University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Quarterback Heisman Trophy Candidate
November 15, 1998
"When you complete 23 of 37 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns; when you scramble for a 30-yard rushing gain and then, when you've barely caught your breath, you pitch out to your tailback and you take off to catch a pass from that tailback and go for a 22-yard gain, and you soon thereafter throw a seven-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 24, a game that only means absolutely everything and yet it's still only the third quarter, which means that there is still plenty of time for you to finish things off by heaving, with 21 seconds left, a 61-yard touchdown pass to a receiver who hasn't caught a touchdown pass all season to win the game, that is a Heisman Trophy performance." -- Diane Pucin, Los Angeles Times, after Oregon State game on Nov. 7.
"Evaluating Cade McNown by passing stats alone ignores his mobility and toughness. Not a bad leader, either." -- Jon Wilner, L.A. Daily News.
"And in one of those old-fashioned rub-your-nose-in-the-dirt kinds of games on Saturday, UCLA's Heisman Trophy candidate was the difference ... When the Bruins needed it most, McNown did what he does best. He made plays." -- Steve Bisheff, Orange County Register.
"When a big play needs to be made, Cade McNown makes it," said head coach Bob Toledo. "We've won 16 straight games and he's a big reason for that success."
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
Updated information Cade McNown may be found on UCLA's website at www.uclabruins.com/mcnown.
During game weeks, McNown will be available in person on Mondays at approx. 1:00 p.m. prior to head coach Bob Toledo's weekly Monday news conference. He will also be available following practice on Mondays and Tuesdays and by appointment.
McNown will be available to out-of-area media via conference call. The call is scheduled for every Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. PT. Please call UCLA Media Relations for the telephone number.
No interviews with McNown will be scheduled on Wednesday through Friday during game weeks. UCLA as a team policy does not conduct interview sessions on Sundays.
Video highlights of McNown will be included in the weekly Pacific-10 Satellite Feed - Wednesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PT on Telstar 4, Transponder 20.
Cade McNown, one of the top contenders for the Heisman Trophy and the Pacific-10 Conference's new career total offense leader, is one of 10 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award semifinalists, one of five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Award (senior quarterback) and one of five early favorites for the Walter Camp Foundation Player of the Year Award. He has led the Bruins to an 9-0 record and his offense is averaging 40.7 points (No. 5 in the nation) and 474.0 yards (No. 11 nationally) per outing. UCLA scored 40 points in each of the first five games, a school record, and has done it six times overall.
In nine games, McNown has completed 150 of 268 passes (56.0 percent) for 2,471 yards and 17 touchdowns while leading the Bruins to victories over Texas, Houston, Washington State, previously unbeaten Arizona and Oregon, California, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington. Last year after eight games, McNown had thrown for 2,344 yards and 16 touchdowns. McNown has 87 completions of at least 10 yards and 20 of at least 35 yards (five against Oregon). His average of 274.6 passing yards is higher than the school record of 259.7 he set last year.
McNown is second in the Pac-10 in total offense (288.7 yards) and third in passing efficiency (148.4). He ranks 12th nationally in total offense and 13th in passing efficiency. His average of 288.7 yards of total offense is well ahead of the school record in that category, which he also set last year (261.8).
Against Washington, he became the Pac-10's career total offense leader with 10,231 yards. On the afternoon, he completed 12 of 24 passes for 233 yards, including two passes of at least 40 yards and led the offense to seven scoring drive (two touchdowns and five interceptions). UCLA attempted just eight passes in the second half of the Husky contest.
McNown owns five of the top nine passing days in school history and is the only Bruin to pass for more than 355 yards in a game more than once (he has done it five times). He is also the only Bruin in school history to account for at least 360 yards total offense in a game more than once (he has done it six times). He has also passed for at least 300 yards nine times, another school record.
On Nov. 7 in the 41-34 victory at Oregon State, he demonstrated why he is one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy. He rallied the Bruins from a third-quarter deficit by leading them to 24 points in the final 16:22. Oregon State tied the score twice in the final quarter and each time McNown moved the Bruins right down the field for a go-ahead score.
