Bruin Spotlight Burns in Shadow

Spent the day in college football’s biggest shadow, and you know something?

It was pretty cool, and I don’t mean cold.

Down the road from Exposition and Heisman and history, UCLA is unbeaten, unknown, and, let’s face it, unbelievable.

On yet another Saturday when everyone was talking about U-S-You-Know-Who, the Rose Bowl was filled with shadow dancing from Maurice Drew, shadow boxing with Drew Olson, and bunches of eyes peeking at the sunlight of six weeks hence.

That would be Dec. 3. Those who have been afraid to risk ridicule by acknowledging that our schools could both be unbeaten when they meet on that day, fear no more.

They can, and here’s guessing they will, after UCLA passed its biggest final test with a 51-28 beating of resurgent Oregon State at the Rose Bowl.

Seven and oh, with a coach who had never before won seven games in a season.

“It’s great to get over that hurdle,” said Karl Dorrell with a laugh.

Seven and oh, for only the second time in 17 years, with two one-loss teams still ahead of them in the polls.

“We’re not going to get the respect until the 11th game of the season, we all know that’s how it is, we just have to keep proving people wrong,” said quarterback Drew Olson.

From those shadows to a de-facto national championship semifinal game against USC in the Coliseum, that’s where the improbable Bruins are probably headed, their eyes wide and their clenched fists searching for wood.

Literally. After watching his quarterback-by-default throw for six touchdowns and his embattled defense cause three turnovers, Dorrell purposely rapped on the postgame interview table.

“I like what our opportunities are,” he said.

Later, offensive coordinator Tom Cable figuratively repeated the act.

“Knock on wood, but today you were seeing it the way it was supposed to be,” he said.

It, meaning the way the Bruins trailed by a touchdown less than two minutes into the game, but responded by scoring barely one minute later, on a 43-yard pass down the left sideline to a streaking receiver named ... Maurice Drew?

“It’s fun, running down there, having a guy chasing you,” Drew said.

It, meaning Olson’s fastball into the mitts of wide-open Ryan Moya down the middle for a 49-yard touchdown, another ball lofted gently on the fingertips of Brandon Breazell for a 46-yard touchdown, seven Bruins catching passes, five rushing for positive yardage.

It was such fun, the relatively small Rose Bowl crowd that joined them in the shadows, 49,932, hooted and hollered until the very end.

Heck, early in the third quarter, they even heckled a USC-cap waving fan until the poor guy was escorted to safety, and when is the last time you’ve seen that happen around here?

That’s the issue here, of course. Those three letters.

That’s the reason the Bruins have not gotten both the team and individual credit that they now clearly deserve. They don’t want to say it, they hate acknowledging it, but these are sophisticated kids, and they can’t fool themselves.

Even when it’s not about USC, it’s about USC.

“They are always in the back of our minds, I can’t lie,” said linebacker Justin London. “We keep an eye on them. They are in the back of our head. But we don’t let it distract us from always focusing on the next game.”

But, certainly, now that they are hot, it’s hard.

If they weren’t playing in the same town as a team with a 29-game winning streak, the Bruins’ seven-game streak would have landed them higher than eighth in the polls.

“USC has been down in games a couple of times and come back and everybody thinks that makes them great,” said safety Jarrad Page. “But when we do the same thing, people don’t see it the same way.”

It’s the same with individuals, USC’s stars riding a three-year wave that the Bruins are just now catching.

Did you know that Olson has thrown five more touchdown passes with two fewer interceptions than USC’s Matt Leinart?

Nearly as compelling is the comparison between the Trojans’ likely Heisman winner and the Bruins’ running back who will be fortunate to attend the ceremony.

Reggie Bush has 1,422 total yards and 13 touchdowns.

Drew has 1,299 total yards and 16 touchdowns.

“As long as people want to keep discrediting us, fine,” said Page. “As long as we keep beating them.”

They should be able to survive between here and USC, beginning with next week against mediocre Stanford, followed by games against the two Arizona teams that have combined for one conference victory.

Not that their coach is buying. After his usual cheerleading speech to the Bruin crowd after Saturday’s game, Dorrell’s smiling face turned cold when asked about the polls, the Trojans, the incredible chance that suddenly lies within his team’s grasp.

“We’re not thinking about those things because this is a new position for all of us,” he said, unconvincingly, fans screaming at him, well-wishers lining up for him, the shadows receding.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Star power

How the local star quarterbacks and tailbacks fared Saturday:

QUARTERBACKS

Matt Leinart, USC

* Completions-attempts...20-26

* Yards passing...201

* Touchdowns-interceptions...4-0

Drew Olson, UCLA

* Completions-attempts...16-24

* Yards passing...262

* Touchdowns-interceptions...6-0

TAILBACKS

Reggie Bush, USC

* Rushes-yards...8-51

* Rushing touchdowns...1

* Receptions-yards...2-18

* Special teams TD...84-yard punt return

Maurice Drew, UCLA

* Rushes-yards...21-120

* Receptions-yards...3-67

* Receiving touchdowns...2

* Special teams TD...59-yard punt return