Monday, August 31, 1998
Texas seeks revenge on UCLA
PREVIEW: After 66-3 trouncing last year, Bruins hope Longhorns
won’t bear too much of a grudge
By Jeff Kmiotek
Daily Bruin Staff
Last year it was Rout 66. UCLA purely dominated and Texas was
completely humiliated. But this year, when the Longhorns stampede
into the Rose Bowl, things will be very different.
"They’re gonna be mad as hell," said Coach Bob Toledo.
Opening day will be here on Sept. 12, along with a bunch of
bloodthirsty, vengeful Longhorns. In a rematch of UCLA’s 66-3
thrashing a year ago, the 7th-ranked Bruins will have much at
stake. They will be looking to extend their winning streak to a
school-record 11 games. They will be shooting for the Pac-10 title
and a national championship. And although the season is just
unfolding, this contest may prove vital to the Heisman trophy
race.
And the Bruins realize it won’t be another walk in the park.
"Texas has something to prove from last year," said Toledo. "It
will be a wild football game."
The Longhorns will be bringing in a new head coach, Mack Brown,
and a new quarterback in fifth-year senior Richard Walton.
But one thing will be the same – All-Everything running back
Ricky Williams, who is touted (along with Cade McNown) as the
nation’s leading Heisman trophy candidate. Last season, Williams
led the nation in rushing (172.1 ypg) and scoring (13.8 ppg). He
has set virtually every Texas rushing mark and will be in hot
pursuit of Tony Dorsett’s career NCAA rushing record. Williams was
held to a season-low 36 yards on 13 carries against the Bruins last
year, but that was partly due to the fact Texas was down 38-0
before the halftime show.
"I just hope we can stop him before he gets started. He’s gonna
make his yards," said Toledo. "He didn’t have a very good game
against us last year, but he’s obviously very capable."
Defense coordinator Nick Aliotti’s plan to stop Williams is
simple.
"We’re gonna have eight or nine men in the box and try to stop
the run on first down and hopefully put them in long yardage and
passing situations. That gives us more of an opportunity to dictate
what we want them to do."
But that may not be as easy as it sounds. UCLA’s defense is
Toledo’s biggest concern this season, as the unit returns only four
starters. Strong safety Larry Atkins and outside linebacker Brendon
Ayanbadejo anchor a young defense that lost its top five tacklers.
And although Aliotti will utilize a new 3-4-4 defensive alignment,
the philosophy will be the same as last year.
Aliotti will still use the blitzing and attacking approach that
keyed UCLA to the second-best turnover margin in the nation. The
Bruins forced a whopping eight turnovers against Texas last season,
and if they can force just half that many, they’ll be in fine
shape.
This season, Brown has installed a defensive scheme that will
feature a pressure attack intended to stop the run. The rearranged
defense does pose some problems, but Brown has it all sorted
out.
"If they throw it over our heads and score, we’ll get the ball
back and hand it to Ricky Williams," he said.
And if there’s anyone capable of tossing the ball over their
heads, it’s Cade McNown. Flanker Danny Farmer will be the leading
recipient of McNown’s spirals, as he was recently named the No. 1
receiver on the depth chart.
Brian Poli-Dixon, Brad Melsby and the speedy Freddie Mitchell
round out a solid group of receivers. The starting tailback
position is still unsettled, as Jermaine Lewis, Keith Brown and
DeShaun Foster continue to battle in practice.
UCLA’s potent offense shouldn’t be too hard-pressed to find the
endzone against a Longhorn defense that allowed almost 400 yards
per game last year.
Unsung hero Craig Walendy has yet to practice for the Bruins due
to an arm infection and will be replaced at fullback by Durell
Price on opening day.
According to Toledo, the key to victory is for the Bruins not to
beat themselves.
"You tend to make more mistakes early in the season, and that’s
always a concern in the first game."
When the Longhorns arrive in Pasadena, they will already have a
game under their belt.
"I believe they’ll win their first game against New Mexico (on
Sept. 5)," said Toledo. "The game will help their new staff, and it
will give them a chance go against some live competition and work
out some of the kinks."
One thing the Longhorns won’t need is extra motivation. They’ll
be salivating to take the field against the despised Bruins. In
addition, they’ll have plenty of fans on their side. Texas has
already sold all of the 6,500 tickets it’s allotted, the most ever
for the Longhorns in a non-bowl game.
If practice is any indication, the Bruins will not have a
difficult time matching Texas’ intensity. The squad is enthusiastic
and fired up to begin the 1998 campaign.
They know another Longhorn beating would be the perfect way to
begin their journey to fiesta in 1999.