UCLA NOTEBOOK: RECOVERING PAUS LOOKS LIKE OLD SELF.

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

The accuracy and tight spiral returned this week, as Bruins quarterback Cory Paus showed he hasn't missed a beat.

Bruised ribs prevented Paus from playing against Stanford, but he quickly regained his pre-injury form with one of his best weeks of practice this season.

``(Wednesday), he was phenomenal: He threw one incomplete,'' UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. ``He's so accurate. If he's healthy, he's a heck of a quarterback. He's going to have a great career.''

Paus wore a sternum jacket Thursday to protect his chest, showed no signs of discomfort and will use it Saturday at Arizona State.

If he's reinjured, the Bruins may use second-stringer Drew Bennett in running situations and third-stringer Scott McEwan in passing situations. (Bennett has a strained right elbow and can't throw more than 10 yards.)

``McEwan had a very tough Tuesday, a very good Wednesday, and he responded pretty well (Thursday),'' Toledo said. ``I told him I wasn't pleased with the way he played Tuesday. But part of that is he was the third quarterback, and he didn't get any reps.''

Injury update: Right guard Mike Saffer will play after missing two games with a sprained ankle. His return means UCLA will have its starting offensive line available for the first time this season.

Outside linebacker Tony White (pneumonia) is questionable.

Tailback DeShaun Foster (sprained ankle) is also questionable. If he can cut at full speed, he'll play. If not, he won't.

Arizona State update: Quarterback Ryan Kealy (bruised ribs) and star tailback J.R. Redmond (separated shoulder) are probable. Kealy is expected to start.

Review of the Week: Defensive end Pete Holland, a history major and six-time member of the director's honor roll, has agreed to review a book each week for the Daily News. This week: ``D-Day,'' by Stephen E. Ambrose.

``In `D-Day,' Ambrose - who provided factual direction for Steven Spielberg during production of `Saving Private Ryan' - tells the story of the most fateful day of the 20th century. But Ambrose does not restrict himself to the horror, mistakes and success of the June 6, 1944 invasion. His book integrates the preparation and planning, the struggles and the repercussions of the event in America.

``Ambrose is a humble historian. He doesn't re-create the event in his own words. Instead, he allows the participants to tell their story through his copious research and countless interviews.

``Although the volume of interviews disturbs the continuity of Ambrose's prose, the book's literary deftness and historical significance instills a deep sense of pride in the men of June 6 - and a feeling of admiration for the man who so expertly chronicles their actions.''

Rating: 3 sacks (out of four).

Mixed review: In two respects, UCLA has a difficult conference schedule: It's the only team that plays its first two games on the road; and it's the only team that doesn't play lowly Washington State.

But timing is also critical, and the Bruins couldn't have asked for better. Each opponent (except USC) has a tough game prior to facing UCLA:

The Bruins play Arizona State on Saturday - a week after it lost at Cal. They face Oregon the week after the Ducks play at archrival Washington. They face Cal after the Bears play at Brigham Young. They face Oregon State after the Beavers play at Stanford. And they face Arizona after the Wildcats play Oregon.

Whether any of it matters remains to be seen. After all, playing at Stanford didn't seem like such a tough task three weeks ago.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) PAUS

(2) BENNETT