The Curse of Cade? How one play may have led to 25 years of misery for UCLA football.
LOS ANGELES — One play remained. Rivalry revelry was assured.
UCLA was bludgeoning USC at the Rose Bowl a quarter of a century ago.
Ahead by three scores, taking a knee or running up the middle would have been the humane thing to do, even against those terrible Trojans.
Cade McNown leaned into the huddle and relayed the play. As the clock ticked below 20 seconds, the Bruins quarterback stepped behind center and took the snap. He faked a pitch and took off in the other direction, no one there to protect him.
It was a naked bootleg, and a timeless kick in the rear.
"I mean, I still f------ hate Cade McNown," former USC fullback Petros Papadakis said this week with a hearty laugh.
No one on the Trojans' sideline found any humor in it on that warm afternoon in November 1998. Scrunching his face in disgust, USC coach Paul Hackett yelled for someone to wallop that barbaric Bruin. Safety Rashard Cook finally complied, bringing McNown down at the end of a 23-yard run that completed UCLA's 34-17 victory
