Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 17, 1994

How embarrassing. . . .

The Raiders, I mean. . . .

It’s bad enough that a team that has enough talent to reach the Super Bowl is 2-4 after losing to Miami in overtime Sunday. . . .

Making it worse was the spat between Hoss and the Boss in front of a national television audience. . . .

You’ve heard about the Raiders’ pride and poise? . . .

This was a case of too much pride and too little poise on the part of the quarterback, Jeff Hostetler, and the coach, Art Shell. . . .

Hostetler had a right to be upset about suffering more knockdowns than a tomato can in a 12-round fight and being the victim of questionable play calling, but should have kept quiet until the team retreated to the privacy of the locker room at halftime. . . .

Shell had a right to be upset about Hostetler voicing his opinions on the sideline, but shouldn’t have insulted his highly competitive quarterback by removing him from the lineup late in the first half. . . .

That both handled the situation poorly is a reflection on the kind of season the Raiders are experiencing. . . .

They have performed reasonably well during their last two losses to San Diego and Miami after showing nothing during their first two losses to San Francisco and Seattle. . . .

It’s merely that they keep finding ways to lose. . . .

The defense was superb much of the time at Joe Robbie Stadium, but wilted in the heat after getting little support from the offense and losing Chester McGlockton to injury. . . .

About the only way the Raiders masquerading as blockers could keep the Dolphins off Hostetler was to commit holding penalties. . . .

Most of those calls were apparent, but the Raiders got robbed when it was ruled that Tim Brown fumbled in the fourth quarter after a punt return. . . .

Replays indicated the fumble occurred upon contact with the ground. Instead, the Dolphins got the ball and took advantage of the break by driving to the tying touchdown. . . .

Dan Marino didn’t have a good game, but it sure beat Hostetler’s afternoon. . . .

*

Against the New York Giants, the Rams discovered the surest way not to blow a halftime lead is to hold their opponents scoreless in the second half. . . .

Dan Reeves might be the best coach in the NFL, but the lack of a veteran quarterback has caught up with him. . . .

One of these days, the San Diego Chargers might even convince the oddsmakers that they are for real. . . .

If that was the “second season” that began for UCLA Saturday night at the Rose Bowl, it might make the “first season” look good. . . .

Perhaps the return of J.J. Stokes will put some life into the Bruins next Saturday at Tucson, where they will need all the help they can get. . . .

Injuries and early departures to the NFL have hurt UCLA, but still don’t explain five consecutive defeats, including the yawner to Oregon State. . . .

During his first 13 years as coach, Terry Donahue’s Bruins lost as many as three games in a row only once. . . .

But this is the third time in the last six years that the Bruins have lost five in a row. . . .

It will take a major upset against nationally ranked Arizona on the road for UCLA to avert a six-game losing streak, its longest since the World War II season of 1943. . . .

*

In contrast, USC appears to be improving. . . .

The Trojans have shown resiliency the past two weeks, winning at Palo Alto after trailing Stanford, 10-0, and at Corvallis after trailing Oregon State, 13-2. . . .

The young defense and the young tailback, sophomore Shawn Walters, are maturing. . . .

Sophomore quarterback Brad Otton has performed admirably in relief of Rob Johnson and the Trojans will be OK at the most important position as long as Otton stays fit. . . .

I would pick Penn State, with its explosive and well-balanced offense, No. 1, but it would be hard to vote against Colorado the first week in January if the Buffaloes remain unbeaten despite a difficult schedule. . . .

Michigan is the best 4-2 team in years. . . .

Think the networks are Eastern-biased? During the USC-Stanford game, which was televised only in the West, the graphic on ABC said the UCLA-Oregon State game would start at 10 p.m. EDT. . . .

Look-alikes: Actor Dennis Quaid and BYU quarterback John Walsh. . . .

Duke is a football factory. . . .

Probation Power: Auburn, Texas A&M; and Washington are a combined 18-1. . . .

I was surprised there was so much scoring in the Arizona-Washington State game.