Mack Brown was coaching North Carolina back in 1997 when a friend came to him and said, "It's not a good night in Austin, Texas."
The night was on Sept. 13, 1997 when UCLA defeated No. 11 UT, 66-3, to effectively end the John Mackovic era. Horns QB James Brown didn't play, not that it would have mattered.
UCLA QB Cade McNown threw for 202 yards and five touchdowns. The Bruins led 38-0 with 4:37 remaining in the first half. UT turned the ball over eight times, gave up eight sacks and suffered the worst home loss in the history of the program. At the time, it was the worst home loss for a ranked team in the 61-year history of the AP poll.
UT RB Ricky Williams rushed for 36 yards on 13 carries. It was the third-worst performance of his career.
Mackovic said after the game, "What do you say to friends and family who see this score?"
Brown said on Monday he will not bring up this game because "the kids were 4 or 5 years old. They won't remember it."
Those who watched can't forget it.
Expect this Saturday's version of UT/UCLA in Austin only to be slightly 180 degrees different.
- Mac Engel
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