BROWN IS OUT FOR THE BRUINS.

Byline: Jill Painter Staff Writer

UCLA will be without standout defensive tackle Kevin Brown for the foreseeable future.

The Bruins were running just their fifth play in Saturday's scrimmage when Brown hopped off the field on his right leg. X-rays revealed a high left ankle sprain but no fracture. He will miss a minimum of 6-8 weeks and will have surgery Monday to insert a pin which will reposition the ankle.

If Brown missed just the minimum time, he would be able to return for the Oct. 8 game against Cal. Brown has a redshirt year available and could conceivably have to use it.

The injury was a crushing blow to a young defensive line that struggled against the run last year. Brown, a junior out of Long Beach Poly, had arguably the best fall camp of all linemen.

With Brown out, tackle Kevin Lombard worked with the first team the rest of the game and will be expected to start. Quarterback Ben Olson had just completed a pass to Michael Pitre when Brown stumbled off the field.

Brown - 6-foot-2, 297 pounds - made 25 tackles as a sophomore last year, which was tops among defensive linemen.

The other defensive tackle, Brigham Harwell, left the field on crutches with a sprained right ankle but is expected to be OK. He is day-to-day and will be re-examined Monday. Harwell played defensive end last year but was moved to tackle this season.

Nikola Dragovic played with the first team at left defensive end and sacked quarterback Ben Olson (Thousand Oaks High) for a 7-yard loss. Although he started camp as the backup to Justin Hickman on the right end, he could win the starting job at left defensive end. Defensive lineman Kyle Morgan worked at both ends.

Jill Painter, [phone]

jill.painter(at)dailynews.com

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