‘89 Loss to Arizona Was a Sign : UCLA: The 42-7 defeat was the Bruins’ worst in the Pac-10 in 10 years, and they failed to win after it.

In rehashing UCLA’s 1989 season, some people contend that the slide to a 3-7-1 record began with a 42-7 loss to Arizona at Tucson.

The Bruins didn’t win any of their remaining five games, tying USC, 10-10.

With Arizona playing UCLA Saturday at the Rose Bowl, Terry Donahue was asked Monday to reflect on last year’s game and the effect it had on his team.

“That game affected our confidence more than any game we played,” the UCLA coach said. “However, the slide became apparent in the opening game of the season against Tennessee.”

UCLA lost that one, 24-6, but it was the way in which the Bruins were beaten that disturbed Donahue.

“When we lost to Oklahoma this year (34-14 in an opening game), I said the attitude of our players was markedly different than the Tennessee game. In (the Tennessee) game we just said, ‘No mas, no mas’ and that started the slide.”

Nonetheless, UCLA had a 2-0 Pacific 10 Conference record--as it does now--when it lost to Arizona.

It was UCLA’s worst conference defeat in 10 years. Arizona gained 480 yards on the ground, an opponent’s record against the Bruins. The Wildcats also had 27 first downs, a school record.

“Arizona was so much better than we were that it was a joke,” Donahue said.

In that game, the Wildcats emphasized a power-I formation, deviating from their usual wishbone offense.

Asked if the change in offensive tactics was a major factor in the one-sided loss, Donahue said:

“It was a factor, but the major factors were that Arizona’s intensity level was so much greater than ours. They were a much faster and quicker team than we were. They played a lot harder than we did. We became discouraged early and didn’t compete well at all.

“In essence, they were still running the option whether they did it out of the wishbone or the power-I, and we were unable to stop it. We were also unable to stop their cutback play.”

Donahue said that when Arizona went ahead, 21-0, the game was essentially over.

Perhaps the difference between this year’s team and the 1989 team is that the Bruins don’t fold under adversity, or haven’t so far.

For example, Michigan led UCLA, 21-0, in the first half two weeks ago, but the Bruins responded by making a game of it before losing, 38-15.

UCLA is 2-2 overall and in first place in the conference. Arizona is 3-1 and 1-1 in the Pac-10 after being upset by California last Saturday in Tucson, 30-25.

“This is a big, big game for our team and a big game for Arizona,” Donahue said. “Psychologically, we would prefer that Arizona would beat Cal. The most important thing for our team is that we can go 3-0 and be in the thick of the conference race with a victory over Arizona.”

UCLA quarterback Tommy Maddox continues to play with the poise of a veteran, even though he’s a redshirt freshman.

He has completed 55.9% of his passes for 976 yards and four touchdowns and thrown five interceptions.

Maddox leads the league in yards per pass at 8.8 and has passed for more yards than Troy Aikman did in the first four games of the 1987 and 1988 seasons.

“He has a field presence about him that is very important in the quarterback position,” Donahue said. “He instills confidence in his teammates. He also has the ability to come up with a key play.

“He made a 12-yard scramble (against Washington State) that was a very important play (leading to the go-ahead touchdown in the 30-20 victory).

“And, after he threw an interception that they ran back for a touchdown, he was able to shake it off and come back and hit a deep ball. He has some very unusual skills and will become a premier player in the conference.”

Maddox, who started for the first time against Michigan, playing before a crowd of 104,000 at Ann Arbor, said that the crowd of only 34,190 at Pullman, Wash., was more disruptive to his signal-calling.

“The crowd at Pullman was 10 times louder,” he said. “At Michigan, I could talk to my receivers and they could hear me. From underneath the center at Washington State, the center couldn’t hear me. I was yelling as loud as I could and, hopefully, he could hear me and pass (the play) on to the guards and go from there.”