Motto Might Be: Protect and Serve

If UCLA is to establish ball control on offense and develop the short- and medium-range passing game the Bruins hope will keep the chains moving, it must get a strong performance from its young offensive line and some protection help from the running backs today against Colorado.

“They like to blitz a lot, and we have to pick that up,” quarterback Matt Moore said. “And once we do that, we need to complete passes. If we can complete passes behind their blitz, it will have to slow them down a bit.”

In some sets, the offensive line will be responsible for picking up the blitz. Tailback Tyler Ebell, fullback Manuel White and reserve running back Maurice Drew are the last lines of defense against rushers who get into the backfield.

“They like to bring linebackers from the opposite side, and that can be a hassle sometimes,” Bruin center Mike McCloskey said. “But we feel pretty comfortable [in our ability] to pick them up.”

UCLA’s offensive linemen have also been preparing for another tactic they expect opposing linemen to use against the Bruins’ new West Coast offense.

With UCLA emphasizing quick drops, defenders probably will try to bat down passes as often as they’ll try to get to Moore, strategy that can be as effective as a sack in slowing UCLA.

“We’ve got to have solid sets on the line, and we can’t let the defenders get their hands up and knock down passes,” McCloskey said. “When we see that, we’ve got to try to bull-rush them. You’re in a pass set, but you’ve got to run-block them.”

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Not surprisingly, UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell and Colorado Coach Gary Barnett have contrasting views about the fact that the Buffaloes have a game under their belt while the Bruins have not played.

Dorrell thinks that’s to Colorado’s advantage, because the Buffaloes have already adjusted to the faster tempo of a game. But Barnett, who lost two key assistants -- Eric Bieniemy and Jon Embree -- to Dorrell last winter, thinks the fact that the Bruins have seen the Buffaloes gives UCLA an advantage.

“They know everything we’re going to do, everything,” Barnett said. “They know us better than our players know our offense, our defense, our special teams, and we know very little about them. It’s good we’ve played a game, but it’s still going to be an awkward situation for us, having not seen film of them.”

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A UCLA victory today would be the 500th in the 84-year history of the program. The Bruins are 499-323-37 under 15 head coaches.... UCLA leads the series against Colorado, 4-1. The Bruins haven’t played in Boulder since a 33-16 victory over the Buffaloes in 1984.

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UCLA (0-0) at

No. 24 COLORADO (1-0)

TODAY, 12:30 P.M. PDT,

FOLSOM FIELD, BOULDER

TV -- Channel 7.

Radio -- XTRA (1150/690).

WHEN UCLA HAS THE BALL

If quarterback Matt Moore gets time to throw and can complete a few early passes, that should open up the running game for tailback Tyler Ebell, a speedy sophomore who rushed for 994 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, and freshman Maurice Drew, a short but quick and powerful tailback. Moore’s top target probably will be Marcedes Lewis, a 6-foot-6 sophomore tight end with good hands, but flanker Ryan Smith and split end Craig Bragg also will be featured prominently.

WHEN COLORADO HAS THE BALL

Quarterback Joel Klatt’s debut was stunning -- the walk-on sophomore passed for 402 yards and four touchdowns against Colorado State last week in his first college start. But UCLA doesn’t expect Colorado to abandon the running game that led to last year’s victory over the Bruins. The Buffaloes won’t have as much success throwing the ball against UCLA, so they’ll probably turn more to running backs Brian Calhoun and Bobby Purify in an effort to balance their attack. Klatt has two outstanding senior targets in Derek McCoy and D.J. Hackett.

KEYS TO UCLA VICTORY

1. Prevent the big play: Klatt showed a knack for improvising after being flushed out of the pocket last week, and he’s going to complete plenty of passes, but the Bruins can’t give up the long ball.

2. Quarterback efficiency: Moore doesn’t need to throw the home-run ball, but he needs to complete a high percentage of short passes and keep the chains moving.

3. Make that kick: Freshman kicker Justin Medlock needs to be accurate from 40 yards in to give the Bruins a chance in what is expected to be a close game.