HEAR HE COMES AGAIN HORTON GETS PAST ADVERSITY TO LEAD DEFENSE.Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer After seemingly every play, 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 assistant coach Gary DeLoach, in his hoarse, southern drawl drawl v. drawled, drawl·ing, drawls v.intr. To speak with lengthened or drawn-out vowels. v.tr. , would scream at a young Chris Horton for missing an assignment or blowing a play. Horton was redshirting, but that didn't insolate in·so·late tr.v. in·so·lat·ed, in·so·lat·ing, in·so·lates To expose to sunlight. [Latin him from DeLoach's constant outbursts. It was not an easy freshman season, but the worst was still to come. Midway through the 2004 season, on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of breaking into the starting lineup For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes , Horton suffered a broken foot. With a starting spot secured last fall, he landed awkwardly and suffered a dislocated dis·lo·cate tr.v. dis·lo·cat·ed, dis·lo·cat·ing, dis·lo·cates 1. To put out of usual or proper place, position, or relationship. 2. wrist two weeks before the season opener and needed surgery. About the same time, Hurricane Katrina  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. destroyed his house in New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded . The injuries, the personal loss and the homesickness all built up inside Horton, and he is eager to unleash three seasons worth of frustration on unsuspecting opponents, beginning Saturday in the opener against Utah. Horton, now a junior strong safety, carries a reputation as the Bruins' most punishing hitter with his 6-foot-1, 214-pound frame, and is one of the Bruins' top NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga prospects. ``He came in here and he was a good leader, but he's really matured and is a great leader,'' said DeLoach, who coaches UCLA's safeties. ``I've never seen him give me that look like, `Man, I'm down.' I've never seen him do that. He's always been positive, always been looking forward.'' On a defense sorely in need of toughness the past two seasons, Horton brings it with his style of play, and his mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. . ``When he was a freshman, he was about the only guy on our team who could tackle Maurice (Drew) one-on-one,'' DeLoach said. ``He was a great physical player, but he wasn't ready to play.'' Horton's first two years in Westwood were trying, but 2005 was made even more difficult when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. The storm destroyed his home, including most of the family pictures of his childhood and mementos of his football career. His family was evacuated, and still resides just outside of Houston, in La Porte, Texas. In June, Horton returned to New Orleans for the first time since the hurricane. ``It was pretty sad,'' Horton said. ``My mom took me around, showed me a couple of places. We went to my old house, and there was nothing there. There's a house there, but everything inside is destroyed. Went to the lower ninth ward, and it's like there's no walkways. ``There were houses in the middle of the street, still. It's pretty sad there.'' Football, or at least being around a team, was Horton's escape. He missed UCLA's first six games last season, and it was another four games until he was back in the starting lineup. And that was a 66-19 thrashing at USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. . When safety Dennis Keyes was experiencing academic issues a few springs ago, Horton was there to support him. And as safety Robert Kibble kibble baked dough that is crushed or cracked. Prepared usually by extruding and then heating-drying the dough. Used as dry food for dogs and cats. battles with his latest flare-up with multiple sclerosis, Horton is a central support figure. Keyes, a former roommate of Horton's, said the adversity off the field turned him into a more disciplined player on it. ``Before, he was so aggressive and just trying to be there for big hits and in run support,'' Keyes said. ``Now, he's really matured, and he's sitting down and reading things more.'' With Jarrad Page, UCLA's former hard-hitting strong safety, now in the NFL, Bruins coach Karl Dorrell said it was a no-brainer to shift Horton to strong safety. It will allow Horton to play closer to the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for and have an impact in stopping the run. ``His strength has always been kind of a linebacker's mentality,'' Dorrell said. ``He's a guy that's very good in run support, and has really honed in his cover skills, too. That was an easier transition for him, given the nature of how he likes to play. He likes to be a downhill player, and that suits him best.'' Horton is considered one of UCLA's top defensive NFL prospects, a long way from the verbal lashings he took from DeLoach. In fact, Horton said he and starting free safety Dennis Keyes find themselves joking about their first year at UCLA, and DeLoach's antics. ``We talk about that a lot, saying like, `Remember when coach DeLoach used to be back there?' '' Horton said. ``We hear him yelling at the other guys now, and he kind of just lets us play. It's kind of funny to hear him. We just laugh. ``He'd be yelling and we'd look at him, and he'd yell, `Don't you look at me.' Stuff like that. My first year we thought we were being picked on for no reason, but it definitely turned out to be good.'' brian.dohn@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 4 boxes Photo: (1) UCLA safety Chris Horton is looking to overcome injuries and personal tragedy to be a big part of the Bruins' defense this season. Donald Miralle/Getty Images (2) no caption (CHRIS HORTON) Daily News file photo Box: (1) CHRIS HORTON FILE (2) SCHEDULE (3) TWO-DEEP ROSTER (4) FIVE KEYS TO SUCCESS |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion