Mission: Divide and Conquer

How bold of these UCLA Bruins, announcing their invasion plans well in advance to the entire world. The when. The where.

Today. Here.

UCLA comes to Robertson Stadium to conquer, of that there is no secret since the schedule has been out for years. To trample the 27 1/2-point underdog Houston Cougars and then inflict the ultimate pain on the football-loving people of Texas: taking their young men.

Given recent history (a rout of Texas last season, a big win last week over the Longhorns, a crushing of Houston in 1997 and a comeback victory over Texas A&M; in last season’s Cotton Bowl), figure the tougher battle ahead is at the high school level. That would be the recruiting battle. That’s why what could be a bad game--the fourth-ranked Bruins (1-0) against the offense-poor Cougars (0-2)--also could be a big game.

“No question,” UCLA Coach Bob Toledo said, “because Texas is a state we hit pretty good, more so than back East. This is a big one.”

All the prospects in attendance, at least those who were given free tickets, will be guests of Houston since NCAA rules dictate that only home teams may leave such passes. But that doesn’t prohibit someone calling the athletic department for tickets, while conveniently forgetting to mention he will be coming to check out UCLA.

Texas, like California, has always been a recruiting jackpot, so visits always bring added implications, the chance to make an in-person impression. It was the same thing when the Bruins were in nearby Austin last September to play the Longhorns, or when they were in Dallas in January for the Cotton Bowl--the game is for that day, the impressions they leave are for the future.

“They [prospects] are there for Texas or Houston, but they’re looking at UCLA also,” said Tony White, a starting inside linebacker for the Bruins. “When they see us beating Texas or beating Houston or beating A&M; in the Cotton Bowl, they notice. It’s like, ‘I want to go to a winning program.’ ”

Even if White wasn’t swayed by any single UCLA game of the past, he should know. He’s from El Paso.

“I think that the exposure is going to be beneficial,” said Bruin assistant coach Gary Bernardi, the recruiting coordinator. “The kids that we’ve already identified are fully aware of us, and it’s good for them. They’re getting another body punch. Another body punch about UCLA.

“They get the phone calls, they get the literature that’s sent to them, but now they’re getting another avenue of getting hit with a dose of UCLA. So that’s good. That’s meaningful.”

That’s so meaningful that while Toledo does not do the scheduling, he has talked to the athletic department officials who do and encouraged them to line up Texas schools whenever possible, even if at the Rose Bowl. That at least gets the Bruins in prospects’ homes on television.

“Yes, it does help us in recruiting,” Toledo said. “I called about 13 kids from Texas Sunday night and talked to them, and some of them are going to be at the Houston game, but not as our guest. They’re there as Houston’s guest. So I just told them to keep an eye on us and see what they think.

“[It’s] that visual deal, where they actually see us there and they see us come out for warmups and they see the uniforms, they see the coaches, they see the attitude. I think that’s important. When you see it on TV, it’s like, ‘Wow, it’s far away.’ But when you see it right there, you say, ‘It’s possible.’ Having played Texas and then Houston this year and of course A&M; in the Cotton Bowl, we’ve got some good exposure there. Guys like [Troy] Aikman playing for the Cowboys doesn’t hurt you at all.”

No Bruins, however, will so much as hint that the recruiting implications are foremost on their minds today. Houston is. They swear.

But forgive those whose minds do wander, for the head games could become a greater challenge than the actual game, the Bruins having just beaten Texas in one big game and next week getting another--at Miami. This comes as they face a Cougar team that has scored 17 points--10 against California in the opener and seven last week against Minnesota--and rushed for a total of 169 yards.