(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES — Mike Saffer was sitting in math class Friday morning — painful enough.
But when the UCLA senior offensive tackle took a routine deep breath and coughed, he experienced something even greater.
“It was one of the sharpest pains I have ever felt in my life,” Saffer said. “It felt like somebody took a knife and stabbed me.”
One of Saffer’s ribs had snapped. Apparently, it was originally fractured the previous Saturday during the Colorado game when Saffer was kneed early in the game.
Doctors believed that Saffer merely suffered a bruise, as the 6-foot-5, 304-pound lineman played the rest of the game and practiced the following week.
One day before the San Diego State game, Saffer needed a replacement, and 6-foot-9, 330-pound redshirt freshman Ed Blanton was well equipped to pick up the slack.
Blanton, seeing his first career snaps, performed well.
“I was very pleased with how he played,” head coach Bob Toledo said. “He didn’t cause a sack, he knew who to block. He smothered some guys.
“I call (Blanton) ‘Mountain Man’ since he’s as big as a mountain. He’s going to be a heck of a football player.”
Saffer was acting as Blanton’s personal coach during the game. But he didn’t have to really do much. During the game, he told Toledo, “Coach, (Blanton’s) doing a heck of a job.”
“Any time you put a guy in there who’s never taken a snap, you just never know,” Toledo said. “He now knows he can play football at this level. We’ve found a guy for the future, I know that.”
Saffer, meanwhile, will be limited in practice and is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game against Oregon State. He is expected to be out for three to five weeks.