Return of the Hurricanes: Miami contest rescheduled

Tuesday, October 13, 1998

Return of the Hurricanes: Miami contest rescheduled

FOOTBALL:Game set for Dec. 5 may conflict with players’ school
schedules

By Rocky Salmon

Daily Bruin Staff

It’s official.

December 5 will now mark the UCLA football team’s last regular
season game instead of the usual November showdown with the USC
Trojans.

The Bruins will be returning to Miami to battle what caused them
to postpone the game: a Hurricane. Except this battle will be
against the Miami Hurricanes three weeks before bowl games are to
begin.

When UCLA cancelled the game on Sept. 26, a rescheduled game was
up in the air because Dec. 5 is UCLA’s crucial recruitment period,
is two weeks after the last game, and the weekend before
Finals.

Controversy swirled around the cancellation because it could
have possibly cost UCLA a chance to compete in the Fiesta Bowl if
UCLA had won out the rest of the season as well as any other
unbeatens.

But for Bob Toledo this game was not about the Fiesta Bowl, it
was about playing football.

"We didn’t know if we were going to make it up because it messes
with the kids schedule but we don’t want our kids to just practice,
we love to play games."

Not only would the game give UCLA legitimacy in the eyes of the
AP voters but it would be a good warm-up and preparation for a bowl
game to keep UCLA ready.

"Having a game in December would keep the rust off," Toledo
said. "We would be able to get off the practice field and it would
be good as long as no one got injured."

So now it stands. UCLA will battle the Hurricanes in an
unexpected December match.

The game time remains to be decided because of complications
between the schools’ scheduling.

"We are trying to get a 3:30 eastern start time because we could
fly the kids out there on Friday and leave Saturday night,"
Athletic Director Pete Dalis said. "We don’t want them to have to
leave Thursday and miss Friday classes because next week after is
Final’s week."

But will it be broadcast nationally?

That answer is also up in the air.

ABC would like to show it but are obligated to show NCAA
basketball, one of the games being Miami versus Kentucky. So ESPN
is being looked into to broadcast the game.

So UCLA, the university in the land of sunshine, will have to
scrap vacation plans and head out east to battle a team which
almost upset Florida St.

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