Monday, November 2, 1998
UCLA treats Stanford to sack of plays, tricks
FOOTBALL: Despite weak game, team still manages to squeak out a
victory
By Jeff Kmiotek
Daily Bruin Staff
The Bruins could have stayed home Saturday night because they
got their Halloween scare during the day.
Less than a week after becoming No. 1 in the important BCS poll,
the Bruins (7-0, 5-0 Pac-10) became escape artists against
Stanford, rallying from a 10-point deficit to squeak out a 28-24
win.
This was the same Stanford team that had just one win and the
worst defense in the Pac-10. The same Cardinal that came into the
Rose Bowl as a four-touchdown underdog against a team with a
nation-leading 16-game winning streak.
"That’s the worst we’ve played all year," said coach Bob Toledo.
"But to play as bad as we did and still win says something."
The Bruins had destiny on their side, overcoming penalties,
turnovers and overall sloppy play to do what they do best Â
win football games.
"We just had to come up with the W, no matter how ugly it looked
or how pretty it looked," said cornerback Marques Anderson, who
made the biggest play of the game, maybe the year.
Anderson, who had a sprained toe, was almost held out of the
game due to the injury. But with 10 minutes remaining before
game-time, he was given the signal to play, and the choice was a
blessing for the Bruins.
With four minutes left and UCLA leading by four, Stanford
quarterback Todd Husak fired a pass to Jeff Allen, who grabbed it
and sprinted toward the end zone. Anderson caught up to Allen and
raked the ball out of his grip at the one-yard line, an instant
away from Stanford taking the lead.
"I went for the strip. Luckily, it was there and it came out,"
said Anderson.
"Sometimes that’s where your big plays come from Â
luck."
"I thought we had it," said Husak. "When I saw what had
happened, it was devastating. It’s a shame that it had to happen
that way."
Another unlikely hero was tailback DeShaun Foster, who surprised
everyone when he appeared in the game in the second half. Foster,
out for two weeks with a sprained knee and expected to be sidelined
longer, didn’t even know he was going to play until halftime, when
Toledo decided it was an emergency.
Jermaine Lewis bruised his knee in the first quarter, and Keith
Brown was a bit tired, so Foster got the nod and proved himself. He
ran nine times for 51 yards, including the game-winner, an 8-yard
TD trot with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
UCLA had its fair share of chances to take control of the game
early but was continuously nailed by penalties. Cade McNown threw a
first-quarter touchdown to Danny Farmer, but it was called back on
a holding penalty. In all, UCLA committed 12 penalties for 125
yards.
"Mistakes just killed us," said McNown. "I wish we could have
played better a little early on, and I think we will next week. I
think we’ve learned some lessons in the last couple weeks. We’ve
escaped, but we haven’t dominated."
"I’m just shaking my head big time. I’m a fifth-year senior, I
don’t need these worries, but I guess it’s part of the game," said
offensive lineman Shawn Stuart.
The Bruins’ weak performance is not the only factor in the
game’s close call. Stanford overachieved, playing their best game
of the season. Husak torched the Bruin defense for 419 yards
passing, the second-most ever against UCLA. Receiver Troy Walters
had the bulk of the yardage, amassing 192 yards on 10 catches.
"We truly expected to win," said Walters. "We thought that they
might take us lightly and look ahead to USC and Washington. But we
didn’t make the big plays."
UCLA did come up with the big plays, as they have all season.
Although their statistics were mediocre and they made a number of
errors, they still found a way to win.
"How could you be displeased when you win a game like that?"
said defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti. "Sometimes you need a
little bit of magic, and we certainly had the rabbit’s foot
tonight."
The game ended on a sack by Travor Turner, whose nickname is
Sackmaster, though it was his first ever sack. Turner picked the
right time to live up to his name, completing the UCLA comeback and
keeping its winning streak alive.
"The team just talked and said, ‘Keep believing and never give
up,’" said Turner. "And we believed."DERRICK KUDO/Daily Bruin
Danny Farmer attempts to break a Stanford tackle at the Rose
Bowl last Saturday.
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