Crosstown rivalry still talk of town

Crosstown rivalry still talk of town

By Randy Satterburg

Daily Bruin Staff

In the aftermath of UCLA’s 31-19 victory against USC last
Saturday, it appears that this once one-sided rivalry is evening
out. Bruins’ head coach Terry Donahue evened his record against the
Trojans at 9-9-1 with the win, and the history of the series is
even at 21-21-3 in the 45 meetings since 1950. Several other items
of note stand out as well.

Odds and ends

UCLA outgained the Trojan horses on the ground with 232 rushing
yards to USC’s 57 … Last year Rob Johnson’s final pass in the
UCLA game resulted in an interception in the end zone by Marvin
Goodwin. This year his second to last pass was picked off in the
end zone by Teddy Lawrence … Sophomore Phillip Ward accounted for
a career-high three of UCLA’s six Rob Johnson sacks … Sharmon
Shah’s 135 yards gave him 1,227 for the season ­ fifth-best on
the UCLA single-season chart behind Gaston Green, Freeman McNeil,
Wendell Tyler, and Theotis Brown.

Dynamic duo

Two key Bruins, quarterback Wayne Cook and wide receiver J.J.
Stokes, finished out their UCLA careers last Saturday and will be
sorely missed. The Bruins had a 15-2 record in games in which
Stokes caught a touchdown pass, including the USC game in which he
scored his 28th career touchdown. Cook ends his career with 352
completions for 4,723 yards, which places him fourth on the UCLA
career lists in those categories. His 34 touchdown passes is
third-best in UCLA history behind only Tom Ramsey (50) and Troy
Aikman (41).

Prince and the Pauper?

Wayne Cook will always be remembered as the UCLA quarterback who
was at his best against USC, after notching his second win as a
starter in the crosstown rivalry. But on the other side of town
there is another quarterback who may not have it so well.

USC’s Rob Johnson added an NCAA record for consecutive
completions to his list of accomplishments during the UCLA game,
bumping his total to 13 NCAA, Pac-10 and USC records all told. But
how will Heritage Hall and the Trojan alumni embrace a quarterback
that lost three times to the Bruins and twice against Notre Dame
(they meet again Saturday) in his three years as the starter? Tough
to tell, but UCLA safety Abdul McCullough has a rather unique point
of view on the matter.

"This is what I think. I think Rob Johnson is a good dude, but
sometimes he seems like a guy who ­ I don’t know ­ isn’t
good under pressure. Is that a good way to say it?" McCullough
said. "Our coaches told us if we rushed him he would crack up, and
I think we got eight or nine sacks or something. I know one thing,
he was looking at No. 3 (Keyshawn Johnson) all the way. Whenever
(Keyshawn) was in, (Rob’s) first read, he’d drop back, and his eyes
would pop to Keyshawn. That’s why we got so many sacks off
him."

They should’ve listened to him

Even after UCLA lost for the sixth consecutive time against
Arizona a few weeks back, McCullough stood by his team, telling
anybody that would listen that the Bruins would be heard from soon.
McCullough, whose diving interception in the third quarter against
USC swung momentum completely around, thinks UCLA got
shortchanged.

"All night on the radio and the television they were talking
about how USC was going to kick our ass. The L.A. Times predicted
them to roll over us. Man, ­­­’SC," McCullough
said.

Apparently it’s contagious

Judging by the comments of true freshman wide receiver Jim
McElroy, who hauled in a 30-yard bomb for a touchdown in his first
‘SC game, they are teaching them the art of confidence very young
at UCLA.

"They’re never beating us as long as I’m here," McElroy said.
"We’re going to beat USC every year."