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LOS ANGELES (AP) UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen is dealing with a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder, which has kept the sophomore out of the team's last two games.
Bruins coach Jim Mora offered details on Rosen's injury for the first time Monday, having previously referred to it only as an upper-body injury after Rosen landed hard on his throwing shoulder in the fourth quarter of a 23-20 loss at Arizona State.
UCLA has an open week this week before playing a night game on Nov. 3 at No. 23 Colorado , but Mora does not know if the extended break will be sufficient to allow Rosen to return to action.
''He's been trying to throw and it just hasn't got to the point where he can cut it loose yet,'' Mora said. ''It's just a matter of when is it going to start firing again. He's getting all the treatment he can get, doing everything he can do.''
Redshirt senior Mike Fafaul, a former walk-on, has started the last two games against Washington State and No. 17 Utah. Fafaul has thrown for 722 yards and eight touchdowns against six interceptions, setting school single-game records for pass attempts and completions in the 52-45 loss to the Utes.
Fafaul praised Rosen for the help he has provided in understanding opposing defenses.
''He wants to be out there with his guys, but he has done a great job supporting this team and being there for especially me on the sidelines with everything, all the plays and defenses. He is frustrated but he is handling it well,'' Fafaul said. ''You can only see so much when you are out there, so he fills in the missing pieces for me.''
Mora traditionally does not discuss injuries unless they are obvious or season-ending, breaking with that informal policy after Rosen's status was discussed during the television broadcast of the game against Utah and afterward when Fafaul said he knew early in the week that he would start.
''For me, it's always important when a player is injured and it's not obvious what it is is that we protect them,'' Mora said. ''I know this, as a coach, if you see an opponent and know a part of his body is hurt a little bit, it's a vicious, violent game but you go after it. That's just the bottom line. I'm not saying anything that anybody doesn't know.''
Mora also disclosed that running back Soso Jamabo is dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries, while Nate Starks has tendinitis in his knee.
