'It's amazing how things work out'

UCLA-Miami makeup game now key to national title hunt

Posted: Saturday December 05, 1998 01:20 PM

Toledo (center) and the Bruins will play a Miami team that has improved in the last two months AP

MIAMI (AP) -- On its original date in September, the UCLA-Miami game figured merely to be a good matchup, perhaps a gauge to the Hurricanes' recovery from a dismal 1997 season.

Thanks to Hurricane Georges, it is now much more important than that.

When the teams meet Saturday, the No. 3 Bruins will need a win to lock up a berth in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship.

"It's amazing how things work out," UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. "We're playing this game on the same weekend with the SEC title game and the Big 12 title game. And it's possible we're going to play the team that handed us our last loss."

That would be No. 1 Tennessee, which also holds the top spot in the Bowl Championship Series rankings. UCLA (10-0), second in the BCS, has won 20 consecutive games, the nation's longest winning streak, since losing to the Volunteers 30-24 on September 6, 1997.

Tennessee plays Saturday night against No. 23 Mississippi State for the Southeastern Conference title. If both Tennessee and UCLA win, they likely would remain 1-2 in the BCS formula, putting them into the Fiesta Bowl.

"We have a lot of motivation to win this game," UCLA quarterback Cade McNown said. "But we can't let ourselves get ahead of things by thinking about what'll happen after the game."

In September, the Hurricanes (7-3) still were trying to find an identity amid the shambles caused by NCAA-imposed scholarship reductions. Miami went 5-6 last year, its first losing season since 1979, and many freshmen and sophomores were seeing their first significant playing time.

Now those youngsters have 10 games of experience, hitting their stride around midseason to come within one game of winning the Big East title.

"Early in the season, we would have felt more comfortable playing them," Toledo said. "They've shown a lot of progress since then."

The Bruins will face a powerful ground attack led by Edgerrin James, who has rushed for 702 yards and 10 touchdowns in his past five games. He has 1,117 yards for the season, the only player in Miami history to top the 1,000 barrier twice.

Scott Covington has thrown for 1,983 yards and 16 touchdowns, with only eight interceptions. Miami's 353 points this season are its most since 1990.

But the Hurricanes are coming off a 66-13 beating by Syracuse last week, their worst loss since 1944.

"The Syracuse game didn't show how we can play," Miami linebacker Dan Morgan said. "We expected to win that game. I think everybody tried to do too much. For the UCLA game, we've got to calm down."

UCLA linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said: "We know they're not going to play like that against us."

However, the Bruins present the same kind of big-play offense as Syracuse. UCLA has produced 62 plays of 20 or more yards this season, including 19 for touchdowns.

McNown, a Heisman Trophy finalist, has thrown for 2,617 yards and 18 touchdowns, with 22 completions going for at least 35 yards. He also has 165 yards rushing and has been sacked only 10 times.

McNown also has guided the Bruins to three comeback wins this year, including two fourth-quarter TD drives to beat Stanford 28-24 and 24 points in the final 17 minutes of a 41-34 triumph over Oregon State.

"We've got to play the way we played our first nine games and not the way we played our last one," Miami coach Butch Davis said.

Miami, headed for the Micron PC Bowl, will be hurt by the loss of two starters. Top receiver Reggie Wayne tore knee ligaments in practice last week and middle linebacker Marvin Webster did not fulfill academic responsibilities.

UCLA will be without nickel back Eric Whitfield, suspended indefinitely while he faces criminal charges for his role in a fight at an off-campus party.

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