UCLA rewind & fast forward

REWIND

Looking back at UCLA’s 27-17 victory over Brigham Young.

As expected: The defense, battered and bent, rose to the occasion. The Bruins demonstrated their old fortitude and swagger against BYU. They gave up plenty of frequent flier miles -- BYU quarterback Max Hall threw for 391 yards -- but also forced three turnovers, two of them leading to points, one of them preserving a 20-17 lead.

A week in defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker’s doghouse seemed to be time well spent for the Bruins.

Unexpected: Offensive coordinator Jay Norvell. Against Stanford, the Bruins’ offense turned up the heat. Against Brigham Young, the Bruins had a “turn back the clock” game that seemed to recall their 2006 efforts.

The offense seemed to lose its nerve after taking a 20-0 lead against BYU. When the Bruins did pass, quarterback Ben Olson was erratic.

Stepped up: Reserve defensive end Tom Blake had a sack and followed the bouncing ball to recover a fumble at the UCLA 19-yard line in the fourth quarter, snuffing out BYU’s last scoring opportunity.

Stepped back: The passing game. Olson has traced his 2006 season perfectly so far. A great opening game, followed by a flop. Olson completed 13 of 28 passes for 126 yards against BYU, similar to the 124 yards passing he had against Rice in the second game last season.

Wide receivers, particularly Joe Cowan, had difficulty hanging onto the passes Olson threw accurately. The pass protection crumbled at key moments.

Coach’s quote: “I felt better after seeing the film,” Karl Dorrell said. “The issues I was concerned about, how we didn’t operate and didn’t produce like the previous week, are small corrections here and there. A couple of catches early would have started the passing game.

“When [BYU] scored two touchdowns in the second half, it was interesting to see how our players responded. BYU was driving for the go-ahead score and our guys stepped up. Then the end [touchdown] drive we had, those are great steps for a team to make. We haven’t had many steps like that in the past.”

Injury report: Defensive tackle Brigham Harwell suffered a strained medial collateral ligament that could keep him out for weeks. He will undergo an MRI exam today. Defensive end Nikola Dragovic suffered a concussion. Wide receiver Brandon Breazell had dental surgery after losing a couple of teeth, and also suffered a concussion. Reserve strong safety Bret Lockett has a strained hamstring and probably will not play this week, Dorrell said. Cornerback Rodney Van tried to play on his sprained left ankle, but shut himself down early in the game. Other bumps and bruises should be manageable, Dorrell said.

FAST FORWARD

Looking ahead to the game vs. Utah (Saturday, Rice-Eccles Stadium,

2 p.m. PDT, Versus)

First look: Utah lost Brian Johnson, its starting quarterback, against Oregon State in the season opener. The Utes’ offense is now in the hands of Tom Grady, not to be confused with Tom Brady. Also lost in the opener was Matt Asiata, Utah’s top running back. It is believed to be the most help Oregon State has given the Bruins since it upset USC in 1967.

This should be BYU lite . . . all the two-year missions, minus the threat. The Bruins can also breathe easier knowing the game will again be televised on Versus, meaning no matter how poorly they may play, there’s a good chance many fans in Los Angeles won’t see it.

Topic of the week: Three things: Offense, offense and offensive coordinator. Dust off those old questions. Is the West Coast offense workable on the collegiate level? Is Olson all that? Is Norvell a guy who will take chances in a close game?

A single answer fits all: One game is not enough to decide. So, the 45-17 blistering of Stanford means as little as the 27-17 sauna room treatment against BYU at this point.

SEASON LOG (2-0)

at Stanford (0-1); Won, 45-17

Brigham Young (1-1); Won, 27-17

Bruins may want to rethink next season’s visit to Provo.

Saturday: at Utah (0-2)

A much-needed band-aid victory or a historic moment? UCLA has never lost to Utes.

Sept. 22: Washington (2-0)

Sept. 29: at Oregon State (1-1)

Oct. 6: Notre Dame (0-2)

Oct. 20: California (2-0)

Oct. 27: at Washington State (1-1)

Nov. 3: at Arizona (1-1)

Nov. 10: Arizona State (2-0)

Nov. 24: Oregon (2-0)

Dec. 1: at USC (1-0)