'A bad taste in your mouth'

1/14

UCLA linebacker Christian Taylor, left, makes sure Notre Dame’s Darius Walker doesn’t hold on to a pass as the ball falls incomplete during the first quarter. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

2/14

Notre Dame’s Terrail Lambert, left, defends and keeps UCLA’s Junior Taylor from catching what would have been a touchdown pass during the first quarter. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

3/14

UCLA tight end William Snead, left, leaves Notre Dame’s Mike Richardson behind as he runs for a touchdown during the second quarter. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

4/14

UCLA free safety Dennis Keyes tries to take down Notre Dame’s Jeff Samardzija during the third quarter. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

5/14

UCLA’s Justin Hickman, left, and Bruce Davis celebrate over Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn after sacking him. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

6/14

Notre Dame’s Dan Santucci can only watch as UCLA linebacker Aaron Whittington stretches to recover a Fighting Irish fumble. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

7/14

UCLA cornerback Alterraun Verner watches as Notre Dame’s Jeff Samardzija hauls in the winning touchdown in the final minute. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

8/14

UCLA’s Junior Taylor gets squeezed between Notre Dame’s Joe Brockington, left, and Chinedum Ndukwe after making a catch during the fourth quarter. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

9/14

UCLA linebacker Eric McNeal, right, can only watch as Notre Dame’s Jeff Samardzija runs in the winning touchdown. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

10/14

Notre Dame’s Terrail Lambert intercepts a pass intended for UCLA receiver Marcus Everett. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

11/14

UCLA’s Jeremy McGee walks off the field after the defeat. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

12/14

Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, left, celebrates the Fighting Irish’s winning touchdown with teammate Derek Landri. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

13/14

Dejected UCLA cornerback Rodney Van gets a pat on the back from Notre Dame wide receiver Rhema McKnight. (Richard Hartog / LAT)

14/14

The touchdown duo celebrate after their winning connection. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)

By Lonnie White

Oct. 22, 2006 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Although UCLA fans were outnumbered by thousands, they made their presence known late in the fourth quarter Saturday against Notre Dame.

With many dressed in a lighter shade of blue than the majority of Irish fans, the Bruins supporters cheered with excitement when it appeared that their team was ready to upset No. 10 Notre Dame.

But it wasn’t to be. The Irish stopped UCLA’s offense when it needed to, and Brady Quinn found Jeff Samardzija in the final minute for a 20-17 come-from-behind win.

“It feels pretty bad, but we have to look at this as a learning experience,” junior defensive tackle Kevin Brown said. “We have to keep moving forward.”

For the second time this season, UCLA could not close a game — which is either a sign of a young team still growing or an inconsistent one destined to underachieve.

Against Washington, UCLA blew a 16-point lead in the first half and lost, 29-19. On Saturday, the Bruins led, 17-13, and had the ball with 2:20 remaining before it lost.

For Coach Karl Dorrell, who has been criticized for losing close games, UCLA’s latest setback will hurt for weeks to come.

“This gives you a bad taste in your mouth, but you know what, life’s tough sometimes,” Dorrell said. “You’ve just got to fight through it, keep battling, and sometimes when you keep grinding, good things happen at some point.”

The Bruins did many things right against the heavily favored Irish.

They moved the ball when they had to in the first half and got two touchdown passes from Patrick Cowan, who played well in his second start. Their defense also played well most of the game, getting pressure on Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and stopping the Irish on a key fourth-down play late in the game.

But when it counted, the Bruins came up short.

“This game is for 60 minutes and it doesn’t matter how we played before that,” Cowan said. “There are no words to describe how I feel except that I could have played a whole lot better.”

UCLA, which dropped to 0-3 on the road, will play host to Washington State in a Pacific 10 Conference game next week, and the Cougars upset Oregon on Saturday.

The Bruins, who are 2-2 in league play, still have an opportunity to qualify for a bowl game, but they have to win at least two of their final five games.

“The Pac-10 is what is most important to us,” Brown said. “This loss was a test for us. We have a chance to put what we learned into play next week.”

lonnie.white@latimes.com