Suddenly Moore Right in Middle

If Bob Toledo is seen tying a lure to a line, it will mean the already dire UCLA quarterback situation has taken another turn for the worse.

“I’m going to put up a ‘Gone Fishing’ sign,� he joked.

As long as he’s on turf, however, the Bruin coach will be searching for a suitable replacement for senior Cory Paus, who broke his right ankle against California on Saturday, and second-stringer Drew Olson, a freshman who suffered a mildly separated shoulder in the same game.

It’s possible Olson will be ready by Saturday, but the only certainty is that a freshman will start. The most likely candidate is Matt Moore, who watched the 17-12 loss to Cal on television from his parents’ home in Newhall.

The injuries ended plans for him to redshirt and he took most of the snaps in practice Monday.

“I thought I was taking the year off to get bigger and better,� he said. “I never thought anything this drastic could happen. But I’m here to play football. I’m not here to sit. This is a great opportunity.�

Another choice is John Sciarra, a redshirt freshman who completed one of seven passes with one interception and two fumbles in the fourth quarter against Cal.

“Poor John was put in a really tough situation,� Toledo said. “Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize on it.�

Sciarra discussed his performance with his father, John, a UCLA quarterback in the mid-1970s.

“He talked me through things as a dad, then as player to player he told me what I needed to do to make myself noticeable -- in a better way,� he said.

Olson wore shoulder pads and played catch from five yards during practice.

“I have no idea how it will react to treatment,� he said. “It feels a lot better already, but it’s tough to put a time line on a recovery.�

All signs point to Moore, the former Newhall Hart High standout who spent the last two months adding weight to his skinny 6-foot-4 frame. He has gained eight pounds and is up to 185.

“I need to get the offense down more than anything,� he said. “I’m just going to practice hard and learn as fast as I can.�

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Stanford also has uncertainty at quarterback. Starter Chris Lewis suffered a shoulder injury against Arizona and there are conflicting reports about its severity.

In an afternoon conference call with reporters, Cardinal Coach Buddy Teevens said, “I anticipate him being able to throw the football.�

But Art Matter, the father of backup Cardinal quarterback Kyle Matter, said that his son called him Monday evening to say Lewis is out one to two weeks.

Matter, a redshirt freshman, was one year ahead of Moore at Hart High. Kyle Boller of Cal is also a Hart product, raising the possibility of three quarterbacks from the same high school starting Saturday for Pacific 10 Conference teams.

Matter started the opener against Boston College because Lewis was suspended and in three appearances has completed 61.6% of his passes for 580 yards.

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Nate Fikse is competing against struggling kicker Chris Griffith during practice this week and got off to a solid start Monday, making seven of nine kicks from as far as 45 yards against a live defense.

“There might be a change there,� Toledo said.

Fikse, a senior who is second in the Pac-10 with a 42.3-yard punting average, has attempted one field goal in his career, missing from 55 yards.

However, Griffith has struggled, missing six of 14 field-goal tries. Two field goals and one extra-point attempt have been blocked and the low trajectory on a blocked field-goal attempt against Cal prompted Toledo to consider Fikse.