Glass for McNown Is Half-Empty

Cade McNown was not trying to match Ryan Leaf, and good thing, because the way Leaf’s passes sent the Bruin defenders spinning and slipping on Saturday, even Peyton Manning might not have been able to match him.

Which is interesting, since Manning and the Tennessee Volunteers come up next in this frightening, front-loaded UCLA season. And James Brown and Texas after that.

Was this strange 37-34 loss to Washington State a sign of things to come: UCLA bumbles, McNown fumbles, defensive stumbles, and then a wild, McNown-led rush at the end?

With this schedule, no matter how hard Skip Hicks runs or how scrappy the Bruin defense plays, the UCLA early season could all come down to McNown, scrambling and pump-faking, bombing and getting blasted.

Pass or fail. Basically a four-quarter sprint, and let’s see who falls short at the finish line. Saturday, it was UCLA, by about a foot.

But not until the Bruins rallied from 30-14 and 37-21 deficits, not until McNown kept one second-half touchdown drive alive with two gigantic first-down runs, floated a 50-yard pass to Jim McElroy to trigger another, and completed all five of his passes (for 75 yards) on UCLA’s last, almost-winning drive.

The towering Leaf was dangerous throughout--throwing for three touchdowns and a career-high 381 yards and displaying the strongest arm in the West--and Hicks set a career mark with 190 rushing yards.

But, after McNown muddled through a five-for-14, one-fumble performance in the first two quarters, the second half was played at McNown’s pinball pace. Maybe the next few weeks of UCLA football will too.

In the second half, McNown completed 14 of his 20 passes for 208 yards. For the game, he was 19 for 34 for 257 yards.

“I thought he was very poised and very composed out there,” offensive coordinator Alan Borges said of McNown. “He kept his head in there and he got us back in the ballgame. He never panicked. I was real proud of him.

“He showed me today that he has some maturity. If he can maintain that level of composure, I think we’re going to be a good football team.”

Though UCLA scored two touchdowns, one created by Hicks’ 92-yard run, another by linebacker Ramogi Huma’s interception, McNown completed two passes to wide receivers in the first half.

“We had a lot of three-and-outs and some big plays, but we didn’t have many sustained drives,” McNown said. “So we kept putting our defense back on the field too fast.”

Looking disjointed, McNown never got into a groove as Leaf led Washington State to score after score after score.

“I wasn’t an integral part of the offense in the first half, as far as moving the ball,” McNown said. “I was handing it off, more just kind of pushing buttons. I wasn’t doing a lot in the first half.

“I think the coaches came out and felt we needed to get it to our wideouts a little more.”

And, in the second half, they did.

McNown completed his first five passes in the second half, buying extra time against the Cougar blitz by rolling out and finding McElroy and Danny Farmer open downfield.

McElroy and Farmer combined for seven catches for 139 yards in the second half, 94 by McElroy.

“He came and responded well,” UCLA Coach Bob Toledo said of McNown. “Their front people put some pressure on him and he did a good job. He made some big plays and did OK.”

In a completely different style--6-foot-6, right-handed and locked in the pocket, ready to zoom the ball deep vs. 6-1, left-handed and improvisational--Leaf proved he is every bit as important to Washington State (or more) than McNown is to UCLA.

Leaf had to beat back some adversity of his own--limping off the field in the first quarter after suffering a slight knee injury when UCLA defensive lineman Weldon Forde smacked him into the turf.

After backup Steve Birnbaum subbed for a series--and promptly threw an interception--Leaf led the Cougars to four touchdowns in their next four possessions over the next 10:11.

“I think he’s much better than last year,” Bruin safety Shaun Williams said. “He’s a great quarterback, and any time you get a great quarterback, he’s going to make you pay for making mistakes. But I think we made too many mistakes.”

And what’s the attitude with Manning coming to the Rose Bowl on Saturday?

‘It’s always good,” Williams said, “to have games against the best.”