Can the new Olson fill the old Olson’s shoes?

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, March 06, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

UCLA Bruins
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Drew Olson threw for over 3,000 yards and 34 touchdowns for the UCLA Bruins in 2005. Ben Olson has thrown exactly four passes since coming to L.A.

Drew Olson has spent the last three seasons as the starting signal caller for the UCLA Bruins. Ben Olson hasn't seen significant playing time since his senior season in high school…back in 2001!

Regardless of all this, head coach Karl Dorrell has been adamant about the fact that Ben Olson will be the guy to take the place of the more famous and more accomplished quarterback who bears the same last name. But don't feel too bad for Ben. He is a highly touted prospect who despite being away on a Mormon mission for two years is still considered to be one of the most promising quarterback prospects in the country.

The former BYU Cougar was considered to be the top prospect in the nation at his position back in 2002. He spent one year at BYU but got zero playing time. So after his two year Mormon mission, he decided to commit to UCLA in 2004.

After spending last year mopping up for Drew Olson, Ben Olson will have a tall order on his hands. He will be leading a Bruins offensive unit that lost its top running back and receiving threat to the NFL, as well as three offensive linemen. The good news is that returning RB Chris Markey should provide plenty of explosion and big play ability. That should help take some of the pressure off Olson as he gets used to the starting role.

Another factor that should work in Olson's favor will be UCLA's early season schedule. After a formidable home opener against Utah, the Bruins will host Rice then travel to face a struggling Washington program then head back home to go up against Stanford. Olson should be able to lead his team to at least two or three wins in that stretch.

Notching a few early wins should go a long way towards helping Ben Olson settle down into his new role as the leader of the Bruins offense, and if things go really well he could end up putting up the kind of numbers that will make ill-informed college football fans think that Drew is still at the helm.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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