Bruins’ Rose Bowl Hopes Vanish Because They Don’t Play Washington

UCLA lost more than just a game when California beat the Bruins, 27-24, Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

The loss virtually eliminated UCLA from the Rose Bowl race since unbeaten Washington is seemingly the class team of the Pacific 10 Conference.

The Bruins don’t play the Huskies this season, or in 1992. Some believed that UCLA got a break by not playing the Huskies. Not so.

In the tiebreaking formula that decides the Rose Bowl representative the first consideration is head-to-head competition.

If there is no such confrontation, then the Rose Bowl representative is decided on a point basis, four points for a conference win and three for a nonconference victory.

UCLA, 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Pac-10, has won two nonconference games, while losing to Tennessee.

Washington (4-0, 2-0), which has already beaten Nebraska and Kansas State, has one nonconference game remaining against seemingly outclassed Toledo next Saturday in Seattle.

Even if the Bruins win all of their remaining games, the Huskies would have to lose two conference games to provide UCLA with any hope of playing in the Rose Bowl.

So, essentially, UCLA is playing for a bowl bid--but not the Rose Bowl.

After reviewing the film of last Saturday’s loss to California, UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said the Bruins have to fix some things, starting with Saturday night’s game against Arizona at the Rose Bowl.

“We didn’t tackle as well as we did in the first three games,” he said, adding that was in part because of Cal’s blocking and the running of Russell White. “We also didn’t sustain our blocks against Cal.

“We also have to find a way to run a basic dive play without fumbling.”

He was referring to fullback Maury Toy’s fumble at the UCLA 27-yard line that enabled Cal to tie the score, 24-24, late in the fourth quarter.

Donahue said films showed that a Cal player didn’t force the fumble as reported. “One of our linemen was coming down inside to make a block, and the running back (Toy) collided with the lineman’s shoulder and the ball came out. We just flat fumbled the ball.”

Donahue added that the most disturbing aspect of loss was the fact that UCLA had a 10-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes to play.

“The game was in our grasp and that adds to the pain,” he said.

Donahue said that that UCLA didn’t generate as much of a pass rush on Cal quarterback Mike Pawlawski as he would have wanted. However, he said that Pawlawski threw quickly, at times negating the rush.

As for UCLA being conservative with a 24-14 lead, two running plays and an obvious third down pass that was incomplete, Donahue said: “I have a very good offensive coordinator in Homer Smith and he’s getting input from a lot of people. When he’s calling the plays and they work, people are saying he’s a genius and, when they don’t work, they say the wrong plays are being called.

“I don’t think we could argue with the criticism that the offense got stuck in the fourth quarter. Was it because of the plays we called, or the design, or execution of the plays, we’ll never know the answer to that question.”

UCLA had four possessions in the fourth quarter and didn’t make a first down.

“I don’t think we sat on the ball, but we just got stuck in the mud, didn’t execute the offense the way it needed to be executed to be able to win,” Donahue said.

Quarterback Tommy Maddox said after the game that UCLA tried to “bleed the clock (in the fourth quarter) and it backfired.”

Donahue said that he didn’t communicate to his quarterback any notion of working the clock in the fourth quarter.

Arizona (2-3, 1-2) is coming off a 54-0 loss to Washington on Saturday in Seattle.

Coach Dick Tomey was obviously impressed by the Huskies, saying: “I can’t think of a team that is better. There have probably been better offensive teams, but their defense is the most dominant group I have ever seen. I just can’t think of a team that reminds me of that group on defense.”