Bruins Know Cleat Is on the Other Foot

UCLA has gone from underdog to big dog, looking up a week later to find someone is nipping at its heels for a change and, thankfully, knowing how dangerous such pests can be.

The Bruins were one of those all of a week ago, an unknown and unranked commodity trying to make themselves more than just a passing inconvenience for the favored heavyweight that, according to the rankings, was supposed to overwhelm. And just ask Alabama’s Crimson (with embarrassment) Tide how those stories can turn out.

Just ask PC UCLA. Having only days ago lived the upset life from the other side, and deserving every compliment they got, the Bruins know enough now to say all the right things about the arrival of unheralded Fresno State for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff today at the Rose Bowl, thankfully aware of how this “heavy favorite” thing can boomerang.

UCLA has to avoid Fresno State assuming the role of UCLA, a week later. The Bruins haven’t been these kinds of favorites, coming off a huge victory and expecting to get a tuneup for the looming Michigan showdown, since the Bulldogs came to Pasadena 51 weeks ago, before everything went so wrong in these parts. But the opportunity has come again because of everything that went so right one week ago, the dominating showing against then-No. 3 Alabama when only the special teams weren’t deserving of an abundance of praise.

The 35-24 victory changed everything. Not only for the big picture--the Bruins earned a spot in the polls, at No. 16, earned the right to be considered a conference contender again after being voted fourth in the preseason rankings--but for this week. Especially for this week.

Lose to Fresno State, and the Bruins will have lost to themselves in red and white: an opponent given little chance for the upset, but quite capable of starting a tumble in the polls.

Lose to Fresno State, and the Bruins give back nearly everything they gained against Alabama, except the awareness of how good they can sometimes be.

Imagine the possibilities. On second thought, no need. UCLA already has.

“That’s part of it,” Coach Bob Toledo said. “We’ve done some nice things, and for us to stub our toe right now would be a real tragedy.”

Of Alabama proportions.

“He brought it up, and obviously we have a lot to prove,” said Jon Dubravac, scheduled to get his first career start today because split end Brian Poli-Dixon will be sidelined with a sore hamstring. “I’m sure there are still a lot of skeptics out there that say, ‘Alabama might not have been as good as they were pumped up to be and UCLA might have just had a really good day on Saturday.’ Every week there’s a whole lot to prove.

“Coming off a 4-7 season, we had a lot to prove last week, and we have a lot to prove for the next nine or 10 weeks. We can’t let down, we can’t say, ‘Oh, this is just a team like this.’ We’ve got to go in with the attitude that we need to play as well as we played last week every single week.”

Added tight end Gabe Crecion: “The roles have changed. And Coach Toledo has pointed that out to us. It could make their program look that much better. Our job is to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Or else.

“There better not be a letdown,” Toledo said. “I don’t want them talking Alabama. I want them talking Fresno.”

It doesn’t help that there’s also the Bruins’ hearing to contend with.

Family members still talk about the Alabama game past.

Friends start talking about the Michigan game ahead.

No one talks about Fresno State.

The Bruins do. The Bulldogs, who lost their opener last week at Ohio State, have speed on defense, the kind of thing that could disrupt an inexperienced quarterback. Sophomore Ryan McCann is making his second career start, although the first was in a pressure game, versus USC, and he went almost the entire way against Alabama in place of the injured Cory Paus. The Bulldogs led, 21-20, late in the third quarter of last season’s meeting, before losing, 35-21.

The Bulldogs have a chance?

“We’re all aware of that,” guard Oscar Cabrera said. “Last week, we came in as the underdog. Being an underdog motivates you. I’m sure they’re very motivated to come in here, especially since last year they gave us a good game. I’m sure they probably felt they should have won last year’s game. But we’re all aware that they are underdogs and it would make their season to come in and beat us. Just the way we went out and beat Alabama.”