COLLEGE FOOTBALL : TAKING OVER THE REINS : With Troy Aikman and Rodney Peete Out of Picture, Their Successors--Bret Johnson at UCLA and Todd Marinovich at USC--Will Certainly Have Their Hands Full. . . : Donahue Believes Bruins Can Win, Even With a Freshman Quarterback

At UCLA, where success is sometimes measured as much by Trojan misfortune as by Bruin accomplishment, failing to reach the Rose Bowl with Troy Aikman was made just slightly more tolerable when USC lost each year to the Big Ten champions.

Of course, that’s not all that UCLA had to gloat about.

While the Trojans were losing in Pasadena, the Bruins won bowl games in each of Aikman’s two seasons in Westwood, establishing a National Collegiate Athletic Assn. record last Jan. 2 with their seventh straight postseason victory, a 17-3 beating of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.

And for two weeks last season, UCLA was ranked No. 1, climbing to the top of the wire-service polls for the first time in 21 years.

Indeed, much was magical about the Aikman Era, even if half the losses in the Bruins’ consecutive 10-2 seasons were to USC.

But as a writer for a national magazine noted this summer, “a rose by any other name may still be a rose, but a bowl by any other name just doesn’t cut it.”

And if the Bruins couldn’t reach the Rose Bowl with Aikman, will they be able to make it with a lesser talent than the No. 1 choice in this year’s National Football League draft?

That’s the question in Westwood, where a redshirt freshman, Bret Johnson, was named by Coach Terry Donahue Saturday as the starter for next Saturday night’s opener against Tennessee in the Rose Bowl. Waiting in the wings will be a sophomore, Jim Bonds.

Donahue, no doubt grateful that USC faces a similar situation in trying to replace Rodney Peete, believes that UCLA can win with an untested quarterback.

“It’s become sort of a trademark at UCLA,” he said.

The optimistic Donahue alluded to his 1983 team, which advanced to the Rose Bowl behind a previously unknown quarterback named Rick Neuheisel, and his 1985 team, which made it to the Rose Bowl behind a previously unknown quarterback named David Norrie.

Both Neuheisel and Norrie, though, were fifth-year seniors who had spent four years standing by and learning the system.

Johnson hasn’t played in a game since his senior year at El Toro High two years ago, when some called him the No. 1 quarterback prospect in the country.

He will be the first player with no prior collegiate experience to start at quarterback in an opener for the Bruins since sophomore Gary Beban in 1965.

Bonds, as Aikman’s understudy a year ago, threw all of seven passes, completing four for 42 yards and no touchdowns.

Still, Donahue sounded convinced when he said: “We think either one can be a successful UCLA quarterback.”

Part of the reason for Donahue’s optimism is that whoever is at quarterback will line up behind an experienced offensive line--”As good as any we’ve had over the last several years,” Donahue has said--and in front of a trio of talented tailbacks.

Junior Brian Brown, sophomore Shawn Wills and freshman Kevin Williams comprise “the nation’s finest stable of running backs,” according to the Sporting News.

Wills averaged 6.6 yards a carry last season, when he established a freshman record by rushing for 120 yards in the Cotton Bowl, and Brown, despite missing the first five games of the season with a hamstring injury, ran for 410 yards, including a 68-yard fourth-quarter touchdown romp that ensured a 16-6 victory at Oregon.

Williams, bigger and faster than either of them, has yet to play at UCLA, but as a senior two years ago at Spring High School in Spring, Tex., many considered him the nation’s No. 1 tailback prospect. Last May, he won the 100-meter dash in the Pacific 10 Conference track championships.

“We’re going to try to be a more effective and efficient running team,” Donahue said. “We’ll try to place the offensive burden on our line and our running backs.”

Also helping to ease the quarterbacks’ burden will be wide receivers Mike Farr and Reggie Moore, returning starters who combined last season to catch 104 passes for 1,327 yards, and gifted tight ends Charles Arbuckle, Corwin Anthony and Randy Austin, who last season combined for 48 receptions.

Concerned about the lack of a deep threat --Farr’s 66 receptions last season produced no touchdowns--the Bruins have added Scott Miller, a former high school teammate of Johnson’s who last season at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo led the state with 84 receptions for 1,476 yards.

