2000 PAC-10 STANDINGS SOURCE: www.Pac-10.org Original graphic by SEAN
WATERS/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Web adaptation by MIKE OUYANG/Daily
Bruin Senior Staff
By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter
If any avid Bruins finished watching Wisconsin’s 21-20
come-from-behind victory over UCLA in the 2000 Sun Bowl and felt
dizzy, there is no need to seek medical attention. The fan just got
off the Bruin roller coaster and after a ride like the 2000 season,
it’s normal to feel a little nauseated.
The Bruins took a 17-7 advantage into the locker room in El
Paso, Texas. DeShaun Foster had just finished dismantling the
Wisconsin defense for 100 first-half rushing yards. Cory Paus
finished the half with 15 completions and 174 yards, including a
64-yard strike to Freddie Mitchell.
UCLA GAMES IN 2000 Â
Opponent Win/Loss
Score Sept. 2 Alabama (3) W 35-24 Sept. 9 Fresno
St. W 24-21 Sept. 16 Michigan (3) W 23-20 Sept. 23 Oregon L 10-29
Sept. 30 Arizona St. W 38-31 Oct. 14 California L 38-46 (30T) Oct.
21 Oregon St. (19) L 38-44 Oct. 28 Arizona (24) W 27-24 Nov. 4
Stanford W 37-35 Nov. 11 Washington (7) L 28-35 Nov. 18 USC L 35-38
Dec. 29 Wisconsin L 20-21 6-6, pct .500, T-5th in Pacific-10
SOURCE: www.Pac-10.org Original
graphic by TIMOTHY NGO/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Web adaptation by
CHRISTINE TAN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
As the players emerged for the second half, the injury bug bit
them where it hurt the most. In cruel twist of fate, Paus would not
return due to a broken collarbone, coincidentally the same injury
that knocked him out of the season’s first test against
Alabama. Both starting cornerbacks also failed to return after
halftime.
Wisconsin took advantage of the depleted defense and the
disrupted offense, outscoring the Bruins 14-3 in the second half to
steal the victory.
“We played hard, had a lot of injuries and didn’t
get it done in the end,” UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said
after the game. “In short, it was a mirror to the entire
season.”
Toledo’s assessment was apt. The 2000 Bruins jumped out of
the gate with a 3-0 record, including two victories over schools
that were ranked No. 3 in the nation at the time.
The season’s first game against Alabama was bittersweet.
While they did knock off a No.3 school 35-24 behind DeShaun
Foster’s 187-yard rushing performance, UCLA lost Paus to
injury on the first series of the year.
A comeback victory against Michigan in front of the largest
regular season, non-USC-game crowd in the history of the Rose Bowl
created even more momentum and by the end of September the Bruins
had a strong 4-1 record ““ the only loss came at the hands of
eventual co-Pac-10 champion Oregon.
The fourth victory was against Arizona State. In that game the
Bruins overcame a 21-point second quarter deficit, though it cost
them the services of Foster, who left the field with a fractured
right hand.
Despite the injuries, the Bruin roller coaster seemed to be
going nowhere but up until Oct. 14, when the track began it’s
terrifying free-fall descent.
The Bruins scored 14 fourth-quarter points against the lowly
California Bears to tie the game at 28. UCLA matched Cal through
two overtime periods, but failed to score on the third, giving the
underdog Bears a 46-38 win.
“We needed this game,” Bruin cornerback Jason Bell
said after the game. “We should have had it.”
UCLA went on to lose four of its next six contests, including a
38-35 embarrassment against USC, ending up with a disappointing
.500 record after starting the year 4-1.
In 2001, 16 starters return to take the field on opening day,
along with new defensive coordinator in Phil Snow and a healthy new
attitude.
“If there is something good to take from all of the
injuries we had last year, it’s the fact that we’ll
have more experience at every position,” Bruin senior wide
receiver Brian Poli-Dixon said. “Our main goal is just to be
consistent on the field. If that happens, I like our chances this
year.”
Even when surrounded by Magic Mountain’s Goliath and
Disneyland’s Matterhorn, the 2001 UCLA Bruins could still
offer the wildest ride in Southern California.