D8 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019 LATIMES.COM/SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Protecting his body wasn’t high
on the list of priorities as UCLA
quarterback Dorian Thompson-
Robinson took off running last
weekend with his team holding a
32-point lead against Arizona
State.
There was still nearly a full
quarter to be played and more
points to be sought.
“I mean, our goal is to try and
score, keep the score going and
stuff like that,” Thompson-Rob-
inson said Wednesday, “so that was
what my focus was on, was getting
a touchdown.”
Coach Chip Kellywould have
preferred that his quarterback slid
on the grass rather than expose
himself to a hit that resulted in his
second knee injury of the season,
but everything turned out just fine.
UCLA held on for a 42-32 victory
after Thompson-Robinson de-
parted the game, and he’s ex-
pected to start as usual Saturday
evening when the Bruins (3-5 over-
all, 3-2 Pac-12 Conference) face Col-
orado (3-5, 1-4) at the Rose Bowl.
Thompson-Robinson has prac-
ticed all week with a brace over his
left knee but doesn’t expect it to be
a hindrance against the Buffaloes
considering he also wore it against
Stanford and ran for a career-high
66 yards.
Having Thompson-Robinson
available is a big relief for the Bru-
ins given his improved play over
the last month. He’s completed
61.7% of his passes in conference
games this season as opposed to
54.0% in nonconference games.
Other factors have also contrib-
uted to UCLA’s spike in offensive
production since the start of Pac-12
play. The Bruins unveiled a heavier
use of the pistol formation against
Arizona State and benefited from
the return of running backs Mar-
tell Irby and Kazmeir Allenas well
as another workhorse perform-
ance from running back Joshua
Kelley.
“It definitely opens up our of-
fense a little bit more,” Thompson-
Robinson said of the smorgasbord
of options, “and you guys will see
that coming up this week and in the
weeks to follow too.”
The Bruins were about as effi-
cient as they could get to open the
game against Arizona State. Theirfirst eight drives went touchdown,
fumble, touchdown, touchdown,
touchdown, touchdown, punt and
touchdown, resulting in a 42-10
lead.
Thompson-Robinson was re-
sponsible for two of the touch-
downs, connecting with receiver
Kyle Philipsand tight end DevinAsiasion scoring passes, as well as
the fumble on a play in which he
waited a moment too long in the
pocket and got waylaid by a de-
fender before losing the ball.
Thompson-Robinson also fum-
bled on the play in which he was in-
jured early in the fourth quarter,
accounting for his 12th turnover of
the season. He has had seven
passes intercepted and has lost
five fumbles.
“Obviously, looking at the
things we need to correct, turn-
overs is one of them,” Thompson-
Robinson said. “You know, I
haven’t had a game when I haven’t
had any turnovers, so just trying to
eliminate those.”
Kelly would also like for his
quarterback to avoid injuries as
much as possible after having
missed parts of the Arizona and
Arizona State games as well as all
of the Oregon State game.
“One thing we try to preach all
the time with our quarterbacks is
that your [priorities are] touch-
down, first down, get down,” Kelly
said, “so maybe he took off a little
bit more than he could and we’ll
talk to him a little bit about that,
but he made the proper read on theplay and then you’ve got to protect
yourself when you get out into the
open field.”Just drop it
Dropped passes have not been
nearly as much of an issue under
Kelly as they were under prede-
cessor Jim Mora, but the improve-
ment is not a function of a new ap-
proach.
“It’s the same thing that we did
and same message that we
preached from the first day I got
here in terms of there’s no other
way to get better at it than by doing
it,” said receivers coach Jimmie
Dougherty, a member of both
coaching staffs. “You don’t get bet-
ter at playing the piano by running
around the piano; you actually play
the piano. So to get better at catch-
ing the football, you’ve got to catch
a lot of balls and you’ve got to play a
lot of football.”
Dougherty credited the receiv-
ers with putting in extra work in
the summertime to develop their
skills before training camp, as well
as dedication to details in practice
and concentration in games.
“All those things go into catch-
ing the football,” Dougherty said.UCLA REPORT
Doing what it takes to get into end zone
By Ben Bolch
UCLA’SDorian Thompson-
Robinson hurt a knee but is
expected to start Saturday.Marcio Jose SanchezAssociated Presslegiate careers, the family can’t lose
no matter the final score at the Coli-
seum.
“I want to see him do better than
me all the time,” Mycah said. “I obvi-
ously want that. He pushes me and I
push him.”
The brothers rarely played on the
same teams as kids because of their
four-year age gap. That left room for
Michael Jr. to be Mycah’s biggest
cheerleader instead of a direct com-
petitor.
Michael Jr. saw the way his
brother dominated in youth football
and knew it would translate to higher
levels, like when Mycah played var-
sity football as a freshman at West-
lake Village Oaks Christian. It was
the only season they shared a field.
“The stuff that he could do as a
freshman coming into high school,
it’s kind of like what he’s doing in col-
lege now,” said Michael Jr., who was a
senior already commited to USC at
the time. “He’s just opening people’s
eyes.”
Since missing the first four games
of the season with a shoulder injury,
Mycah has wowed Oregon coaches
and fans with his diving catches. He
has 10 receptions for 150 yards and
one touchdown in four games for the
the Ducks (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12), who are
trying to enter the College Football
Playoff discussion.
Oregon is a near certainty to win
the Pac-12 North Division. The
Ducks’ opponent in the conference
title game could be USC (5-3, 4-1),
which will finish first in the South if it
wins out.
In his brother’s eyes, Mycah is Or-
egon’s best receiver. Michael Jr. says
this with no disrespect intended.
Just the protectiveness of an older
brother.
“I just have confidence in my
brother because I’ve seen what he
can do,” he said.
The brothers lived apart for
much of their childhood. Michael Jr.
lived with his mother in California.
