Tuesday practice report: progress being made

The excitement of a practice which featured several big plays by the offense was summarized gently by UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell: "It was a good practice day again as was yesterday. The offense made some big plays. Defensively, our linebackers were very quick. I was pleased with the effort today."

Translation: Ben Olson hit long passes to Dominique Johnson and speedster Terrance Austin, while returning receivers Joe Cowan and Marcus Everett made some nice catches.

Dorrell happily noted that there were no "significant injuries." However, cornerback Rodney Van, safety Chris Horton, linebacker Reggie Carter and tight end Scott Glicksburg missed parts of practice with minor injury or illness; Van ended up in a walking boot after a mild foot sprain on Monday but said he would be practicing again by the weekend.

The Bruin head coach did acknowledge the welcome progress on offense. "Ben Olson made some big throws; he is very focused," he said. "Joe Cowan is a stablizing force for our receiving corps; he leads by example."

Also of interest is the switch of quarterback Osaar Rasshan (pictured) to receiver to get him (and his considerable athletic talent) on the field. Dorrell explained, "Osaar is a big and talented prospect. He is making a smooth transition to wide receiver and should be pretty polished by the end of camp. I am very pleased with his progress." During summer scrimmages in which Rasshan participated as a wide-out, he was termed "uncoverable" by more than one observer.