Donahue Is Truly Anxious to Test Cornhuskers : UCLA Coach Wants to See How Bruins Stand Up Against Big Eight Powerhouse

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said Tuesday he was “anxious” to take his football team to Lincoln on Saturday to play the University of Nebraska.

Then he reconsidered. “I don’t know if anxious is the right word,” Donahue said.

Indeed, it is the right word. Anxious is a form of the word anxiety and it suggests uneasiness, fear, apprehension. If is often used incorrectly as a synonym for eager, which suggests urgent desire, ardor or enthusiasm.

After losing to Nebraska, 42-10, in 1983 in Lincoln and then losing again, 42-3, the next year in the Rose Bowl, Donahue no doubt is anxious to try again.

UCLA is ranked No. 3 in the country by the Associated Press, while Nebraska is No. 2. And all 73,650 tickets for the game have long since been sold to fans eager to see the Bruins try again.

Last season, it was another Big Eight team, Oklahoma (now ranked No. 1) that embarrassed the Bruins, 38-3.

“I’m kind of anxious to see our team play a team the caliber of Nebraska,” Donahue said. “That will be a good yardstick to see if we can hang in there physically with a team like Nebraska. In the past, we haven’t been able to . . .

“We’re anxious to go and play Nebraska better this time. The last two Nebraska encounters--we can’t call them games they were so one-sided--I think even the staunchest UCLA fans would admit we were defeated in every phase of the game. Our players would like to show that we can do better than that.”

The players have logged a lot more hours in the weight room and have done a lot more all-out hitting both in spring practice and fall practice in anticipation of the “smashball” they have to play this week.

“Smashball” is another of Donahue’s words. It conjures up an image of a big, strong, ball-control team; a team that will run right at you and right over you.

“The real discrepancy in pounds is between our defense and their offensive line,” Donahue said. “There’s a huge discrepancy there.”

As for what Nebraska has done to his offense?

“They shut down your running game and make you throw the ball, and then when they know you have to throw, they’ve got you in a Catch-22 because that defensive front puts its ears back, puts its hands down and they play the pass rush so hard and put so much heat on that your linemen can’t survive,” Donahue said.

But this year, the UCLA offensive line is bigger than ever (averaging 276 pounds) and the quarterbacks are more mobile than ever, both starter Troy Aikman and backup Brendan McCracken. As Donahue points out, “It behooves them to be mobile against a team like this.”

For all his acknowledgement of Nebraska’s strengths, though, UCLA is far from conceding.

Donahue said, “They’re just a very physical and dominant-type team. But we can win this game if everything goes our way and we do what we’re supposed to do.”

The way Donahue sees it, there are three teams that have been in a class of their own this decade --Oklahoma, Nebraska and Miami. Those teams are “different” from the rest. Absolutely physically dominant. “After that, there are 20 or 25 other pretty good football teams,” Donahue said.

The question to be answered this weekend is how much closer UCLA is to being able to play with one of those very physical teams.

Donahue is anxious to see.

Bruin Notes Outside linebacker Carnell Lake was named Pacific 10 defensive player of the week after intercepting a pass, breaking up another pass and making nine tackles against San Diego State. He also was singled out by his coaches as the outstanding defensive player of the game. The coaches picked center Frank Cornish as the outstanding offensive player and singled out Scott Stevenson for his special teams play. UCLA Coach Terry Donahue called Lake, “One of the two or three best athletes on the team.” Donahue asked him last fall if he wanted to redshirt this season and come back as a running back, the position he was recruited to play. But Lake chose to stay at linebacker.