With UCLA trailing 24-17 in the third quarter, McNown drove the Bruins to the game-tying touchdown by running, passing and receiving. From his own 37-yard line, he scrambled 30 yards to put the Bruins in scoring position. Two plays later, he pitched the ball to tailback Jermaine Lewis, who passed back to McNown, who ran 22 yards to the four-yard line with the first reception of his career. After a five-yard penalty and a two-yard run by DeShaun Foster, McNown hit Danny Farmer for a seven-yard touchdown to tie the game.
With 10 minutes remaining in the game, McNown hit Farmer for a 43-yard yard touchdown to give UCLA a 31-24 lead. After OSU tied the game, he drove the Bruins to Chris Sailer's 30-yard field goal with just 1:17 remaining. After OSU tied the game at 34 with just 31 seconds remaining, McNown found Brad Melsby alone on the right sideline for the game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass.
On the afternoon, McNown completed 23 of 37 passes for 377 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception on a deflection. He also rushed for 37 net yards (three shy of the team lead) on five attempts and made one reception for 22 yards. His 414 yards of total offense rank No. 2 on UCLA's all-time list, trailing only Tommy Maddox's 445 vs. USC in 1990. His 377 passing yards rank eighth on that UCLA list and fourth on the McNown list. The four touchdown passes were just one shy of the school record of five he set last year at Texas.
On Oct. 31, McNown led the Bruins on two fourth-quarter touchdown drives to erase a 10-point deficit and defeat the Stanford Cardinal, 28-24 at the Rose Bowl. On the afternoon, he completed 19 of 31 passes for 254 yards and one touchdown, a 53-yard strike to Brian Poli-Dixon. He had four completions of at least 20 yards. He also had a touchdown pass negated by a holding call.
On Oct. 24, McNown used his left arm and his legs to lead the Bruins to their 16th straight victory, extending the school record. He completed 15 of 27 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns - first-quarter strikes of 17 and 35 yards to Brian Poli-Dixon to give the Bruins a 14-7 lead. He also ran for net 57 yards, the second-best total of his career (he ran for 82 in the 1995 Aloha Bowl). His 34-yard scamper on third-and-six set up UCLA's third TD to give the Bruins a 21-9 halftime lead. He also had second-half runs of 16, 11 and 11 yards that produced first downs. His 16-yard sweep on second-and-four came two plays prior to Jermaine Lewis' touchdown pass.
On Oct. 17 against 11th-ranked and undefeated (5-0) Oregon, he fought off illness to lead the Bruins to a 41-38 overtime victory. McNown completed 20 of 36 passes for 395 yards and three touchdowns. In addition, he had two other passes dropped, one of which would have been a 59-yard touchdown. After becoming ill on the field in the third quarter and missing one play, he completed nine of his final 13 pass for 202 yards and one touchdown.
On the afternoon, he had five completions of at least 40 yards. His 51-yard scoring pass to DeShaun Foster opened the scoring and his 60-yard strike to Danny Farmer with 2:36 remaining in regulation gave the Bruins a 38-31 lead. After Oregon tied the game with 22 seconds remaining, McNown hit backup quarterback Drew Bennett on a 53-yard pass to put the Bruins in possession for a game-winning 21-yard field goal. The Bruins did not take advantage but won the game with a field goal in the first overtime period.
McNown's 395 passing yards against the Ducks tied the fourth best effort in school history (McNown vs. Arizona State in 1996) and tied for second on his personal list (he passed for 400 yards vs. Tennessee last year).
On Oct. 10 at No. 10 Arizona, he rebounded from a slow start to lead the Bruins to a 52-28 victory, their first in Tucson in 10 years. Beginning with the second quarter, he led UCLA to six touchdowns and one field goal on nine possessions, resulting in 45 points. During that span, he completed eight of 14 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns and ran for the go-ahead score. His first TD pass was a 14-yard strike to Brian Poli-Dixon on an inside screen. On his second, with UCLA leading by three early in the final quarter, he faked an option run, dropped back and hit a streaking Danny Farmer for a 64-yard score. McNown's three-yard run with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter gave UCLA the lead for good, 31-28.
On Oct. 3 against Washington State, he led UCLA to touchdowns on each of its first three possessions en route to a 49-17 victory at the Rose Bowl -- UCLA's school-record 13th straight win. The Bruins led 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and 35-10 at halftime. His most spectacular play was his six-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, on which he hurdled a would-be tackler at the goal line, twisted in mid-air and game down on his back.
