Bruins Simply Can’t Fight On Enough

Mike Villanueva looked up from tending his barbecue to notice a group of USC fans milling in front of the Rose Bowl.

“A bunch of bandwagon jumpers, if you ask me,” he said.

Villanueva, a lifelong Bruin fan from Arcadia, laughed at the once-in-a-lifetime scenario: Trojan fans showing up in Pasadena to root for UCLA.

But it was no joke to USC freshman Jonathan Chambers, who knew a Bruin victory over Washington State would put the Trojans in the Rose Bowl game.

“It’s our job,” Chambers said of cheering for UCLA. “We’d rather come to the Rose Bowl [game] than go to Miami for the Orange Bowl. This isn’t any regular thing. We’re not going to be rooting for UCLA after this game.”

As it turned out, the only fans who went home satisfied were those from Washington State after the Cougars clinched a share of the Pacific 10 Conference title and a berth in the Rose Bowl with a 48-27 victory.

For a few hours, though, USC and UCLA fans stood shoulder to shoulder cheering for the Bruins and clapping along with the UCLA fight song. It wasn’t until early in the fourth quarter, after Cougar safety Erik Coleman returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown and a 21-point lead, that supporters of the two local schools filed toward the exits, united in their disappointment.

Until then, USC fan Casey said she never imagined a situation where she’d be happy to root for UCLA. She declined to give her last name because she works at UCLA.

“I feel like I’ve woken up in my own personal twilight zone,” the South Pasadena resident said.

Asked if she felt strange cheering for USC’s cross-town rival, Casey said, “No, not at all. Go, Bruins! Fight, fight, fight!”

USC alumnus Steve McGhghy of Covina said he didn’t have a problem rooting for the Bruins because the Trojans routed them, 52-21, two weeks ago.

“I’m going to be screaming for them,” he said.

McGhghy was hoping to make a third appearance at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

“We kind of figure this is a home away from home for us,” he said, pointing out that USC is 20-8 in Rose Bowl games. “If the Bruins can help us get here on Jan. 1, it’s our preference.”

Though he’s a UCLA fan, Villanueva found a silver lining in the Bruins’ loss. He hopes it leads to the firing of Coach Bob Toledo.

“It’s that much closer for Toledo to be ousted,” he said. “I’m not happy with him at all.”

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Washington State Coach Mike Price said he was “furious” after the Cougars botched an onside kick that led to a UCLA touchdown with 41 seconds left in the first half.

After Washington State took a 31-14 lead on an 80-yard touchdown run by Jermaine Green, kicker Adam Holiday dribbled a kickoff that went only five yards before he fell on it at the Cougar 39. On the next play, Drew Olson completed a scoring pass to wide receiver Junior Taylor to pull UCLA within 31-21.

“It was just an unbelievable error,” Price said. “It was a terrible miscommunication between myself and the kicker.”

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Senior Mike Seidman set the UCLA record for receiving yardage in a season by a tight end. Seidman, who caught four passes for 68 yards, has 41 receptions for 631 yards, surpassing the previous record of 577 yards set by Paul Bergmann in 1982. Bergmann holds the reception record with 44 in 1983.

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Wide receiver Jon Dubravac completed a 55-yard scoring pass to running back Manuel White in the first quarter to give UCLA its only lead, 14-7. It was the third touchdown pass of the season for Dubravac, who also had scoring throws against Colorado and Oregon.

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Three Bruins suffered serious injuries Saturday. Linebacker Spencer Havner, named the Pac-10 freshman of the year by the Sporting News, broke his right hand. Running back Jason Harrison injured his right knee. Safety Jarrad Page was forced to the bench because of a back injury.