Game to give first look at team
Intra-squad scrimmage must satisfy players, fans until season opener in Sept.
If you are waiting to find out whether sophomores Matt Moore or Drew Olson will start at quarterback for the Bruins, don’t hold your breath – you might pass out before Sept. 6.
“We’ll probably pick a number before we go out there,” Olson joked.
Olson’s right. A toss of the coin will decide who you see first, because both quarterbacks will start for their respective teams in Saturday’s intra-squad scrimmage.
“We’re going to use a format where we try to keep our good players playing against our good players so that it is not so lopsided,” head coach Karl Dorrell said. “We’re going to have kind of a blue-and-gold game. It’ll be fun.”
The spring game takes place at 6 p.m. at Drake Stadium following a 5 p.m. alumni flag football game. The flag football game is the brainchild of Dorrell, a former Bruin wide receiver. Unfortunately, he will be too busy coaching to play in the alumni game, but participants include former quarterback and current Fox analyst Matt Stevens and alumnus James Washington.
As far as the key position battle goes, fans won’t be the only ones left wondering where the quarterbacks stand.
“Everybody is doing good. That’s a good thing for the team, but then individually you’re like, ‘Yay,’ but ‘nay,’” Moore sighed.
The scrimmage is the closest thing to a game situation that the players and fans will see until the season opener at Colorado on Sept. 6.
“It’s a time to go out and show what we’ve learned and what we can do, especially competing for a starting job,” Olson said.
While splitting up the first string might make it harder to predict who will start in the fall, you can expect Justin London to start on one of the two teams at middle linebacker.
Junior Matt Clark should start in one of the corner spots and may be split up from his cousin, junior Matt Ware. Clark has played solidly over the last few weeks, but a starting spot in the fall is not certain.
“I think that’s my spot, and I’m going to hold on to it throughout the summer,” Clark said.
“I would say he is the leader at that corner spot. Has he just taken over? I would say he is in the position to, but he still has things to work on,” Dorrell said.
Sophomore tight end Marcedes Lewis will start for one of the teams at tight end, where he has shown good pass-catching ability. For the wideouts, the spring game could be a chance for sophomore Junior Taylor to show what he could do as a starter and for senior Ryan Smith to show that he’s returned from the ankle and foot injury that held him out all season.
Splitting up the players on both offense and defense should also help control against the fact that the defense has been a few steps ahead of the offense all spring, as expected when installing new systems.
“We’ll give the fans a little taste of what is going on with the new coaches and the new system,” Clark said.
And maybe that will take your breath away.
•••
Redshirt freshman Kirby Joseph announced on Thursday that he intends to transfer to Tulane after completing the school year.
Joseph, who left the team during the first week of spring practice, said his desire to pursue a film career at UCLA took him away from football, his first priority.
“I want what’s best for Kirby and for him to go where he can make his potential,” Dorrell said. “He made a decision, and I support him.”
The 6-foot-2, 241-pound defensive end from Lake Charles, La. never appeared in a game. He redshirted last year, partly due to a shoulder injury and would have missed the entire spring due to a torn ACL.
With reports by Diamond Leung, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.



