UCLA NOTEBOOK: HICKMAN WILL HAVE SURGERY.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

There is no official word whether or not it's a school record, but UCLA defensive end Justin Hickman will become the fourth Bruins defensive linemen in two months to undergo knee surgery to repair cartilage today.

Hickman will miss Saturday's game at No. 8 Cal and will not play Oct. 23 at Arizona State. UCLA is optimistic Hickman will return Oct. 30 against Stanford.

UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said freshman Brigham Harwell will make his first start, and redshirt freshman Bruce Davis will back him up.

``It's just the luck of the draw,'' Dorrell said. ``Justin's injury occurred in the Arizona game, where he got chopped, ironically. They did that to him, and they got called for it, a personal foul. But those things happen. It wasn't something that we did out here (on the practice field).''

The irony is that Arizona sent a videotape to the Pacific-10 Conference before last week's game and accused UCLA of chop-blocking.

Hickman will join Harwell, Kyle Morgan and C.J. Niusulu as Bruins defensive linemen to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. Hickman tweaked his left knee against the Wildcats and aggravated it during Tuesday's practice.

Hickman, who is the only defensive lineman to start all five games, leads the unit with 13 tackles.

``(Hickman) was playing the most consistent, and we're going to miss that consistency,'' Dorrell said. ``I'm excited about Brigham Harwell and Bruce Davis, two young players. They're going to play hard. I feel good about what they're going to do for our defense.''

Morgan and Harwell had their surgeries Aug. 16, and both returned in limited roles in the Sept. 4 season opener. Only now are they both nearing 100 percent. Niusulu had surgery Sept. 1 and played sparingly Sept. 11. He is yet to play at 100 percent because of the procedure.

--Lombard likely to redshirt: Dorrell said Kenneth Lombard's shoulder injury was more serious than first thought, and the freshman defensive tackle is expected to miss the remainder of the season. He started two games and had three tackles but was injured early in the Sept. 18 game at Washington.

``They did an arthrogram on it, and an MRI and all those things,'' Dorrell said. ``The arthrogram showed there's some damage that needs to be healed. Right now there's a strong chance he might not play the rest of the year, so we'll look for a (redshirt).''

At the end of the season, UCLA will petition the Pac-10 for a medical hardship year for Lombard, who would still have four years of eligibility remaining. Players who play in three games or fewer during the first half of a season are eligible for a hardship year.

--Odds and ends: Junior Spencer Havner was selected as one of 12 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which is given to the top linebacker in the country. He leads the nation with 14.2 tackles per game. ... Marcedes Lewis was named the John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week after catching six passes for 99 yards and thee touchdowns against Arizona. Lewis is on the Mackey Award watch list. ... Dorrell confirmed linebacker Justin London will start. ... Receiver Craig Bragg (dislocated shoulder) will make the trip to Cal, but Dorrell reiterated the senior will not play. ``He looks good (in limited practice), but he needs to go through a week of practice, and he'll do that next week,'' Dorrell said.

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com