Drew Olsen Football Information

Drew Olson deserved more than just a football for this, at the culmination of one of the most remarkable turnarounds we've seen in these parts, on a day that had UCLA statisticians flipping through the record books and a season that should have Heisman Trophy voters figuring out a way to squeeze him onto their ballots. If only it were possible to fold up the Rose Bowl and its field, the marching band and the fans, and give them to him. He was that worthy.

The senior quarterback had to settle for a football handed to him by Bob Lopez, UCLA's director of football operations. And the memories. You could see the hard drive in his head recording the images of his triumphant final game at the Rose Bowl, a 45-35 victory over Arizona State in which Olson passed for 510 yards and five touchdowns. "I'm glad I left it like it should be: 85,000 [fans], a great victory," Olson said. "This is the way that we want it." He hopped on the Bruin bench and stared at the crowd, his hands held high, the football in the left and his helmet in the right, and it was impossible not to be happy for him.

As a sophomore he couldn't win the starting job in fall camp, then couldn't hold on to his chance after Matt Moore was injured. As a junior he was a middle-of-the-Pac-10 performer whose season ended after a knee injury in the Las Vegas Bowl. And when he reported for duty in his senior year he wasn't even guaranteed to start ahead of redshirt freshman Ben Olson. Well, Drew Olson started all 10 games. And he has won nine of them, giving his team a chance, unlikely as it might seem, to win a conference championship if UCLA can somehow beat USC on Dec. 3. Olson is having one of the top five offensive seasons in UCLA history and his 510 passing yards Saturday were only three shy of the school record set by Cade McNown. "It was a great performance by him individually," offensive lineman Robert Cleary said. "That's awesome for him. I'm proud of him and happy for him, because of all the criticisms he's had in the past." Only three months after some wondered if he was even the best Olson on his team, it's fair to ask if Olson is having the best season of any quarterback in town.

Drew Olsen Football News

BYU Football: Cougars’ smallest class still packs some punch BYU Football: Cougars’ smallest class still packs some punch By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune Published Feb 1, 2012 08:52PM MDT Live signing day updates on the BYU Cougars from Jay Drew on Twitter (twitter.com/drewjay): Provo • BYU’s 2012 football signing class might be one of its smallest ever, with just 17 prospects, but it is the “most qualified class yet” to fulfill Bronco Mendenhall’s ...

BYU Football: Cougs’ haul includes another top-rated QB BYU Football: Cougs’ haul includes another top-rated QB By Jay Drew The Salt Lake Tribune Published Feb 1, 2012 09:03AM MDT Live signing day updates on the BYU Cougars from Jay Drew on Twitter (twitter.com/drewjay): Provo • No surprises were expected as BYU football coaches arrived at their offices in Legacy Hall on Wednesday morning for the dawning of National Signing Day. And so far, none ...

BYU - Football Provo • No surprises were expected as BYU football coaches arrived at their offices in Legacy Hall on Wednesday morning for the dawning of National Signing Day.

Public Safety Provo • No surprises were expected as BYU football coaches arrived at their offices in Legacy Hall on Wednesday morning for the dawning of National Signing Day.

2012 NFL Free Agents: 11 Teams That Could Sign Vincent Jackson With the impending departure of receiver Vincent Jackson from the Chargers , it leads to an important question... Where will he go and how much will his contract be? Of course, we can only speculate at this point and Jackson has repeatedly told the Chargers' front office that he wants a long-term deal, not a franchise tag. I'm guessing he's going to sign a five-to-six-year deal worth $7-9 ...

The 50 Best Roster Additions of the 2011 NFL Regular Season Several of the offseason's additions played a major role in the makeup of the playoffs. Players like Andy Dalton and Johnathan Joseph can be labeled as the main reason for the team's playoff appearance. A team's ability to fill holes during the offseason can make or break a season. The Chicago Bears decided that adding a rookie right tackle and Roy Williams was enough to get them back to the ...

Carolina Panthers: 5 Most Exciting Moments of the 2011 Season With the NFL 's championship weekend approaching, the dust has finally settled on the Carolina Panthers ' (6-10) 2011 campaign. The Panthers had a season to remember as much for their 4-1 stretch late in the season as for the handful of close games they could have won. They also led the league in big plays of 25-plus yards and broke a slew of NFL records, mostly by pending Rookie of the Year Cam ...

2012 NFL Draft: Top 5 Targets for the Carolina Panthers Although it ended at a 6-10 clip, the Carolina Panthers ' 2011 campaign was nothing short of exciting. Steve Smith returned to form, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart regained their dominance on the ground and Cam Newton turned out to be much better than advertised. The 2011 season was very assuring for Carolina and a huge step in the right direction. But just as every other team in the NFL ...

NFL Free Agency Rumors: Possible Moves for the 50 Free Agents in 2012 When the Super Bowl ends, the free-agency period unofficially begins. Teams will take note of they key components want to add prior to the official start in early March. Then, the clubs make their pitches and the players envision the upgrade in pay. The 2012 offseason will certainly see its share of moves that will be predicable and unexpected. For the 50 top free agents, here is where they are ...

2012 Spring Movie Preview It's not Hammertime, friends -- it's springtime. This is bad news for comic book geeks, popcorn blockbuster lovers and folks who only watch Oscar fodder.