FRESHMAN CORNER NO. 1 THREAT VERNER SCORES ON INTERCEPTION RETURN.Byline: JILL PAINTER Staff Writer PASADENA -- Alterraun Verner is neither old nor little, but the UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX cornerback answers to ``Little Old Man.'' Despite Verner being a true freshman True freshman is a term used in NCAA sports, indicating that an athlete is playing the sport in his first year of college, rather than redshirting for one or more years to protect future college eligibility. , that's what UCLA coaches have dubbed dub 1 tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs 1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood. 2. To honor with a new title or description. 3. him. After his debut at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, people will probably be paying more attention to the number on his back than his name. Verner, who's 17 years old, wears No. 1. He didn't have to wait for that jersey number and fans didn't have wait long for him to make a big play. Verner returned an interception of a pass by Utah backup quarterback Tommy Grady 34 yards for a score in the second quarter to put UCLA ahead for good, 14-7. He also forced a fumble near the end of the game and had two tackles. He was on the playing field for the opening kickoff; and while he didn't start at cornerback, he played most of the game. His interception return for a touchdown was the first by a true freshman since Carlton Gray ''' Carlton Patrick Gray (born June 26, 1971 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is a former American football defensive back for a number of NFL teams in the 90's and early 2000s. He was drafted with the 1st pick in the second round in the 1993 NFL Draft. did it in 1989 against Washington. ``This is a lot better than I thought,'' Verner said of his performance. ``I thought I'd maybe get a couple of knockdowns. Or maybe I'd get scored on. To return a pick for a touchdown as a freshman is icing on the cake.'' Freshman cornerbacks are usually an opposing quarterback's dream. The Utes started to pick on Verner early, which was no surprise. Utah ran a lot of four- and five-receiver sets. The Bruins countered with a lot of nickel and dime packages. Verner made Utah pay for throwing his way. On the interception, he stepped in front of Marquis Wilson, who ran a hitch hitch to fasten by a knot, usually used to describe tying a horse to a post. route, at the sideline sideline See on the sidelines. and scored untouched. He seemed to know the play before it happened. ``Because of our film review and practice, I was able to read the route,'' Verner said. ``I stepped in front of him, and all I saw was (mascot MASCOT - Modular Approach to Software Construction Operation and Test: a method for software design aimed at real-time embedded systems from the Royal Signals and Research Establishment, UK. Joe Bruin) in the end zone. I was so excited I almost lost my breath. I was glad I was able to help my team.'' Verner had visions of another cakewalk to the end zone when he stripped Marquis Wilson of the ball at the end of the game, but he was tackled. ``The first thing I was thinking was touchdown,'' Verner said. That thought process tends to get freshman cornerbacks in trouble. But Verner said he plays it safe enough. Former UCLA cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. said he liked what he saw. Manning Jr., who plays for the Chicago Bears ``Now it can be for both,'' Manning said. After the game, Verner jogged through the tunnel just behind quarterback Ben Olson For the American soccer player, see . Benjamen James Olson (born February 23, 1983 in Thousand Oaks, California) is a redshirt junior quarterback for the 2006 UCLA Bruins football team. , to a roar from fans who stayed after the game. ``First college game coming out of high school, I've never seen that before,'' Bruins linebacker Christian Taylor Christian Taylor may refer to:
He did it so well that Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff started throwing away from Verner's side. ``I loved every second of it,'' Verner said. jill.painter@dailynews.com (818) 713-3615 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner, playing his first collegiate game, runs an interception return back 34 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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