Monday, September 22, 1997 UCLA manages to keep drama level high
PAST: Landslide win against Texas follows close losses to top
teams
By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Staff
The 1997 football campaign is not yet a month old, but already
it is one of the most unforgettable in recent memory.
The opening two weeks featured dramatic Bruin second-half
comebacks that came up short in losses to Washington State and
Tennessee, while the destruction of national title contender Texas
shocked the nation in week three.
For those of you who didn’t think the Bruins started playing
football until the first day of classes, here’s what you missed
…
* * *
UCLA 66, Texas 3
Ask any real estate agent and they’ll tell you location,
location and location are the three most important aspects of
becoming successful in the business.
Ask any football coach and they’ll tell you the same thing –
especially Bob Toledo and John Mackovic of the then-11th-ranked
Texas Longhorns.
In the Bruins’ most lopsided victory in over 40 years, and
Texas’ worst loss in nearly a century, the Longhorns (1-1) managed
more first-downs, passed for more yards and actually controlled the
ball four minutes longer than the Bruins.
However, UCLA dominated the game in a stat that is more
important than all of the above … field position.
UCLA’s average possession started in Texas territory. The
Bruins’ average touchdown drive was only 37 yards. On only three of
the Bruins’ eight touchdowns did they even have to cross mid-field
before reaching the goal line … and that’s not including Damien
Allen’s interception return for six points to add the final tally
on the Texas Memorial Stadium scoreboard.
Though the offense put up 59 points, and Cade McNown set a
school record by throwing five touchdowns (all in the first half),
it was really the Bruin defense that took complete control of the
game.
The defense, criticized for its lack of pressure on the
quarterback in its first two games, rushed with relentless force at
Texas quarterbacks Richard Walton and Marty Cherry.
Although the Longhorns were missing injured starting quarterback
James Brown, it is questionable whether even the Heisman Trophy
candidate could have withstood the Bruin attack.
UCLA had seven sacks (compared to one in the first two games
combined), forced four fumbles and intercepted four Longhorn
passes.
"After this game, we are for real," UCLA defensive back Larry
Atkins, who had two interceptions and a sack, said. "They didn’t
have a chance to get started. As a defense, we didn’t want to
relax."
Forty-two of the Bruin points came off of the eight turnovers,
while an additional two touchdowns resulted from Texas surrendering
the ball on loss of downs.
"When the landslide starts, it’s hard to get it to stop," Toledo
said.
Skip Hicks rushed for two touchdowns and caught one for the
Bruins to increase his season total to nine and career total to 38
– second on the all-time Bruin list to Gaston Green’s 40.
* * *
Tennessee 30, UCLA 24
For the second time in as many weeks, the Bruins fell victim to
the same storyline – fall behind big at halftime, battle back to
have a chance to win at the end … but fall in a crushing
defeat.
There was one difference – this time the Bruins failed on two
chances to dethrone the then-No. 2 Volunteers in the Sept. 6
match-up at the Rose Bowl.
After falling behind by as much as 24-0, the Bruins came back to
cut the deficit to 30-24 in the final minutes.
However, with just over two minutes remaining and UCLA having
reached the Tennessee 34-yard line, Hicks took a screen pass and
scrambled for about 15 yards before being stripped of the ball that
Tennessee would recover to seemingly clinch the game.
"I still don’t know what happened," Hicks said. "I just grabbed
it and the next thing I knew, it was on the ground."
However, the game was not lost yet. Typical of most of the
afternoon, the UCLA defense shut down the Volunteer offensive
attack (Peyton Manning was held to 100 yards passing in the second
half) and forced Tennessee to punt.
The Bruins took the ball up to the Volunteer 20-yard line, but a
stuffed run and an incomplete pass on fourth-and-three ruined any
attempts of a miracle UCLA comeback.
Despite a good showing against one of the nation’s top team’s
and one of the best collegiate quarterbacks of the past decade, the
Bruins didn’t take any pride in coming close.
"I want to make something perfectly clear," Toledo said. "I do
not believe in moral victories. I am very disappointed about being
in position to win and not doing it."
* * *
Washington State 37, UCLA 34
"One or two feet."
That phrase uttered by McNown minutes after UCLA’s loss to WSU
not only alluded to the distance by which the Bruins’ potential
game-winning touchdown drive came up short, but it also signified
the difference between the Bruins taking an early lead in the
Pac-10 race and the hole they dug themselves into with a
season-opening conference loss.
Trailing 30-14 at the half, UCLA battled back to cut the lead to
three points at the end of the game and had a chance to win it with
just under three minutes remaining in the contest.
The Bruins faced a fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line,
trailing 37-34. Trying to avoid overtime, Toledo opted for a
game-winning touchdown try, rather than an overtime-forcing field
goal attempt.
With star tailback Skip Hicks (190 yards rushing on the
afternoon) standing on the sidelines due to exhaustion, the Bruins
were forced to rely on freshman Jermaine Lewis to carry the Bruins
to victory.
However, a breakdown in the blocking scheme combined with Lewis’
premature cut upfield, resulted in a goal-line stand, a UCLA loss,
and lots of Bruins shaking their heads.
"The WSU game was a disappointing loss," Toledo said. "It was a
game we could have won. I was disappointed in that I thought we
would play better – we are not an inexperienced football team."
Bruin wire services contributed to this report.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Free safety Shawn Williams tackles Michael Black of Washington
State.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
Skip Hicks is stripped of the ball by Tennessee’s Leonard
Little.