Stanford Gives Bruins a Wake-Up Call : UCLA: Loss to a physically tough Cardinal team shows that the football program is not quite where Donahue wants it to be.

When it appeared that UCLA was on its way to a 9-2 record and a bid to a high-profile bowl game, the Bruins took a step backward.

They lost to Stanford, 27-10, last Saturday night at Palo Alto and must regroup for their final two regular-season games against Oregon Saturday at the Rose Bowl and against USC Nov. 23 at the Coliseum.

The Bruins, 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference, are assured of a winning season, but they had set their sights higher.

“The Stanford loss was disappointing,” UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said Monday. “We went up there believing we could win and got our clocks cleaned. Now we have two choices. We can either lie down and take it again, or get up battling.

“Hopefully, we’re of the disposition to come back and play better.”

After losing seasons in 1989 and ‘90, the Bruins have obviously improved, but the football program is certainly not where Donahue wants it to be.

It seems as if UCLA’s victories have come against teams that were not physically dominating.

Stanford, dispelling an image of the past, was physical, with a huge offensive line and a powerful fullback in 235-pound Tommy Vardell.

Asked to assess the physical nature of his team, Donahue said: “I’ve tried to be objective about our football team this season. I’ve said it was a little bit deeper, a little bit bigger and a little more physical than it was the last two years.

“But I also said that we weren’t clearly out of the woods, that we haven’t solved all the various ailments that we have to solve to get back to a certain level. We’re getting closer, but I don’t think we have this thing whipped yet. And the Stanford game is a pretty good indicator.

“There are times when we are physical enough, and other times that we aren’t, and Saturday night was an example.”

Stanford lined up in a nine-man defensive front, daring UCLA to throw long.

Quarterback Tommy Maddox couldn’t quite make connections with his wide receivers.

“We had countless opportunities to beat that defense, and we didn’t,” Donahue said.

Donahue said that tailback Shawn Wills will miss sit out the Oregon game. Wills has a sprained right knee.

With Wills unavailable, it would seem that Kevin Williams, UCLA’s leading rusher, will finally get an opportunity to start.

Williams has yet to start a game this season.

Donahue said that Williams will start if he recovers from a recurring ankle injury.

If not, fullback Kevin Smith, who has played tailback, would play, along with Ricky Davis.

A Citrus Bowl official quickly lost interest in UCLA when it lost to Stanford. Ronald Magruder said that the bowl is interested in teams with records of 9-2, or better.

So what are UCLA’s bowl prospects?

Athletic Director Peter Dalis said that John Hancock Bowl representatives are still interested in the Bruins.

The Hancock Bowl is held Dec. 31 in El Paso. USC played there last year, losing to Michigan State, 17-16.

Dalis also said that the Aloha Bowl Dec. 25 in Honolulu is a possibility.

He doubts UCLA would play in the Freedom Bowl, considering the opponent would be the runner-up in the Western Athletic Conference, Brigham Young or San Diego State, teams the Bruins have already beaten.

Then again, the Freedom Bowl might not be interested in UCLA. Stanford is reportedly the Freedom Bowl’s West Coast choice.

If UCLA plays in the Hancock Bowl, Dalis said the opponent probably would be a Big Ten team--Ohio State, Indiana, or Illinois.

Oregon (3-6, 1-5) has had an inordinate amount of injuries this season. The Ducks have been especially hurt at quarterback. Bob Brothers became their fifth to start at quarterback last Saturday night against Arizona State at Tempe, Ariz. Oregon lost, 24-21.

Brothers, who previously moved from quarterback to wide receiver, was needed at quarterback again when Danny O’Neil, Brett Salisbury and Doug Musgrave were injured. Another quarterback, Kyle Crowston, started against Stanford Nov. 2, but was ineffective.