On the day, McNown completed 14 of 27 passes for 205 yards, including a 51-yard pass to Danny Farmer and a seven-yard touchdown to Brian Poli-Dixon, and became the first Bruin to record over 8,000 career passing yards. Overall, he completed passes to six different receivers. It was his 18th straight game with at least 200 passing yards, extending his own school record.
On Sept. 19 at Houston, McNown became the only player in school history to pass for over 300 yards in back-to-back games. That afternoon, he passed for 315 yards and one touchdown as UCLA overcame a 6-0 deficit at the end of the first quarter to win, 42-24. McNown's touchdown pass, a 61-yard strike to Brian Poli-Dixon, gave the Bruins the lead early in the second quarter. On the afternoon, McNown had four completions of at least 40 yards and completed passes to eight different receivers.
In the opener against No. 22 (at the time) Texas, McNown completed 20 of 30 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns with just one interception. He led UCLA to touchdowns on five of its first six possessions and six of its first eight and averaged 11.3 yards per pass attempt and 17.0 yards per completions. In the first 30 minutes, he completed 13 of 17 attempts for 222 yards, two touchdowns and nine first downs (including the two scores).
In nine games, McNown is 55 for 91 for 823 yards and five scores on first down, 55 of 90 for 905 yards and seven scores on second down, 40 of 85 for 743 yards and five touchdowns on third down and zero for one on fourth down. Thirty-four of his 40 third-down completions have resulted in first downs. Thirty-five of his completions have measured at least 20 yards, 20 at least 35 yards.
McNown's 79-yard touchdown pass to Freddie Mitchell against Texas was the second-longest completion of his career and ranks eighth (tied) on UCLA's all-time list. He threw an 88-yard touchdown to Danny Farmer in the 1996 opener at Tennessee.
McNown had a school-record streak of 18 games with at least 200 passing yards stopped in the victory at Arizona.
Last year, the Bruin quarterback was one of three finalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. He led the country in passing efficiency, finished eighth in the Heisman race and was named a third-team All-American by Associated Press and The Sporting News.
McNown finished the regular season with a quarterback rating of 168.6, the 12th-highest in NCAA history. He was the first Bruin since Tom Ramsey in 1982 to lead the nation. He also broke the Pac-10 record of 164.5, set by Cal's Dave Barr in 1993.
In the 1998 Cotton Bowl, McNown engineered the second-largest comeback in the bowl's history, rallying UCLA from a 16-0 deficit in the 29-23 victory over Texas A&M. Only Notre Dame's Joe Montana led a bigger comeback (22 points).
On the afternoon, he completed 16 of 29 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. The TD pass to Hicks was his 24th of the year, tying the school record held by Troy Aikman. He also became the first 3,000-yard passer in school history, finishing with 3,116 yards.
CADE McNOWN SNAPSHOT
- First nationally in pass efficiency in 1997 (168.6, Pac-10 record and 12th highest rating in NCAA history)
- Eighth in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1997
- Third-team All-American in 1997
- Set a UCLA record with 3,116 passing yards in 1997
- 1998 Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist
- 1998 Unitas Award finalist
- Nine games of at least 300 passing yards
- Set school record with five touchdown passes against Texas in 1997
- Set personal best with 400 passing yards versus Tennessee in 1997, No. 2 in UCLA history, and passed for 395 vs. Oregon and 377 vs. Oregon State this season
- 29-12 as UCLA's starting quarterback (most wins by a Bruin starting quarterback)
- First in UCLA career completions (637)
- First in UCLA career passing yards (9,709)
- First in UCLA career passing touchdowns (60)
- First in UCLA career total offense (10,231)
- First in Pac-10 career total offense (10,231)
- Fourth in Pac-10 career passing yards (9,709)
- Forty consecutive starts, the most by a Bruin T-formation quarterback
- In his last 19 games -- all victories -- he has completed 293 of 503 passes (58.3%) for 4,930 yards, 39 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
His 60 career touchdown passes have also set a new school record, breaking the mark of 50, set by Tom Ramsey in 1979-82. He has started 41 games, including 40 straight, and has played in 44 contests. His 40 consecutive starts are a school record for a T-formation quarterback, breaking the mark of 24 held by Ramsey and Aikman.
His 10,231 yards of total offense rank second on the Pac-10 career list and he needs just 205 to become the all-time leader. His 9,709 passing yards also rank second while his 60 touchdown passes rank fifth (tied).
