RILEY DEPARTS INTERVIEW WITHOUT OFFER OFFICIALS: HE'S STILL CANDIDATE FOR UCLA JOB.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

After meeting with UCLA chancellor Albert Carnesale and other administrators Monday morning, Mike Riley boarded an afternoon plane bound for New Orleans without an offer to become the school's next football coach.

And all indications are that a job offer, which seemed imminent with Riley's arrival in town, may not be so soon in forthcoming.

UCLA officials stressed that Monday's meeting was merely a part of the process, not the finishing touch. There is no announcement planned for today and even Riley, the New Orleans Saints assistant coach, said he expects other candidates to be brought into town, but who and when is another matter.

The only other candidates who have gone through an initial interview with UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero are Denver Broncos assistant coach Karl Dorrell and Kansas City assistant coach Greg Robinson.

As of late Monday afternoon, neither Dorell nor Robinson had been asked to visit with Carnesale, according to a UCLA source.

When Riley arrived, he seemed to be one of the few people following the search who didn't expect that he'd be leaving town with the job.

Riley, who flew to Los Angeles on Sunday night, met Monday morning for about two hours with a UCLA contingent that included Carnesale, athletic director Dan Guerrero, assistant athletic director Bob Field and associate athletic directors Betsy Stephenson and Marc Dellins.

That he was not offered a contract does not appear to change the dynamic of the search. Riley told those close to him that his meeting went well.

Asked after the meeting if Riley was still a candidate, assistant athletic director Bob Field said: ``Absolutely.''

USA Today reported Monday that a UCLA representative had contacted San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, a Seal Beach native. But his mother, Gail, said her son had not been approached about the job.

Riley has seemingly been the leading candidate since the search to replace fired coach Bob Toledo began last Monday. Guerrero and Field flew to New Orleans that night to interview Riley on Tuesday.

Riley then turned down a more lucrative offer from Alabama, his alma mater, leading to speculation that he would soon be offered the UCLA job.

Riley, 49, has been a head coach for 11 seasons, with his most successful stint coming in the Canadian Football League. In four years coaching the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, his teams won two Grey Cup Championships, in 1988 and 1990.

After four years as the offensive coordinator at USC under John Robinson, Riley became the head coach at Oregon State. His teams went 3-8 and 5-6, the latter team nearly upsetting then-unbeaten and No. 3-ranked UCLA.

Riley then became the coach of the Chargers, where he spent three seasons - the best being 8-8 - before he was fired after last season. He is the secondary coach for the Saints this season.