Daily Bruin: Bruin victory makes up for disappointing defense

For majority of the game, players, coaches give ‘spotty’ unit a poor rating

Linebacker Justin London rated UCLA's defensive performance Saturday night a two out of 10.  Fellow linebacker Spencer Havner gave the unit a B-minus.  Aside from the fourth quarter, defensive coordinator Larry Kerr called the defensive effort "really spotty."  Yet while they all acknowledged the Bruin defense was pretty shaky for the majority of Saturday's game against Washington, they also agreed that though the defense may have bent at times, it never broke at the game's crucial moments.  After being run on and thrown against at will for the first three quarters, UCLA's defense clamped down in the decisive final quarter, limiting the Huskies to only 80 yards of offense and three first downs while not allowing Washington any scoring opportunities. Bruin linebacker Bruce Davis' sack of Isaiah Stanback with less than a minute remaining, which came on the heels of safety Jarrad Page's near interception, preserved UCLA's comeback victory.

And even when the Huskies had driven the ball into the redzone earlier in the game, Washington could only muster field-goal opportunities, one of which Husky kicker Evan Knudson missed from 28 yards.  "That was the key to the game," Page said. "They should have punched it in for six, but we weren't going to allow them in the endzone."  Though UCLA held Washington to just 17 points, the lowest figure for any Bruin opponent this season and below the Huskies' season average, UCLA still allowed a below-average Husky rushing offense to look dynamic on Saturday.

Washington, which specifically altered its gameplan to feature the run, according to Husky coach Tyrone Willingham, rode running backs Louis Rankin and Kenny James and quarterback Isaiah Stanback for a season-high 213 yards on 41 carries. It didn't make it easier for the Bruins that they were facing the most mobile opposing quarterback to date, appeared rusty after a bye week, and often required five or six tacklers to bring down a Husky ball carrier.  "We missed way too many tackles," London said. "We can't expect to be a good defense and miss tackles like that."

Only in the fourth quarter did UCLA decide to stack the box and force Washington to beat the Bruins through the air, which the Huskies were unable to do.  Still, UCLA knows it will have to address several defensive issues, beginning with how to shore up the rush defense. Offensive juggernaut Cal comes to the Rose Bowl this Saturday with a rushing attack that averages over 270 yards per game.  "We better perform on another level this week," London said. "We can't play this way against Cal."  

SEEING YELLOW: UCLA committed 13 penalties for a total of 110 yards, both dubious season highs. The most costly of the penalties was Rodney Van's block in the back during a punt return right before halftime in which Maurice Drew raced it back for a would-be touchdown and appeared to have already beaten Van's assignment. Among the other penalties committed included two roughing-the-kicker penalties, a kickoff out of bounds, a holding penalty on a long Chris Markey kickoff return, and a fair catch interference.  "Oh man," said a frustrated Kerr. "That's a huge area we need to address and get better at. It's very frustrating. You make a stop, make something happen, and you give them another chance. ... It kills you."  

CONTROVERSIAL RULING: In the middle of the third quarter, Washington running back Kenny James appeared to fumble the ball on UCLA's 1-yard line, which the Bruins recovered in the endzone. Because officials initially ruled James had scored a touchdown, the play was effectively blown dead and as a result, UCLA did not get possession when the call was reversed. Instead, it was ruled that James last had possession of the ball at the 1-yard line. Washington scored on a quarterback sneak on the following play.

FALLING RECORDS: With his eight receptions Saturday night, tight end Marcedes Lewis became UCLA's all-time career leader in receptions by a tight end. The senior now has 90 career catches and surpassed the previous mark of 85 held by Paul Bergmann. ... Drew Olson climbed to third on the all-time school list for passing yards Saturday with 6,382 yards for his career, passing by Tom Ramsey. Olson is only 495 yards behind Cory Paus for second place, but is still over 4,000 yards behind Cade McNown for the all-time lead.

INJURY UPDATE: In the beginning of the second quarter, defensive end Nikola Dragovic injured his left knee, causing him to writhe in pain on the field. After the game, Dragovic, with what he called a sprained left knee, hobbled off the field saying, "It's nothing serious, I'm fine. I'm walking, that's the important part." ... Havner also limped off the field in the beginning of the third quarter after he was kicked in the right thigh. After the game, Havner said he had a thigh contusion but shouldn't miss any time.

EXTRA POINTS: Saturday's game with UCLA coach Karl Dorrell and Washington coach Willingham marked the first time in the history of the Pac-10 that two black coaches squared off against one another. ... UCLA stayed at No. 20 in this week's AP Poll, but moved up to the No. 16 slot in the USA Today Poll. ... Drew Olson's interception with 8:05 left in the second quarter was UCLA's first turnover of the season. ... Linebacker Wesley Walker recorded three tackles in his first game of the season after recovering from a separated shoulder injury suffered during fall camp. ... Saturday's attendance, 64,294, was higher than any home game last season with the exception of USC.