Friday, October 2, 1998
A little redemption
FEATURE: Though small in size, Jermaine Lewis can still play
with the big guys
By Rocky Salmon
Daily Bruin Staff
Jermaine Lewis, UCLA’s 1998 starting tailback, may have Aug. 30,
1997 hang above his head forever.
It was a game of many firsts for the UCLA football team; the
first game of the year, the first time place-kicking for Chris
Sailer and the first time Jermaine Lewis would run the ball in a
UCLA game.
As the seconds ticked off of the game clock, Lewis was given the
ball to run off-tackle on fourth down and goal to go to determine
the game. The loser would fall one place in the race for the Pac-10
lead and a shot at the Rose Bowl.
Lewis was immediately smothered by a pouncing Cougar defense,
securing UCLA’s loss as Lewis and the Bruins fell one yard and
three points shy of a win, 37-34.
Little did Lewis or head coach Bob Toledo know but that loss
would keep UCLA from playing in the Rose Bowl and from competing
for a National Championship.
As it turned out, Lewis was not supposed to be the tailback in
the waning moments of the game, but star rusher Skip Hicks was
exhausted from carrying the workload. Lewis’ inexperience would be
the difference as he drove to the goal line without waiting for his
holes to open.
"Lewis made an anxious run," Toledo said a year later. "He tried
to turn it up too quick and didn’t wait for his holes to open, but
he has learned greatly."
For many, having that play hang above their heads would drive
them crazy. Like Bill Buckner letting a baseball dribble through
his legs in the World Series or Chris Webber calling a non-existent
time-out against Duke in the championship game of the Final Four,
Lewis will be remembered in Westwood for the run that fell short.
That is unless Lewis can erase the memory of that run with a
brilliant 1998 year, in which he will have to replace Skip Hicks
and his touchdowns.
To say that Lewis was not affected by the Washington State game
would be undermining human nature.
"It took Lewis a few games to get out of the hole," Toledo said.
"But he has moved past last year and wants to prove what he can do.
He is more concerned about the here and now."
Amassing 282 yards and a 5.0 yard per run average in 1997, Lewis
briefly showed that he was a good back waiting in the wings.
Instead of letting that one yard scar his life forever, it just
provided more incentive to improve and become a better running
back.
"It was my first game, but I’m in college football and I am a
college tailback and should be able to make that play," Lewis said.
"After that game I took it upon myself to better prepare myself for
each game.
"I have said that being young and inexperienced is no excuse. I
just have to prepare harder."
Lewis has used last year’s Washington State game as a stepping
stone and a learning tool. He may have been stopped short by a yard
but has improved over the year by leaps and bounds, setting up an
exciting rematch with a Cougar defense that shut him down last
year.
With a good off-season program and the introduction of new
running backs coach Kelly Skipper from Fresno State, Lewis has
gained 173 yards and scored six touchdowns over the first two
games, putting him ahead of Skip Hicks’ last year’s record of
touchdowns scored.
Listed at 5 feet, 7 inches, but standing a few inches shorter,
Lewis is not your prototypical back. Through what Toledo calls
Lewis’ "little man complex," Lewis won the starting position away
from Keith Brown in practices and has maintained his starting
position, even though freshman sensation DeShaun Foster averaged
5.7 yards every time he touched the ball.
Using his "little man complex," Lewis has learned from Aug. 30
1997, and now uses his size and his offensive line to his advantage
to score, even on the same play he was stuffed on last year.
"Coach Skipper has taught me a lot of new things in order to be
a better back," Lewis said. "Now I use my height to stay low and to
hide behind my line. Because of the extra practice, I can read my
reads better and know when to turn up field to go north and south
and how to put a little power behind my hit to get me the extra few
yards."
Also leading Lewis’ improvement have been the extra coaches on
the field – the other running backs.
"There is a great camaraderie between the tailbacks and the
fullbacks," Lewis said. "We all critique each other, and it helps
out a lot because the other backs can pick up what you are doing
wrong."
No. 23 has used all of the advice he has gained from his fellow
teammates and coaches to improve. For Lewis, the beginning of the
Pac-10 season against Washington State will be the beginning of his
starting Pac-10 tailback career.
This Saturday will be a chance for him to prove that little men
can play in a big man’s game. You would think revenge would be on
his mind, but Lewis has other worries and a different
philosophy.
"Revenge is an emotional factor, but after a few minutes, it’s
going to change to business. It’s the opening game of the Pac-10
for us and the Cougars just lost against Cal so they will come out
hard.
"As for me thinking about revenge, sometimes things don’t go the
way you planned them. Things are not always what you want. That’s
what last year’s game taught me, and hopefully I can use that this
year."
Instead of the hostile confines of Pullman, the Bruins will
battle nemesis Washington State at the Rose Bowl. Instead of last
year’s Heisman candidate, Ryan Leaf, quarterbacking against UCLA’s
Heisman hopeful will give way to this year’s starter, Steve
Birnbaum. And instead of Skip Hicks in the backfield, UCLA will
return with the man who left the field last year against Washington
State, Jermaine Lewis.
Hopefully, Lewis can use what he learned last year after being
stopped a yard short and prove to the Cougars that even the
smallest man can make a big difference.
CHARLES KUO
Jermaine Lewis has put last year’s infamous fourth-down play
behind him by getting past the goal line six times in the Bruins’
first two games this year.
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© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board