UCLA FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: WHITTINGTON TO STAY STARTER.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

Returning starter John Hale was suspended for UCLA's opener, but long before that junior Aaron Whittington overtook Hale as the Bruins top strong-side linebacker.

And it is a spot Whittington will hold Saturday when the Bruins host overwhelming underdog Rice at the Rose Bowl. Hale, a sophomore, is expected to play, but only as a backup.

``They both battled,'' Bruins head coach Karl Dorrell said. ``In terms of putting all the other circumstances aside, we looked at it just as, who's the better player? And Aaron had a better camp. (Whittington) has really worked hard on doing the right fundamental things.''

Hale started seven games last season and made 20 tackles, but was surpassed by Whittington late in training camp. Whittington held onto the job with a solid effort in UCLA's 31-10 defeat of Utah with four tackles, including two for a loss.

``He played well,'' Dorrell said. ``He had a (missed assignment), a lot of guys had (missed assignments), but I think they covered it up with their efforts.''

Kibble hospitalized: Bruins backup safety Robert Kibble was hospitalized after the game because of another flare-up related to his multiple sclerosis, and he remained there Monday.

``It wasn't good keeping him in the heat, but he was adamant about being out there on the field,'' Dorrell said. ``That's not good with his condition, but he wanted to be there.''

Kibble watched the win from a wheelchair on UCLA's sideline after he began feeling weak Friday night. After the game, Dorrell presented Kibble with a game ball.

Already, Kibble's career is in jeopardy. He said last week he spoke with the staff about ending his football career.

Getting defensive: Free safety Dennis Keyes said the vibe was different heading into Sunday's film review session, mostly because the Bruins defense had its most impressive outing, arguably, in years.

Utah's 10 points were the fewest the Bruins allowed since an Oct. 30, 2004, shutout of Stanford.

``Last year we would go into meetings with our heads down because we knew we started the game bad, and we knew what to expect,'' Keyes said. ``Coming in to watch film (Sunday), we just had a different feeling. It was an upbeat vibe, and a lot more confidence knowing we executed the game plan fairly well.''

Utah's 287 total yards were the fewest by an opponent since Rice had 255 in last season's second game.

``Defensively, we had a solid performance,'' Dorrell said. ``Guys played really, really hard, ran to the football. We did some gang-tackling. I thought our tackling improved, definitely, from what we've been in the past.''

Also: Backup cornerback Michael Norris (knee) ran under the watchful eye of trainers Monday and could play against Rice, Dorrell said. -- Rice, which was 1-10 last season, blew a 16-point, third-quarter lead in its loss to Houston on Saturday, and its schedule doesn't get easier. After playing UCLA, the Owls host Texas and travel to Florida State.