Phil Taylor's Sidelines

MACK MUST CHOOSE

The names have changed, but the debate hasn't. Texas has a quarterback controversy again. Chance Mock and Vince Young are playing the roles of Major Applewhite and Chris Simms, who waged a three-season battle for the job that didn't end until Applewhite left after the 2001 season.

Mock, a junior, was the clear No. I until last Saturday, when Kansas State sacked him four times, prompting coach Mack Brown to play the far more mobile Young, a 6'5", 225-pound redshirt freshman, for the entire fourth quarter. Young led Texas to the decisive touchdown in a 24-20 win, and by Saturday night the debate was raging in every bar on Sixth Street in Austin: Who do you like?

The Longhoms would be wise to go with Young against Oklahoma on Saturday. For one, they'll need his speed against the Sooners' fast, fearsome defense. And it's practically inevitable that Young, named the nation's best high school quarterback by some publications two years ago, will eventually win the job. Texas might as well make the change now. Considering the endless Simms-Applewhite debate, the best thing Brown can do for the Longhorns is to pick Young and stick with him.

THE BRUINS LIVE!

It might be a stretch to say that Karl Dorrell was on the hot seat after four games as UCLA coach, but the temperature was rising. The 2-2 Bruins had been inept in defeat and—perhaps even worse—boring in victory. The innovative offense that Dorrell, the former Denver Broncos receivers coach and a Mike Shanahan prot�g�, had promised was nowhere in evidence, and the UCLA faithful were grumbling that it had been a mistake to hire a guy with no previous head coaching experience.

The Bruins' 46-16 victory over Washington should calm the critics for now. The UCLA offense finally made big plays. Quarterback Drew Olson threw for 258 yards, and Craig Bragg had eight catches for 142 yards. "We didn't expect to light up the scoreboard overnight," says the 39-year-old Dorrell. "We don't worry too much about outside criticism. We just concentrate on getting better," They should. As a former Bruins receiver, Dorrell must know that no one wins the Pac-10 with a vanilla offense.

DRAFT BAROMETER

An NFC scout gives his picks for this year's top five seniors.

1. Roy Williams, WR, Texas "The kind of receiver everybody's looking for—fast and physical with the ability to break tackles and get big yardage after the catch."