1998 McNOWN Passing
Game PA PC Int. Yds TD TEX* 30 20 1 339 3 HOU* 32 17 1 315 1 WSU* 27 14 1 205 1 ARIZ* 24 10 0 171 2 ORE* 36 20 2 395 3 CAL* 27 15 0 182 2 STAN* 31 19 2 254 1 OSU* 37 23 1 377 4 WASH* 24 13 0 233 0 1998 268 150 8 2471 17 1997 312 189 6 3116* 24* 1996 336 176 16 2424 12 1995 245 122 8 1698 7 CAR 1161 637* 38 9709* 60*
1997 McNOWN Passing
Game PA PC Int. Yds TD WSU* 34 19 0 257 1 TENN* 43 27 2 400** 1 TEX* 23 15 0 202 5* ARIZ* 24 18 0 266 0 HOU* 14 11 0 297 4 ORE* 25 15 1 248 1 OSU* 25 11 1 210 2 CAL* 20 11 0 259 2 STAN* 28 15 1 205 0 WASH* 23 16 0 320 3 USC* 24 15 0 213 3 TEXAS A&M* 29 16 1 239 2
Total 312 189 6 3116* 24*
**career high, #2 all-time at UCLA (Tommy Maddox 409 vs. USC in 1990)
* school record
1996 McNOWN Passing
Game PA PC Int. Yds TD TENN* 24 16 0 230 1 NELouisiana* 20 13 0 164 0 MICH* 27 8 3 39 0 ORE* 24 13 2 158 1 ASU* 41 22 1 395 3 WASH* 31 17 1 218 0 CAL* 28 16 2 273 1 STAN* 34 14 3 156 1 WSU* 32 16 2 230 3 ARIZ* 28 12 1 205 1 USC* 47 29 1 356 1 Total 336 176 16 2424 12
1995 McNOWN Passing
Game PA PC Int. Yds TD MIAMI 2 2 0 15 0 BYU 18 9 0 91 0 ORE* 24 12 1 183 0 WSU 17 9 0 114 1 Fresno St.* 22 18 0 306 1 ARIZ* 18 3 1 80 0 STAN* 27 15 1 150 1 CAL* 24 13 0 157 1 ASU* 23 13 0 289 0 WASH* 19 7 3 61 0 USC* 17 8 2 131 0 KANSAS* 34 13 0 121 3 Total 245 122 8 1698 7
CHARTING McNOWN
Career Completions: 637 FIRST #2 Tom Ramsey 441 Career Passing Yards: 9709 FIRST #2 Ramsey 6168 Career Total Offense: 10231 FIRST #2 Ramsey 6255 Career TD Passes: 60 FIRST #2 Ramsey 50
He has started 41 games, including 40 straight, and has played in 44 contests overall.
UCLA SEASON PASSING LEADERS (YARDS)
Years PA PC Yds Pct. TD
Cade McNown 1997 312 189 3116 .606 24
Tom Ramsey 1982 336 209 2986 .622 21
Troy Aikman 1988 354 228 2771 .644 24
Tommy Maddox 1990 327 182 2682 .557 17
Tommy Maddox 1991 343 209 2681 .609 16
UCLA SEASON TOTAL OFFENSE LEADERS
Year Plays Rush Pass Yds
Cade McNown 1997 391 26 3116 3142
Tom Ramsey 1982 470 138 2986 3124
Troy Aikman 1988 432 83 2771 2854
Tommy Maddox 1990 417 148 2682 2830
Tommy Maddox 1991 420 -29 2681 2652
UCLA CAREER PASSING LEADERS (YARDS)
Years PA PC Yds Pct. TD
Cade McNown 1995-98 1161 637 9709 .550 60
Tom Ramsey 1979-82 751 441 6168 .587 50
Troy Aikman 1987-88 627 406 5298 .648 41
Tommy Maddox 1990-91 670 391 5363 .584 33
Wayne Cook 1991-94 612 352 4723 .575 34
UCLA CAREER TOTAL OFFENSE LEADERS
Years Plays Rush Pass Yds
Cade McNown 1995-98 1451 522 9709 10231
Tom Ramsey 1979-82 1055 87 6168 6255
Tommy Maddox 1990-91 837 119 5363 5482
Gary Beban 1965-67 937 1271 4087 5358
Troy Aikman 1987-88 784 -4 5298 5294