ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Back in June, UCLA thought it found some help for its already beleaguered offensive line when it got a commitment from a junior college player.

Last weekend, that player made an auspicious debut.

Only Donovan Edwards was helping out California's beleaguered line in the Bears win over Oregon.

Edwards, recruited out of Pleasant Hill (Calif.) Diablo Valley Community College, was part of an effort that held the Ducks pass rush to just one sack.

Oregon had averaged 3.5 sacks per game, which led the Pac-10.

"I didn't actually get nervous until Friday after practice," said Edwards, a 6-foot-5, 285 pound sophomore. "That's when it dawned on me that I was starting against the top two defensive ends in the Pac-10."

It was a critical performance for Cal, one that the UCLA coaches surely pursed their lips over as they watched during their bye week.

It's not completely clear why Edwards suddenly spurned UCLA for Cal -- he's a native of Northern California (Richmond) -- but LA Daily News reporter Brian Dohn offered this back in July: "Edwards did not provide UCLA with his summer class grades to be presented to the admission's committee before changing his commitment to Cal."

Edwards told the Contra Costa Times this in a story Monday: "[Offensive line coach Jim Michalczik] actually recruited me before UCLA offered me but didn't have a scholarship and wanted me to stay another year in junior college. But that wasn't something I was trying to do. Then the opportunity came back and around, and I took it."

Edwards was No. 3 on the Bears depth chart before he was forced into emergency duty, and it's likely that coach Jeff Tedford is eager to get starter Chet Teofilo (ankle) or backup Matt Laird (shoulder) back for the visit to USC. Both, however, are questionable.

Still, Edwards' and freshman guard Justin Cheadle's performances suggest that the future of the line is bright.

"We just wanted to go out and make a statement that the next few years we're here to stay and can make plays," Edwards said after the Oregon game.

Meanwhile, UCLA's line has struggled mightily the entire season, a lack of talent being aggravated by injuries. The Bruins have tried five different combinations up front with little success.

There is some good news, though: Freshman tackle Jeff Baca should be back at left tackle against Oregon State after sitting out the Cal game two weeks ago.

Baca had made four consecutive starts before he went down and was part of a unit that actually made three consecutive starts together.