BYE-BYE BOWL GAME FOR BRUINS : ARIZONA 35, UCLA 17.Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer It was worth the wait. And the tears. ``This is what I've been waiting two years for, to play against UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX ,'' Arizona's Chris McAlister Christopher James McAlister or C-Mac (born June 14, 1977 in Pasadena, California) is a cornerback who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL. He is a three time Pro Bowler. said among the cheers. ``And now I have the outcome I wanted.'' It had been 15 frustrating, emotional months since UCLA - the school of his father and of his childhood - challenged McAlister's SAT score and prevented him from enrolling. Earlier this week he vowed revenge, and in front of 40 euphoric family members, he got it in the sweetest way. McAlister's fourth-quarter 100-yard kickoff return broke open a close game and propelled Arizona to a 35-17 victory before 47,171 at Arizona Stadium , where UCLA has not won since 1988. ``That return was the biggest play,'' Bruins safety Abdul McCullough said. ``We were down four at the time (21-17), but that gave them all the momentum. Their fans and their sideline were going crazy.'' McAlister was, too. Emotions surging, he could not sit still before the game. When the Bruins beat him on a 32-yard pass, he reacted with a violent, penalty-inducing tackle on the ensuing play. Then he spent 10 minutes of the third quarter in the bathroom, with cramps and an upset stomach. ``It wasn't the game I was capable of having,'' he said, ``but the kickoff return helped.'' It left the Bruins (4-6, 3-4) with a reality they had hoped to avoid: no winning season, no bowl game, and only one thing left to play for - the team in cardinal and gold. Their locker room was especially somber, even more so than after fumbling away the Arizona State game, the humiliation at Washington or the collapse against Stanford. ``This is devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. ,'' said Kusanti Abdul-Salaam, the cornerback formerly known as Andy Colbert. It was a fitting outcome, for the same mistakes that plagued the Bruins in September and October - namely, the turnovers, lapses on special teams and blown chances on defense - reared up and swallowed their late-season bowl run. This is their third losing season in the '90s, and fourth without a bowl invite. ``Sometimes we show flashes of brilliance,'' McCullough said, ``and other times we play like a bunch of rookies.'' Leading 14-7 in the third quarter, the rookies returned. They let McAlister race 100 yards, allowed a fourth-down touchdown pass, had an interception returned for a touchdown and fumbled in Wildcats territory when the outcome had not been determined. It was Tennessee, ASU ASU Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) ASU Appalachian State University ASU Arkansas State University ASU Angelo State University ASU Alabama State University ASU Australian Services Union , Washington and Stanford rolled into one Adj. 1. rolled into one - made up of several components combined into a single entity combined - made or joined or united into one poorly played second half. In their six defeats, the Bruins have been outscored 107-59 in the second half. ``We played well early and then it was a comedy of errors,'' coach Bob Toledo Bob Toledo (born March 4, 1946, in San Jose, California) is an American football coach, recently hired as head coach at Tulane University. He is best-known as the thirteenth head coach at UCLA. said. ``One play doesn't make the game, but the combination of plays - boom, boom, boom - did.'' Don't blame the defense. Arizona had just three scoring drives and none longer than 56 yards. Yes, reserve tailback Leon Callen rushed for 116 yards and helped the Wildcats control the clock, but UCLA contained Arizona's big-play quarterback, Keith Smith For other persons named Keith Smith, see Keith Smith (disambiguation). Keith Smith(1952-2006) was a former English rugby player; he excelled in playing centre. He first played with Yorkshire Colts rugby then advanced to Roundhay. , and did not allow a play longer than 37 yards. It was the Bruins offense, so impressive last week against Washington State, that returned to its sputtering A popular method for adhering thin films onto a substrate. Sputtering is done by bombarding a target material with a charged gas (typically argon) which releases atoms in the target that coats the nearby substrate. It all takes place inside a magnetron vacuum chamber under low pressure. form. Skip Hicks Brian "Skip" LaVell Hicks (born October 13, 1974 in Corsicana, Texas) is a former American football running back in the NFL. In his four seasons, Hicks played for the Washington Redskins and the Tennessee Titans. ran tentatively (21 carries for 48 yards) against the small, blitz-happy Wildcats. Quarterback Cade McNown Cade McNown (born January 12 1977 in Portland, Oregon) is a quarterback who played in the National Football League. He attended played college football at the University of California, Los Angeles. had another bad game, completing just 12 of 28 passes and directing the offense to a meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. 98 yards in the second half. ``The offense did not perform,'' Toledo said. ``We didn't block. We didn't run. We didn't complete passes.'' All this, against a defense that had allowed 105 points the past two weeks (56 to Cal and 49 to Oregon). In fact, the Arizona coaches were so disgusted - this is, after all, the land of Desert Swarm - that they paid little attention to UCLA preparation and instead reverted to a rudimentary approach. ``There wasn't much study of UCLA at all,'' Arizona defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head Larry MacDuff said. ``All we added was one blitz. The difference was that we decided we'd call a more aggressive game. We turned the players loose more.'' The blitzes, which came from everywhere and usually on third down, confused UCLA's line and stymied McNown. With few holes to run through, Hicks was befuddled. ``I went down on a lot of shoestring tackles today that I would normally run out of,'' Hicks said. Throw it all together, and UCLA's second-half drives covered 24, 5, 1, minus-2, 19, 58, 5, 0 and minus-2 yards. The game turned on one of McNown's worst passes of the season, an out-pattern to Danny Farmer Danny Farmer, born 1977, is a former National Football League and University of California, Los Angeles wide receiver.