Longhorn defeat stirs taste for victory

Monday, December 14, 1998

TEXAS: Mitchell steps up to help UCLA hang onto huge lead in season opener

By Rocky Salmon

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The first game of the year.

The first test for many parts of a UCLA machine, which from the beginning, knew that the national championship was within their reach.

Not only were there many questions which needed to be answered, but this would be a prime time match-up of two Heisman hopefuls: UCLA's Cade McNown and Texas's Ricky Williams.

With these two all-stars battling, it was more than a little surprising when a freshman came in and stole the show.

After redshirting last year, Freddie Mitchell became the spark plug UCLA needed to earn a 49-31 win over Texas.

On UCLA's first possession, Mitchell got a quick pass in the backfield and loaded up to throw a perfect strike to a wide open Brian Poli-Dixon for UCLA's first score of the season.

"Mitchell gives us a different dimension," head coach Bob Toledo said.

"It was a designed play, and we were going to run it once we got over the 50 yard line. Mitchell threw a great ball."

Mitchell displayed all of his dimensions, as he ran, passed and caught big plays. In fact, the freshman would haul in a 69-yard strike from McNown to finish off UCLA's scoring and put the Longhorns away for good.

Entering the half with a 35-3 lead, it looked as if the Bruins would once again pound Texas, but then UCLA appeared to lose focus.

"We looked like a well-oiled machine early, and then some parts began to fall off," Toledo said. "We started making mistakes, mentally and physically."

Playing a young team, Texas began to exploit those mistakes, but it was too little, too late for the Longhorns as the Bruins had too big of a cushion to fall back on.

"In the second half we did not make plays as crisply," McNown said. His team would score two more touchdowns, but the defense would give up 28 points, including 93 rushing yards and three touchdowns for Williams.

But with the Bruin's high-powered offense clicking, Texas could not catch up.

"We had two accomplishments we were trying to achieve entering this game," Toledo said.

"One was to win the first opener in the years I have been here and two, to win our 11th straight victory. We did both."

Comments, feedback, problems?