Monday, December 14, 1998
Defense, Poli-Dixon redeemed against Golden Bears
CALIFORNIA: Decisive plays destroy Cal’s momentum, pave way for
UCLA victory
By Rocky Salmon
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Riding into Berkeley after an emotional overtime victory over
Oregon a week earlier, UCLA had to rely on trench warfare to
squeeze by a hungry Cal team.
Winning 28-16, the Bruins used a receiver who had dropped two
crucial passes against Oregon, a halfback who threw for a
touchdown, and a defense which had given up 40 points the preceding
week.
The Golden Bears jumped out to a quick lead but then for the
next UCLA possessions, the game would become the Cade McNown and
Brian Poli-Dixon show. For Poli-Dixon, his two touchdown grabs in
the first quarter would be sweet revenge for all the critics who
lambasted him after the Oregon game.
The second grab was one in which dreams were made. McNown lofted
a 35-yard pass that seemed out of the reach of Poli-Dixon, but he
made a miraculous adjustment and leaped to grab the ball to give
UCLA a 14-7 lead.
And that is when the defense came to life to keep the Golden
Bears from upsetting their sister school.
In Westwood, the Cal game will forever be remembered for two
huge defensive goalline stands that closed the door on any attempts
for a Golden Bear upset.
"We had a good defensive scheme, and the defense picked it up,"
head coach Bob Toledo said. "The key was to create a new line of
scrimmage and our defense created a new line of scrimmage in the
backfield."
Just before halftime Cal was driving in for a score when the
defense stepped up.
With less than a minute to play and Cal at the two yard line,
fullback Joshua White tried to go over the left tackle and was met
by freshman linebacker Robert Thomas, who forced a fumble. Larry
Atkins was quick to pounce on it.
The next great stand came as Cal moved the ball to the 2-yard
line once again. This time for four plays, the Bruins stuffed Cal’s
attempts to make it into the endzone. Four big plays that secured a
UCLA win.
The dagger in Cal’s heart would be Jermaine Lewis’ halfback toss
to a wide open Brad Melsby. Game over. Checkmate.
In the end, Cal turned out to be a showing of how tough UCLA’s
defense could be when everyone clicks. So, on Oct. 24, the Bruins
outlasted the Golden Bears in the trenches.
JAMIE SCANLON-JACOBS/Daily Bruin
Golden Bear players scramble to recover a fumble that UCLA
finally recovered at California Memorial Stadium.
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