It’s improbable that Miller will come close to matching those statistics this season, but Donahue promised that neither Bonds nor Johnson will be limited to handing off and pitching out. He expects the Bruins to throw about 25 passes a week. Last season, excluding 53-point routs of San Diego State and Cal State Long Beach in which he sat out most of the second half, Aikman averaged 31. He threw 24 touchdown passes.

And whenever the offense stalled, Alfredo Velasco usually could be counted on to produce three points. The senior kicker, successful on 37 of 43 field-goal attempts and all but one of his 94 extra-point kicks at UCLA, will try to match those percentages this season without the benefit of kicking tees, which have been legislated out of college football by the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. football rules committee.

On defense, the Bruins aren’t nearly as deep or experienced as they are on offense. Gone are six starters, including five--nose guard Jim Wahler, linebackers Chance Johnson and Carnell Lake and cornerbacks Darryl Henley and Marcus Turner--who were NFL draft picks.

Still, Donahue said: “If our first-unit defense doesn’t get hurt, we’re fine.”

Depth, though, is a major concern for the worrisome Donahue, who was talking mostly about his secondary and linebacker corps when he called this “the thinnest team I’ve ever had.”

Last week, it got thinner.

Two players who figured prominently in the Bruins’ plans, outside linebacker Roman Phifer and free safety Willie Crawford, were suspended for the season because of violations of university rules and regulations.

Phifer and teammate Damion Lyons, a junior cornerback who also was suspended, face misdemeanor battery charges in connection with the beating last May of a fellow student.

Crawford, compared by Donahue last spring to former UCLA All-American Don Rogers, was convicted last month of theft.

Also, cornerback Anthony Burnett was declared academically ineligible, and free safety Eric Nelson underwent reconstructive surgery to repair ligaments in his right knee and was lost for the season. Randy Beverly, projected as a starting cornerback, broke the big toe on his right foot in a scrimmage last month and may have to miss some games.

Among those who will return are tackle Mike Lodish, whose improbable 17-yard interception/fumble return last season provided the go-ahead touchdown in a 27-17 victory over Stanford, and inside linebacker Craig Davis, who ranked second on the team last season with 102 tackles.

Eric Turner, whose 87 tackles last season ranked first among the defensive backs, will combine with hard-hitting sophomore Matt Darby to give the Bruins a highly regarded pair of safeties. And freshman safeties Patrick Bates and Carlton Gray were among the Bruins’ most celebrated signees last winter. Both have moved up to No. 2 on the depth chart.

Inside linebacker Stacy Argo was not a starter last season but played enough to make 82 tackles. Bryan Wilcox, a 6-foot-7, 268-pound junior, adds size and experience to the defensive line. He had four sacks last season.

None of the defenders, though, will be watched as closely as quarterback Johnson. Or Bonds, should Johnson faulter.

“Whoever is the designated starter, if he’s hot, he’ll stay in,” Donahue said last week before naming Johnson. “If he’s not,” Donahue had said, “we’ll bring the reliever in off the bench. We’re hopeful that we won’t have that situation, but we won’t be uncomfortable if we do.”

Bonds has the stronger arm, but Johnson is more mobile and performed more cabably last month in the Bruins’ two scrimmages.

“It was like a ton (of pressure) was lifted off my back,” Johnson said of Saturday’s announcement.

Greater pressures await.

