For Hicks, It’s Another Game to Win

UCLA’s Skip Hicks is low key about playing against USC today for the fourth and final time, seeing the game as mainly a ninth game for the Bruin winning streak and a step toward the Rose Bowl.

“I’m from Texas, so I didn’t grow up with this game,” said Hicks, whose 24 touchdowns this season are a Pacific 10 Conference record. “The big rivalry is for the fans and the media. And some of the players.

“I just want to go out and win the game like I want to go out and win every game.

“This one is different because it’s [perhaps] for the Rose Bowl and to increase our national ranking.”

The Bruins are ranked seventh in the nation.

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For weeks now, people have been comparing UCLA to the 1993 Bruins, the last team from the school to play in the Rose Bowl, and the comparison is apt.

It’s uncanny how similar this season has been to 1993.

In both, they lost their first two games, a conference defeat followed by a close game against a nationally ranked team. In 1993, it was a loss to California followed by a 14-13 defeat by Nebraska. This season, it was a loss at Washington State, followed by a 30-24 defeat by Tennessee.

In both seasons, there followed a winning streak: in 1993, seven games before a loss to Arizona State and then a 27-21 victory over USC; this season, eight games going into today’s matchup with the Trojans.

And in both seasons, the story was turnovers on defense and big plays on offense.

In 1993, UCLA claimed 21 fumbles and 19 interceptions, and gave up the ball 18 times on fumbles and eight on interceptions.

This season, the Bruins have recovered 18 fumbles and picked off 19 passes, to 13 lost fumbles and five interceptions.

And while big plays--those, defined by Coach Bob Toledo, covering 20 or more yards--were plentiful in 1993 with receiver J.J. Stokes, the statistic wasn’t kept. This season it is, with 62 UCLA plays covering at least 20 yards, 17 of them going for touchdowns. The Bruins have surrendered 43 “big plays,” only 28 of them during the eight-game winning streak.

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UCLA’s Jim McElroy has with 41 receptions and is averaging 21.9 yards a catch, and the average is tops in the nation among receivers ranked in the top 25 in receptions or yards.