Paus Will Pay Price From Bench

By MIKE BRESNAHAN

Nov. 27, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The Bruins returned to reality Monday, only to find they couldn’t escape it.

A team beset by discord on and off the field came back from a week without practice to learn that quarterback Cory Paus was demoted to third string for the rest of the season, a punitive action taken by Coach Bob Toledo because of the junior’s two arrests for alcohol-related driving offenses.

Paus’ convictions will result in a four-day jail term in January, a hefty fine, a suspended driver’s license and a seat at the end of the Bruin bench, unless the two quarterbacks ahead of him get injured.

“Cory knows he made a mistake,” Toledo said. “He knows there’s a price to pay. We all know he’s paying dearly right now.”

Scott McEwan, a fifth-year senior, will get his first career start Saturday against Arizona State at the Rose Bowl. In six games of relief duty this season, McEwan completed 24 of 40 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Toledo said Paus will not play unless McEwan and Ryan McCann, the new No. 2 quarterback, are both hurt. Paus practiced Monday, but only McEwan and McCann took snaps with the first-team offense.

“Obviously, if I could have done it all over again, I would have wished none of this would have ever happened,” Paus said. “Since it did, I’ve been doing my best to take it as a positive action. I still go to school here. I’m not kicked off the team. I didn’t kill anybody. I’m not going to be in jail for that long. It could have been worse.”

Toledo told Paus that his starting spot will not be automatically waiting for him next season.

“I’m going to play the best person that gives us an opportunity to succeed next year,” Toledo said. “He knows he’s got to work on some deficiencies. I’m basically going to open it up and the freshmen will have an opportunity as well.”

McCann, who has completed seven of 18 passes for 48 yards and has two interceptions this year, will be a senior next season. Freshman John Sciarra from La Canada St. Francis High redshirted this season, and two high school quarterbacks have committed to UCLA: Matt Moore of Newhall Hart and Drew Olson of Piedmont.

Toledo was made aware of Paus’ arrests by a reporter on Nov. 15. A day later, Paus told Toledo that his attorney, David Kestenbaum of Van Nuys, informed him in September that his case regarding the second arrest, June 9 in Los Angeles, would be continued until the end of football season.

Court documents, however, indicate Paus, 21, pleaded no contest to a charge of drunken driving Aug. 31 and must serve four days in L.A. County jail beginning Jan. 15.

Kestenbaum entered the plea while Paus was on the road with the team for the season opener at Alabama. Kestenbaum said he was not surprised that Paus was confused about his case.

After conferring with Kestenbaum, Toledo said he believed Paus “wasn’t lying to us,” and that there were reasons to hold off on a punishment for Paus until after the USC game.

“I wanted to wait until I had all the facts,” Toledo said. “Sometimes you make decisions real quick and they’re not always the right decisions. I wanted to make an informed decision, one that I had talked to enough people.”

Paus’ first offense occurred near Mammoth Lakes in March, 2000. His car was stuck in a snow drift and a police officer who stopped to help him smelled alcohol. Paus pleaded guilty to a wet reckless, a lesser charge that counts as a prior DUI if there is another conviction within seven years.

No one was injured and no vehicle was damaged in either incident.

Meanwhile, DeShaun Foster’s legal representative has taken a first step in an attempt to get the senior running back’s eligibility restored.

Sports law expert Robert C. Berry, who has been retained by Foster, faxed a letter to UCLA officials Monday explaining why they should appeal to the NCAA, which declared Foster ineligible for driving a 2002 Ford Expedition leased by actor-director Eric Laneuville.

Foster drove Laneuville’s vehicle for six weeks, an improper benefit in excess of $900. The NCAA determined that Foster’s actions merited a penalty of more than four games.

“I thought some of the NCAA’s interpretations did not follow their own guidelines,” Berry said. “I also questioned some of the procedures they used, that they were not followed as they should be.”

UCLA officials confirmed receiving Berry’s letter, but they did not contact him Monday.

“It will take them some time to evaluate it,” Berry said. “I assume [today] some decisions will be made.”

If an appeal is filed, an NCAA subcommittee on athlete reinstatement would take two days to review it before informing UCLA of its decision.

Safety Marques Anderson, one of Foster’s best friends on the team, had dinner with Foster on Friday and said Foster lamented not being able to play.

“He’s still a little disappointed,” Anderson said. “Once the season is over and everybody’s not playing, I think that will make him feel a lot better.”

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A Tale of Two Seasons

After leading the Bruins to a 6-0 record, Cory Paus’ season took a turn for the worse when he injured his right thumb against Stanford on Oct. 27. Below is a look at Paus’ hot start compared to his cold finish (per-game averages):

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Games Att. Comp. Yds. Comp.% TD Int Rating Rec. First 6 20.3 11.3 193.7 55.7 1.3 0 157.3 6-0 Last 4 18.0 8.3 144.5 45.8 0 1.3 91.0 0-4

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Roy Jurgens