Barton-led Husky offense prepares to face UCLA defense

By Sunny Wu

Oct 9, 2001, 12:00 AM

An enormous challenge faces the depleted Husky offense Saturday against UCLA, as three skill players are suffering from injuries. Tight end Jerramy Stevens will remain out with a broken foot for at least six more weeks. Back-up running back Braxton Cleman is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone. And the latest injury, quarterback Cody Pickett's separated shoulder, remains sore. It is highly unlikely he will lead the UW on offense, but he will remain as the holder on field goals. Quarterback Taylor Barton will take the snaps with the first team during practice this week, focusing on the critical exchange between him and center Kyle Benn. He'll also have to implement a game plan against the Pac-10's best defense. "I believe when I play we're going to succeed as an offense and be able to put points on the board," Barton said. The scoring will have to come against a Bruin defense that allows only 11.8 points per game. For the last several years, the Bruin defense has suffered from injuries and a lack of depth. Bruin coach Bob Toledo retooled has his squad, however, brining in new defensive coordinator Phil Snow, who held the same job at Arizona State. Snow is credited with creating a more intense attitude at UCLA and producing a defense that is big, physical, aggressive and experienced. "Phil Snow is doing a good job in molding our defense into what we want," Toledo said. The UCLA defense is licking its chops right now. It will test Barton early, trying to create chaos and fluster him with blitzes. Linebacker and Butkus award candidate Robert Thomas leads the conference with 39 tackles -- 13 for a loss and four sacks. The young Husky offensive line will also have to deal with defensive end Kenyon Coleman rushing Barton from the outside. "[UCLA] is going to try very hard to get to our quarterback," Benn said. "We can't let our quarterback get hit. It's going to be on us [as an offensive line]." Huskies honored again Two Huskies earned player of the week honors for their efforts against USC. Junior inside linebacker Ben Mahdavi won the award on defense, leading the UW with a game- and career-high 15 tackles that included a sack and a fumble recovery. John Anderson was the special teams player of the week, kicking the winning field goal in the waning seconds of the game. It is the third week in a row a Husky has earned the special-teams award.

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