Dorrell Says California Will Provide Toughest Test So Far

A week ago, UCLA did not play and improved from No. 25 to No. 20 in the AP national rankings. This week, the Bruins defeated Washington, 21-17, and did not move up a spot.

Obviously, UCLA’s come-from-behind victory over the Huskies did not mean much to voters.

But that should not be a problem this week for the 4-0 Bruins, who play host to 10th-ranked California at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. Coach Karl Dorrell said the 5-0 Bears will provide the toughest test to date for UCLA, which is off to its best start since 2001 despite a shaky effort against Washington.

“We’re still growing as a team, we’re still young, and that was a great experience to go through,” Dorrell said. “Sometimes, you’re not going to have the best performance and you have to put together a performance to win a game.”

UCLA may have won Saturday, but the Bruins displayed more than a couple of flaws.

The Huskies ran for 213 yards compared with the Bruins’ 65, and outgained UCLA, 401-352, in total offense. The Bruins also lost 110 yards in 13 penalties, punted eight times and quarterback Drew Olson was intercepted twice. Not the type of effort that will get it done against a quality opponent.

“We still have so much work to do, and that’s disappointing,” said Dorrell, who has a 16-13 record at UCLA.

“But I’m even more encouraged because there are so many things we can build from. The Pac-10 is a very competitive conference. Sometimes you mistake records to be a tell-tale sign of an opponent. If you do those kinds of things you get caught and blindsided.”

The Bruins should have their eyes open this week because they know undefeated California likes to run and does it well.

The Bears, who defeated Arizona, 28-0, on Saturday, are 2-0 in the Pac-10 and have the nation’s seventh-best rushing offense, gaining 259.4 yards per game.

Sophomore Marshawn Lynch, sidelined early in the season because of a hand injury, returned to rush for more than 100 yards against Arizona, and his backup, Justin Forsett, already has two big rushing games to his credit.

Quarterback Joe Ayoob has struggled at times, but he’s a threat with the Bears’ group of talented wide receivers led by Robert Jordan and DeSean Jackson. It’s this type of balance that hurts UCLA’s defense, which often has to gamble in order to stop the run.

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UCLA’s inability to move the ball on the ground for the second consecutive game has become a concern for the Bruins. Running back Maurice Drew, who was limited to 33 yards in 14 carries against Washington, said UCLA can’t afford to lose confidence in running the ball.

“A lot of guys would have quit,” Drew said. “We couldn’t do anything. But we stuck together. We worked too hard in the summer to give up now.”

Unlike Oklahoma, which had success crowding the line of scrimmage and playing soft in the secondary, Washington used a more traditional zone-based defense. UCLA struggled most of the game against this tactic.

“They outplayed us basically for four quarters,” said Olson, whose two interceptions were his first turnovers of the season.

“We’ve got to ... get out to a better start against Cal.”

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With a career-high eight catches against Washington, Marcedes Lewis became the school record holder for catches made by a tight end with 90.... The Bruins moved up to No. 16 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, their highest ranking in any poll since being ranked ninth by the AP the first week of November 2003.