Sun Bowl
NORTHWESTERN (7-4) VS. UCLA (9-2)
1 p.m., CBS
UCLA was in The Associated Press’ top five at one point this season but lost two of three down the stretch. The Bruins still possess an explosive offense, led by the 1-2 punch of QB Drew Olson and RB Maurice Drew. Northwestern is looking for its first bowl win since the 1948 Rose Bowl. It should be a fun way for senior QB Brett Basanez to go out, facing one of the nation’s worst defenses.
When UCLA quarterback Drew Olson heard the Bruins would play Northwestern in Friday’s Sun Bowl, he didn’t have to go looking through old preseason magazines to learn about the Wildcats.
“It seemed like every Saturday morning we watched them play on TV in our hotel,” Olson said.
And Olson got a good look at Northwestern quarterback Brett Basanez, who also capped off his career with a big senior season.
Arguably nobody was more comfortable this season than Olson, who had to fight to win his job back and went on to throw
31 touchdown passes against only three interceptions in leading the Bruins to a 9-2 record.
Basanez became Northwestern’s all-time winningest quarterback with 22 victories and earned first-team all-conference honors this season. And with 36 yards rushing he will become the first player in Division I-A history to reach 10,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards for his career.
The quarterbacks certainly will be on the spot Friday as the teams try to alter their bowl histories.
This will be UCLA’s 27th bowl game and seventh in the last nine years. But in L.A., it’s an issue that third-year coach Karl Dorrell has lost his first two bowl games.
Despite the football renaissance Northwestern has enjoyed in the past decade, the Wildcats have lost all four of their bowls since 1995.
