Daily Bruin

UCLA slides by Air Force

Poloists dodge bullet to win in final quarter with

11-9 victory

By Esther Hui

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Compared to the squad that battled to the buzzer against
Pepperdine Sunday, the UCLA water polo team that swam out to meet
unranked Air Force yesterday was markedly different. The Bruins won
11-9, although they turned in an uninspired performance and failed
to put the Falcons away until the final quarter.

"We didn’t come out with the same intensity today as against
Pepperdine," freshman Luther Weidner said. "We played well in
spurts. We’d play well and get a couple of goals, and then we’d let
down and they’d get back in the game. "

The Bruins (11-8 overall, 2-4 in the Mountain Pacific Sports
Federation) started slowly, trading off goals with Air Force until
the start of the second quarter. A sudden burst of energy followed
a steal by UCLA goalkeeper Matt Swanson and the Bruins scored two
goals in a row, the first by Weidner and the second by Corbin
Graham. But UCLA was never to score more than 2 goals in a row, and
the 5-2 lead which resulted was never increased.

With the score at 7-4 midway through the third quarter,
confusion ensued after a block by Falcon goalkeepr Craig Thomas,
and Air Force’s Jason Rishel was left unguarded on a fast break
that resulted in a goal. The Falcons then scored two more
unanswered goals, one a two-pointer, to pull ahead of the Bruins
8-7 with a minute and a half left in the third quarter.

"We just didn’t execute well today," UCLA head coach Guy Baker
said. "We’d get up a few points and then we’d lose our momentum and
throw the ball away."

UCLA hole set Mark Sutter broke the Falcon’s 4-point streak with
a backhand goal to tie the game, and a fast break by Scott Turner
reclaimed the lead at 9-8. Tommy Wong and Turner added two more
goals for the Bruins, and the Falcons were only able to score once
more.

Weidner and Turner led the Bruins with three points apiece while
Sutter had two.

"The only times we play well is with intensity," Baker said.
"Maybe it’s our inexperience. The problem is that the intensity
isn’t always there. That’s when you have to execute well, and we
just weren’t doing that today."

Men’s soccer shooting for No. 1

Fresno State loses, Bruins intend to move up in ranks

By Tim Costner

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The UCLA men’s soccer team may be the best in the West when the
new Soccer America polls come out this week.

After Fresno State lost on Friday, the Bruins ­ ranked No.
6 in last week’s polls ­ should easily stand above their
regional competition.

As a result, this weekend’s matches against Notre Dame and
top-ranked Indiana should not only give the Bruins a crack at the
top spot in the nation, but should also settle the rivalry between
the Midwest and the West Coast.

"Indiana is number one in the country right now and Notre Dame
has fallen off a little bit in recent years," UCLA assistant coach
Drew Leonard said. "But they’re going to want to show that East
Coast and Midwest soccer is the way to go, so they’re going to be
tough, no doubt."

* * *

One thing that should make the Bruins’ weekend go a bit smoother
is the return of midfielder Caleb Meyer, who was sidelined for two
weeks with a sprained ankle.

Meyer played the second half of UCLA’s game against San Diego
State on Sunday, and was back at full strength.

"We’re happy that Caleb came back," UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid
said after the game. "He’s shown that he’s ready for next week, so
I’m very confident going into the game next weekend."

* * *

Two potential key absences for the Bruins, however, are defender
Adam Frye and midfielder Eddie Lewis. Frye is out with a knee
injury and Lewis is out with a slight cheek bone fracture. Both
players are week-to-week, and could possibly play in Sunday’s game
versus the Hoosiers.

"We’d like to be healthier," Schmid said. "We’d like to make
sure we have Lewis and make sure we have Frye, but that’s probably
not what’s going to happen right now. But I think what this team
has shown is that different people step up on different days, so I
think we have enough people. We’re ready and I know they’re
ready."

