Monday, November 16, 1998
UCLA Roques UW for solid victory
RECAP: Balanced game, insane punt return gives Bruins ‘relaxed’
victory
By Jeff Kmiotek
Daily Bruin Staff
It was a Roques and Bowl afternoon for UCLA on Saturday.
The No. 3 Bruins (9-0, 7-0 Pac-10) clinched the Pac-10
championship and earned a berth in the 1999 Rose Bowl by rocking
Washington (5-5, 3-4) 36-24 at Husky Stadium. Rocking, as in Ryan
Roques.
The tailback-turned-cornerback returned a kickoff 81 yards in
the first quarter, and later scored on a 77-yard punt return to
give UCLA a 20-10 lead and a mountain of momentum going into
halftime.
With less than a minute remaining in the first half and the
Bruins clinging to a 13-10 lead, Roques took a punt at the UCLA
23-yard line and took off.
"We were going for the punt block, so I knew there wasn’t going
to be any specific direction for me to run, so I was just thinking,
‘I’m going to run to daylight,’" said Roques.
But there wasn’t much daylight, so Roques created his own. He
escaped a couple tackles, juked a couple defenders and turned on
the afterburner as flailing arms trailed him to the end zone.
"That was insane," said receiver Brian Poli-Dixon.
Added defensive coordinator Nick Alliotti, "(Roques) is a
stud."
"It was unbelievable effort and desire and heart. If every guy
plays as hard as he did on that play, we won’t have any trouble
winning," said quarterback Cade McNown.
And thanks to that play, as well as the exceptional performance
of kicker Chris Sailer, the offensive line and the entire defensive
unit, UCLA didn’t have much trouble winning.
As the Bruins celebrated their 19th consecutive victory amidst
hundreds of cheering fans in the southwest stands, Rose Bowl
representative Mel Cohen was there to present UCLA’s reward – the
Rose Bowl.
It’s a great prize that the Bruins are treasuring, but the
Granddaddy Of Them All is not the grand prize.
The Bruins are still aiming for a spot in the Fiesta Bowl and a
shot to capture the national championship.
"I’m very pleased with our football team. I’m really excited to
win the Pac-10 championship and we’re excited to represent UCLA in
the Rose Bowl," said Bob Toledo.
UCLA hosts USC this Saturday, then finishes up the season two
weeks later at the University of Miami. Those games won’t have any
Rose Bowl implications, but the Bruins must win both to remain in
the Fiesta Bowl hunt.
For now, the Bruins are the Pac-10 champs, after responding to
the challenges of coach Toledo by succeeding in this game, which
was deemed a "must-win."
The night prior to the game, UCLA’s video coordinator prepared a
tape that showed highlights of UCLA’s first eight games.
"My big emphasis for this game was that if you want to get on
the highlight film when the season is over, you’ve got to make some
big plays," said Toledo.
The Bruins took Toledo’s challenge to heart and responded right
away. UCLA won the coin-toss, elected to receive and put together
an almost flawless touchdown drive. Brad Melsby made a key 28-yard
reception and Jermaine Lewis capped off the nine-play, 65-yard
drive with a 2-yard touchdown run.
"It’s kind of fun to get seven points on the board early in the
game," said McNown. "We were already in front of the
eight-ball."
But the Huskies grabbed the cue stick, and on their first
offensive play, quarterback Brock Huard hit receiver Andre
DeSaussure with a 53-yard completion. It seemed ominous that Huard
would exploit UCLA’s struggling secondary throughout the game, but
that play proved to be a fluke. The Bruin cornerbacks stepped up
and allowed just one more pass over 20 yards, limiting Huard to 150
yards following that play.
"Defensively, we rose to the occasion," said Toledo. "We
simplified it a bit and tried to change it up more by putting in
more zones. I think if you do one thing too much, people will get
you."
For the Bruins, simple was better. And while Huard was kept in
check, McNown had yet another quality performance. He was given a
big assist from the offensive line, which didn’t allow a sack to a
Washington defense that led the nation with 48 sacks (5.3 per
game). McNown threw for 233 yards, including a 61-yard bomb that
Danny Farmer caught with a spectacular fingertip grab.
Farmer led all receivers with 134 yards on four catches, his
fifth 100-yard game of the season.
Although the offense was solid – possibly their most balanced
game of the season – they were plagued by missed opportunities in
the red zone.
But fortunately for the Bruins, when the offense failed to punch
it into the end zone, Sailer kicked it through the goal posts.
Sailer nailed a career-high five field goals, including a
season-long 47-yarder.
"The score would have really piled up if we had taken care of
some business in the red zone. You love to score touchdowns, but
Chris came through," said McNown.
The lack of touchdowns allowed the Huskies to linger around and
they barked back with a Braxton Cleman 22-yard touchdown run at the
close of the third quarter, cutting the UCLA lead to 26-17.
But then it was the offensive line’s time to shine. After McNown
began the fourth-quarter drive with a 10-yard completion, the
Bruins rushed the ball eight straight times for 64 yards,
culminating with a DeShaun Foster 1-yard touchdown leap. The Bruins
reclaimed the momentum and put the Huskies to sleep.
For the first time in five weeks, the Bruins and their fans were
able to relax in the fourth quarter and enjoy the victory. In fact,
UCLA Athletic Director Peter Dalis was able to stick his fabric
Rose Bowl insignia on his lapel with about five minutes left.
"Nobody can take the Rose Bowl away from us," said Toledo. "But
obviously, there is more football to be played."
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
DeShaun Foster prepares to stiff-arm Hakim Akbar of Washington.
Foster went on to rush for 73 yards for the day.
DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
University of Washington punter Ryan Fleming tries to stop Ryan
Rogues’ 77-yard touchdown punt return.
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