Neuheisel is fine with ad

UCLA football has declared victory . . . without playing a game.

Los Angeles newspapers carried an ad this week with the bold announcement that “The football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over,� above a photo of Coach Rick Neuheisel pointing to something -- USC? -- in the distance.

“It looks like our marketing program is convinced, huh?� Neuheisel said during the Pacific 10 Conference media call. “I saw it for the first time this morning. My wife said it was a nice picture. That’s all I know.�

USC can claim “Yahtzee� after the last six seasons, with a 70-8 record with six conference titles and two national titles. UCLA has a 43-33 record in that time, with visits to second-tier bowl games in San Jose, Las Vegas, El Paso and San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Occidental, left out of this discussion, has a 47-12 record and three Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles during the same period.

“Oh, wow,� said UCLA senior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell when told about the ads. “Well, talk is talk and ads are ads. We got to earn that on the field. Obviously, USC’s a great program. Right now the only thing I’m thinking about is lining up across from Tennessee’s center.�

Neuheisel said that he wasn’t worried about giving USC players extra motivation.

“That game, in my experience, is a game where everybody brings their ‘A’ game,� Neuheisel said. “I don’t imagine we can get their guys to play any harder.�

As for the claim of breaking the monopoly, Neuheisel said, “We have a way to go to get that accomplished. There is no use trying to hide it. That’s our goal.�

Talking about the Cardinal and Gold elephant in the room was a considerably different approach from that of Karl Dorrell, Neuheisel’s predecessor. Dorrell wouldn’t talk about the USC game for a week after the Bruins’ 13-9 upset of the Trojans in 2006.

And what did USC Coach Pete Carroll think of all this?

“I don’t know much about that,� Carroll said during the conference call.

Later, Carroll was ready to have some fun. He joked about Neuheisel’s photo in the ad, saying, “In a presidential race the guy has to say ‘I endorse this.’ �

What’s my line?

Tackle Micah Kia tested his broken left hand during practice while wearing a cumbersome cast that was wrapped up.

Asked whether the cast was more awkward than it looked, Kia said, “Absolutely, and it looks very awkward.�

Kia said he was making adjustments, particularly on a player going outside on him.

Kia may have a new cast put on the hand before Monday’s game against Tennessee, “but that’ll be up to the doctor,� he said. He is scheduled to have an X-ray next week, but probably will be in a cast for a month.

Bumps and run

Offensive lineman Kai Maiava, a transfer from Colorado, injured his left knee during scout team drills and was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam. . . . Wide receiver Marcus Everett was held out of drills to rest a sore knee. . . . Freshman quarterback Nick Crissman injured his right shoulder while running the scout team, but returned to practice. . . . Wide receiver Terrence Austin, who injured his right wrist Monday, went through the full practice.

Times staff writer Gary Klein contributed to this report.

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