* * *

UCLA forward Ante Razov is still the leading scorer for the
Bruins with 26 points from 11 goals and four assists. Razov has had
four game-winning goals in the last three games.

Lewis ranks second on the team with 16 points (six goals, four
assists), while Robbie LaBelle is third with 15 points (five goals,
five assists).

Goalie Chris Snitko, meanwhile, remains second in the nation
with a .45 goals against average. Snitko has 48 saves, and a 13-0
record.

Edwards, Schager

shine for football

Jordan on pace

to pass Stokes’

receiving marks

By Scott Yamaguchi

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The UCLA football team may have dropped its sixth consecutive
game Saturday in Arizona, but two Bruins managed to find their way
on to the Oct. 22 list of Hertz/Pacific-10 Players of the Week.

Outside linebacker Donnie Edwards was named co-defensive player
of the week with Oregon cornerback Kenny Wheaton, while punter
Darren Schager was named the special teams player of the week.
Arizona wide receiver Richard Dice was the offensive player of the
week.

Edwards, a mainstay for the UCLA defense this season, made a
career-high 16 tackles against the Wildcats, including 14
primaries. Six of his tackles went for a combined loss of 27 yards,
and three were sacks (20 yards). In addition, he caused both
Arizona fumbles, the first of which set up the Bruins’ first
touchdown, the other stopping a Wildcat drive at UCLA’s eight
yard-line.

Schager, meanwhile, averaged 47.9 on his seven punts, two of
which pegged Arizona on its own three yard-line. On the season,
Schager is averaging a career-high of 43.2 yards ­ which leads
the Pac-10 ­ and only 19 of his 43 kicks have been returned,
for a total of 66 yards. As a result, UCLA ranks sixth nationally
in net punting.

* * *

UCLA has fallen off in the statistical area of turnovers. After
eight games last year, the Bruins were +20 in turnovers. Currently,
they are -5. In 1993, UCLA had caused 32 turnovers, eleven of which
led to touchdowns and nine of which resulted in field goals. This
season, the defense has forced 10 turnovers, two of which were
converted for touchdowns and one of which led to a field goal.

* * *

The Bruins remain in the lower end of the Pac-10 team
statistics, ranking eighth in scoring offense, third in passing
offense, sixth in total offense, and tenth in scoring offense. On
the other side of the ball, UCLA is tenth in rushing defense,
eighth in passing defense, ninth in total defense, and eighth in
scoring offense.

The good news for the Bruins is that Stanford ­ which will
visit the Rose Bowl Saturday ­ is ranked ninth in rushing
defense, seventh in passing and total defense, and last in scoring
defense. The bad news: the Cardinal is at the top of the conference
in passing, total, and scoring offense.

* * *

Sophomore running back Sharmon Shah has rushed for 802 yards in
eight games this season, the most by a UCLA player since Kevin
Williams ran for 1,141 yards in 1991. Shah’s numbers rank him
fourth in the Pac-10 and 30th in the nation.

***

Junior flanker Kevin Jordan continues to impress, ranking fourth
nationally and first in the Pac-10 in receiving yards per game with
an average of 108.6.

Against Arizona, he caught eight balls for 111 yards and one
touchdown. On the year, Jordan has 55 receptions for 869 yards and
5 touchdowns.

His numbers project to 76 catches for 1195 yards by the end of
the season. Last year, J.J. Stokes had 68 catches for 1,003
yards.

***

Speaking of Stokes, the senior All-American returned to action
Saturday after a three-week absence and made one catch for 18
yards. On the season, he has eight catches for 115 yards.

"I think the return of Stokes helped us, particularly
emotionally," Donahue said. "J.J. was real rusty, and hasn’t
practiced or played for six-and-a-half weeks. The fact of the
matter is, you don’t get any better by not practicing and playing
for six-and-a-half weeks, no matter who you are or how good you
are.

"But it was nice to have him back on the team, and from what
I’ve been told, there doesn’t appear to be any ill-effects from the
game. I expect that he’ll get a full week’s work in and be able to
have three real good games for us here at the end of the
season."

