Tuesday, October 28, 1997
Football Notebook
FOOTBALL NOTES
Spring was a sweet season indeed this year for UCLA linebacker
Brendon Ayanbadejo.
On Saturdays in the fall of 1996, Ayanbadejo could be found on
the UCLA sidelines; during the entire ’96 season he played just 30
defensive snaps, finishing the season with six tackles. And UCLA
spent the winter in hibernation, missing a bowl game by one
victory.
Then, come spring, Ayanbadejo blossomed. He showed UCLA coaches
enough during spring drills to be tentatively named a defensive
starter for the 1997 season.
"I think I emerged in the spring," Ayanbadejo said, "because I
told myself that when the spring started that I was going to go out
and play football like I know I can."
Now, in the fall of 1997, Ayanbadejo is harvesting the fruits of
his spring labor. He is fourth on the Bruins with 32 tackles, and
he leads the team in tackles-for-loss, with 12.
Ayanbadejo, a junior, played one year of football at Cabrillo
College in Santa Cruz. In that season (1995), he chalked up 130
tackles, 14 sacks and 32 tackles for loss.
Then he came to UCLA, where senior Philip Ward and juniors Brian
Willmer and Danjuan Magee were fixtures on defense as the team’s
three starting linebackers.
"It was frustrating," Ayanbadejo said. "You go out and play a
play and then come back on the sideline, get cold, then you go out
and play another play. That’s where it starts, though. Every man’s
got to pay his dues."
But with the graduation of Ward, a spot opened up for Ayanbadejo
at linebacker. He won the spot, and immediately proved himself
worthy of it. In his first game as a starter (against Washington
State), Ayanbadejo made eight tackles, more than doubling his
career total as a Bruin.
"Brendon has performed real well," UCLA head coach Bob Toledo
said. "He had a real good spring. He’s got a lot of athletic
ability. He’s a strong guy, he’s very fast, he’s very quick. He
plays with great intensity."
Next year, he will be all the more invaluable to the Bruins, as
his fellow linebackers Willmer, Magee and Jason Nevadomsky are all
in their last year of college football.
"I just want to come out next year and, basically I want to stay
healthy. I want to be bigger, faster, stronger."
Bruin opponents be warned.
* * *
With 11 completions in 20 throws for 259 yards, Cade McNown
became the nation’s leader in passing efficiency, with a rating of
168.98.
"I’m excited for him," Toledo said. "He’s more than reached my
expectations. For a junior he’s playing as well as I thought he’d
ever play. I’m really proud of him."
McNown has come a long way since last season, when he finished
the year with more interceptions (16) then touchdown passes (12).
This year he has turned those statistics around, with 16 touchdowns
and just four interceptions. And he is tearing up the UCLA record
book in the process, adding the record for career passing yardage
to his resume last week.
"I knew that with his work ethic and with his character that he
would be better than he (had performed in the past)," Toledo said.
"It was just a matter of time."
* * *
With only three games remaining in the season and the Bruins
tied for third place in the conference, scoreboard-watching has
officially begun.
"I was in there cheering the last 3 minutes," Toledo said of
Washington State’s 35-34 win over Arizona on Saturday. Washington
State is undefeated, and the UCLA needs the Cougars to lose twice
for the Bruins to make it to the Rose Bowl. "We were all cheering
and hoping that the ol’ Wildcats could pull it off.
"If they can run the table so be it. My hats are off to them. We
can’t worry about them because we don’t have control over that
either. We’ve got to take care of our own business and then see
what happens to them."
* * *
UCLA’s return teams have continued to struggle as of late, and
this week Toledo may go to one familiar Bruin for help.
"With respect to kickoffs, we’re going to talk to (Skip) Hicks a
little bit; see if he’d like to return," Toledo said Monday.
"(Hicks) has been asking (running back coach Skip Peete) if he
can return some and he’s been back there (in practice) catching
them all the time. Maybe we need a little bigger back to head up in
there."
With that in mind, back-up running back Keith Brown will also
get a look in practice this week as a kickoff returner. Brown
stands 6-0, 206.
Jim McElroy will continue as the punt returner.
* * *
Sophomore wide receiver Brad Melsby, who missed all of last
season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and all of this
season thus far with an unspecified illness, will return to
practice this week.
"Brad wants to return and we’re going to allow him to return,"
Toledo said Monday. "Obviously what he had was not his fault. It’s
not like he quit the team. He took a leave of absence because of an
illness. He’s going to return and we’re excited to have him back
with our football program."
Melsby will not play this Saturday against Stanford.
The Bruins have a bye the following week, and Toledo hopes he
will be able to return to the team for their November 15 contest
against Washington.
Compiled by Mark Dittmer, Daily Bruin Staff