Mycah and their father lived in Flor-
ida. The brothers reunited in South-
ern California when Mycah was 11
and they were nearly inseparable un-
til Michael Jr. left for college.
He hoped they would team up
again at USC. Instead, they’ll be on
opposing sidelines Saturday.
“I told him that as much as I want
him to play here, it’s his choice and
his life and wherever he goes, I wish
him the best,” Michael Jr. said. “I
think he made a pretty good choice.”Mycah joined 247Sports.com’s
seventh-ranked recruiting class in
the nation. The consensus four-star
prospect was Oregon’s highest-rated
receiver.
“His advice has been key for me
through the recruitment process
and through everything,” said
Mycah, who played his final two sea-
sons of high school at Calabasas. “So
I’m very grateful for him just passing
down his knowledge, and seeing his
success now is just amazing.”After being named honorable
mention All-Pac-12 last year, Michael
Jr. is earning increased national at-
tention with 50 catches, 755 yards
and seven touchdowns this season.
His 232 yards receiving in USC’s up-
set over then-No. 10 Utah were the
fifth-most in a game in school his-
tory.
Michael Jr. is the Trojans’ leader,
a senior captain who steadies an of-
fense piloted by a freshman quarter-
back. He is a long-limbed 6 feet 4, ag-
gressively elevating over defenders
for jump balls.
Little brother checks in at 5-11.
Both pride themselves on never
dropping passes, even in practice.
“They go full-speed,” said Jim
Benkert, who coached both brothers
at Oaks Christian. “All out.”
Benkert remembers repeatedly
reminding the Pittmans to be careful
of diving for catches in practice. Save
it for the game, the coach advised.
But they were just too competitive.
Michael Jr., whom Benkert called
“one of the best kids our society has
to offer,” broke his collarbone in prac-
tice for the U.S. Army All-American
game and didn’t play in the show-
case.
The brothers are equally as re-
lentless when competing against
each other off the field. They battle in
the video game “Madden NFL.”
Mycah is better, Michael Jr. con-
cedes, even though he wants to test
him again now that his younger
brother is out of high school and has
less free time.
Paint ball squarely belongs to big
brother, though. In a one-on-one
game about four years ago, Michael
Jr. surprised Mycah and “lit him up”
with seven shots, the older Pittman
claims.
“His feelings were so hurt,”
Michael Jr. recalled with a fond
laugh. “He’s probably going to say
that’s not how it happened, but
that’s what happened.”
As for their football debate, the
brothers can decide that Saturday.USC’SMichael Pittman Jr. is having a breakout year as a senior and beating his brother’s Oregon Ducks would make it even sweeter.
David ZalubowskiAssociated PressReceivers playing for Pittman trophy
[Pittmans, from D1]
WHILEOregon’s Mycah Pittman would like to best his brother
and beat USC, it’s all in the spirit of mutual respect and love.Abbie ParrGetty ImagesUSC’s Christian Rector thought
being on the field was the best way he
could help his team. A talk with his
coaches convinced the senior defen-
sive end otherwise.
“I just feel like I was hurting my-
self trying to fight through injury,”
said Rector, who sat out USC’s last
two games because of a high-ankle
sprain. “I just wasn’t helping out the
team.”
After coaches persuaded him to
rest for two weeks and recover fully,
Rector is in position to do what he al-
ways wanted. The Pasadena native
said after practice Wednesday that
he’s feeling 100% healthy.
USC plays No. 7 Oregon on Sat-
urday at the Coliseum.
Rector said he hasn’t felt this
good since USC’s second game of the
season, against Stanford, when he
first suffered the injury and then sat
out the season’s third game, against
Brigham Young.
“In the long term, I think it was
the smartest decision for me to try to
get healthy these [last] two weeks so
I could be good for the next four
games,” said Rector, who conceded it
was difficult to accept the coaching
staff ’s recommendation to rest.
“Four to six games.”
With four regular-season games
left, the Trojans (5-3, 4-1) are in the
hunt for a berth in the conference
championship game.
Rector’s possible return would
start replenishing a defense that’s
still without end Drake Jackson (an-
kle) and safety Talanoa Hufanga
(shoulder). Neither starter prac-
ticed as USC prepares to face an Ore-
gon offense that ranks second in the
Pac-12 in scoring at 36 points per
game.
Cornerback Chris Steele (knee)
and inside linebacker Palaie Gao-
teote IV (ankle) returned to practice
this week. Steele sat out USC’s 35-31
win over Colorado on Friday. Gao-
teote, who suffered a high-ankle
sprain against Notre Dame, prac-
ticed.
Defensive coordinator Clancy
Pendergast shied away from project-
ing which of the injured players could
return this weekend, but he couldn’t
help but perk up at the thought of
having Rector back on the field.
“It would be huge,” Pendergast
said. “He’s a big part of a lot of suc-
cess that we’ve had. Played in a lot of
big games and he’s obviously an im-
portant part of, not only our team,
but our defense.”
Throughout the injury, Rector re-
mained a vocal leader from the side-
line, offering corrections to team-
mates. Rector has struggled to re-
gain his form from last season, when
he earned All-Pac-12 second-team
honors. His four tackles in the
opener against Fresno State are still
his season high. Last season, he aver-
aged four tackles per game with a
season high of 10.
But Rector’s effort against Utah,
Washington and Notre Dame, in
which he fought through the injury to
total six tackles, wasn’t lost on his
teammates.
“That’s all you can ask for a per-
son that’s trying to fight for his team
and trying to fight for his team-
mates,” linebacker John Houston Jr.
said.Trojans’
Rector says
he’s 100%
healthy
The return of the defensive
end, who has missed two
games with an ankle injury,
would bolster USC.
By Thuc Nhi Nguyen