The Dawgs don’t like to lose in their house, and they will
be right at home Saturday when UCLA (5-3, 2-2 Pac-10) travels to
Washington (4-4, 1-3). The last time the Bruins were on their
territory, in 2000, the Huskies scrapped for a 35-28 win. The
rivalry has been, shall we say, vocal.
“They made it known that we lost and it didn’t sit
well with us,” Tab Perry said, after the Bruins got revenge
last year with a 35-13 beat-down. The Bruins did not shy away from
boasting either.
“Rivalry? What rivalry? They gotta win some games for it
to be a rivalry,” then-senior wide receiver Brian Poli-Dixon
said.
The two then-undefeated teams met on national television for a
three-hour DeShaun-Foster-for-the-Heisman-Trophy infomercial, as
the UCLA tailback ran all over the touted Washington defense for a
record 301 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, the
UCLA defense shoved the Huskies backward for minus 8 total rushing
yards.Â
This year the game is not exactly a marquee matchup. Neither
team is ranked for the rumble for the first time in 10 years, which
has a lot to do with a 4 p.m. appearance on TBS, the Huskies first
ever. The Dawgs’ backs are against the wall as they are
in a three-way tie for seventh place in the conference. The Bruins
are hanging on to bowl hopes at fourth, with a .500 Pac-10 record.
So, while the conditions are different, the need to win is the
same.
“For both programs I would say this is every bit as big a
game as a year ago. Both programs are trying to make this a
positive season,” Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel
said.Â
Neuheisel and UCLA head coach Bob Toledo’s relationship
has been the subject of gossip since Neuheisel, a former UCLA
quarterback and later an assistant coach, was passed over for the
head coaching position in favor of Toledo. The backbiting started
again when each criticized the other last February for negative
recruiting involving current Husky Clayton Walker and current Bruin
starting strong safety Jarrad Page. The two coaches insist all is
forgiven and forgotten.
“I like to see all nine (other Pac-10) teams struggle, not
them in particular,” Toledo said.
Neuheisel said in July that playing UCLA is still the hardest
game for him every year because of his Bruin history. He is not the
only one with strong feelings.
“This game was real personal to us. We let our pads do the
talking today,” Craig Bragg said after last year’s
game.
Washington backup quarterback Taylor Barton felt the effects of
that discourse. The Bruin defense left him with a concussion that
put him in the hospital for the night. A week later he received a
letter of apology from Bruin defensive end Dave Ball, who laid a
particularly vicious late hit that displeased Toledo.
This year the defense is charged with stopping a struggling
Husky rushing attack that averages under 80 yards per contest and a
lethal passing game that averages 356 yards per game.
“They have probably one of the best receiving corps
I’ve seen so far,” sophomore free safety Matt Ware
said. “And with Pickett at quarterback sometimes they seem
untouchable”
“We’re not blocking very well. When we get the
opportunity to hit a hole and break a tackle, we haven’t made
anybody miss,” Neuheisel said. “So we leaned on our
throwing game. The throwing game started off the season
gangbusters, but as we’ve become a little one-dimensional, it
has dried up a bit.”
The UCLA offense will jump in a true freshman quarterback to the
rivalry. Whoever plays will likely have to pass more than last week
because the Dawgs boast the top run defense in the Pac-10, yielding
79.2 yards per game. Neither Drew Olson nor Matt Moore have
experienced anything like the hostile environment of Husky Stadium,
which boasts the best attendance in the league. Who is left talking
will be decided Saturday.