CBS SportsLine wire reports
Oct. 27, 1998
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA coach Bob Toledo believes his second-ranked Bruins have earned a lot more respect than they're receiving these days.
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"It amazes me players and coaches would make the kind of statements they've been making," Toledo said Monday during his weekly meeting with reporters. "It's unbelievable to me, it really is."
Toledo mentioned Oregon quarterback Akili Smith and California wide receiver Dameane Douglas by name.
THE UCLA COACH WOULD NOT identify Paul Hackett but mentioned "players and coaches" when asked about what Southern California's first-year coach had to say last week.
"No, I don't think so," Toledo said when asked if his team was receiving the respect it deserves. "That's frustrating. When you're at the top, they're going to knock you down.
"It's disappointing to see people act like that, to be perfectly blunt."
After UCLA (6-0, 4-0 Pac-10) beat No. 12 Oregon 41-38 in overtime on Oct. 17, Smith said the Ducks gave the game away, implying they were the better team.
Three days later, at his weekly meeting with reporters, Hackett called Oregon, the opponent for his team last weekend, the best team in the Pac-10, saying if the Ducks hadn't turned the ball over five times against UCLA, they would have won handily.
And according to Toledo, Douglas made derogatory remarks during UCLA's 28-16 victory over Cal last Saturday.
DOUGLAS
CAUGHT 10 PASSES FOR 73 yards against the Bruins, prompting an
annoyed Toledo to say, "My daughter could catch 10 passes for 70 yards. I
can turn around and catch hitches all day."
UCLA coach Bob Toledo says his Bruins aren't given the credit they deserve.
(AP)
Toledo also took it upon himself to promote UCLA quarterback Cade McNown for the Heisman Trophy more vociferously than he has all year, perhaps because McNown's passing statistics have taken a slight dip recently.
"His statistics don't show his value to this football team," Toledo said. "He is a winner. He is the prototype Heisman candidate, in my opinion."
McNown, a senior who holds every significant UCLA career passing record, threw for 200 or more yards in 18 consecutive games dating to the final three games of his freshman year before passing for 171 yards in a 52-28 victory over Arizona on Oct. 10.
He passed for 395 yards against Oregon the following week before completing 15-of-27 for 182 yards against Cal.
A LEFT-HANDER, MCNOWN HAD HIS THROWING hand and wrist wrapped Monday, the result of cuts and bruises on his index and middle finger knuckles.
"I'll be fine," he said. "The only reason it's wrapped now is to keep the swelling down. I played the whole second half (against Cal) and it was a whole lot worse than it is now."
When asked if he would miss any practice time, McNown smiled and replied, "I've never missed a practice at UCLA and I don't intend to start now."
Said Toledo: "He takes some shots. He's a very tough guy."
McNown, who led the nation in passing efficiency last year, ranks 16th in the country now, having completed 96-of-176 passes for 1,607 yards and 12 touchdowns with five interceptions. He ranks 14th in total offense.
"WE'VE WON 16 STRAIGHT GAMES, and he's a big reason for that success," Toledo said.
UCLA's winning streak is the longest in the country.
The Bruins, alone atop the Pac-10 standings, are averaging 43.5 points (fifth in the nation) and 478.2 yards (ninth in the country) heading into their game against Stanford (1-6, 0-4) Saturday at the Rose Bowl.