Their heads sunk into their arms.
The players were in disbelief.
And all around them was pure pandemonium.
Such was the scene of the Bruins’ 52-14 loss to Arizona
last year when the seventh-ranked and undefeated Bruins were
absolutely embarrassed by a 2-6 Wildcat team that had its students
rush onto the field after the game.
Football
Saturday, 4 p.m. The Rose Bowl TV: FSN Prime Ticket
At the time, senior tight end Marcedes Lewis, the team’s
emotional leader, called the loss the worst of his career.
Quarterback Drew Olson defined it as a comprehensive and total
defeat.
“They beat us in every way possible, and that’s kind
of how we felt tonight,” Olson said at the time.
“It’s different, obviously ““ I haven’t been
part of an 8-0 team that’s lost like this.”
This week, the current players are echoing the same sentiments.
Though he stopped short of saying the Bruins were looking for
revenge, senior defensive end Justin Hickman recounted how bad the
loss felt last year.
“It was definitely a tremendous blow. To go in there and
not show up and get destroyed the way we did, it’s definitely
hurtful,” Hickman said. “You should be focused like
that every week, whether it’s a Girl Scout team or a team of
grandmas.”
The Bruins did not come out focused but it didn’t seem
like it would have mattered, considering the blowout nature of the
loss. It’s hard to say that even if they had played a perfect
game, the Bruins would have emerged victorious.
That loss, although it was nearly 11 months ago, now sets the
scene for this Saturday’s game between the two teams.
It’s a game that the Bruins have had in the back of their
minds all throughout the offseason.
“They beat us, they beat us bad; there is no way to get
around it,” junior safety Dennis Keyes said. “But this
year is a completely different story, and we’re going to do
the same thing we have all season.”
Since the November game the teams have gone in seemingly
different directions. The Bruins responded from the loss to win two
of their next three games and have started this season 3-1. The
Wildcats, meanwhile, have lost four of their last six games since
the win and are currently in ninth place in the Pac-10.
It’s a sign that the Bruins have emerged none the worse
from that potentially devastating loss.
“I think the loss taught us about our team,” senior
linebacker Eric McNeal said. “We were flying high, and we
were taken off our horse. It’s a lesson that we have brought
to our team this year.”
The Bruin defense that was trampled for 519 yards against the
Wildcats and finished as one of the worst defenses in the nation is
now one of the team’s strengths; and many of the players that
struggled a year ago have emerged as defensive leaders, especially
junior defensive end Bruce Davis.
“I think it’s the new coaches and the attitude they
brought with them. We basically have the same team we had last
year,” Davis said. “All we had to do was work a little
bit harder, (and) it’s like “˜Wow,’ because we
know how hard we have worked.”
This weekend against the Wildcats, the Bruin defense will face
quarterback Willie Tuitama and wide receiver Syndric Steptoe, both
of whom had big performances against the Bruins last season.
Steptoe caught three passes for 32 yards as the Wildcats’
second leading-receiver, and Tuitama threw for two touchdowns and
204 yards in the game last year, his second as a starter.
Tuitama is a mobile quarterback who challenges the Bruins with a
dual-threat they similarly faced against Washington’s Isaiah
Stanback, but the Bruins feel they’ll be ready.
“No offense to Willie, but he is not quite the athlete
that Stanback is,” Keyes said. “Regardless, anytime
there is a dual-threat quarterback, it’s another thing we
have to worry about.
“After facing Stanback, we’ll be fine.”
If their experience against Stanback and Washington taught them
anything, and if the memory of last year’s loss to Arizona
stays with the Bruins, there assuredly will not be another 52-14
Wildcats victory when they come to the Rose Bowl on Saturday.
With reports from David Woods, Bruin Sports senior
staff