UCLA’s Offensive Fireworks Obscure Its Daring Defense

On the play before Houston scored its only touchdown against UCLA on Saturday, the Cougars ran a play that always works if a team can get away with it, which the Cougars did. It requires the presence on the field of 12 men.

Houston can be forgiven for seeking an advantage. It must have seemed to them like UCLA had an extra man on defense all day.

Most of the talk about 18th-ranked UCLA this season starts and ends with the offense--Skip Hicks, Cade McNown, Jim McElroy and a line that is one of the nation’s best.

That’s logical because the only team that has outscored the Bruins is No. 1 Florida. UCLA’s offense, however, would have had to work much harder for its 46 points a game if the defense hadn’t been so opportunistic.

Most people will look back on the 66-3 victory over Texas as the turning point in UCLA’s season. I believe a sequence the next week against Arizona was equally important.

The Wildcats were the Bruins’ equals for a half, trailing only, 23-17. Then UCLA’s defense caused fumbles on the first two possessions of the second half, leading to touchdown drives of four and 16 yards en route to a rout, 40-17.

That type of short-yardage situation is spoiling UCLA’s offense. Of the 24 turnovers the Bruins have forced, 17 have led to scores, including 15 touchdowns. Eight touchdown drives have required no more than two plays.

When the season began, it appeared as if the Bruins would be vulnerable because of their defense. They still are, Coach Bob Toledo cautioned Monday. No one had to point out to him that UCLA ranks ninth in the Pacific 10 in total defense, allowing almost 400 yards a game.

But you can’t name a college quarterback today who would look forward to facing that defense.

Defensive coordinator Rocky Long’s approach is best described as helter-skelter, boldly attacking offenses from a variety of angles. The risks are high, but so are the rewards.

Bruin defenders needed last season and the first game and a half of this one to learn it. Imagine how opposing quarterbacks feel with only six days to prepare.

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So Nike can’t do everything. . . . Stop time, for example. . . . The omnipresent shoe company was prepared to fly one of its clients, Jorge Campos, from Mexico City after Mexico’s 5-0 victory over El Salvador early Sunday afternoon so that he could be in Pasadena for the Galaxy’s playoff game late Sunday afternoon. . . . “We explored the possibility,” Galaxy Coach Octavio Zambrano said. “But we did the math and decided it couldn’t be done.” . . .

The Galaxy didn’t miss Campos in goal. Rookie Kevin Hartman from UCLA shut out Dallas for 90 minutes. . . .

But the Galaxy might have missed him in the shootout for his scoring touch. The erstwhile forward probably wouldn’t have misfired, which all four of his teammates did in the loss. . . .

Asked about the officiating, Zambrano said, “All I can tell you is that when I was asked to rate the referees this year, I sent in a blank piece of paper.” . . .

Translating for the Ecuador native, I’m sure he meant that all the referees were of such high quality that he couldn’t choose among them. . . .

The Angels aren’t as talented as Seattle, but they would have put up a better fight against Baltimore. . . .

Look for Lou Piniella next season in Toronto, where he will be reunited with Jose Cruz Jr. . . .

When Dodger Orel Hershiser faced Met Dwight Gooden in the first game of the 1988 National League championship series, Jaret Wright was 12. . . .

Quarterback Jason Thomas of Compton Dominguez High is out of Friday night’s big game against Long Beach Poly because of a broken lower leg and dislocated ankle. . . .

He might not return this season, which means his next appearance on the football field could be next fall at USC. He orally committed to the Trojans on Sunday. . . .

I’m not one of those newspaper guys who criticizes sports talk-show hosts. Most of them, like most sportswriters, are responsible reporters. . . .

But you have to watch out for the callers. One told Vic “the Brick” Jacobs on Monday that Drew Bledsoe might be out for the game against the Broncos, maybe even for the season, because of internal bleeding. Said he’d heard it through a bookie. . . .

What’s a bookie going to know about the Patriots that Will McDonough doesn’t? . . .

Or the Boston Globe?

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While wondering when the last time the college football polls didn’t include Notre Dame, Alabama, Miami, Texas or USC, I was thinking: It turns out Notre Dame’s win over Georgia Tech was an upset, Lennox Lewis is too big for Evander Holyfield, the Eddie Murray who still comes through in the clutch is Minnesota’s kicker.