Bruins Bringing Help to Keep Their Cool

The chartered plane carrying the UCLA team to Austin got a little heavier Friday when extra equipment was loaded to prepare for late summer in Texas.

Ordinarily, the Bruins carry about 9,000 pounds of equipment--everything from uniforms, footballs and medical supplies to rain gear--but 3,000 extra pounds went with them to Austin.

The extra weight was provided by four large sideline fans and three “misters,” which are popular with teams trying to beat the heat and humidity.

But the temperature for today’s game at Austin might actually be cooler than that of a week ago in the Rose Bowl. The official game report said it was 100 degrees when the Bruins lost to Tennessee, 30-24.

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In Austin, they call Texas running back Ricky Williams “Little Earl,” and point out how he is similar to Earl Campbell, the Longhorns’ only Heisman Trophy winner.

The comparison is apt.

In Williams’ first 25 games, he has rushed for 2,417 yards and 23 touchdowns, has had 11 100-yard games and has averaged 96.7 yards a game and 5.7 yards a carry.

In Campbell’s first 25 games, he rushed for 2,355 yards, 20 touchdowns, had 10 100-yard games and averaged 94.2 yards a game and 5.7 yards a carry.

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UCLA is 0-2 against Texas, but the teams haven’t played since 1971. And they haven’t met in Austin since 1970, when Longhorn quarterback Eddie Phillips hit Cotton Speyer on a 45-yard, third-and-19 pass with 20 seconds to play to give Texas a 20-17 win and buoy the Longhorns to their second consecutive national championship under Coach Darrell Royal.

Texas hasn’t won a national title since.