Monday, December 14, 1998
Hurricanes sweep up unproductive defense
MIAMI: Fiesta time will have to wait for Bruins; 20-game win
streak ends
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
With a little over four seconds left, down 49-45 and 30 yards
away from the end zone, the UCLA football team could have used a
little of that Tyus Edney magic.
UCLA senior quarterback Cade McNown could’ve had a lot in common
with Edney, the Bruin senior point guard who dribbled a basketball
the length of the court to give UCLA a one-point victory over
Missouri in the 1995 NCAA tournament. Edney’s shot kept the Bruins
alive en route to their 1995 basketball title – the 11th in school
history.
Instead, no miracle occurred and the Bruins’ national
championship hopes were dashed with the end of the team’s 20-game
win streak in a 49-45 loss to Miami at the Orange Bowl.
"They’re upset right now," UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said.
"They know they let something slip away. The Fiesta Bowl is
gone."
The Bruins (10-1) fell in all of the rankings – including the
Bowl Championship Series, in which UCLA went from second to
fifth.
But McNown did do everything possible to win the game. He threw
for a school record 513 yards and accounted for all six Bruin
touchdowns – five passing, one rushing.
The defense for UCLA, though, did not force a single turnover
and allowed the Hurricanes to set a new team record with 689 yards
of total offense.
"We just couldn’t get them stopped," Toledo said.
"Our defense didn’t play well, and if you don’t play good
defense, you don’t deserve the national championship."
After finding the Bruins down 21-17 at halftime, McNown led the
team back with three quick touchdowns.
A 14-yard pass to flanker Danny Farmer opened the scoring in the
second half. Then two deep bombs to Brian Poli-Dixon and Brad
Melsby made the score 38-21 in favor of UCLA.
The mystique of the Orange Bowl, though, would not allow UCLA to
extend its 20-game win streak.
Miami became only the second school in NCAA history, along with
Princeton, to stop winning streaks of 20 or more games four times –
and every single time in the Orange Bowl.
Hurricane tailback Edgerrin James ran wild on a UCLA defense
that came in ranked 91st in the nation in yardage allowed. James
finished the day with a jaw-dropping 39 carries on 299 rushing
yards and three touchdowns – including the go-ahead score with only
50 seconds left in the game.
"What showed today was our immaturity on defense," McNown
said.
The Associated Press
Brian Poli-Dixon stands dejected, and University of Miami fans
begin to celebrate after UCLA lost at the Orange Bowl, 49-45, on
Dec. 5.
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