LOS ANGELES -- Not playing smart, not executing plays, not blocking and tackling well, according to their coach. And still unbeaten. The high-flying UCLA Bruins nearly came crashing back to earth over the weekend, escaping with little time to spare. Maurice Drew crashed into the end zone from the 1-yard line with 1:08 remaining and UCLA rallied for a 21-17 victory over Washington. That was No. 16 UCLA`s only lead of the game after trailing three-touchdown underdog Washington 10-0 at halftime and 17-7 heading into the fourth quarter Saturday night. ``There were a lot of things across the board that we didn`t do well,`` Bruins coach Karl Dorrell said Monday at his weekly meeting with reporters. ``We had 10 special teams penalties. I don`t think I`ve ever in my career seen 10 penalties related to special teams.`` UCLA finished with 13 penalties for 110 yards, including a call that wiped out Drew`s 65-yard touchdown on a punt return. ``We`re just not playing smart. We need to correct a lot of things. Penalties are a reflection of some of the things, but it`s also execution offensively and defensively,`` Dorrell said. He said the close game was a wake-up call for the Bruins, who play No. 9 California in a match of unbeatens Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Oddsmakers have the Bruins listed as 1-point favorites and have set the total at 59 1/2. ``The good thing, it was the first situation this season where we`re behind almost the whole game. We were down 17-7 in the fourth quarter and found a way to get ourselves back in the game and win. We had a great fourth-quarter rally. We did rise to the occasion,`` Dorrell said. ``We`re happy about being 4-0. We hadn`t been 4-0 since I`ve been here,`` Dorrell said. ``Now the stakes are higher this week.`` Quarterback Drew Olson said of the narrow escape, ``That was a huge lesson. We need to learn from our mistakes, take the positives we can out of it, and go on.`` The Huskies stuffed the Bruins` ground game, holding Drew to 33 yards on 14 carries, and Washington also intercepted two of Olson passes. UCLA`s defense, meanwhile, gave up 401 yards. All those numbers didn`t mean much, of course, after the Bruins scored early in the third quarter, then added a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull the game out. Olson threw a 4-yard pass to Marcedes Lewis for the Bruins` first touchdown, then a 1-yard scoring pass to Michael Pitre before taking them 73 yards to the go-ahead TD. The winning drive included a 5-yard completion to Andrew Baumgartner on fourth-and-1 from the Bruins 36, and a catch-and-run by Marcus Everett 39 yards down to the Washington 20. Dorrell was pleased with the Bruins` attitude when they were trailing. ``Everybody didn`t really blink and eye, other than just to get themselves going and prioritize what they needed to do to win the game,`` the coach said.
``We`ve got to build from that now. We have the urgency now to get ourselves back on track, particularly going against a very good Cal team.`` The Golden Bears are 5-0. UCLA sophomore defensive end Nikola Dragovic, a starter who had 11 tackles and one sack this year, will miss the rest of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, Dorrell said. He hurt his knee in the win over Washington.
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