Getting Clocked in Alarming Fashion

Colorado’s 31-17 victory over UCLA Saturday was so thorough that the Bruins couldn’t dispute it or complain about it. The best thing for UCLA to do would be to learn from it.

This is how you bounce back from a tough defeat: You walk in, smack some people around and leave with no doubts. The Bruins should take notes ... once the ringing in their ears subsides.

Colorado came in with a 1-2 record following a 40-3 whack job by USC that dropped the Buffaloes out of the top 25 and made them prime candidates for David Letterman’s Top 10 list.

“SC took it to us,” Colorado Coach Gary Barnett said. “We turned around and took it to UCLA.”

Took it to them? They beat down the Bruins so badly it’s a wonder UCLA didn’t press charges. Colorado outrushed UCLA, 325 yards to 62. The Buffaloes picked up 27 first downs. They had two touchdown drives that went 80 yards or more and another that lasted 17 plays.

“There were several long series,” UCLA defensive tackle Steve Morgan said. “By the fourth quarter, they pounded us.”

“We showed up to play,” Colorado guard Marwan Hage said. “We showed these guys what we’re capable of.”

The question is, are the Bruins capable of doing the same thing?

You’d think this, their first loss of the year, would be a wake-up call. But when the alarm goes off the Bruins tend to pull the blankets over their heads.

They’ve followed a loss with at least one more defeat seven times in the past five seasons. Entire seasons can go up in smoke, such as when the Bruins turned national championship aspirations into humiliation with back-to-back losses to Miami and Wisconsin (in the Rose Bowl) in 1998, or when a 6-0 start turned into a four-game losing streak last year.

“This is a new year, this is a new team,” UCLA Coach Bob Toledo said. “We’re going to battle back and win more games.”

Toledo had better hope that’s the case, because he’s the one common element in all of those fold jobs. It’s clear he already had made mental toughness a point to his players, because they were singing the same song at every locker.

“We’re not going to have any trouble this year,” safety Matt Ware said. “We’re unified and we’re not even going to worry about it.”

“We’ll bounce back, because of the way our team is molded,” running back Akil Harris said. “We have good camaraderie and everybody’s focused in on improvement. Everything’s going to fall into place. We just need to look at this loss and suck it up and come back next week and work hard.”

They’re saying all the right things about their mental state. But this game showed that they might not be able to physically match up with the roughest and toughest on the block.

Colorado’s offensive line dominated UCLA, clearing holes so big that tailback Chris Brown couldn’t stop smiling even after he had left the field and showered following his 188-yard rushing day.

“We were just executing with great attention to detail, I guess,” Brown said.

UCLA’s leading rusher was Manuel White, with 36 yards in six carries. The Bruins’ offensive line couldn’t pass protect, either. Quarterback Cory Paus threw only one deep ball through the first three quarters, and Toledo said that was a function of Colorado’s defense getting in Paus’ face and forcing him to go short.

The Bruins were able to mask their deficiencies in their first two games because they were plus-five in turnovers. Colorado didn’t give up the ball once Saturday, while Paus threw an interception, and the truth was revealed.

For much of the game it looked as though UCLA lacked the ability and confidence to do what it wanted.

The Bruins had a great chance to get back in the game in the third quarter, when they had first down at Colorado’s three-yard line. White was stopped up the middle for a loss of one. Instead of trying another power play, the Bruins pitched to Harris on second down, and he was strung out for a four-yard loss. After a five-yard illegal substitution penalty, a Paus pass to Tab Perry was incomplete and the Bruins had to settle for a field goal that left them trailing by 11.

The Bruins still had the whole fourth quarter to get two touchdowns, but that was assuming they could stop Colorado and that wasn’t about to happen. The Buffaloes had 10 more points in them, including a nine-play drive in which they didn’t face one third down.

“We were worn down, and they banged on us pretty good,” Toledo said.

Ware said: “It was a good sign to gauge where we have to go, how physical we have to be, what intensity level we have to play with.”

UCLA has one easy way to follow Colorado’s example: play San Diego State next weekend. The Buffaloes came back after losing their opener to Colorado State and beat the Aztecs a week later.

But you could tell that was nowhere near as redemptive as this victory following their collapse against USC.

“We hurt so much last week,” Barnett said. “The only way to clear the hurt was to win. We were going to play hard. I knew it.”

Perhaps Toledo knows something too.

“We’ll be back,” he promised.

At least the Bruins won’t have to do much soul-searching to find some answers. A simple review of Saturday’s game tapes will do just fine.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at: j.a.adande@latimes.com.

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What a Difference

The turnaround of the Colorado offense and running back Chris Brown in one week:

*--* vs. USC vs. UCLA Date Sept. 14 Saturday Site Boulder, Colo Rose Bowl Result Lost, 40-3 Won, 31-17 COLORADO OFFENSE First Downs 4 27 3rd Down Efficiency 1-14 5-11 Total Net Yards 61 471 Avg. Gain Per Play 1.2 6.4 Net Yards Rushing 37 325 Avg. Gain Per Carry 1.1 6.4 CHRIS BROWN Carries 14 26 Yards Rushing 44 188 Yards Per Carry 3.1 7.2 Touchdowns 0 3

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