UCLA ROSTER

No Player Pos Ht Wt Cl. Hometown 2 Scott Miller FL 5-11 175 Jr. El Toro 3 Carlton Gray CB 6-2 180 Fr. Cincinnati 4 Reggie Moore SE 5-9 177 Jr. Houston 4 Jon Soltis K 5-10 170 Jr. Ontario 6 Patrick Bates FS 6-4 215 Fr. Galveston, Tex. 6 Jeff Clark WR 5-11 162 Fr. Newport Beach 7 Jim Bonds QB 6-0 205 So. Valencia 8 Fred Gilbert FL 5-9 1/2 181 Fr. Huntsville, Tex. 9 Mike Farr FL 5-10 1/2 192 Sr. Birmingham, Mich. 9 Robert Gamble CB 5-10 175 Fr. Overland Park, Kan. 10 Ron Caragher QB 6-3 015 Sr. Morgan Hill, Calif. 10 Travis Collier SS 6-2 185 Fr. Littlerock, Calif. 11 Bret Johnson QB 6-0 182 Fr. Mission Viejo 11 Bradley Daluiso K 6-2 1/2 197 Jr. San Diego 12 Al Jordan CB 5-9 1/2 179 Fr. Beltsville, Md. 14 Michael Williams CB 5-9 1/2 159 Fr. Los Angeles 15 Brian Jones QB 6-3 195 Jr. Fresno 17 Bert Emanuel QB 6-0 185 Fr. Houston 17 Ken Shelton S 6-1 195 Fr. Los Angeles 18 Tommy Maddox QB 6-4 190 Fr. Bedford, Tex. 18 Courtney Keylere P 6-1 215 Fr. Santa Ana 19 Mark McGill SS 6-0 197 Sr. Bakersfield 19 Michael Moore FL 6-4 185 Fr. Beverly Hills 20 Kevin Williams TB 6-0 1/2 193 Fr. Spring, Tex. 20 Kevin Leon K 5-11 215 Fr. Anaheim 21 Eric Nelson FS 6-2 1/2 195 Fr. Carson 22 Mark Estwick FB 5-10 1/2 239 Jr. La Canada 22 Coby Lindsey LB 6-2 1/2 210 So. Clovis 23 Kevin Smith FB 6-4 251 So. Oakland 23 John Welch K 5-11 166 Fr. Oxnard 25 Alfred Velasco K 5-10 188 Sr. Burbank 26 Dion Lambert CB 6-0 1/2 178 So. Lake View Terrace 26 Brian Steger K 5-2 1/2 152 Fr. Chippewa Falls, Wis. 27 Maury Toy FB 6-0 224 So. Mountain Home, Ida. 28 Dominic Sandifer K 5-10 1/2 165 So. Los Angeles 29 Eric Turner FS 6-1 1/2 207 Jr. Ventura 29 Lamont Peters FB 5-10 210 So. Los Angeles 30 Brian Brown TB 5-10 1/2 187 Jr. Carson 31 Ricky Davis TB 5-10 1/2 165 Fr. Houston 32 Randy Beverly CB 5-10 177 Sr. Long Island, N.Y. 32 Deon Wilks LB 5-11 205 Jr. Mountain View 35 Bradley Craig LB 6-4 215 Fr. Houston 36 Kevin Dickey FB 6-1 200 Fr. Huntington Beach 37 Shawn Wills TB 5-10 182 So. Hanford 37 Jonathan Kelly SS 6-1 198 So. Vallejo 39 George Paton CB 5-11 185 So. La Canada 39 Ken Jones LB 6-5 1/2 185 Fr. Alamo 40 Stephen Walker DB 5-10 165 Fr. San Diego 41 Stacy Argo LB 6-3 1/2 236 So. Princeton, Calif. 42 Anthony Schexnayde FS 6-2 1/2 205 Jr. Fairbanks, Alaska 43 Matt Darby SS 6-2 207 So. Virginia Beach, Va. 44 Pat McPherson LB 6-1 1/2 218 So. San Jose 45 Jim Wagner LB 6-1 226 So. Buffalo Grove, Ill. 46 Kirk Maggio PB 6-0 158 Sr. Glen Arm, Md. 46 Carrick O’Quinn LB 6-2 220 Fr. Westlake Village 47 Brad Bryson DT 6-3 1/2 253 Sr. Lakewood, Colo 48 Kaleaph Carter LB 6-1 205 Fr. Huntington Beach 48 Paul Pernecky S 6-2 176 Fr. Flintridge 49 Marvcus Patton LB 6-1 1/2 216 Sr. Hawthorne 50 Andrew Brigida NT 6-0 255 Fr. Northvale, N.J. 51 Milos Milicevic T 6-8 1/2 288 Fr. Los Angeles 51 Emmanuel Onwutebe NT 5-10 247 So. Lynwood 52 Stacey Elliot DT 6-1 1/2 252 Jr. Long Beach 53 Meech Shaw