Monday, November 17, 1997
FOOTBALL NOTEBOOKHusky coach may eat his words
A week ago, Washington head Coach Jim Lambright said the Bruins
looked as if they were just a notch below third-ranked Nebraska. It
was meant to be a compliment, but after UCLA’s 52-28 domination of
Washington, Lambright himself may be considering it a slight.
"I think they’re every bit as good as any team we’ve faced," he
said. "Yes, at this point in the season, even Nebraska."
Nebraska handed the Huskies a 27-14 loss in Seattle on Sept.
20.
Hicks’ speech has amazing impact
Although Skip Hicks had a major impact on Saturday’s game, his
biggest contribution may have come during Friday night’s team
meeting. Towards the end of the meeting he took center stage.
The effects of his speech went well beyond any expectations.
"Hicks got up and walked to the front of the room, and you could
have heard a pin drop," Toledo said. "Before he was done, one
player threw up. It just shows that this team was ready to play
(Friday) night. Our team is playing with emotion and intensity, and
they’re playing physical."
"I just told them I was going to go out and play hard and if we
were lost they were going to have to drag me off the field," Hicks
said. "This game meant more to me than the Rose Bowl in 1994."
Bye week helps Bruin game plan
Many feared that the bye week before Saturday’s game would have
an adverse effect on the Bruins  knocking them off the roll
they had been on for the previous six Saturdays.
It actually had an adverse effect on the Huskies, however, as
the bye week allowed the UCLA coaching staff more time to analyze
Washington and develop a stronger game plan than is possible in the
typical game.
"We got a chance to dabble with schemes," UCLA offensive
coordinator Al Borges said. "We did a lot of analyzing and tossed
out stuff we didn’t like. There’s no room for error during your
typical one-week stretch, but we were able to toss a lot of stuff
out that we didn’t like last week. You usually can’t do that."
Hicks, McNown set more records
Just about every game, Cade McNown and Skip Hicks break a school
or conference record, and Saturday was no exception.
McNown’s 16 pass completions upped his career total to 456,
passing Tom Ramsey’s previous school record of 441.
Also, Hicks’ touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) increased
his season total to 24 Â a new conference record.
"The line opened up great holes," Hicks said. "I owe my record
to my linemen because if it weren’t for them I wouldn’t get them
 they would do anything for me and I would do anything for
them too."
Bruins ready for crosstown rival
Don’t expect the Bruins to be looking past Saturday. After the
big win over Washington and with the mediocre season that the
Trojans (6-4, 4-3 in Pac-10) are having, the natural inclination
may be to overlook the crosstown rivals.
But the UCLA players know that nothing should be taken for
granted in this series.
"The USC-UCLA game is on a different level then any other game
we’ve played this season  it’s always in the back of our
minds," McNown said. "Everybody knows that it doesn’t matter what
kind of year you’re having; you can just come out and have an
unbelievable game no matter what."
Hicks added, "I don’t think it’s going to be hard to get up for
the USC game. To have what we have now  it’s just confidence.
Everybody’s excited; we just need to get ready for next
Saturday."
Bruins, Cougars to play at same time
Saturday’s game against USC will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and be
televised on a regional basis by ABC.
The Washington-WSU contest will start at the same time.
For UCLA, seven is a lucky number
The victory over Washington had a big influence on the
pollsters.
UCLA jumped to No. 7 in the Associated Press poll, ahead of
North Carolina and Georgia.
In the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll, however, the Bruins stand
at ninth.
In race for roses, just 6 teams left
The run for the roses enters the home stretch this weekend, with
three teams in each conference remaining eligible for a berth.
In the Pac-10, nobody controls their own destiny.
Washington State  There are two ways for the Cougars to
make it to Pasadena: 1) WSU wins and either UCLA wins or Arizona
State loses. 2) UCLA and ASU both lose.
UCLA Â The Bruins need to beat USC, and WSU needs to lose
to Washington
Arizona State  Needs to beat Arizona on Nov. 28 and hope
UCLA loses Saturday.
In the Big Ten, Michigan remains in control, but Ohio State and
Penn State are also eligible.
Michigan  If the Wolverines beat Ohio State on Saturday,
they’re in. However, if they lose, they need Penn State to win both
of its remaining games and have neither Ohio State nor Penn State
ranked in the top two teams in the final polls.
Ohio State  Needs to beat Michigan and hope that either
Penn State loses one of its two remaining games, or that they are
ranked first or second in the final polls.
Penn State  Need to beat Wisconsin and Michigan State,
hope that Ohio State beats Michigan, and hope that they are ranked
in the top two.
Notes compiled by Brent Boyd, Daily Bruin Staff