By Craig Degel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Arizona defensive end Tedy Bruschi was named as one of the 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation's top college lineman. Bruschi was a finalist for the award in 1994 and his statistics speak for themselves Ÿ 44.5 sacks and 62.5 tackles for a loss in his career at Arizona (3-2 overall, 1-1 in the Pacific 10 Conference).
Bruschi has always played with enthusiasm, but against California last week he may have shown a little too much. Bruschi had just recorded sack number 44.5 against Cal quarterback Pat Barnes when he broke into an impromptu dance. The referees were not amused and they flagged Bruschi for unsportsmanlike conduct
"If I would have known they were going to call me I would've done more," Bruschi said, smiling.
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After a few weeks of inconsistent play, the Wildcat offensive line has been coming up big when the situation calls. Against Cal, the line lost starters Mani Ott and Ian McCutcheon but didn't miss a step. It protected backup Brady Batten and opened up holes for the running game, which racked up 199 total yards.
"It was a survival test," Arizona head coach Dick Tomey said. "We lost Mani and Ian. I'm really proud of these guys."
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The victory over Cal also means the team can stay relatively loose during its bye week because it will not carry the stigma of being 0-2 in the Pac-10.
"It was huge," Dice said of the win. "It was either 0-2 or getting a victory and going in 1-1."The Wildcats will have this weekend off to prepare for a showdown with UCLA in Los Angeles on Oct. 14. Arizona has beaten UCLA in the Rose Bowl just once under Tomey (1987- ).
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It was just one week, but it would seem that the Arizona running game has experienced a revival. Tailback Gary Taylor rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown, looking like a new man against Cal.
The running game's reappearance also helped to open up lanes in the passing game for Batten.
"(It was) tremendous," Batten said. "Gary ran the ball real well. Anytime we can run the ball like that it's going to help the passing game."