Monday, October 13, 1997
Bruins upset Ducks under pressure
FOOTBALL: Daunting first half forgotten due to defensive
comebackHear the score.
By Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Staff
You know you’re having a good season when you rack up 39 points
and 513 yards of total offense, and it seems as if the offense
struggled.
And that’s exactly what happened in UCLA’s 39-31 victory over
Oregon in front of a packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene Saturday
night.
In the past three victories the Bruins played near-perfect ball,
but in this game they needed to overcome some key mistakes. They
needed a game like this – a game that showed they could play under
dire circumstances – and play well.
Bruin quarterback Cade McNown fumbled on his own 14-yard line,
and Oregon returned it all the way for a touchdown and an early
21-10 lead.
Then, on the first drive of the second half, he throws his first
interception in four games – at the Oregon two-yard line, thwarting
a Bruin scoring drive.
The UCLA offense converted on only 5-of-13 third-down attempts,
and it blew two chances in the red zone in something it never
does.
And Chris Sailer actually missed an extra point.
Nevertheless, it was the offense that took over the game
Saturday and turned a near disaster into a momentum-builder for the
remainder of the Rose Bowl run.
"If we lose this game we (are) out of the Rose Bowl race for
sure," McNown, who finished 15-of-25 for 248 yards, said. "Right
now it’s not exactly in our hands, but if some things happen, we
still have a chance to go. We have to run the table for that to
happen."
On a four-game winning streak, the Bruins stand at 4-2, and 2-1
in Pac-10 play – one game behind Washington State. A loss would
have spelled the end of any Pasadena dreams for UCLA.
Meanwhile, the Ducks (3-3, 1-3 Pac-10) are headed due south –
after winning their first three games – they have now lost three in
a row.
"I don’t know about the state of the team," Oregon head coach
Mike Bellotti said. "I think they’re upset. I think they’re mad. I
hope they are."
The Ducks should be upset with themselves, as they blew a golden
opportunity to upset the 18th-ranked Bruins.
Oregon jumped out to a 21-10 lead midway through the first
quarter on the Bruins – a team that would have to play much of the
remainder of the game without key offensive contributors Skip Hicks
and Jim McElroy due to injuries.
Hicks bruised his knee on an 11-yard touchdown run in the first
quarter and played sparingly thereafter – finishing with 90 yards
on only 12 carries.
McElroy, meanwhile, suffered a concussion on UCLA’s first drive
and would not return until after halftime.
However, the Bruins were undaunted, and after falling behind
21-10, they outscored Oregon 29-3 over the next three quarters
until the Ducks scored a meaningless touchdown with 40 seconds
remaining.
"I haven’t done a very good job teaching this team how to take
advantages of opportunities," Belotti said. "And that’s my
fault."
The one player on the field who made the most of his
opportunities had to be McElroy.
Against his wishes, the Bruins’ leading receiver had to sit out
most of the first half – mainly because he couldn’t pass a "test"
that forced him to repeat statements and answer questions.
"I was kind of mad," he said. "I wanted to get back into the
first half after everything started clearing up, but they told me
no. They said I had to wait until halftime, and if I passed I could
come back."
He did, to the relief of the Bruins and to the agony of
Oregon.
On the second drive of the half, with UCLA trailing 24-20,
McElroy streaked down the middle of the field and caught a 40-yard
bomb for his fourth touchdown of the season and a three-point Bruin
advantage.
For a moment it seemed as if UCLA would wrap up the game on
Oregon’s next possession when Bruin linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo
intercepted an Akili Smith (16-of-23, 159 yards passing, 67 yards
rushing) pass and returned it 21 yards to the Oregon 21-yard line.
But, in one of the strangest plays of the season, he was stripped
of the ball by Smith – resulting in a turnover by the Bruin
defense.
However, the play would not end up hurting the Bruins because
the UCLA defense stopped the Ducks on two consecutive drives.
The defense performed admirably. The conference’s ninth-ranked
squad allowed big plays early and often but surrendered only 151
total yards in the second half.
Of particular note was the run defense. The Ducks ran all over
the Bruins early in the game – averaging over nine yards per carry
in the opening 30 minutes – but gained only 33 yards on the ground
in the second half.
The defensive performance helped lead the way to an eventual
Bruin blowout.
Midway through the third quarter, McNown had a 1-yard
quarterback sneak to put the Bruins up 33-24, and after that it was
all Sailer.
A 35-yard field goal put the Bruins up 36-24, and with two
minutes remaining in the game Sailer connected on a 56-yarder (a
UCLA and Autzen Stadium record) to put the final tally on the
scoreboard for the Bruins and a 39-24 lead.
All told, Sailer finished the day 4-for-4 on field goal tries –
extending his streak to 13 in a row.
It’s hard to tell who’s on the bigger roll, Sailer or the Bruins
as a whole.
Not a bad controversy to have.
Bruin wire services contributed to this report.
The Associated Press
UCLA running back Skip Hicks is downed by Oregon defenders
Brandon McLemore, No. 9, and Desmond Byrd, No. 99, in the first
half.