McNown Is Winner of Unitas Award

Cade McNown was selected Tuesday as the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award-given to the top senior quarterback. McNown, whose statistics this season are down from a year ago, said that the honor is a byproduct of the Bruins’ success.

“I remember my sophomore year, when other guys were getting the spotlight shining on them after one good year,” McNown said. “I had played two years and no one really was talking about me. But we hadn’t won a lot of games. We were a middle-of-the-pack-type of team. The last two years, we’ve really come on and now guys are getting attention because we’re winning.”

Tuesday also was the day that ballots for the Pacific 10 Conference all-star teams were due. It’s possible that McNown could win the Golden Arm Award, along with the Davey O’Brien Award for offensive player of the year, and finish high in the Heisman Trophy voting but not be a first-team Pac-10 selection.

That’s because Oregon’s Akili Smith ranks ahead of McNown in passing yardage, total yards, touchdown passes and has thrown fewer interceptions.

“The bottom line is that I try to do what I’m asked to do,” McNown said. “Some games, I may go out and throw 400 yards and then there are some when I might throw for 150 or 200. . . . We try to play out our role for each game. There is a lot more to quarterbacking than just dropping back and throwing the ball. In some offenses, that’s what a quarterback has to do, but not ours.”

*

Offensive tackle Kris Farris was named to the first-team Football Writers Assn. All-American team. . . . UCLA will practice today before taking the Thanksgiving weekend off.