[1] In 2000, he was drafted in the fourth round (103) by the Pittsburgh Steelers. . The ball floated long enough for cornerback Kelly Malveaux to step in front, grab it, and sprint into the end zone untouched. Reinvigorated, the Wildcats stuffed two straight Bruins drives, then took the lead with 33 seconds left in the quarter. On fourth-and-2 from the UCLA 36, Smith faked a handoff and hit tight end Mike Metzler across the middle. He outran out·ran v. Past tense of outrun. Abdul-Salaam and Wasswa Serwanga Wasswa Serwanga (born July 23, 1976 in Kampala, Uganda, Africa) is a former American football player in the NFL and AFL. He played one season for the San Francisco 49ers and two for the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL, and one for the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL. for the go-ahead touchdown. ``I'll take the blame for that,'' Abdul-Salaam said. The Bruins closed to 21-17 on Bjorn Merten's 40-yard field goal, and they still had a chance after McAlister's kickoff return. But freshman tailback Keith Brown Keith Brown can refer to: People
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Saturday's loss to Arizona disqualifies UCLA from postseason play for the fifth time in the past 10 seasons. A look at the past decade: Year Regular-season record Result 1996 x4-6 No bowl 1995 7-4 Aloha Bowl (L to Kansas) 1994 5-6 No bowl 1993 8-3 Rose Bowl (L to Wisconsin) 1992 6-5 No bowl 1991 8-3 Hancock Bowl (W over Illinois) 1990 5-6 No bowl 1989 3-7 No bowl 1988 9-2 Cotton Bowl (W over Arkansas) 1987 9-2 Aloha Bowl (W over Florida) x Bruins conclude season Saturday against USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. The Hero Arizona cornerback/kick returner Chris McAlister, who returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown that gave Arizona a 28-17 lead. McAlister, whose father, James, was an All-American at UCLA, was denied entrance when UCLA challenged his SAT scores in the summer of '95. TheGoat UCLA's offense, defense and special teams - they all contributed to the loss. The offense stalled in the second half and had two crucial turnovers, the defense allowed a fourth-down touchdown pass and the special teams yielded McAlister's return. Stat of the game Arizona had only three touchdown drives, of 56, 37 and 15 yards. But the Wildcats had two returns for touchdowns. Quote of the game ``It was a comedy of errors. They kicked our butts.'' UCLA coach Bob Toledo Notebook Arizona Stadium is not a particularly difficult road venue, especially for a team that has experienced the din of Tennessee, Michigan and Washington in recent years. It seats just 58,000, is open air and not especially noisy. But for UCLA, it has become one of the most difficult sites in the nation. The Bruins have lost four straight here - by an average margin of 21 points - following Saturday's 35-17 defeat. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. what it is,'' said UCLA assistant Bob Field, who has been on the Bruins sideline for all four. One constant is Arizona's physicality on the line of scrimmage line of scrimmage n. pl. lines of scrimmage Football Either of two imaginary lines extending across the field parallel to the goal line at the ends of the ball as it rests prior to being snapped and at which each team lines up for . The Wildcats usually control the ball with their ground game and shut down UCLA's running backs. On Saturday, for instance, Arizona rushed for 218 yards and the Bruins for just 70. Another sign of Arizona's toughness: UCLA suffered more injuries Saturday than in the past three games combined. (see below) ``Their most dominating game was in 1989. They kicked us around that year,'' Field said of Arizona's 42-7 victory. ``And in '92, they were very physical. They broke Arnold Ale's leg. ``But today I thought they were more physical in spurts, not throughout the game. There were times when they knocked us off the ball and ran efficiently, and there were times we matched up with them pretty good.'' The playmaker play·mak·er n. A player in a sport with goals, such as a guard in basketball, who initiates offensive plays. play : UCLA prepared all week to contain speedy Arizona quarterback Keith Smith; the Bruins even used tailbacks Ryan Roques Roques is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:
Defensive coordinator Rocky Long's plan worked well, as Smith rushed for 42 yards, was sacked for minus-35 and had a net gain of 7. But he beat the Bruins through the air, completing 12 of 20 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. He had no interceptions. ``Keith was sensational and created some incredible plays,'' Arizona coach Dick Tomey said. ``His judgment is unbelievable.'' Out of nowhere: In nine game this season, Arizona tailback Leon Callen rushed for 140 yards. Against UCLA, he had 116. ``I don't try to think. I just let the action come to me,'' he said. ``We were aware of him,'' Bruins coach Bob Toledo said, when asked about the scouting report. By the numbers: UCLA tailback Skip Hicks set a school record with his 18th touchdown this season. J.J. Stokes and Gaston Green each had 17. . . . Quarterback Cade McNown surpassed the 2,000-yard mark this season . . . He also has 15 interceptions . . . Arizona had possession for 32:55, UCLA for 27:05 . . . Middle linebacker Brian Willmer led the Bruins with 15 tackles. Safety Shaun Williams had eight . . . Hicks has 918 yards rushing this season. Injury update: The Bruins were limping off the field left and right. Offensive guard Andy Meyers tore the miniscus in his left knee and will have a magnetic resonance imaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), noninvasive diagnostic technique that uses nuclear magnetic resonance to produce cross-sectional images of organs and other internal body structures. test today or Monday. Nose guard Jeff Ruckman twisted his right knee. Offensive tackle Chad Overhauser sprained his left ankle but returned to action. McNown injured his left hip but finished the game. Reserve quarterback Steve Buck suffered a bruised back on his first play. Defensive tackle Travis Kirschke suffered a stinger stinger Sports medicine A popular term for an injury to the brachial plexus due to abnormal stretching (or pinched nerve) in his right shoulder. CAPTION(S): Photo, 2 Boxes Photo: UCLA quarterback Cade McNown, who completed 12 of 28 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, eludes Arizona tackler Armon Williams. Associated Press Box: (1) THE HERO (see text) (2) HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (see text) |
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