* * *

Sophomore halfback Derek Ayers is averaging 20.7 yards on 13
kickoff returns, good enough for a fourth-place ranking in the
conference in that category. His 42-yard kickoff return against
Washington Oct. 1 was the longest by UCLA since the ninth game of
the 1990 season.

* * *

The UCLA Athletic Department announced last week that former
safety Tommy Bennett is being disciplined by the university after a
review of his legal proceedings.

Bennett, whose absence has no doubt hurt the UCLA secondary this
season, pleaded no contest to felony counts of forgery and fraud
last month, and was sentenced Oct. 3 to three years probation and
300 hours of community service.

He was suspended from the university for Fall quarter by Senior
Associate Dean of Students Cary Porter, and will be readmitted to
school for the Winter quarter so long as he fulfills the conditions
of his university probation.

"I regret any embarrassment I may have caused my family, the
university and especially my teammates and coaches with my
actions," Bennett said in a statement. "I made a serious mistake
and I hope that everyone will consider this sincere apology my
first step in making amends for that mistake."

* * *

Saturday’s Homecoming game against Stanford is scheduled to
begin at 3:30 p.m., and there will be no live telecast. Former
college basketball player of the year Marques Johnson is the Grand
Marshal of this year’s homecoming game.

Club bowling team looking to expand

By Hye Kwon

Ever since sports television has included bowling in its
coverage, the sport has been the butt of many jokes and
stereotypes.

It’s been labeled "boring," a "recreation" and many other things
that would offend most serious bowlers, like UCLA’s Doug
Wilcox.

"I think the media has stigmatized bowling as a sport played by
fat, beer-bellied men, rolling a ball down the lane while drinking
a beer," Wilcox said. "There’s a lot more positives than a lot of
people think."

According to Wilcox, the fact that there are special interest
leagues such as seniors’ leagues and handicap leagues among others,
goes to show the general public’s accessibility to the sport. He
contends that it’s "every man’s sport."

Wilcox is so serious about the game of bowling that he dreams of
competing in the Professional Bowlers’ Association in the
future.

"I’ve come this far," he said. "I think if I don’t try it out,
I’ll be regretting it the rest of my life."

Wilcox is not the only bowling zealot on campus. He finds
company in the UCLA bowling team that is as committed as one would
find in other big-time intercollegiate sports.

They compete against other colleges such as Cal State Northridge
and Cal State Fullerton in the California Intercollegiate Bowling
Conference and also participate in various tournaments during the
year. The team will be travelling to UC Davis for a tournament Nov.
5-6.

Currently, the team has only four members ­ Wilcox, John
Novak, Patrick Gomez and Michael Sim ­ and it is looking for
some good bowlers.

"We’re looking to bowlers with the highest averages, but anybody
with an average of 170 or above is eligible for competition, as far
as we’re concerned," Wilcox said.

The team is also interested in organizing a league for Bruins
who want to bowl in an organized setting but do not quite have the
game to compete in intercollegiate tournaments.

Those interested in trying out for the bowling team should
contact the department of recreation in the Wooden Center for more
information.

Pac-10’s year of the quarterback? Try again next season

Eric Billigmeier

Memo to Wayne Cook: Maybe it’s not your fault. Everyone and
their Aunt Bea knows the deal ­ UCLA’s quarterback is not
having a good year.

He has shown flashes of his past self (read: 1993), like
Saturday vs. Arizona, but compared to last season, Cook has
struggled tremendously. At times this year, struggled was not a
sufficient description.

Now, early on, he did lose the services of his main receiver
(J.J. Stokes) and three of his offensive linemen, whose
replacements played like replacements. And for awhile, I accepted
those excuses as valid.

But not anymore.

Now I’ve got a reason for the season myself: Everybody reeks.
That’s correct, kids, virtually every signal-caller in the whole
Pacific-10 Conference is ridin’ a stink bomb in ’94. Cook is
trapped in a tornado of 10 guys who can’t seem to hit the broad
side of the Rose Bowl.

