CORNERING THE CONFIDENCE MARKET CLARK DEALS WELL WITH ADVERSITY.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

When Matt Clark was a speedy defensive back for Cleveland High of Reseda, he once bolted some 60 yards from the other side of the field to track down Palisades High speedster Jacques Lazarus to prevent a touchdown on a play that was easy to give up on.

In Clark's first start for UCLA, he was flagged for two questionable pass interference calls at Colorado, but still played well.

A week later Clark sat in his home and watched the Bruins defeat Illinois after a grade issue forced UCLA to declare him ineligible the day before the game. After meeting with his professor, who reviewed the situation and turned an incomplete into a grade, Clark's eligibility was re-instated, a lesson was learned and a promising season was born.

Never giving up and never dwelling on the past for too long is the essence of the perpetually-smiling Clark, now a junior cornerback at UCLA. It's also what got him through a difficult beginning to the Bruins' season.

``That's how I am as an individual,'' Clark, 20, said. ``My parents always told me to work hard. I've been into sports my whole life. When I was 6 years old I ran track, and my dad always told me if I lost, never to get down. Just work hard at.''

Overshadowed by his cousin, Matt Ware, at the other cornerback spot and forgotten among a secondary that houses safeties Jarrad Page and Ben Emanuel, Clark overcame his early adversity to solidify UCLA's secondary.

``He wasn't perfect, but he played well,'' UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. ``He did some good things for us. He played steady. He played above average for me, from what our expectations were, so we're pleased with what he did.''

Not that there wasn't an almost-weekly learning curve.

At first, teams tested the first-year starter by throwing to his side, in part to stay away from his 6-foot-3, 225-pound cousin on the other side of the field.

Midway through the season Clark was pulled for a few plays against Washington after giving up short completion after short completion. Dorrell grabbed Clark on the sideline, told him to be more aggressive and not give such an exaggerated cushion to the receivers, and sent him back out.

``I just had to take a few plays off and get my confidence back,'' Clark said. ``At corner, you have to have a lot of confidence and heart because you're going to get beat sometimes. It's just how you come back at it the next play.''

But Clark added that he way he was handled by Dorrell, defensive coordinator Larry Kerr and secondary coach Gary DeLoach greatly aided his development, and enabled him to remain confident.

``I was looking for a big year as a sophomore, but I never really got a chance to be out there,'' Clark said. ``When I made a mistake, I was always yanked out of the game. (Former defensive coordinator Phil) Snow yanked me, just like that, if I messed up once. This year I was out there the whole season and I felt more comfortable with myself, and I knew if I made a mistake I wasn't going to be yanked out of there.''

Clark, who had one interception and was seventh on the Bruins with 48 tackles, also leaned on Ware for advice.

``We would talk sometimes about playing this guy 5 yards off, or this guy 7 yards off. Just try not to be under-aggressive,'' Ware said. ``He's very quick, he's smart and very instinctive. Sometimes I wonder how he breaks on things.

``Even early on when they called a couple of bogus (pass interference) on him, it didn't phase him. To have two called on you in your first game, that can really bring you down. It didn't with him.''

Clark's initial problem, particularly in spring practice, was that he never turned around to find the football, sometimes nullifying his tight coverage.

``As the season progressed, I got better,'' Clark said. ``(Opponents) really didn't throw that many deep balls, but when they did, that was a big thing for me, just being able to play the deep ball and turning my head back to the ball. Right now, I'm feeling real comfortable with it.''

Notes: Bruins' starting strong safety Jarrad Page did not practice because of the flu and his status for Fresno State is in question. ... Wide receiver Ryan Smith (ankle) did not practice again and may not play.

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UCLA cornerback Matt Clark has overcome quite a bit to become a top player in the Bruins' secondary.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer