Bruins head into Husky territory

BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff UCLA’s Drew
Bennett runs the ball in their win against the Cardinal
last week. The Bruins face the University of Washington Saturday,
and hope to continue their two-game winning streak.
FOOTBALL PREVIEW vs. FOOTBALL GAME Saturday 4 p.m.
Husky Stadium Channel 7 XTRA 1150

By Adam Karon
Daily Bruin Reporter

In a fight to the death, a Bruin usually beats a Husky. Such has
been the case in the 1990s for UCLA and the University of
Washington.

The Bruins have won three straight against Washington, including
a big win in Pasadena last year that knocked the Huskies out of
Rose Bowl contention. UCLA has been quite comfortable in Seattle as
well, claiming three out of the last five games in the north. Just
the same, the Bruins will not head into this Saturday’s game
with a chip on their shoulders.

“We have to play at their place and we know it can be
extremely noisy and that there will probably be bad weather,”
head coach Bob Toledo said. “We have to show up and we
will.”

The Bruins have been showing up in fine fashion recently. The
team is on a bit of a winning streak, having taken back-to-back
games in Arizona and Pasadena, respectively. During the streak UCLA
has used a patchwork defense and an inspired offense to fend off a
tough Wildcat team and an upstart Cardinal squad.

Two months ago it looked like the Bruins and Huskies would meet
in Seattle to decide the Pac-10 championship. While the Bruins are
mathematically eliminated from contention, they do have a chance to
upset the Huskies once again.

“This goes back a long time, all the way back to 1990 when
we knocked them off when they were number one,” safety Audie
Attar said. “They still want revenge from that game and last
year when we beat them at home.”

Many of the key players in last year’s game will be back.
Washington is led by quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, a finalist for
the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Last year Tuiasosopo was held
in check as UCLA allowed him just 15 yards rushing and 134 yards
passing.

Bruin quarterback Cory Paus was equally ineffective, but for a
different reason. The Washington game marked the start of a tough
time for Paus as he was removed after just three passes with a
fractured collarbone.

Lately the quarterbacks have been solid for both teams. Paus has
passed for more than 300 yards in two of the last three games and
seems to be finding a new level of comfort with the Bruins
offense.

One reason Paus might feel more comfortable is the fact that
running back DeShaun Foster is back in action. Last week against
Stanford Foster rushed for 159 yards and had 37 yards through the
air. All this came with a sore hand and a case of turf toe.

Defensively the Bruins know the key to the game lies in stopping
Tuiasosopo. Unfortunately this is more easily spelled than done. So
far the senior quarterback has rushed for six touchdowns and thrown
nine. He has accumulated over 2,100 yards in just nine games.

“He’s a great player with a lot of talent,”
linebacker Robert Thomas said. “He can change the game with
one play. But we have some guys to keep an eye on him, and
we’ll be ready.”

The banged-up defense will receive some relief with the limited
return of lineman Sean Phillips. Ken Kocher and Kenyon Coleman are
still out, and this could mean trouble for a Bruin team that must
contain Tuiasosopo.

“This game is huge,” Thomas said. “Washington
is always a big game. We’re going to go out there and play
like it’s our last game and play them hard.”

Thomas was there to experience the Bruin tradition of beating
the Huskies. Even the freshmen are getting in the act.

“A few years ago we beat them and knocked them out of the
Rose Bowl,” freshman wide receiver Tab Perry said. “We
did it again last year, and this year we’re going to try for
a little three-peat.”

It will be interesting to see how a relatively young Bruin team
handles the trip up north. While next year looks bright with the
return of many key players, the team knows they cannot look
ahead.

“We can’t think about bowl games and next
year,” Attar said. “We need to think about
Washington.”

The Bruins will do just that when they head to the Evergreen
State for a battle with the Huskies.