UCLA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: TAYLOR IS BACK ON HIS FOOT.Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer This week, middle linebacker Christian Taylor Christian Taylor may refer to:
He was on the practice field, taking most of the reps as 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 prepared for its crosstown cross·town or cross-town adj. Running, extending, or going across a city or town: a crosstown street; crosstown traffic. adv. rival, No. 2-ranked USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. , on Saturday. A bye week gave Taylor's left ankle time to heal, and has put some juice back in his game. ``I have not felt this good since it happened,'' Taylor said. ``It's still tight and the sprain sprain, stretching or wrenching of the ligaments and tendons of a joint, often with rupture of the tissues but without dislocation. Sprains occur most commonly at the ankle, knee, or wrist joints, causing pain, swelling, and difficulty in moving the involved joint. still hurts and it's kind of stiff, but I'm able to move the way I was before. I can explode and hit.'' Taylor, who calls UCLA's defensive signals, has been unable to plant his left foot and cut because of the injury, which he suffered in the first half of a victory against Arizona on Oct.7. Although Taylor played in UCLA's next six games, his maneuverability was inhibited. He is third on the Bruins with 64 tackles, including 10 1/2 for a loss, and his ability to run to the football figures to be crucial in stopping the Trojans' multi-faceted offense. A healing hand needed: Bruins starting weakside linebacker Reggie Carter Reginald "Reggie" Carter (born October 10, 1957 in New York City, New York; died December 24, 1999) was an American basketball player. He played collegiately for the St. John's University. injured his right hand in practice earlier this week, but said he would decline X-rays. ``I'll find out after the game,'' he said. ``I'm not even worried about it.'' Carter, a redshirt freshman, said he didn't believe a bone was broken when he got twisted up with a teammate during a drill Tuesday. The swelling was easily noticeable and kept Carter from being able to grab teammates during drills the past twodays. ``Yeah, it hurts,'' he said. ``I can open it and close it. Right now, I can't really put too much pressure on it. I can't grab real good.'' Preconceived notions: Last week's bye allowed UCLA time to heal, time to sharpen up in practice and time to watch USC paste NotreDame on television. And it allowed the Bruins to get a glimpse of what many in the nation, particularly the media pundits, thought of UCLA's chances to defeat the Trojans. The overwhelming belief? It's a foregone conclusion foregone conclusion n. 1. An end or a result regarded as inevitable: The victory was a foregone conclusion. See Usage Note at foregone. 2. USC will continue its mastery in the series and roll into the BCS (1) (The British Computer Society, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, www.bcs.org) The chartered body for information technology professionals in the U.K., founded in 1957. title game to face Ohio State. ``I got the feeling that's what they were trying to broadcast,'' UCLA center Robert Chai said. ``I think me, being part of UCLA, I don't think it's true. I think we have every chance of winning, but I did kind of get that vibe that (the media is) overlooking UCLA and already looking forward to Ohio State.'' brian.dohn@dailynews.com (818) 713-3607 |
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