Bruins try to regroup with sense of urgency after loss

There was some urgency for UCLA following Saturday’s loss to Stanford.

Coach Rick Neuheisel felt the need to have face-time with some players after the game to buck up spirits in the locker room.

“I wanted them to realize that all was not lost,” Neuheisel said. “The game was gone, but the season was still there.”

A group of about 10 team leaders met Sunday to talk about accountability.

“It was guys who have been in the program a while, who have seen things in the past in terms of guys not being held accountable,” quarterback Richard Brehaut said. “We want to make sure things didn’t fall through the cracks.”

The Bruins face perennial doormat Washington State on Saturday, and a loss would leave the Bruins needing to win four of its last six games to become bowl eligible.

While panic was not imminent, a strong feeling of urgency was at work.

“We knew looking forward that we’ve got to go up from here,” Brehaut said. “There is no room for many more losses. We realize how close we are and we don’t want to get any further from our goal.”

How-close-we-are was Neuheisel’s message after the 45-19 loss to seventh-ranked Stanford. He brought that message to a handful of players Saturday night, walking briskly from one to the other.

“I know that there is demoralization that accompanies defeat,” Neuheisel said. “It was important for me to tell them that we are going back to work to fix the things we can fix.”

That was followed by Sunday’s players’ meeting. Accountability was the sole agenda item.

While Brehaut said that there hasn’t been a clear need for team leaders to police the locker room and practice field, he did say, “We want to make sure our presence is felt.”

The voice from “peers” could carry more weight, Brehaut said.

“Sometimes when coaches say something, guys kind of have an attitude,” Brehaut said. “Some guys may think they are better than the team. But when you hear something from a fellow player, guys listen when that happens.”

Brehaut said, “We’ll step in when people aren’t doing things right.”

Lobbestael to start

Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel, who suffered a fractured clavicle in the season opener, has been cleared to play. Marshall Lobbestael, who took over after Tuel was injured, will start against UCLA.

Tuel threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns against the Bruins last season. Lobbestael has thrown for 1,335 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

Injury report

Safety Alex Mascarenas, who suffered his second concussion of the season, had a CT scan Tuesday and trainers were awaiting results. He has more concussion-related tests scheduled Monday.

Besides Mascarenas, cornerback Sheldon Price (knee injury), defensive tackle Justin Edison (concussion), linebacker David Allen (knee injury) and guard Chris Ward (shoulder injury) did not suit up for practice.

Linebacker Glenn Love (hamstring injury) was in pads but did not practice. Kicker Kip Smith (hip flexor injury) warmed up but did not attempt any field goals during practice.

Safety Tony Dye and safety Dalton Hilliard returned to practice.

chris.foster@latimes.com

twitter.com/cfosterlatimes