It’s R.I.P., BCS for Bruins After First Loss of Season

How quickly the weather can turn. A UCLA season awash in sunshine darkened considerably Saturday.

The 38-28 loss to Stanford didn’t cause a total eclipse, but there were few bright spots amid the locker-room gloom.

Mostly, the Bruins thought about what got away.

Say goodbye to the BCS championship game. On a day the nation’s unbeaten ranks thinned considerably, No. 4 UCLA (6-1, 3-1 in Pacific 10 Conference play) was among the casualties.

Set tailback DeShaun Foster’s Heisman Trophy campaign on the back burner. The Bruin tailback rushed for 77 yards to give him 1,007 this season, but quarterbacks Ken Dorsey of Miami and Eric Crouch of Nebraska move to the front of the list because their teams haven’t lost.

Raise questions about a rejuvenated defense that has been UCLA’s heart and soul, allowing no previous opponent more than 17 points. No. 20 Stanford (5-1, 4-1) had 463 yards in offense and took a 28-7 second-quarter lead on the strength of drives of 97 and 91 yards.

Ponder the unsettled Bruin quarterback situation. A week after a strong performance appeared to quell speculation about his fitness for the job, Cory Paus was dreadful in the first half and on the sideline in the second, watching senior Scott McEwan orchestrate a spirited comeback that pulled UCLA within 31-28 with 4 minutes 49 seconds to play.

Paus sprained his thumb on his last pass and McEwan sprained his right ankle on his last pass. Neither ball probably should have been thrown.

So add the decision-making of Coach Bob Toledo to the list of topics to be mulled over while the Bruins prepare for another road game against another potent conference opponent, Washington State.

Near the end of a first half so totally dominated by the Cardinal that the Bruins were fortunate not to trail by more than 21 points, UCLA had the ball at the Stanford 20 after the first of freshman cornerback Matt Ware’s two interceptions.

Foster slipped and fell for a two-yard loss, Paus misfired, then was sacked on third down. But rather than attempt a 46-yard field goal, Toledo elected to run a play on fourth and 19. Paus scrambled to his right, found no one open, and threw back across the field, incomplete, to a well-covered Ryan Smith.

“Down three touchdowns I felt we needed something to happen,” Toledo said.

Something did, but not until the third quarter, which UCLA has controlled all season.

After a field goal by Stanford extended the lead to 31-7, McEwan directed touchdown drives that ended in a one-yard run by Foster and an 18-yard reception by tight end Mike Seidman to close the gap to 31-21.

A fumble recovery by Ware--the fifth of Stanford’s six turnovers--set up an 80-yard drive that began with McEwan throwing a 26-yard pass to Foster and ended with him lofting a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Bryan Fletcher.

All of a sudden, the potential field goal Toledo passed up was the difference in the score.

UCLA got another chance when Ware picked off a pass with 4:36 to play. This time, though, McEwan’s magic ran out when, instead of trying for a first down on fourth and six, he threw deep and overshot Smith.

McEwan completed 15 of 24 passes for 221 yards, while Paus was five for 16 for 105. Ryan McCann, who might be thrust into a starting role if the injuries are a factor, threw four straight incompletions on UCLA’s last possession.

The Bruin defense tightened in the second half but gave up a 27-yard touchdown run by Kerry Carter with two minutes to play that allowed the trademark Stanford Stadium train whistle to blow one more time and enabled the crowd of 64,495 to breathe easy.

“I thought we were going to win the whole game,” said Smith, the Bruins’ leading receiver with six catches for 91 yards. “We all did. We came out in the second half and played well, but we dug such a deep hole.”

Stanford’s three turnovers were all that kept UCLA from complete humiliation in the first half.

The Bruins got an early break--and took the early lead--when a lateral pass to Luke Powell was dropped. Linebacker Ryan Nece alertly scooped up the ball and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown two minutes into the game.

However, all three UCLA first-quarter possessions ended in punts, and Stanford put together a 91-yard drive that ate up 5:27 and did more than tie the score. The 13-play march--capped by Powell’s 20-yard reception--established that Stanford was controlling the line of scrimmage.

“We didn’t come out flat,” said UCLA safety Marques Anderson, who had an interception and caused a fumble. “Like against any team, we had to make adjustments.”

Stanford moved just as easily on its next possession, 56 yards in eight plays, but a fumble by fullback Casey Moore gave UCLA a reprieve. Again the Bruins could do nothing on offense, and Stanford took a 14-7 lead on a three-yard catch by 6-foot-7 Teyo Johnson, who made a one-handed grab over 5-11 cornerback Joe Hunter.

Two plays later, Foster fumbled and the Bruins crumbled. Tailback Brian Allen ran 35 yards for a touchdown on the first play after the turnover.

Allen rushed for 87 yards and Carter had 102. Stanford had possession a startling 21:25 in the first half and 35:58 in the game.

“[Our defense] was getting worn down, and it was starting to play on us being on the field so much,” Anderson said.

Paus made his best play, a 44-yard completion to Tab Perry, but two plays later had a pass intercepted by Ryan Fernandez at the three-yard line. It was Paus’ first interception in 198 passes dating to last season.

Stanford promptly went on a 97-yard drive, stretching the lead to 28-7 on a 26-yard pass from Chris Lewis to Carter, who ran a crossing pattern out of the backfield.

Lewis, the third consecutive backup quarterback to face the Bruins, was spectacular at times, completing 20 of 29 for 250 yards while enjoying excellent protection.

Afterward, the Bruins tried to fathom it all--the porous defense, the sluggish offense, the spirited comeback. They believe this is a storm they can weather.

“We can still achieve our goals,” Anderson said. “We can win the Pac-10 and even with the BCS you never know what’s going to happen later on.”

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BY THE NUMBERS

Number of undefeated Top 25 teams that lost Saturday.

28-7

Bruin deficit at halftime.

77

Rushing yards for DeShaun Foster.

17

Most points the Bruins had given up in a game before Saturday.

5-16

Cory Paus’ pass completions and attempts.

3

Starts by Stanford quarterback Chris Lewis before Saturday.

4

Turnovers by Bruins.