Forget the Alamo, Remember the 66

Hey, they rallied after the Alamo, right?

This afternoon, Texans get a chance to avenge another well-documented slaughter on their own turf, this one historical in its own right. In fact, Mack Brown, Texas’ new football coach, noted this week that the indignity in Austin a year ago was “tough for the state and tough for the program.”

It was UCLA 66, Texas 3.

A day shy of the anniversary of the outcome that shaped both seasons, Brown and the Longhorns get the Bruins again. The 12:30 meeting at the Rose Bowl features two ranked teams, each hoping to erase the past in different ways, and two Heisman Trophy candidates. Given the opportunity, take Texas plus 63.

The actual line has been more like nine or 10, and even that seems generous at times, given that Texas has an advantage in having already played a game, a 66-36 thumping of New Mexico State. And UCLA still has to prove it can defend, develop a ground game and come up with a big-play receiver. Beyond that, it shapes up as another rout.

At the same time, the Bruins also need to prove they can string together victories at the start of a season. That’s not so much a desire now as a necessity, if they are to stay in the national-championship hunt and prove worthy of the No. 6 ranking.

Then there is that other worry.

History.

“We’re aware we are slow starters,” linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said.

“We all know about it,” tackle Kris Farris said. “We all talk about it. I mean, last year, if we would have won one of those first two games, we would have gone to an alliance bowl. If we had beat Washington State, we would have gone to the Rose Bowl, maybe beat Michigan.

“This game is the most important game of the year. It’s early and there are a lot of expectations.”

And there are reputations. It has not been lost on some Bruins that the turning-point victory at Texas a year ago--the start of the 10-game winning streak that tied the school record, which could fall today--occurred only after consecutive losses to Washington State and Tennessee, or that Bob Toledo is 0-2 in openers since becoming coach. Or even that this isn’t merely a problem for the current group.

The 1996 team started its 5-6 campaign 1-2.

The year before, in what became Terry Donahue’s final season, they were 2-2 before winning five of the last eight.

And so on. No Bruin team has opened with three consecutive victories since 1992--an asterisk is under consideration because the first victory that year was over Cal State Fullerton--and none has gone to 4-0 since 1988.

“It’s kind of frustrating,” Ayanbadejo said. “Momentum builds every week. If we can start the momentum now, we’re just going to be that much better in the 10th week of the season.”

Who could have imagined it would be UCLA coming in, trying to give the slip to the past? The Longhorns were supposed to be soloing in that role, using the agony of last season as a weapon, while also boosting the Heisman chances of running back Ricky Williams in front of his family and friends up from San Diego.

Sixty-six to three. A cut deep in the heart of Texas.

“Anyone who isn’t motivated by that shouldn’t be playing football,” Williams said.

Said Brown, who went to Texas after 10 seasons at North Carolina in which he guided the Tar Heels from 1-10 in 1988 to 10-1 in 1997:

“Different kids use different kinds of things to motivate themselves. In some cases, last year could be intimidating because it was a bad experience. It was not fun. It’s probably something they let linger after that game, which hurt the season more than most people could imagine.

“Regardless of what I tell them, each one is going to take their own approach. Not all of them won’t forget about it, but we have 10, 12 freshmen who didn’t even see it. We’ll have some seniors that might have played well. We’ll be direct and we’ll be honest.

“We are going to watch the film because it’s one of the few films we have on UCLA. But this is a new game and a new season.”

A fresh start for both sides, for better or for worse.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 23 Texas

* Kickoff: 12:30 p.m.

* Where: Rose Bowl.

* Television: Channel 7.

* Radio: AM 1150.

* Records: UCLA 0-0; Texas 1-0.

From Blowout to Blowing It

In the 1990s, UCLA has had a difficult time defeating a team the year after beating that team in a rout. UCLA’s record in rematches the year after a blowout victory is 1-3. The Bruins beat Texas last season, 66-3:

* 1991 beat Arizona: 54-14

* 1992 lost to Arizona: 23-3

* 1994 beat Arizona St.: 59-23

* 1995 lost to Arizona St.: 37-33

* 1991 beat Oregon St.: 44-7

* 1992 beat Oregon St.: 26-14

* 1991 beat Washington St.: 44-3

* 1992 lost to Washington St.: 30-17