UCLA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: AN 'A' GAME FOR MARKEY.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN

Staff Writer

Chris Markey led UCLA in rushing last season, but was a mere 124 yards behind the Bruins' leading ground gainer in the season opening win at Stanford.

He was UCLA's leading receiver in 2006, but had one catch for two yards against the Cardinal.

And Markey, a senior starting tailback, isn't about to gripe about being overshadowed by backfield mate Kahlil Bell, or by a receiving corps that hauled in five touchdowns.

"We watched film, and I got an 'A' grading out," Markey said. "The big plays weren't there for me, and how I play, I tell myself to be patient and let the game come to you. I feel that's what I did."

Markey carried 20 times for a workmanlike 71 yards. There were a few instances in which Markey was a slipped tackle or quick cut from breaking off a long run, but he isn't concerned.

Instead, Markey, who ran for 1,107 yards last season, said he was thrilled Bell had a career-best 195 yards on 19 carries.

"One of my goals is to have one of the best backfields in the nation, and that's what I told (Bell) before the game," Markey said. "If one of us is not clicking, the other will be clicking, and he was clicking Saturday. He played a great game."

While Bell excelled in the running game, quarterback Ben Olson was able to pick apart Stanford's secondary.

Five receivers, two tight ends and Bell and Markey all caught passes, which was much different than how UCLA's passing game operated last season, when Markey's 35 catches were tops on the team. In nine of 13 games last season, four receivers or less caught passes.

"I would love to catch balls out of the backfield," Markey said, "but it was really nice to see our receivers play as well as they did, and Ben them the ball as well as he did. If they play like that all the time, I would not mind not catching any balls."

Making amends: UCLA's heralded defense allowed 17 points and 383 yards in the win at Stanford, which was shut out and totaled 166 yards in a loss at the Rose Bowl last season.

That was a big reason UCLA's defense seemed a bit more intense in Tuesday's practice.

"They're a little ornery, and I like that," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "There's a standard we're expecting to play, and overall they played well, but they understood the issues that rose up and bit us a little bit."

Position change: Bruins redshirt freshman Darius Savage was switched from defensive tackle to offensive line. He spent much of the practice working with the offensive-line group, although he did spent some time on the scout team, and stayed after practice to work on his technique.

"He's on our PAT protection already, and it seems like he's more natural on the offensive side than the defensive side," Dorrell said. "He just wants to play. He thinks this will probably be a little faster chance for him to play, given that he's behind the defense."

Savage, an accomplished shot put and discus thrower, missed spring ball to participate in track and field. He played offensive line at Morse High of San Diego.

Infirmary: Bruins starting cornerback Rodney Van did not practice because of a sprained left ankle, but Dorrell said he anticipated Van participating today.

Van was the only injury UCLA suffered in the season opener, but backup defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski was slowed in practice by pain in his arch. That injury is not thought to be significant.

Also: UCLA, which is ranked 13th, moved up one spot in the Associated Press poll. The Bruins jumped three spots, to 14th, in the USA Today coaches poll. -- Former UCLA offensive line coach Mark Weber, who spent six years on Bob Toledo's staff and was fired after one season with Dorrell, is in his first year as BYU's offensive line coach. -- BYU quarterback Max Hall, a transfer from Arizona State, is the nephew of former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White. ... UCLA quarterback Ben Olson was named the Pacific-10 offensive player of the week. He completed 16 of 29 passes for 286 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.

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