for us all season long too, so we’re in pretty good shape there.”

QB RECRUIT UPDATE: Top quarterback recruit Ben Olson attended Tuesday’s practice and plans to be at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. The No. 1-ranked senior high school quarterback two years ago, is planning on making his final decision mid-December so he can enroll in January. He hasn’t played the past two seasons because he was on his Mormon mission. Olson has already made an official visit to Arizona State and also plans on taking trips to Oregon and Cal. South Carolina has also just entered the fold with the hiring of Steve Spurrier, who spoke with Olson’s father on Tuesday. However, Olson, who hails from nearby Thousand Oaks, grew up a Bruins fan and has expressed admiration for the UCLA offensive attack. “I’ve really liked what I’ve seen of the offense,” he said. “I’ve watched a lot of the games, taped quite a few of them. I like how multi-dimensional the offense is, how it can do so many different things out of it, and I think any quarterback would be interested in the style of offense that they’re going to be running.”