A Late Arrival Against UCLA, Brown Hopes to Get to Peete Early

Washington’s Dennis Brown isn’t satisfied with the way he has been playing and he wants to do something about it for his homecoming.

Brown, a 6-foot 4-inch, 295-pound defensive tackle, was regarded as one of the best high school prospects in the country when he was at Long Beach Jordan.

Now he’ll be back in familiar surroundings Saturday when Washington meets USC at the Coliseum.

It’s a pivotal Pacific 10 Conference game for both schools but it’s especially meaningful for the Huskies. They’re 1-1 in conference play and another loss will virtually eliminate them from the Rose Bowl race. USC is the conference leader with a 3-0 record.

“I’m a little disappointed right now,” Brown said. “Things just aren’t working out right. In a game, I’ll get into the backfield and miss a tackle, or a sack--it’s a lot of mental stuff. Hopefully, this is the game that I’ll come out of my shell and go after some people.”

Washington (4-1) might well be unbeaten if Brown hadn’t gone after someone Oct. 1 in Seattle.

That someone was UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman. Washington led, 17-10, late in the third quarter.

On third and 10 at the UCLA 36-yard line, Aikman threw a pass that was incomplete, and a punt seemed imminent.

But Brown was cited for a late hit on Aikman and the 15-yard penalty allowed the Bruins to maintain possession. They went on to tie the game, then beat the Huskies on Aikman’s pass to Reggie Moore with 1 minute 28 seconds left, 24-17.

“It was a real tight call,” Brown said. “I don’t think Aikman even fell, but just stumbled back. But the referee called roughing the passer. A couple of plays earlier, the referee told us in the huddle that someone had hit (Aikman) in the face mask. But that’s in the past now. I don’t worry about it.”

Brown is now concentrating on trying to contain USC quarterback Rodney Peete and contending with a massive offensive line that protects him.

“It’s a big challenge for our defensive line,” Brown said. “Personally, I think the game can be won up front if we can eliminate Peete from scrambling around, picking out his receivers and then running for a 10-yard gain on second down.

“He’s real nifty, and if he finds a little seam, he’ll take it. He’s a fine, all-around athlete and we have to keep him from having a Heisman day.”

Asked to compare the quarterback styles of Peete and Aikman, Brown said: “Peete can do about anything he wants if you give him a chance to do it. Aikman just sits back there, waiting for his receivers to get open and then just pops ‘em with his strong arm.”

As for USC’s offensive line, Brown said: “They’re big guys who come off the line strong and hard. It’s going to be a challenge for us not to get tangled up with them. They could drive you back to the scoreboard.”

Brown said that he’ll be playing before family and a lot of friends and will also be playing against some friends, namely USC guard Mark Tucker.

“We became friends on a recruiting trip up here,” Brown said. “We sort of hung out. We went to a lot of things together. Hopefully, I’ll see him a lot on Saturday. I’ll talk to him across the line before the ball is snapped.”

Brown, a high school All-American, was heavily recruited by USC and Oklahoma.

“It was a gut feeling to choose Washington,” he said. “I wanted to get away from L.A. for a while. Also, Washington has turned out a lot of pro defensive linemen.

“Seattle is a lot more laid back than L.A. It’s a great place to relax and unwind while sitting out by the water.”

As a sophomore last year, Brown came close to setting school records for tackles for losses and yardage lost. He had 19 tackles for losses totaling 97 yards. He also had 9 sacks.

He has 3 sacks this season on a team that has just 6. USC’s defensive unit has 17 sacks. The Huskies were unimpressive in winning their first three games, against Purdue, Army and San Jose State, but gained more acclaim in the narrow loss to UCLA. Last Saturday, Washington beat Arizona State, 10-0, the first time the Sun Devils have been shut out at home in 11 years.

Even so, Brown remans unfulfilled as a player.

“It’s hard to explain,” he said. “I just have to get my mind seriously into it and I think this will be the game--I hope.”

Trojan Notes

USC leads the Pacific 10 in four team defensive categories: scoring, with an average of 12.6 points a game; total defense, 241.6 yards; rushing, 103.6 yards, and passing, 138 yards. . . . Cornerback Chris Hale leads the league in interceptions with 4 and split end Erik Affholter ranks No. 2 in receiving with 31 catches. . . . USC is averaging 74,788 in attendance for two home games and a crowd of 60,000 to 65,000 is expected for Saturday’s game. The school record for average home attendance is 73,708 set in 1947.

Larry Smith has an 8-0 record at the Coliseum since he became USC’s coach last year. . . . Don James, who has been Washington’s coach since 1975, needs one victory to tie USC’s John McKay (1960-75) for most conference victories with 70. . . . USC has beaten Washington in 9 of the last 10 meetings at the Coliseum. . . . USC’s possession time is nearly an hour more than its opponents, 2 hours 57 minutes 32 seconds to 2:02:28.

The Trojans have a 59% success rate on third downs, compared to 30.3% for their opponents. . . . USC doesn’t have a running back among the top 10 ground gainers in the Pac-10, yet the Trojans are fourth in rushing in the league with an average of 232.6 yards a game.