Hurricanes sweep up unproductive defense

Published: Monday, December 14, 1998

Monday, December 14, 1998

MIAMI: Fiesta time will have to wait for Bruins; 20-game win streak ends

By Vytas Mazeika

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

With a little over four seconds left, down 49-45 and 30 yards away from the end zone, the UCLA football team could have used a little of that Tyus Edney magic.

UCLA senior quarterback Cade McNown could've had a lot in common with Edney, the Bruin senior point guard who dribbled a basketball the length of the court to give UCLA a one-point victory over Missouri in the 1995 NCAA tournament. Edney's shot kept the Bruins alive en route to their 1995 basketball title - the 11th in school history.

Instead, no miracle occurred and the Bruins' national championship hopes were dashed with the end of the team's 20-game win streak in a 49-45 loss to Miami at the Orange Bowl.

"They're upset right now," UCLA head coach Bob Toledo said. "They know they let something slip away. The Fiesta Bowl is gone."

The Bruins (10-1) fell in all of the rankings - including the Bowl Championship Series, in which UCLA went from second to fifth.

But McNown did do everything possible to win the game. He threw for a school record 513 yards and accounted for all six Bruin touchdowns - five passing, one rushing.

The defense for UCLA, though, did not force a single turnover and allowed the Hurricanes to set a new team record with 689 yards of total offense.

"We just couldn't get them stopped," Toledo said.

"Our defense didn't play well, and if you don't play good defense, you don't deserve the national championship."

After finding the Bruins down 21-17 at halftime, McNown led the team back with three quick touchdowns.

A 14-yard pass to flanker Danny Farmer opened the scoring in the second half. Then two deep bombs to Brian Poli-Dixon and Brad Melsby made the score 38-21 in favor of UCLA.

The mystique of the Orange Bowl, though, would not allow UCLA to extend its 20-game win streak.

Miami became only the second school in NCAA history, along with Princeton, to stop winning streaks of 20 or more games four times - and every single time in the Orange Bowl.

Hurricane tailback Edgerrin James ran wild on a UCLA defense that came in ranked 91st in the nation in yardage allowed. James finished the day with a jaw-dropping 39 carries on 299 rushing yards and three touchdowns - including the go-ahead score with only 50 seconds left in the game.

"What showed today was our immaturity on defense," McNown said.

The Associated Press

Brian Poli-Dixon stands dejected, and University of Miami fans begin to celebrate after UCLA lost at the Orange Bowl, 49-45, on Dec. 5.

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