The Red Sox had their curse reversed.
The Patriots had their streak stopped.
Heck, even George Dubya won, despite the fact that the
Washington Redskins won the previous Sunday ““ an incumbent
has not won the White House when the Redskins lost the Sunday
before Election Day since 1933.
How dare Bush defy this superstition?
I am among those that believed Bush should have conceded the
election Sunday afternoon once it was official that, yes, the Green
Bay Packers did in fact defeat the Redskins, 28-14.
But the biggest curse reversal of recent history ““ at
least to UCLA fans ““ was the Bruins’ resounding 21-0
win over Stanford, who actually has a decent team this year. To be
sure, UCLA has had late-season wins before. But they were always
the cheap wins against teams that, talent-wise, weren’t even
Pac-10 quality.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen a good,
dominating, smash-mouth, run-the-ball-up-the-gut,
go-home-feeling-good kind of win. And the Stanford game was.
But while Washington State is considerably less formidable on
paper than the Cardinal, the Cougars could be even more
dangerous.
Which brings me to the “Curse of Pullman, Wash., Where the
Best Place to Stay for a Football Game is Moscow, Idaho.”
UCLA hasn’t beaten Washington State on the road since
1993. Luckily, this game is at the Rose Bowl, so UCLA won’t
have to deal with the temperatures or the cows.
But the Bruins haven’t won any game, be it road or home,
against the Cougars since 1998 ““ the last time UCLA seriously
contended for the national title.
You might be saying I’m just paranoid by making up curses
faster than a gypsy in Iowa. Could there logically be a
“Curse of Pullman?”
Well, a little from column A, a little from column B. After all,
the Bruins did have a bye against the Cougars in 1999 and 2000.
Regardless of all this curse talk, this is the senior
class’s best chance to beat the Cougars. UCLA is coming in on
a high note, obviously.
Some people are attributing the defense’s success to
defensive coordinator Larry Kerr joining the fans and getting a
bird’s eye view from the booth.
But if Kerr’s presence on the sideline was truly the
reason for the defense’s troubles, then he should have just
learned his lesson earlier by trying to play Madden or NCAA
Football from the sideline camera view instead of the press box
view.
Even more importantly, Washington State just hasn’t looked
good at all.
The Cougars’ quarterback is a redshirt freshman named Alex
Brink who has struggled in replacing the injured Josh Swogger.
The Cougar offensive line is also much maligned, allowing sacks
and failing to open up holes in the running game.
There’s even a guy on the offensive line whose name is Sam
Lightbody ““ he’s actually 325 pounds.
Shouldn’t that be the name for the punter? Or the guy who
holds the ball for the kicker on kickoffs when it won’t stay
on the tee?
He should change his name to Sam Tractor, or better yet,
Get-the-$%!#-Out-of-My-Way. Then, he wouldn’t have to block
““ defensive linemen and linebackers would just get the $%!#
out of his way.
Much more rides on this game than whether an offensive lineman
lives up to his name’s billings.
If the Bruins win, they make themselves bowl-eligible and set
themselves up nicely for an important showdown against Oregon.
Lose, and the questions about their inability to finish a season
on a good note will be raised again.
There are still three regular season games left, so the curse of
bad finishes isn’t reversed quite yet.
Even after making the most improbable comeback in sports history
against the Yankees, the Red Sox’s job wasn’t complete
until they swept the St. Louis Cardinals.
UCLA’s curse isn’t reversed unless it wins this game
and finishes the season strong.
But if the Stanford game was any indication, UCLA is well on its
way.
Tran believes there can be a curse for just about everything
in life. E-mail him at btran@media.ucla.edu.