This Role Fits Her to a Tee

New Mexico kicker Katie Hnida not only is the only woman playing Division I-A football, she also is the lone Lobo with bowl experience.

Hnida was on the Colorado roster in 1999 when the Buffaloes played in the Insight.com Bowl against Boston College. She didn’t play in that game and doesn’t figure to play today either.

But simply participating is good enough for now.

“Sometimes I forget that I’m the only woman playing college football right now,” she said. “Just being out here, this is what I do.”

Hnida (pronounced NY-duh) sat out the last two seasons, then sent highlight tapes of her high school kicking to New Mexico and was invited as a walk-on.

*

Tyler Ebell is the most productive freshman tailback ever at UCLA. But his numbers take a backseat to those of Lobo freshman DonTrell Moore, who won the starting job after senior Quincy Wright was lost to a season-ending knee injury in the fourth game.

Moore has rushed for 1,117 yards and 13 touchdowns -- all in the last 10 games. His four 100-yard performances have come in the last six games.

It’s no surprise that Moore is effective. He was recruited by Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado, but chose to stay close to his hometown of Roswell, N.M.

He canceled an official visit to Notre Dame because of a snowstorm in Albuquerque and never rescheduled.

“I got snowed in and I thought it was a sign,” he said. “I wanted to stay closer to home and closer to my mom.”

Ebell does have an edge over Moore in one department -- fumbles. The Bruin back has fumbled only once. Moore had seven fumbles recovered by the opposition in a six-game span.

*

Defensive end Dave Ball, who leads the Bruins with 10.5 sacks, is questionable because of an infection in his leg. Ball needs three sacks to break the school record of 13 set by Carnell Lake in 1987.

Jason Harrison, a freshman running back and kick returner, is out because of a knee injury.

*

Unlike some schools, UCLA has always counted statistics from bowl games in its record book. This year, the NCAA is doing so as well.

Several Bruins can climb higher into the UCLA record book.

* Ebell could vault to No. 3 in season all-purpose yards with a strong performance. Ebell has 1,305 yards -- 924 rushing, 72 receiving, 266 on punt returns and 43 on kick returns.

Ebell also can become the third freshman in Pacific 10 Conference history to rush for 1,000 yards.

* Junior receiver Tab Perry (1,279) is also ascending the all-purpose yard list. He needs 23 kick return yards to break his own school record of 598, set two years ago.

* Sophomore receiver Craig Bragg has cracked top-10 lists with 51 catches and 851 yards receiving. He is eight catches and 138 yards from ranking sixth in each category.

* Senior cornerback Ricky Manning needs one interception to enter a fourth-place tie on the career list at 14 with Eric Turner (1987-90), Marcus Turner (1985-88) and Don Rogers (1980-83).

* Linebacker Spencer Havner ranks third in tackles by a freshman with 90. He should pass Kenny Easley (93) but cannot reach leader James Washington, who had 119 tackles in 1984.

* Senior Mike Seidman needs four receptions to eclipse the single-season record for tight ends of 44 set by Paul Bergmann in 1983.

* Senior punter Nate Fikse’s career average of 42.71 ranks No. 2 behind Kirk Wilson (44.60) and ahead of Zenon Andrusyshyn (42.63). Fikse holds career records of 259 punts and 11,061 yards, passing Chris Sailer in both categories.