Football plays for pride in desert
UCLA aims to turn its season around at UA
By Randy Satterburg
Daily Bruin Staff
There is no rest for the weary.
The UCLA football team, already reeling from a five-game losing
streak, now faces the considerable task of traveling to Tucson,
Ariz., to take on No. 13 Arizona.
The Wildcats are unlikely to give the slumping Bruins any
sympathy. Last season, in what was billed as the Pac-10’s "game of
the year," UCLA thumped the ‘Cats, 37-17. Saturday’s rematch has
been long-awaited in Tucson.
"We have to be prepared to play against the best that they
have," Arizona head coach Dick Tomey said. "We know what UCLA did
(to us) last year, so we have to expect their best team to show
up."
But what a difference a year makes. This time around, the game
still has Rose Bowl implications  just not for UCLA.
Arizona (5-1 overall, 3-0 Pac-10) has assumed the lead in the
run for the roses based on its unblemished conference mark, making
every game the rest of the way important if the Wildcats are to
represent the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl for the first time ever.
The Bruins (2-5, 0-4) would love to deal the conference
front-runner its first setback, but the odds are stacked against
them.
The Bruins are struggling mightily to put points on the board.
Their average of 13.4 points per game is the worst in the
conference.
On the flip side, the Wildcats’ defense is among the best in the
nation at preventing its opponents from scoring  giving up
just 10.3 points per game in six outings.
In addition, Arizona boasts a formidable running attack that
averages nearly 200 yards per game, third-best in the Pac-10. UCLA
will attempt to counter with a defense that ranks last in the
conference in rushing yards allowed, at 273.6 yards per game.
On paper the game is a mismatch of monumental proportions.
Thankfully for the Bruins however, the game isn’t played on
paper.
"We’re going down to play what is obviously a real good football
team this week," UCLA head coach Terry Donahue said. "We are going
to have to do a great job of preparation and a real good job of
getting competitive on game day to stay in there and do well
against them."