By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
EUGENE, Ore. — Everyone in life gets to experience 15 minutes
of fame, or so the saying goes. The UCLA football squad took that
to a higher extreme Saturday night, experiencing 15 minutes of
perfection in their 41-22 defeat of Oregon (3-3, 0-3 Pacific-10)
.
UCLA (2-2, 1-0 Pac-10) silenced the standing-room-only crowd of
45,779 at Autzen Stadium with a sequence of plays midway through
the game that may live forever in the annals of Bruin history. It
wasn’t a championship game and there were no legendary
performances, but what the Bruins did here Saturday made believers
of themselves, their fans, and their opponents and may prove to be
a major turning point in the season.
In a game that was tied at halftime, UCLA took what was shaping
up to be yet another offensive struggle and turned it into a rout
for their first victory in a conference opener since 1990.
It began with an 18-yard scoring strike to Tod McBride seconds
before halftime, and it ended with Skip Hicks’ 20-yard scamper well
into the third quarter. In less than 15 minutes UCLA had turned a
7-0 deficit into a 31-7 lead.
A loss here, and matchups with Arizona State and Washington
looming, could have been disastrous to the Bruins’ bowl hopes.
"We told the guys that this was a must-win for us," head coach
Bob Toledo said. "We had to win this football game and they
responded real well. They had to make plays today and they made
plays. They did a great job fighting back; we’re real proud of
them."
The first quarter and a half was almost a carbon copy of last
week’s debacle in Michigan – dropped passes, missed opportunities,
and stupid penalties. However, by the end of the game, the
scoreboard here read much differently than Ann Arbor’s did a week
ago.
An offensive unit that had gone nearly six quarters without
reaching the end zone scored the next six times it touched the
ball. And the defense, which had given up nearly 559 yards of total
offense and 38 points against Michigan, refused to give an inch
against the Ducks.
"We just came out ready to play," junior cornerback Javelin
Guidry said. "We made up our minds this week that we were going to
come out and beat Oregon."
Quarterback Cade McNown was the inspiration behind the offensive
turnaround–not just because of his arm, but because of his feet.
On 4th-and-3 from the Ducks’ 35-yard-line, McNown kept the drive
alive by keeping the option and snuck through the Oregon defensive
line for a 7-yard gain and first down. The following snap he found
all receivers covered and scrambled for another 13.
"Cade did what Cade does best and that is get outside the
pocket, get on the perimeter and have run/pass options," Oregon
head coach Mike Bellotti said. "When he does that he plays well,
and he played well today."
Two plays after his drive-saving runs, he tied the contest with
his scoring strike to McBride.
From that point on, it was all Bruins.
The third quarter was dominated by UCLA, more specifically
tailback Skip Hicks. After running for only 20 yards in the first
half, Hicks carried the ball 19 times for 153 yards and two
touchdowns in the third quarter alone. He finished the game with a
career-high 175 yards.
His first touchdown run capped the opening drive of the half and
gave UCLA a 14-7 lead with 12:02 remaining in the third. The 2-yard
scamper was his fifth carry of the six Bruin plays on the drive.
After a 46-yard field goal by Bjorn Merten and a touchdown on a
bootleg by McNown, Hicks put the nail in the coffin with a 20-yard
touchdown run, and a 31-7 lead
In a span of 17 minutes, beginning with just over four minutes
remaining in the second quarter, UCLA put a spanking on the Ducks
that will have them quacking for weeks.
In that brief span, the Bruins outscored Oregon 31-0, and
allowed the Ducks only 7 yards on 13 plays. The Ducks went six
possessions without a first down.
"Our game plan worked pretty well, we tried to put pressure on
the quarterback and not allow them to rush the ball," UCLA
defensive coordinator Rocky Long said. "I thought the starters for
the first three and a half quarters played great."
The Ducks added two fourth-quarter touchdowns, one on a 1-yard
run by David Crump and another on a Pat Johnson touchdown
reception, but by then the outcome was no longer in doubt.
All in all, the Bruins surrendered only 266 total yards and 22
points to an offense that ranked sixth nationally before kickoff.
The Ducks had averaged over 490 yards and 36 points through five
games.
The victory leaves the Bruins as one of only three Pac-10 teams
that are undefeated in conference play. They match up next week
with one of those teams, No. 4 Arizona State, at the Rose Bowl
Saturday at 12:30.
If the Bruins can somehow figure out a way to extend their 15
minutes of perfection, which is exactly what it would take to upset
the Sun Devils, UCLA could be in the driver’s seat on the road to
the Rose Bowl.