UCLA comes from behind to beat ASU
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 1, 2000 9:00 p.m.
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Tailback Akil
Harris ran for 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in the
Bruins’ win over the Sun Devils.
By Josh Mason
Daily Bruin Contributor
Gut-wrenching finishes seem to have become the trademark of the
2000 UCLA football squad. Saturday’s 38-31 victory over the
Arizona State Sun Devils was no exception.
The game itself was billed as a challenge for a Bruin team that
was shut down against Oregon only a week earlier. A loss would have
buried UCLA in the trenches of the Pac-10 standings.
There was also the fact that star safety Marques Anderson was
not playing because of an undisclosed medical procedure, and
sophomore quarterback Cory Paus was being thrown into a starting
role only four weeks after separating his shoulder.
From the start of the game, the No. 15 Bruins appeared to be
proving their critics right.
The Sun Devils capitalized on a DeShaun Foster fumble in
UCLA’s opening series by driving down the field for 69 yards
on eight plays, climaxed by Mike Williams’ 39-yard run for
the first score of the game.
The trend continued as UCLA turned the ball over three more
times. ASU scored on drives of 77 and 52 yards, all within the
first 20 minutes of play. It was a 21-0 game through one and a half
quarters, and the Bruins knew exactly what had caused their
daunting deficit.
“It was a lack of execution on our part in the first
half,” said senior running back Jermaine Lewis. “We
were fumbling the ball and we just couldn’t click as a unit.
After those first three scores, we began to feel a sense of
urgency.”
 MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Ricky
Manning helped the Bruin defense cut down on ASU’s
offensive production in the second half. Ironically, the turning
point for the Bruins seemed to come at a time when all hope seemed
to be lost.
Early in the second quarter, Foster, UCLA’s top offensive
threat, fractured his right hand, forcing the Bruins to turn to
Lewis and freshman Akil Harris.
As part of a 95-yard drive for UCLA’s first score of the
game, the duo combined to rush for 63 yards, including a 23-yard
touchdown run by Harris. It was only his second time touching the
ball this season.
“I told (Jermaine) before the game that he was going to
play,” head coach Bob Toledo said. “And when DeShaun
went down, I told him it’s time. He gave me a big smile and
went in and got it done.”
Though the Bruins had another chance to try for points before
the half was over, they opted to run the first half clock out.
Trailing 21-7, the Bruins entered the locker room with the boos of
a disgruntled home crowd at their backs.
“We just went into the locker room and said “˜We know
what we can do, we know what we need to do,’ and decided to
just go out there, execute, and play Bruin ball like it’s
supposed to be played,” said safety Audie Attar.
It was in the second half that Paus and the Bruins finally found
their comfort zone, playing more like the team that beat Michigan
and Alabama and less like the team that was dominated by
Oregon.
On the first play of the second half, Lewis continued his hot
play, bursting off the line of scrimmage to sprint for a 57-yard
touchdown run. It seemed to spark the Bruins for the rest of the
game, as they outscored the Sun Devils 31-10 in the second
half.
With the offense moving the ball consistently, the Bruin defense
seemed to improve as well, limiting the explosiveness that Arizona
State had demonstrated in the first half of play. Three minutes
into the half an interception by Bruin cornerback Joe Hunter at the
ASU 21-yard line set up another touchdown run by Harris, which tied
the game at 21.
In UCLA’s next offensive series, Paus threw an eight-yard
strike to a wide-open Freddie Mitchell to take the first UCLA lead
of the game at 28-21. But Arizona State struck right back with a
60-yard touchdown pass to Richard Williams to tie the game 22
seconds later.
Before the third quarter was over, however, Paus connected with
Mitchell once again, this time for an incredible 80-yard touchdown
sprint. The Bruins took the lead for good at 35-28.
The fourth quarter saw only one field goal of offense for each
team, and was dominated by both defenses. UCLA’s Ryan Nece
forced a crucial turnover with 3:31 remaining, and Jason Zdenek
recovered, the clincher of a long-fought battle by UCLA. With the
clock run down to less than a minute on their next series, the Sun
Devils could only hopelessly throw a Hail Mary in the final seconds
of the game.
The come-from-behind victory was vital for the Bruins in their
quest for a Pac-10 championship, and it was particularly sweet in
light of losses by conference powerhouses Washington and USC
earlier in the day. Paus finished the day a success, completing 17
of 30 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly,
the offense did not turn the ball over in the second half.
“We were faced with adversity and had a few injuries, but
we got Cory back and did what we had to do,” said sophomore
cornerback Ricky Manning. “We started out slow, but like the
first three weeks, we came out in the second half and put it
down.”
With a 4-1 record heading into their bye week, the Bruins have
“put it down” better than any of their critics expected
they would.
GAME SUMMARY BOX DEFEATED 38-31 JERMAINE
LEWIS/AKIL HARRIS: The two combined for 215 yards rushing and three
touchdowns as replacements for DeShaun Foster late in the first
half of play.
On the first play of the second half, Jermaine Lewis sprinted
for a 57-yard touchdown run, bringing the Bruins within seven
points, and catapulting a strong second half.
28,the amount of points scored by UCLA in the third quarter. It
was their most in a quarter since scoring 28 in the second quarter
against Washington in 1997.
"I want to compliment UCLA on the way they came back. They’re
very talented. The third quarter was like an avalanche, and it was
a real tribute to UCLA." –ASU Head Coach Bruce Snyder
Lewis and Harris became the first pair of Bruins to rush for 100
yards each in a game since Durrell Price (110) and Skip Hicks (101)
did it in 1996 vs. Northeast Louisiana.
Original by CONNIE WU/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Web Adaptation by
MONICA KWONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
