UCLA
USC may be Bruins’ on/y weakness
UCLA Coach Terry Donahue finds him
self in about the same position as the prover
bial kid in a candy store. Everything
Donahue sees is good. It’s just a matter of
picking what he likes best.
As usual, the Bruins ?re loaded with the
kind of talent southern California’s sun and
surf can lure. And again the Bruins should
challenge for the Pae-8 championship and
the berth in the Rose Bowl that goes with it.
If there is anything wrong with UCLA, it is
that they are in the same conference as
USC. The Trojans have poor seasons
about as often as it snows in Los Angeles,
so it makes it tough on cross-town neighbor
UCLA. And it came as no surprise when the
Emerald s Pac-8 coaches poll placed the
Trojans at the top of the heap. But don’t cry
for Donahue and his troops.
The 33-year-old Donahue has the kind of
talent it takes to make the Rose Bowl, and if
any spots remain open, he recruited the
best crop of freshmen in the nation. A case
of the rich getting richer.
Among the Bruins' 14 prime recruits were
two Oregonians, Sunset’s Scott Tiesing
and Grants Pass' Scott Stauch. Neither ap
pears ready to start, although both were
prep All-Americans. That speaks well for
UCLA’s depth.
Doing the starting for the Bruins is a cast
of athletes good enough to make opposing
coaches' eyes water. Theotis Brown, an
All-Coast pick as a sophomore, will be back
at one running back slot hoping to improve
on the 990 yards he picked up in seven
Pac-8 games. Brown’s running-mate of last
year, all-time UCLA rushing leader Wendall
Tyler, is gone, but a more than adequate
replacement seems to have been found in
Olympic hurdler James Owens.
The quarterback slot is a position of fierce
competition between two standouts. Steve
Bukich and Rick Bashore are both letter
men and prior to the Pac-8 season
Donahue had failed to decide upon one as
his starter. Bukich has more experience,
but sophomore Bashore has shown great
improvement.
Despite the abundance of talent in the
backfield and with lettermen at the receiv
ing positions, Donahue is worried about the
offensive line which has only one returning
starter. Because of this, Donahue looks to
his defense to carry the team in the early
going.
Fortunately, here, too, the Bruins have all
kinds of talent.
Starling on the front line is Manu
Tuiasosopo. A 6-3, 240 lb. tackle,
Tuiasosopo earned All-Coast honors last
year as a sophomore. Expected to be
alongside Tuiasosopo is the Bruins' most
touted newcomer, Billy Don Jackson from
Sherman, Texas. Claimed by some to be
“from another galaxy,” Jackson assures
Donahue excellent line play for years to
come.
The very best UCLA has to offer on de
fense is at linebacker, where Jerry Robin
son won All-American honors last season.
Robinson has two more years to go in Los
Angeles and that means nothing but trouble
for the rest of the Pac-8. Keying the secon
dary is AII-Pac-8 pick Levi Armstrong. Arm
strong picked off four passes and returned
one for a score in 1977.
In assessing his club, second year coach
Donahue modestly commented, “I antici
pate that we will have a very fine, represen
tative team.''
With the talent he has at hand,
Donahue's Bruins won’t only be a fine rep
resentative for UCLA, but could wind up as
the Pac-8 representative in the Rose Bowl.
Washington: Huskies maintain low-key image
In a year of low-key coaches,
Washington’s Don James is down
right underground.
Perhaps in hopes of breaking
the Pac-8’s Southern domination,
some experts are picking the
Huskies to contend for, if not win,
the conference title.
“Sure, that’s the realistic goal of
every coach,” said James, “You
hope to catch them (UCA, USC) a
little every year. Sure I think we ll
do better this year—our depth is a
little bit better. But our weaknes
ses will be very apparent.”
James is so low-key that you've
got to wonder what he has up his
sleeve. But aside from the sec
recy, most people in football know
what James has in Seattle. A dam
good team.
The wealth of the Husky experi
ence will be coming from both the
offensive line and the defensive
secondary. "We didn't get every
thing that we wanted out of them
last season," said James, "but at
least we re not starting from
scratch.”
Indeed, last year s question
may become this year’s answer
James had to break in four new
(Continued on Page 10)
Southern Cal
(Continued from Page 7)
back, Rob Hertel, is no slouch
himself. As the Trojan’s number
two behind Evans, Hertel com
pleted 65 per cent of his passes
for 452 yards and 8 touchdowns.
“I think we ll be stronger there this
year,” said Robinson of the signal
caller spot. “At certain times this
year, a good quarterback will be
important.''
Gone is Dave Farmer, half of
the Trojans fullback strength in
76, but the other half, Mosi
Tatupu, returns to handle the
chores alone. Of course he’ll be
used to open holes for White and
Hertel, but with a career rushing
average of 5.9 yards per carry (7.0
last year), he can’t be overlooked.
And if Tatupu can open holes
for his backfield mates, then the
USC offensive line can open holes
for the whole L A. Basin. Center
Gary Bethel, tackle Otis Page,
guard Brad Budde, tackle John
Schuhmacher and tight end Bill
Gay average 6-5, 250, and if that
isn’t enough Robinson calls Gay
“the best tight end in the country
along with Ken MacAfee of Notre
Dame."
There s no respite on defense,
either For all Pac-8 performers re
turn, and between them is the tal
ent most pro scouts are eyeing.
Dennis Thurman and Ricky Odom
return as the 1-2 interception
combination in the conference,
and Thurman, according to
Robinson, "might be the best
safety USC has ever had."
The Emerald poll of the eight
Pac-8 coaches puts Robinson
and USC in an unanimous first
place position, and Oregon s Rich
Brooks has perhaps the best ex
planation, saying, "They re first for
any reason you want to name."
Let’s just say it's because they
have what it takes.
ABSOLUTE SILENCE!
TECHNIC TURNTABLES
MOO to M300
If you’re in the market for a turntable
you won’t find a more reliable or
quieter one with such built-in precision
than that of a Technics. Come in
to Thompson’s Electronics to learn more
about Technic turntables; and Technic’s
other fine studio products from Thompson’s
knowledgeable & experienced staff.
THOMPSON’S ELECTRONICS
"Eugene's Most Respected Audio Store Since 1936’’
11th & OAK - 343-9273 TST
Extended
Terms
Available