Foundering Bruins Need to Right the Ship

A victory over Oregon today, and UCLA avenges two gut-wrenching, one-point losses to the Ducks in the last two years, guarantees itself a berth in a bowl game -- maybe even an attractive one -- avoids another late-season meltdown and reduces the temperature of the hot seat Coach Karl Dorrell seems to have been on all season.

A loss to Oregon today, and the Bruins, assuming they’ll lose to second-ranked USC next week, finish 6-6, have to beg for a bowl berth from something like the Silicon Valley Classic or go to no bowl game at all, finish a once-promising season with four consecutive losses and stoke even more criticism of their first-year coach.

“There’s a lot riding on this game,” senior defensive end Mat Ball said. “There’s the bowls, the standings ... and pride. We’ve lost two games to these guys by two points in two years. It makes us kind of bitter, no question.”

Here’s what happened:

* 2002: Chris Griffith, whose extra-point try was blocked in the third quarter, snapping a string of 80 consecutive PATs for the UCLA kicker, missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt with 1:54 remaining, allowing Oregon to escape with a 31-30 victory.

* 2001: Griffith’s 50-yard field-goal attempt with two seconds remaining fell short and wide, and the Bruins lost to Oregon, 21-20, the third loss in an eventual four-game streak that spoiled a season that had begun with a 6-0 record and national championship aspirations.

There was some finger pointing in the UCLA locker room after the 2001 loss, offensive players saying they’d scored points all year, and that the defense needed to bail them out in that game.

It smacked of the postgame scene after UCLA’s 38-35 loss to USC in 2000, when some Bruin offensive players said 35 points should have been enough to win the game.

But win or lose today, bowl game or no bowl game in December, the Bruins can take some satisfaction in the knowledge that -- at least up to this point -- their struggles have not ripped the team apart.

And if ever there was a team with reason to point fingers, UCLA is it. The defense has been first-rate, coming up with several big plays that fueled a 6-2 start, whereas the offense has struggled to move the ball and score with any consistency.

There have been a few tense moments on the sideline, heat-of-the-moment flare-ups that are routine in such an intense sport, but for the most part, defensive players have refrained from criticizing the offense.

“We’ve been more of a family,” said senior defensive tackle Rodney Leisle, who will play today despite a high ankle sprain. “We’ve had a lot more leadership this year. We’ve pulled together, and that says something about our team.”

Dorrell believes such unity in the face of constant adversity can help form the foundation of his program at UCLA.

“They’ve done a nice job of sticking together as a team, and we’re going to build on that,” Dorrell said. “Are they happy? No. We might be mathematically out of the [Pacific 10 Conference] race, but there’s still a lot to play for.”

Same for the Ducks. A victory over UCLA would guarantee Oregon a bowl berth and help salvage a season that, much like UCLA’s in 2001, began with four victories and talk of a possible national championship.

After their 31-27 victory over Michigan on Sept. 20, the Ducks were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, as much for their posh $3.2-million locker room with three 60-inch plasma-screen televisions as their victory over the third-ranked Wolverines.

Whether it was the SI jinx, overconfidence or just plain poor play, Oregon responded with losses to Washington State (55-16), Utah (17-13) and Arizona State (59-14).

The unpredictable Ducks rebounded with a 35-0 victory over Stanford, lost to Washington, 42-10, and came back with two touchdowns in the final six minutes for a 21-17 victory over California last week.

“We’ve been up and down several times,” Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said.

“I feel like I’m more of a history and psychology teacher this year than a football coach, but we’ve learned from the periods we haven’t played well.”

The Bruins haven’t played well lately, but if they can generate enough offense with quarterback Drew Olson, play another sound defensive game and find a way to beat Oregon, perhaps history will look upon this 2003 team a little more kindly.