Basically speaking, it isn’t Wayne’s fault. It can’t be ­
he just happens to be stuck quarterbacking UCLA during a season in
which everything that was supposed to happen hasn’t.

UCLA was supposed to challenge for the league title again. Uh,
no.

The Pac-10 was supposed to, as usual, dominate their weak little
brothers from the WAC. Well, we got ’em twice. Out of eight.

Cal was supposed to suck eggs. Well, okay, a few things panned
out as expected.

Point being, nothing’s gone exactly as planned this year. That’s
especially true for the quarterbacks in this wacky league ­
yes, the same quarterbacks who were the objects of slobbering
flattery from every coach in the league at the conference’s
pre-season media day. All of them, in my fabulously humble opinion,
are chunkin’ it up. For instance:

*Rob Johnson (USC) In fairness, he’s been bothered by a nagging
ankle injury all season, but even when he was supposedly healthy,
he didn’t exactly play like it. His replacement? Brad Otton ­
now there’s a name that strikes fear into the hearts of men.

*Damon Huard (Washington) I could complete passes in an offense
featuring the nation’s best running back. Well, perhaps predicting
a Billigmeier completion is a tad excessive, but this guy’s still
not worthy of the tongue-on-the-ground praise he’s getting showered
with. Can you say o-(my goodness, he is so o-)verrated? I think
they invented that chant with him in mind.

*Dave Barr (Cal) His senior year went kaput, along with his
shoulder, when Donnie Edwards drove him into the turf. His
replacement? Kerry McGonigal. On the field? How about 61-0? ‘Nuff
said.

*Chad Davis (Washington State) So he led the Cougars to a 21-0
shellacking of UCLA at the Rose Bowl. On that day, my grandmother
could’ve quarterbacked and WSU would still have gone home smiling.
(Of course, Grammy did make all-conference back in ’42.)

*Don Shanklin (Oregon State) Okay, so he can run (72 yards on
one play against UCLA). But his only completed pass against the
Bruins came after his five-yard touchdown run ­ when he
flipped the ball back to the referee.

*Steve Stenstrom (Stanford) Perhaps this kid is the exception to
the 1994 Pac-10 rule, considering his ever-impressive numbers.
After all, Bill Walsh said Stenstrom’s got better mechanics than 75
percent of Sunday signal-callers. And of course, everything Sir
William says should be set in stone. All hail the Genius. Yup.

*Danny O’Neil (Oregon) Pretty solid when he’s not hurt. Of
course, when he is, the Ducks lose (unless they’re playing USC).
His backup, Tony Graziani, would be second-string on my IM
team.

*Jake Plummer (Arizona State) Everybody keeps saying Jake "The
Snake" is gonna knock ’em dead someday on Sundays, but opposing
pass rushers are doing a number on him on Saturdays. Soon he’s
gonna be gone to the NFL and we’ll all be left wondering why ASU
still reeks.

*Dan White (Arizona) Yeah, he’s improved, but he still throws
like my sister. Seriously, this guy’s throwing motion reminds me of
some schnookered frat boy tossing darts at McGinty’s.

So in the end, what do you have? One guy with great numbers and
a crappy team. A few with decent potential. One or two who have
improved but still rank right below Brad Johnson on the list of
all-time greats. And, as was totally unexpected in the Pac-10 this
year, a whole big bunch of stinkers.

So, Wayne, maybe that’s it. Maybe there’s a mechanism that
controls the quality output inside all the arms of Pac-10 QBs, and
this season, it’s saying, "Sorry, dude, you’re a quarterback. This
just ain’t your year."

Geez, if that’s true, maybe the Bruins shouldn’t replace Cook
with Ryan Fien. Do jinxes carry over? A ’94 quarterback hex could
ruin UCLA in ’95, too. Then again, maybe Fien’ll have better
excuses to work with.