UCLA hires new offensive coordinator

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- UCLA football coach Karl Dorrell shook up his staff Friday by firing offensive coordinator Steve Axman and replacing him with Tom Cable.

Dorrell refused an extension on Tuesday, claiming he did not deserve it after posting a 6-7 record in his first season on the job. He decided that changes were needed on an offense that scored more than 14 points just once in the last five games.

"It became obvious to both of us during our on-going discussions that it would be best for all concerned for Steve to pursue other coaching opportunities," said Dorrell. "I respect Steve's abilities as a coach, but we both came to the realization that this is not the right fit for him."

Cable was recently hired as offensive line coach after four seasons as head coach at Idaho. He served as offensive coordinator at Colorado in 1999 under Gary Barnett. Cable will continue to coach the offensive line.

During Cable's tenure at Idaho, his teams ran the same offensive system utilized by UCLA. During those four years, the Vandals averaged 424.1 yards of total offense.