Bruins Wary of Winless Arizona

TUCSON —  Under normal circumstances, UCLA Coach Terry Donahue might have difficulty motivating the No. 11 Bruins to play Arizona, winless in three games this season.

But Donahue merely had to show his team the film of the Wildcats’ 8-7 near miss at then-top-ranked Miami last week to prepare the Bruins (3-0) for their Pacific 10 Conference opener against the Wildcats (1-2-1) tonight at Arizona Stadium.

Arizona had a chance to upset Miami, but Steve McLaughlin’s 51-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right by about two feet as time expired. Arizona held Miami to two yards rushing and one touchdown. The Hurricanes’ only points during the first half resulted from a safety. It was the first time that Miami had not scored a first-half touchdown since 1984.

The near upset of Miami came an an opportune time for Arizona Coach Dick Tomey, under fire after guiding the Wildcats to a 4-7 record last season.

“I think everybody that’s coaching, their job’s in trouble,” Tomey said. “Anybody that’s lined up on the sidelines, his job is in jeopardy. You’ve got to produce, and we haven’t produced well.”

Tonight’s game matches two of the best defensive units in the Pac-10.

The Bruins have given up only 31 points in three games, their fewest since yielding 28 in the first three games of the 1980 season. UCLA held San Diego State tailback Marshall Faulk to 118 yards, 141.5 below his average, during a 35-7 victory over the Aztecs last week.

UCLA shut out Brigham Young during the first half of a 17-10 victory over the Cougars two weeks ago, the first time in its last 40 games that BYU had failed to score during the first half.

“UCLA will be the best defense we’ve played,” Tomey said. “Miami has a great defense, but UCLA’s defense is just outstanding.”

After giving up a school-record 32.8 points per game last season, Arizona’s defense has given up 12 per game this season. The Wildcats, who haven’t yielded a first-half touchdown this season, have given up only 94 yards per game rushing, a big improvement over last season, when they yielded 218. Arizona has intercepted seven passes, as many as the Wildcats had during the entire 1991 season.

Nose guard Rob Waldrop, inside linebacker Sean Harris and free safety Tony Bouie lead Arizona’s defense. Waldrop, a 6-foot-2, 274-pound junior, has 28 tackles and four sacks and Harris, a 6-3, 239-pound sophomore, has a team-high 38 tackles, including six for 35 yards in losses. Bouie, a 5-10, 188-pound sophomore, leads the team with three interceptions.

Although the Wildcats rank third in the Pac-10 in total defense, their offense hasn’t been productive. Arizona is last in the Pac-10 in total offense, averaging 268.5 yards.

Quarterback George Malauulu, a former Carson High standout, has thrown for 492 yards and three touchdowns--and four interceptions. Wildcat running back Ontiwaun Carter, a former standout at Granada Hills Kennedy, has rushed for a team-high 318 yards and four touchdowns.

Bruin quarterback Rob Walker has been efficient in 2 1/2 games since he replaced starting quarterback Wayne Cook, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during UCLA’s 37-14 opening victory over Cal State Fullerton. Walker has completed 65.5% of his passes for 339 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

With the emergence of freshman running back Sharmon Shah, who rushed for 69 yards in 10 carries during his first college game last week, the Bruins have a four-man tailback rotation. Kevin Williams, the Pac-10 rushing leader last season, has a team-high 286 yards and two touchdowns this season. Redshirt sophomore Daron Washington, who is averaging 7.5 yards per carry, has rushed for 247 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. Junior tailback Ricky Davis has gained 36 yards and scored once.

It’s difficult for Donahue to work all four tailbacks into the lineup, and Davis didn’t play last week as Williams, Washington and Shah combined for 278 yards and three touchdowns, propelling the Bruins to their best start since 1988.

“Now we have a problem,” Donahue said. “We have to find out how to get them all contributing. It’s not easy to keep everybody happy, but our job as coaches is to try keep them all productive, and when they’re productive, they’re happy. You can’t give everybody an equal number of (carries).”

Bruin Notes

Wide receiver Sean LaChapelle, who has 127 receptions, needs two more to become UCLA’s receiving leader, passing Mike Sherrard. . . . UCLA guard James Christensen (pinched nerve in neck) and linebacker Rod Smalley (sprained knee) will probably play. The status of wide receiver Bryan Adams (sprained ankle) is questionable.