Hackett Has Bruins Talking

UCLA reacted with a combination of amusement and indignation to comments from USC Coach Paul Hackett that Oregon is “the team to beat” in the Pacific 10. The only thing worse than Hackett’s timing, coming only days after the Ducks lost at the Rose Bowl, was his foolish belief that the Bruins wouldn’t seize on this, on the incorrect assumption that the game in late November will carry on its own emotions.

“I don’t want to say too much,” UCLA linebacker Ramogi Huma said, “but it does bother us.”

Said fullback Craig Walendy: “It’s been brought up. I don’t even know what their record is over there. They can talk all they want.”

Actually, he does know something about the Trojan record.

“I know they have one loss [in conference],” Walendy said.

As in, the Bruins don’t.

Coach Bob Toledo, even while stressing that the Bruins’ focus is on California this week, brought up the comments to the team after practice Wednesday, just in case any of them missed it from the morning papers, just in case anyone was wondering at what moment before dawn of the Monday morning of USC week they would be posted in the locker room.

“I mentioned it to them,” Toledo said.

He smiled.

“It’s a comment made,” Toledo said. “I told my players not to make it bulletin-board material yet.”

Yet.