Infection Hits Defensive Line

An upper respiratory infection is sweeping through the Bruins, especially the defensive line, causing several players to sit out practice and raising questions about the lineup for Saturday.

Six players sat out Wednesday’s workout--including Ed Anderson because of pneumonia and a 104-degree temperature--and 15 others participated with symptoms ranging from sinus problems to fever to sore throats. Anderson, a backup offensive linemen the first two weeks of the season but off the depth chart now, is the only Bruin so far to be ruled out of Saturday’s game against California.

The concern is what happens to players who get sick today or Friday, with less time to recover before kickoff.

“That’s what I just told them,” Coach Bob Toledo said after practice. “Be careful when they are sucking on [water] bottles and isolate the people who get it, get a lot of fluids and get a lot of rest.

“It’s like a flu epidemic. It’s the same thing, and it’s not even the flu season, which worries me.”

The bug hit the team last week, with Toledo saying now that “a lot of people didn’t realize how sick they were.” UCLA did not disclose any such illness, even though about a dozen players were affected and some were close to sitting out the Oregon game.

This round appears to have hit the defensive line particularly hard, along with a few others at linebacker and the secondary. Three of the four starters on the line--Kenyon Coleman, Ken Kocher and Rusty Williams--and backup Steve Morgan all have the infection.