CHASED BY THE PAST; AT UCLA, IS IT LIVE OR IS IT '89?

Byline: Jon Wilner Staff Writer

Everything the UCLA Bruins are experiencing this season - the injuries, the preseason suspensions, the crushing last-second loss, the departure of an All-American quarterback - they've lived before.

In 1989, as now, the momentum of back-to-back 10-win seasons ended when several important players were suspended for offseason infractions.

In 1989, the Bruins were replacing an All-American quarterback, Troy Aikman, with a redshirt freshman, Bret Johnson. Now, they're replacing an All-American quarterback, Cade McNown, with a redshirt freshman, Cory Paus.

In 1989, they suffered a demoralizing loss when Michigan scored nine points in the last 90 seconds to escape with a 24-23 victory. This year, their Rose Bowl chances vanished when Arizona State's Delvon Flowers raced 49 yards for the winning touchdown with 23 seconds left.

Ten years ago this week, the Bruins were 3-4 after a one-point loss at Oregon State. This year, the Bruins are 3-4 entering Saturday's game at Oregon State.

Ten years ago, they collapsed in the stretch and finished 3-7-1.

This year . . . what?

``It's been a strange year,'' Bruins coach Bob Toledo said. ``Boy, I hope it all passes.''

Don't count on it.

The summer of '89 was as turbulent as the summer of '99. Starting linebacker Roman Phifer and cornerback Damion Lyons were suspended for the season and given two years probation for beating up a campus security officer. Cornerback Willie Crawford was suspended by the dean of students for allegedly stealing a woman's handbag and charging her credit card. Safety Anthony Burnett was ruled academically ineligible and dismissed from school.

All four were starters or top reserves.

The Bruins were ranked ninth in the preseason polls despite a rookie quarterback - Johnson won the job over sophomore Jim Bonds - an unproven running game, a suspension-depleted secondary and a young defense. Sound familiar?

What Ohio State was to UCLA this year, Tennessee was in '89. The Volunteers overwhelmed UCLA's frontlines, rushed for 247 yards and took a 24-0 lead before the Bruins scored a late touchdown. A week later, UCLA rallied past San Diego State 28-25 when Johnson scored with two minutes left.

Michigan was next. On a warm, late-September afternoon in the Rose Bowl, the Bruins jumped to a 23-15 lead midway through the fourth quarter, then crumbled. Michigan scored with 1:35 left, recovered an onside kick, then made the game-winning field goal with a second remaining.

The Bruins recovered in time to beat Cal and Arizona State, but the success didn't last. The end came Oct. 14 in Arizona Stadium, under a deep-blue desert sky. No one suspected it would carry such a wallop.

With an extra week to prepare, Wildcats coach Dick Tomey jettisoned his beloved triple option (three running backs) and flew to Colorado for a quick lesson in the Buffaloes' I-formation (two running backs). UCLA was unprepared, then overpowered as Arizona rushed for 480 yards in a 42-7 win.

``That was one of the most devastating losses and physical poundings we've ever taken,'' longtime assistant coach Bob Field said. ``It crushed us.''

The Bruins didn't win another game.

A week later, they lost at Oregon State 18-17 when the Beavers covered 67 yards in the final minutes for the winning touchdown.

``Obviously, we're in a rebuilding-type process,'' coach Terry Donahue said at the time. ``But we did not expect to be 3-4.''

It got worse. Once their bowl chances disappeared, so did their spirit. They lacked senior leadership and, because of the suspensions, had no continuity.

Washington scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter for a 28-27 victory in the Rose Bowl. The Bruins lost a close game at Stanford, then watched helplessly as Oregon scored 24 consecutive points in the second half for an easy victory.

The Bruins had lost five in a row - their longest streak in 26 years - when the USC game arrived. Although they played with passion not shown since Michigan, they settled for a 10-10 tie when kicker Alfredo Velasco's last-second field goal hit the crossbar, a fitting, painful end to their worst season since 1971.

Are these Bruins destined for a similar fate? Without a large senior class, will they descend into the leaderless mire that claimed the '89 team? Without a New Year's Day bowl in sight, will they summon motivation for any game save USC? Will last week's pounding by Cal have the same impact as the Arizona loss in '89?

``To me, the important thing is to maintain our focus,'' defensive captain Pete Holland said, unknowingly echoing the '89 team's greatest failing. ``The most challenging thing is adjusting, given the way the last two seasons went.

``Most of the guys were here when we went 10-2 each year, and it would be easy to panic, to say, `What do we do now?' But we have to keep goals in mind. At no point is all lost.''

Certainly, the ingredients for a collapse are present. The Bruins have just 12 healthy seniors, and six participated in the humiliating disabled-parking scam. The depth chart oozes freshmen and sophomores. The quarterback has started four games. The secondary is a mess. There's no January bowl to play for, no Pac-10 title at stake and a difficult schedule looms.

``Everybody's shocked,'' injured cornerback Jason Bell said. ``We're not a losing school. We've been 10-2 two years in a row. We expect to win and we have a lot of good, young players. I don't know why we aren't winning.''

They didn't know in 1989, either.

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PHOTO BOB TOLEDO

The UCLA head coach is as baffled as anyone about his team's hard times. ``It's been a strange year,'' he said.