Injuries dampen Bruins' spirits a bit on the morning after

The UCLA football team made Neuheisel's debut one for the cameras, upsetting Tennessee, 27-24, in overtime Monday night.

Today, the Bruins cracked the Associated Press media poll at No. 23 and were at No. 26 in the coaches' poll. But even so, the injury report has dampened a bit of the enthusiasm.

Senior tight end Logan Paulsen will be out for several weeks. He will have a screw placed in his fractured right foot. Paulsen was injured making a highlight-reel catch on the Bruins' first series on offense.

"I don't know how long he will be out," Neuheisel said during the Pacific 10 Conference teleconference today. "But we lost a senior captain, while making a great catch."

Paulsen said the foot has been bothering him for a while, but "I felt something pop out there on that play."

Senior wide receiver Marcus Everett, who missed most of the 2007 season with an ankle injury, dislocated a toe on his right foot on the Bruins' second series.

"Those things are very, very painful, and coming off a year where he missed a lot of games because of injury, it has to be disappointing," Neuheisel said. "But he'll battle through it."

Everett said that the toe will be re-examined this week and "they'll have a better idea how long I'll be out."

Kahlil Bell, who is returning from knee surgery, suffered a high left ankle sprain on the Bruins' third series. "How long he is out is anybody's guess," Neuheisel said. "My thought is he is a tough son of a gun and he'll be back as soon as anybody could."

Linebacker Reggie Carter, a linchpin to the defense, suffered what was a called a "minor" sprain of the medial collateral ligament and will under go an MRI. Said Neuheisel: "We'll just have to wait and see the extent of the injury."

The Bruins have a bye week, allowing Bell, Carter and Everett more time to heal before UCLA's next game, Sept. 13, at Brigham Young.

chris.foster@latimes.com