Dorrell II: Norvell is a difference maker

UCLA coach Karl Dorrell was effusive in his praise for new offensive coordinator Jay Norvell during his session at Pac-10 Football Media Day:

>> "I am excited to bring Jay here. We tried to get him before when he was in the NFL but it just didn’t work out.

"This time he was excited to come to UCLA and put his stamp on a great program. We have a good offensive foundation and we speak the same language to a T, the same terminology. My expectations are my expectations."

>> Dorrell recalled that he trumpeted the upcoming improvement in the UCLA defense last season with the arrival of then-new defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker. He expects the same for the offense with Norvell. "They have very similar attributes: he’s a strong communicator, he’s very demanding, he’s very well organized and he is going to get in people’s faces."

>> On the Bruin offense, Dorrell said that "quarterback play is going to really be important. The quarterback has to be able to handle a lot of information and both Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan have extensive playing experience. They can handle what it takes to perform at the level we’re looking for."

>> Dorrell also stressed that the addition of Joe Cowan (injured last year) will help significantly in the passing game.

More to come from Pac-10 Football Media Day . . .