4-0

The student newspaper, in which most references to the UCLA football team in one recent column were “we” and that on this day had a piece touting the role a group of cheering, road-tripping fraternity brothers played in last Saturday’s win at Arizona, turned on one of its own Monday.

UCLA wins despite McNone.

It has come to this. From Heisman Trophy candidate and No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency in 1997 to being thrown overboard four games into the season by the Daily Bruin. The headline appeared next to highlighted quotes from one of the Sigma Chi roadies that “More UCLA fans have to make the trips so they can help us party.”

Al Borges, the Bruins’ offensive coordinator, gave the paper a once over, then handed it back.

“Once, they’re saying how you are the best player in the country, and then you get this,” Borges said. “I guess that’s what goes with it.”

With the hype and the expectations, Cade McNown this week is the quarterback of a team that is 4-0, ranked second in the country, averaging 48 points a game and coming off a major victory over a ranked, undefeated team playing at home--and getting less credit for it than the frats.

He is struggling statistically. The same player who last season completed 60.6% of his passes and had an efficiency rating of 168.6, the latter a Pacific 10 Conference record, is at 54% and 145.7 with his senior campaign one-third gone. That includes 49.4% the last three games.

He is struggling mechanically. As another big game approaches, against No. 11 Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon, Borges has been working with McNown to eliminate a flaw in his throwing motion, something as simple but critical as remembering to step toward the target instead of merely turning his hips in the direction. It has been most evident in the last couple of weeks, most recently on Saturday as McNown went 10 for 24 for 171 yards in the 52-28 victory at Arizona. That ended the school-record streak of 18 consecutive games with at least 200 yards.

“He’s a better thrower,” Coach Bob Toledo said in comparing last season to this one, “but he’s not throwing the ball better right now.”

He is struggling because of circumstances. Young receivers--Danny Farmer is the only one with any real experience--have failed to properly run plays, leaving McNown to take the blame for overthrown passes when someone broke off the route too soon.

But, he said, this is not to be confused with struggling.

“I think it’s absurd,” McNown said. “I talked about it last year, how efficiency is an offensive stat, it’s not a single-guy stat. We’ve only played four games and things will be different every single game.

“We’ve had some big plays and some times where they’ve stopped us, but we haven’t really opened it up the same way we had last year. And why not? Because, well, we haven’t had to. We’ve been able to do simple things and beat people pretty bad and get up early and extend leads and not show our hands. Why are you going to show all these things if these other things are working for you? There’s just no reason to.

“I’m throwing the ball away a lot too. I don’t want to take a sack and put ourselves in bad field position. Second and 10 is a lot better than second and 17. There are a lot of quarterbacks that’ll take a sack because they’re worried about throwing the ball away and worried about numbers.

“Hey, I’m trying to keep us in the best field position possible, and if that means getting rid of the ball rather than taking a sack, that’s what I’m going to do. So what if your stats don’t look good. You have to be concerned with making the play when the play counts and being smart as a quarterback, and that’s what I’m trying to do.

“So long as we keep winning and we’re scoring, I’m fine with that. Doesn’t matter. We’re trying to win games, we’re not trying to pad stats or make a particular guy look good.”

Said Borges: “He’s not playing bad, he’s just not throwing good.

“Some people think if [he’s] not throwing 65, 70% of his passes for completion or not getting three touchdowns that he’s not playing well. That’s just not true.”

Because?

“Because throwing the ball is not all that goes into being a quarterback,” Borges said. “It’s more than the numbers, i.e., the 40-yard bomb to Danny Farmer, the clutch third-down pass to Danny Farmer [both against Arizona]. When he needs to make a play, he makes a play.

“He’s just got to get back to some fundamental things. Making adjustments. One thing I’d like to emphasize, Cade is not throwing the ball as well as he’d like and as well as we’d like, but he is making plays. He is scoring points.”

The way Cade McNown always did. Now it’s simply a matter of getting his good name back.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

McNown After 4 Games

1997 Category

Attempts: 124

Completions: 79

Comp%: 63.7

Yards: 1,125

Touchdowns: 7

Interceptions: 2

UCLA’s record: 2-2

*

1998 Category

Attempts: 113

Completions: 61

Comp%: 54.0

Yards: 1,030

Touchdowns: 7

Interceptions: 3

UCLA’s record: 4-0

McNown’s Pass Rating

How McNown fared in the first four games of 1997 and 1998, compared to the NCAA average pass rating.

Researched by HOUSTON MITCHELL / Los Angeles Times