This Date in College Football Belt History – November 9

After losing The Belt earlier in the season to Washington, the 14^th ranked, 6-1-1 UCLA Bruins of Terry Donahue traveled to Tucson to try & claim it from the 6-2 Arizona Wildcats of coach Larry Smith.  UCLA’s RB Gaston Green scored 3 touchdowns & the Bruins withstood a 4^th quarter rally by the Wildcats to take The Belt back to California with a 24-19 win.  UCLA scored midway through the 1^st quarter on a 27-yard drive that was set-up by a mishandled snap on a punt attempt.  Green scored on a 7-yard touchdown run giving the Bruins a 7-0 lead.  Midway through the 2^nd quarter, UCLA drove 53 yards in 9 plays with Green again scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run for a 14-0 Bruins’ lead.  UCLA’s All-American PK John Lee hit a 39-yard field goal with 2:38 left in the half & the Bruins took a 17-0 lead to intermission after having held the Arizona offense to just 26 total yards in the half.  Midway through the 3^rd quarter, Arizona’s special teams set-up the Wildcats’ first score when S Chuck Cecil blocked a punt out of bounds at the UCLA 7-yard line.  The Wildcats scored two plays later when RB James DeBow carried in from 2 yards making the score UCLA 17 Arizona 7 with 7:21 left in the 3^rd quarter.  The Bruins responded with a 9-play, 80-yard drive that was highlighted by a 3^rd & 9 play from the UCLA 44-yard line.  As QB David Norrie scrambled to find an open receiver he saw WR Karl Dorrell.  After Dorrell made the catch he was hit at the Arizona 20-yard line & fumbled the ball forward.  It appeared Arizona would recover the ball as 4 Wildcats’ defenders closed in but Green got into the pile & covered the ball for the Bruins at the Arizona 4-yard line.  Two plays later, Green’s 1-yard touchdown run put UCLA ahead 24-7 with 3:53 left in the 3^rd quarter.  In the 4^th quarter it appeared the Bruins had thwarted a Wildcat scoring drive when UCLA’s CB Dennis Price intercepted Arizona’s QB Alfred Jenkins at the UCLA 10-yard line.  After returning the pick 14 yards, Price fumbled & DeBow recovered for the Wildcats at the UCLA 24-yard line giving Arizona a new set of downs.  Arizona drove for the touchdown in 5 plays with DeBow scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run.  The missed 2-point conversion attempt left the Wildcats trailing 24-13 with 7:05 left to play.  The Bruins recovered the on-side kick & ran almost 4 minutes off the clock before Norrie made a mistake that led to another Arizona score.  On first down from the Arizona 29-yard line with 3:18 left, Norrie decided to try a pass but the Wildcats’ rush was on him quickly & he tried to throw the ball while being tackled.  Arizona’s DT Dana Wells caught the ball & ran 61 yards for a touchdown but the missed 2-point conversion attempt still had the Bruins in front at 24-19.  UCLA managed to hang on to the ball the rest of the way to secure the win.  Norrie threw for 162 yards with 2 interceptions while Jenkins threw for 102 yards with an interception in the loss.  The Wildcats finished the season 8-3-1 while the Bruins finished 9-2-1, Pac-10 Champions & ranked 7^th nationally.  Arizona would play for The Belt again in 1990.

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