UCLA quarterbacks face rush to judgment

Once again, the Bruins have a serious question at quarterback. As in: Can they keep any quarterback healthy?

A knee injury in spring reduced Patrick Cowan's status to student assist, and a broken bone has Ben Olson hobbling on a bad right foot for at least eight weeks, maybe longer.

"I don't know if this changes us, it might limit us a little more just because we felt [Ben] had a little better grasp of the offense," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "Time will tell. We're not sure who the guy will be."

Time, though, is not the Bruins' ally. Their season opener against Tennessee is three weeks from today.

Junior Kevin Craft, redshirt freshman Chris Forcier and junior Osaar Rasshan are lining up to volunteer to face the Volunteers, with incoming freshmen Kevin Prince and Nick Crissman waiting in the wings.

Neuheisel declined to handicap the remaining quarterbacks Sunday evening, but Craft and Forcier were splitting time with the first team.

"I think it's easier for us to slide Craft in there because he's a little older, but he has to prove himself," Neuheisel said. "Osaar and Chris Forcier will be right in the mix. To be able to say 'No, I'm the best prospect,' part of that is leadership and part of that is knowing what you're doing. There's a lot of moxie that goes into being a quarterback and that doesn't show up on the stat sheet."

Born-again Osaar

The re-emergence of Rasshan as an option says a lot about the Bruins' current quarterback situation. But it also shows his determination.

Rasshan was orbiting like Pluto around the Bruins' quarterback universe after spring practice, but has returned from the outer rim.

He did so, Neuheisel said, by "being patient and by not going in the tank. It's a great story of understanding that this may not be your time because the coaches have to make decisions. But when your time shows up again, instead of wasting time by going in the tank, you stayed positive and stayed ready."

Rasshan is the only quarterback left in camp who has started a game. He completed 14 of 27 passes for 181 yards in a 24-20 loss to Arizona State last November. A week later, he failed to complete a pass in the first half against Oregon and was yanked from that 16-0 victory. He also started against Brigham Young in Las Vegas Bowl, but was pulled from that game early.

Olson's surgery

Olson, who sustained a similar injury during the spring, has decided to again have a screw placed in his foot to help the fractured fifth metatarsal heal. The surgery will be Tuesday.

chris.foster@latimes.com