Beavers’ wishbone poses problems for UCLA

Beavers’ wishbone poses problems for UCLA

Oregon State’s offense exploits

weaknesses in Bruins’ defense

By Scott Yamaguchi

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It may be the only thing, but history will certainly be on the
side of the UCLA football team when it enters Saturday’s 7 p.m.
matchup with Oregon State at the Rose Bowl.

The Bruins (2-4 overall, 0-3 in the Pacific 10) hold a 32-10-4
advantage in the series with OSU, and have won 16 of the last 18
games between the two schools. In fact, the Beavers have never won
a game in the Rose Bowl, and their last road win over UCLA came
more than 20 years ago.

History, however, has done little to help UCLA out of its
four-game losing streak, and if the Bruins are to halt the skid
this week, it will take more than mystique.

Entering the game, OSU leads the Pac-10 in rushing offense with
278.4 yards per game. At the same time, however, the Beavers rank
seventh in total offense, eighth in scoring offense, and last in
passing offense. The discrepancy is no doubt a result of OSU’s
wishbone formation ­ which calls for three tailbacks in the
offense ­ and was a pre-season concern of Beaver head coach
Jerry Pettibone after last year’s squad produced similar
numbers.

"There’s one thing we worked on extremely hard this last spring,
and that’s to be able to be effective at throwing the ball more
often," Pettibone said in September. "Not throwing it just to be
throwing it, but to be good enough to throw it at the right times
in the game so that it can be effective for us. That’s definitely a
part of our offense that we’re trying to develop."

Pettibone might not have held true to his words ­ Oregon
State has attempted only 39 passes through five games this season.
Nevertheless, a solid running game could prove troublesome for a
UCLA squad that ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in rushing defense.

The Bruins’ task lies in finding a way to stop OSU’s combination
of Don Shanklin and J.J. Young. Shanklin, a junior quarterback, has
run the ball 42 times for 290 yards and two touchdowns in four
games. He ranks third in the Pac-10 in passing efficiency with a
rating of 138.70, although he has completed only 13 passes. Young,
a senior halfback, has rushed 57 times for 353 yards and four
touchdowns.

"The 1994 season will be my 29th in coaching and I have had the
opportunity to see some of the best running backs that have played
college football in 25 years ­ guys that have won the Heisman
Trophy and were legitimate first-team All-Americans," Pettibone
said. "I think J.J. Young is in that category. He has outstanding
speed, he has the explosiveness to be able to hit the home run
every time he touches the football, and he is an outstanding
blocker."

Last year in Corvalis, the Beavers ­ with help from Young
­ rolled up 338 yards on the ground against the Bruins, but
lost 20-17 when Bjorn Merten kicked two fourth-quarter field goals.
UCLA, which had lost its first two games of the season, improved to
5-2 with the win.

Ironically enough, this year’s game against the Beavers falls in
the same week of UCLA’s schedule as it did last year, but the
Bruins’ season is going in exactly the opposite direction.

After season-opening victories over Tennessee and Southern
Methodist, UCLA has dropped games to Nebraska, Washington State,
Washington and California. The Beavers are mired in a slump as
well, having lost consecutive games to Fresno State, Arizona and
Southern Cal.

UCLA head coach Terry Donahue has declared the Oregon State game
the beginning of a new season, but such an easy escape does not
exist. After all, the Bruins will likely be without the services of
J.J. Stokes for the fifth week in a row, and the loser of the game
will stand alone at the bottom of the conference standings.