Real Tests Still to Come

The UCLA defense has been a second-half stalwart.

When Arizona State put zeroes on the scoreboard in the third and fourth quarters Saturday, the Sun Devils became the third team in four weeks to fail to score on the Bruins after halftime.

“We always expect them to do what they say, and they always say the other team’s not going to score any points in the second half,” receiver Craig Bragg said.

Now comes the ultimate second-half test -- the second half of the Pacific 10 Conference season.

No matter how improbable it seems, UCLA is tied for first with Washington State with four games left, and there’s no arguing with the standings.

The Bruins (6-2, 4-0) play at Stanford next week, then finish November with a difficult closing run against the best offenses they’ll face in the conference -- Washington State, Oregon and USC.

“I think every game in the Pac-10 is a real challenge. We have to stay focused,” linebacker Brandon Chillar said.

“I think we’re in [the race] now. We’ve got to stay focused and just keep playing.”

They might have to do it at considerably less than full strength.

Starting cornerback Matt Ware remains out because of a high ankle sprain, and defensive tackle Rodney Leisle is out indefinitely after spraining his left ankle Saturday while playing despite a bruised collarbone.

“It makes a huge difference,” Chillar said. “He’s not just our star player, he’s our emotional leader too.”

Defensive line coach Don Johnson called Leisle’s injury a “big blow,” and couldn’t help but think of the 61-yard touchdown run Arizona State’s Loren Wade made when he blew right up the middle in the second quarter.

“He probably would have been standing there when that run hit,” Johnson said.

Leisle is not only a big-play defender, he also has put points on the board, scoring two touchdowns this season, one on a fumble recovery against Washington and the other on a game-winning interception return against Arizona.

But there’s not much question that if UCLA is going to finish among the top teams in the Pac-10 instead of slipping down to the middle, the defense is going to have to lead the way.

Take away the 59-24 blowout against No. 1 Oklahoma -- a game in which special teams and a turnover accounted for four touchdowns -- and UCLA is giving up only 14.1 points a game.

The only team besides Oklahoma to score more than seven points in the second half was California, which scored 17 against a defense that was on the field too long -- and one of those touchdowns was a gimme after a turnover at the five-yard line.

Washington, Arizona and Arizona State didn’t score in the second half at all.

“The defense in the second half played lights-out. They played the kind of defense they have all season,” Coach Karl Dorrell said after the Bruins’ 20-13 victory over the Sun Devils.

The defense’s second-half performance has been so strong, opponents are averaging only eight points after halftime -- even including the Oklahoma game and without subtracting scoring off special teams and turnovers.

Give the credit first to a talented and seasoned defensive line, led by Dave Ball and his 11 1/2 sacks and 15 1/2 tackles for loss this season. He also has forced three fumbles.

Ball was held without a sack against Arizona State, but Ryan Boschetti had 1 1/2 and Mat Ball had one.

Linebackers Spencer Havner and Justin London join Chillar, the Pac-10’s leading tackler, to round out a standout front seven, and the secondary has held up well despite the absence of Ware.

Still, after Stanford, the Bruins will face three teams accustomed to putting 30 points on the board.

And don’t say “after Stanford,” quite so fast, Bragg warned.

In 2001, a loss to Stanford derailed a 6-0 start and a No. 4 ranking.

“Stanford knocked us off two years ago,” Bragg said. “We’re not going to take them lightly.

“Then the last three teams speak for themselves. We haven’t beaten any of those teams the last three years.”