Monday, November 24, 1997
Alas, conquest of Troy not rosy
FOOTBALL:
Bruins share Pac-10 championship, but Cougars win the right to
the Rose BowlBy Mark Dittmer
Daily Bruin Staff
It was sweet, but it could have been sweeter.
UCLA won its seventh consecutive city championship, defeating
USC, 31-24, in front of a sold-out Memorial Coliseum. The win was
the Bruins’ ninth in a row, and with it they became co-champions of
the Pac-10.
But alas, as the Bruins put the finishing touches on their
victory, the Washington State Cougars were doing the same to their
crosstown rivals, the Washington Huskies. With that 41-35 win, the
Cougars also became co-champions of the Pac-10, and  because
they beat UCLA earlier in the season  won the right to
represent the conference at the Rose Bowl.
And so now the Bruins must play the waiting game: They will
certainly go to a bowl game, but they won’t know which one for
another two weeks.
For now, the Bruins can only bask in the glory of another
victory over their crosstown rivals. This one came relatively
easily compared to last year’s double-overtime comeback thriller.
After an exciting first half which ended deadlocked at 21, the
Bruins opened up a 10-point lead in the third quarter and looked to
be pulling away.
The Trojans came back, though, scoring a field goal with two
minutes to play and then recovering an onside kick to gain
possession one last time with over a minute remaining. But the
Trojans couldn’t move the ball against the Bruin defense, and USC
quarterback John Fox was intercepted by Bruin rover Wasswa Serwanga
on USC’s last offensive play.
"I’m extremely proud of this football team for being the best
football team in L.A. the last seven years," said UCLA head coach
Bob Toledo.
It’s been a wild ride for Toledo, whose team never figured to be
in this position after starting the season with two consecutive
losses. Both of the teams UCLA lost to then, Washington State and
Tennessee, are ranked among the top 11 teams in the nation.
"Our kids did a great job fighting back, never giving into it,"
Toledo said. "They have great character, a lot of pride and (they)
know how to win."
Bruin quarterback Cade McNown threw three touchdown passes, and
running back Skip Hicks ran for one touchdown pass, the 54th of his
college career. Meanwhile, UCLA cornerback Javelin Guidry led the
defense with 11 tackles and a key fourth-quarter interception.
"Before the game, I told the guys that I was going to give it my
all," Guidry said. "I told them I was going to get an interception,
and it came true. It happened."
UCLA’s dreams of a Pac-10 championship came true on Saturday,
and only a Rose Bowl berth could have made those dreams any more
fulfilling.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Cade McNown races down the sideline past Trojan defenders on the
way to a 31-24 victory over crosstown arch-rival USC on
Saturday.