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.