Hicks Kept Out of the End Zone

In the glow of a 34-10 victory over Oregon State, Skip Hicks forgot his place in history Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

He was kept out of the end zone after scoring in 14 consecutive games.

“I didn’t even know about a streak,” said Hicks, who started at tailback but found himself hobbled and eventually relegated to the sideline because of a bone bruise on his shin, near his right knee.

“I found that I couldn’t explode off it,” said Hicks, who had gains of six and 15 yards on the game’s first two offensive plays and finished with 39 yards in nine carries, none after the second quarter.

Hicks had scored 16 touchdowns in the first six games.

“It’s time to heal up and get back in the end zone,” he said.

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UCLA tried four punt-return scenarios, including using Jim McElroy after being told by doctors not to during the week.

McElroy suffered a concussion last week at Oregon, and coaches were told to use him only on offense.

Jermaine Lewis was the first returner, but his first-quarter fumble gave the Beavers the ball on the UCLA 33.

Lewis was getting a second look at the job after fumbling against Texas four weeks ago.

Up stepped Mark Reynosa, a walk-on and former junior college return man, and his 17-yard return near the end of the first half helped set up UCLA’s second touchdown.

And then Reynosa fumbled, setting up Oregon State on the Bruin 39.

Enter McElroy, who returned a punt eight yards, and by then the game was a 31-3 blowout.

Reynosa got another shot and fair caught a punt on the Oregon State 45 to set up UCLA’s final scoring drive.

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Cade McNown passed Troy Aikman (406) for second place in lifetime completions on the UCLA list with his fourth Saturday and has 414. Tom Ramsey leads with 441.

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Junior strong safety Larry Atkins has been added to the selection list for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the college player judged the nation’s best defensive back. . . . McNown is on the list for the Davey O’Brien Award, given to the nation’s best quarterback. . . . Oregon State had thrown 64 passes once before Saturday, on Sept. 20, 1986, in a 31-12 loss at Michigan.