Shadowed by Loss to Cal, UCLA Is Facing Arizona

If UCLA holds to its pattern of the past 15 games, the Bruins will beat Arizona tonight at the Rose Bowl.

UCLA alternately has won and lost during this span, and Coach Terry Donahue’s team is coming off a 27-24 loss to California.

It was a bitter defeat in many aspects. Not only did the Bruins lose on a 47-yard field goal in the final 30 seconds to a traditional rival, the loss virtually eliminated UCLA from the Rose Bowl race.

Unbeaten Washington is the clear-cut favorite to win the Pacific 10 Conference championship. UCLA, 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Pac-10, doesn’t play the Huskies this season.

So, it appears that for UCLA to stay alive in the title race, it would have to win its remaining seven conference games and Washington would have to lose twice--an unlikely event in either case.

Nonetheless, UCLA has other priorities, such as its first winning season since 1988 and an invitation to a bowl game of some kind.

Donahue isn’t sure how his team will respond after its disheartening loss to Cal.

“I’m assuming we have character and we are competitive, and I would hope we would want to play hard every week regardless of where we are in the conference race,” he said.

Arizona, 2-3 and 1-2, is trying to rebound from a 54-0 rout by Washington last Saturday in Seattle.

Arizona made it easier for the Huskies--as if Washington needs any help--with seven turnovers.

Moreover, the Wildcats have been riddled by injuries this season with 13 starting players missing one or more games. Three are out for the season, and another, linebacker Greg Shapiro, has been advised to give up football because of a congenital neck problem.

Arizona Coach Dick Tomey doesn’t dwell on the injuries. He has a motto, “Who’s next?” in regard to available players. It would be more appropriate to say, “Who’s left?”

Injuries have deprived Tomey of some of his key players on offense, such as fullback Mario Hampton, who has a sprained knee.

Charles Levy, a multitalented player from Lynwood High, has a sprained ankle, although he may play tonight.

Levy, who plays tailback, part-time quarterback and kickoff return specialist, has accumulated an average of 172.2 yards a game in all-purpose running to rank second in the Pac-10 behind Cal’s Russell White.

Arizona was a triple option team at times last year with a running-type quarterback, Ronald Veal. Now that Veal has gone, Tomey has altered the offense.

“We’re spread out over the field a little bit more,” Tomey said. “It has been effective at times but has been met with mixed reviews. But we believe, with the personnel we have, we’re doing the right thing.”

George Malauulu, an ambidextrous quarterback from Carson High, directs the attack. His passing statistics are ordinary, ranking him seventh in the Pac-10.

Arizona has an accomplished running back in Billy Johnson, a tailback who was moved to fullback after Hampton injured his knee against Ohio State on Sept. 7 in a season-opening game. Johnson is averaging 6.8 yards a carry.

That he is playing at all is somewhat miraculous. He had an asthma and bronchitis attack last year that was regarded as near fatal.

“He almost passed away and stopped breathing at one time, but he came back from that,” Tomey said. “He missed spring practice, and we didn’t expect him to contribute as much as he has.”

Arizona’s injury problems have been compounded by a demanding schedule. The Wildcats opened the season by losing to Ohio State, 38-14; beat Stanford, 28-23; lost to California, 23-21, and routed Cal State Long Beach, 45-21, before being routed by Washington.

After UCLA, Arizona will have a week off before playing Miami, No. 2 in the nation.

Arizona had the distinction of beating both UCLA and USC on their home fields last year, an accomplishment that prompted a picture layout in the Arizona media guide with the caption, “They Swept L.A.”

UCLA’s 28-21 loss to Arizona was frustrating inasmuch as Bruin quarterback Tommy Maddox threw an apparent touchdown pass to split end Sean LaChapelle on the final play of the game.

However, it was ruled that Maddox had stepped over the line of scrimmage, and the touchdown was nullified.

Bruin Notes

The Bruins are 14-point favorites. . . . Statistical comparison: UCLA is first in the Pac-10 in passing offense, averaging 273 yards a game. Arizona is eighth, averaging 141.4 yards. The Wildcats are fourth in rushing offense, averaging 190.6 yards. The Bruins are 10th, averaging, 157.8 yards. . . . UCLA quarterback Tommy Maddox threw three touchdown passes last year against Arizona. He also threw an interception that cornerback Darryl Lewis returned 70 yards to a touchdown with 50 seconds remaining.

UCLA cornerback Carlton Gray has made an interception in each of UCLA’s last four games and is tied for the national lead with his average of one a game. . . . Maddox completed 13 of 15 passes in the first half against Cal, but only six of 18 in the second half. However, some incompletions were desperation attempts in the final seconds.

UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said Arizona’s Dick Tomey likes to surprise opponents with some gimmick plays, such as a reverse on a kickoff and runs from punt formation. Donahue added that Arizona might return to its wishbone offense tonight. In 1989, with two weeks to prepare for the Bruins, Tomey installed a triple-option offense that caught UCLA by surprise, the Wildcats winning, 42-7, in Tucson.