Bruins QB Olson practices after meeting of minds

UCLA quarterback Ben Olson practiced some Thursday, providing the Bruins a little hope that his left knee will be healthy enough for the Las Vegas Bowl against No. 19 Brigham Young on Saturday at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Perhaps Olson felt a sense of urgency after a private meeting with UCLA interim coach DeWayne Walker.

"We just talked philosophies and being a quarterback and leadership and those type things," Walker said. "That's one thing I've learned, you never question a player. Everybody's (pain) threshold is different. We just had a little man-to-man talk."

Walker said he also met with Osaar Rasshan, who would start in Olson's place.

Olson, who began his college career against BYU, managed to limp from the practice field to the locker room and then to a waiting bus, preventing the media from asking him for comment.

• MULTIPLE TIES -- BYU first-year offensive line coach Mark Weber is back in Las Vegas, a city he is familiar with after serving as a UNLV assistant from 1994 to 1996.

He also knows plenty about UCLA, having been the Bruins' offensive line coach from 1997 to 2003.

But Weber said this wasn't a strange trip after already facing UCLA this season and making a trip to UNLV.

"This is an awesome place to be, BYU," Weber said. "These kids are incredible. They're great kids and good football players. And then the job (coach Bronco Mendenhall) is doing with this program is phenomenal. It's totally unique to any program I've ever been in."

• ANOTHER BYU HOME GAME -- Oregon sold 5,000 leftover tickets to BYU for last year's Las Vegas Bowl, and UCLA sold 6,000 to the Cougars for Saturday's game.

The bowl freed up 200 more tickets Wednesday, but only a handful remained by Thursday afternoon.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2914.