LB 6-2 212 Fr. Ponca City, Okla. 54 Craig Davis LB 6-2 223 Sr. Tucson 54 Vaughn Parker T 6-4 260 Fr. Buffalo 55 Rocen Keeton LB 6-2 1/2 240 Jr. Los Angeles 55 Hazem Abdellatif LB 5-10 2312 Jr. San Dimas 56 John Winnek LB 5-10 185 So. Los Angeles 57 Andy Miller S 6-2 196 Sr. Irvine 57 Derek Stevens G 6-4 260 Fr. Bakersfield 58 James Malone LB 6-2 1/2 233 So. Dallas 58 Stephen Helm LB 6-3 1/2 195 Fr. Long Beach 59 John Zilinskas C 6-4 264 So. San Jose 59 Hans Forsman LB 6-6 225 Fr. Alma, Mich. 60 Scott Spalding G 6-4 1/2 259 So. El Toro 61 Jeff Bailey C 6-3 272 So. Fullerton 61 Brian Reemsten LB 6-0 210 Sr. Grand Blanc, Mich. 62 Dave Audelo T 6-3 1/2 270 Fr. Canoga Park 63 Kipp Kjeldgaard G 6-5 1/2 263 Jr. Salinas 64 Jon Pryor NT 6-3 1/2 250 Sr. Santa Barbara 64 Tim Washington T 6-3 280 Fr. Suitland, Md. 65 Brian Kelly DT 6-5 1/2 270 So. Torrance 66 Siitupe Tuala NT 6-2 270 Jr. Azusa 67 Aron Gideon C 6-1 248 Fr. Covina 68 Frank Cornish C 6-4 275 Sr. Chicago 69 Marc Wilder T 6-5 1/2 273 So. San Bernardino 70 Rick Fuller T 6-6 1/2 272 Fr. Temple City 71 Rick Meyer G 6-6 1/2 275 Sr. Salinas 71 Garrett Greedy LB 6-3 230 Fr. Anaheim 72 Brian Jacobs T 6-3 275 Fr. Valencia 73 James Rae G 6-4 1/2 256 So. Yorba Linda 74 Craig Novitsky C 6-6 250 Fr. Woodbridge, Va. 75 Mike Linn G 6-4 271 Fr. Yorba Linda 75 Jim Caballero G 6-4 1/2 281 Fr. Oxnard 76 Bill Paige T 6-4 1/2 282 Sr. Lakewood, Colo. 77 Keith Jacobson T 6-5 1/2 275 Sr. Mission Viejo 77 Brian Swanson NT 6-2 220 Fr. Granada Hills 78 Kim Lawhorn DT 6-4 245 Fr. Trenton, Tenn. 78 Sean Doyle G 6-4 1/2 241 Fr. Playa del Rey 79 Lance Zeno G 6-4 275 Jr. Fountain Valley 81 Charles Arbuckle TE 6-2 238 Sr. Houston 85 Rick Daly TE 6-5 235 Fr. Friendswood, Tex. 86 Brian Allen LB 6-4 210 Fr. Valencia 87 Paul Richardson SE 6-3 200 Sr. Los Angeles 88 Sean LaChapelle SE 6-3 1/2 201 Fr. Napa 90 Corwin Anthony TE 6-2 1/2 234 Jr. Bakersfield 91 Brian Lockwood LB 6-3 231 Jr. Vista 92 Matt Werner DT 6-4 240 Fr. Yorba Linda 93 Bryanm Wilcox DT 6-7 268 Jr. Libertyville, Ill. 93 Larry Muir LB 5-9 220 Jr. Sepulveda 94 Mike Lodish DT 6-3 260 Sr. Birmingham, Mich. 95 Randy Austin TE 6-3 249 Jr. Canyon Country 95 Steve Blinn TE 6-5 235 Fr. Malibu 96 Tom Lassalette DT 6-4 248 So. West Covina 97 Sean Howard LB 6-3 1/2 222 So. Woodland Hills 98 Mike Chalenski LB 6-5 255 So. Kenilworth, N.J. 99 Cory Wayland DT 6-3 1/2 254 Fr. El Toro

UCLA SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT TIME SITE Sept. 9 Tennessee 7:00 p.m. Rose Bowl Sept. 16 San Diego State 7:00 p.m. San Diego Sept. 23 Michigan 5:00 p.m. Rose Bowl Sept. 30 California 3:30 p.m. Rose Bowl Oct. 7 Arizona State 7:30 p.m. Rose Bowl Oct. 14 Arizona TBA Tucson Oct. 21 Oregon State 12:30 p.m. Corvallis, Ore. Oct. 28 Washington 12:30 p.m. Rose Bowl Nov. 4 Stanford 1:00 p.m. Palo Alto Nov. 11 Oregon 3:30 p.m. Rose Bowl Nov. 18 USC 12:30 p.m. Coliseum

ALL TIMES PACIFIC.