Line of Attack

Ten days after galloping into the UCLA record book, Maurice Drew is still being asked about his remarkable performance against Washington -- 322 yards and five touchdowns in the Bruins’ 37-31 victory.

And the sophomore tailback is still giving the same answer: The real stars of that game were the offensive linemen, who opened holes large enough to drive the team bus through.

“They’re great guys,” said Drew, who a week earlier had rushed for 142 yards against Illinois. “They go out there to protect us and we’re there to make them look good, so it’s the perfect combination.”

It’s been some combination, all right. Through three games, Drew and Manuel White, his running mate in the backfield, have gained 834 yards. UCLA is 2-1, with a game Saturday against San Diego State, and ranks fifth nationally in rushing. Drew ranks sixth in the individual category with 508 yards.

The Bruins are 10th in total offense, surprising, considering that they finished last season 110th in that category after losing their last five games and finishing 6-7.

The dramatic turnaround, apparently, stems from a stronger work ethic and a subsequent boost in confidence, and from the team’s firmer grasp of the West Coast offense. But for the offensive linemen, who deserve much of the credit, it goes beyond such obvious explanations.

They claim to be hungrier, which is difficult to imagine in a literal sense, given that when these players go to dinner, each orders multiple steaks. “We can probably put down four or five cows,” says Ed Blanton, a 6-foot-9, 345-pound tackle.

But theirs is a different hunger -- a craving for success born of last season’s failures and frustrations.

“Last year really stung,” says strong-side guard Steven Vieira. “It was a thorn in our side all off-season long, so we worked harder in the weight room and did some extra stuff during the summer, which, unfortunately, we should have been doing all along. We finally worked on how to practice well.”

During the summer, according to speed, strength and conditioning coach E. J. “Doc” Kreis, the linemen took to the weight room “like kids in a pizza parlor.” They put their trust in Tom Cable, the new offensive coordinator and line coach, who arrived in January and took them through the painful process of reviewing last season, going over their mistakes and showing them what they needed to do to improve.

Cable introduced new blocking schemes, which the players have learned to execute as a unit rather than as individuals. In part, he acknowledges, their early success may be a byproduct of last season’s collapse.

“Offensive linemen are prideful humans and if you don’t have pride, you can’t be an offensive lineman,” explains Cable, who played guard for Idaho and the Indianapolis Colts.

“That’s what offensive linemen are -- hard-working, hardheaded guys. You put your tool belt on, you go to work and when the game’s over, they tell you you’re done. If the quarterback is still standing and your back has run a little bit, then you’ve done your job. It ain’t any more than that. But it takes a lot to get five guys to do it right together, and that’s what’s happening.”

Whatever’s happening, there’s no denying that the offensive line -- Vieira and Paul Mociler on the strong side, Mike McCloskey at center, and Robert Cleary, who alternates with Robert Chai, and Blanton on the weak side -- has been among the most pleasant surprises for the Bruins. In the season opener against Oklahoma State, a 145-yard rushing effort by White was overshadowed by a 261-yard performance by Vernand Morency, in a 31-20 Cowboys’ victory during which it became painfully obvious that this season, the defensive line was UCLA’s biggest concern.

Drew gained only 44 yards, but said afterward that it was his fault, because “I wasn’t hitting the right holes.”

Drew hit the holes hard and fast the next week against Illinois, a game in which quarterback Drew Olson threw a career-high three touchdown passes in a 35-17 victory, and afterward said it was eerie having so much time to find an open receiver. Then came the Pacific 10 Conference opener in raucous Husky Stadium, where the Bruins had to use hand signals at times to counter the noise. The offensive line had some trouble -- it was charged with four of six penalties called against the Bruins -- but the methodical pounding it inflicted on the Washington defense more than made amends.

Drew scored in his first two carries, from 47 and 62 yards. His other touchdown runs covered 58, 15 and 37 yards, giving the Bruins just enough offense to prevail, while taking sole ownership of team rushing and touchdown records.

Blanton said afterward that he couldn’t see what was happening because “my face was always buried in a block.” But he knew each time Drew had broken loose by the sudden hush of the crowd. And each time that happened, a powerful sense of accomplishment coursed through his veins.

“I’m really proud that I can be part of something like that,” Blanton said. “It’s something I can really hang my hat on....

“But the thing I’m most excited about, in all honesty, is that we can get even better. It’s hard to say after a game like that, but we can. All of us really believe that.”

Which, as they say, is half the battle.