UCLA hoping to show it has a finishing kick

Less than four weeks after UCLA’s biggest victory of the Coach Karl Dorrell era, the Bruins will get a chance to make a statement for next season with today’s game against Florida State in the Emerald Bowl at AT&T; Park.

A victory would give UCLA an 8-5 record and a four-game winning streak to finish the season. But more important, a win probably would land the Bruins a spot in the top 25 heading into the 2007 season.

“If we win this game, with a number of guys coming back next year, we should be looked upon favorably in the conference as being a factor next year,” said Dorrell of the Bruins, who gained national attention with their upset win Dec. 2 over Rose Bowl-bound USC.

But a loss against the 6-6 Seminoles also would make a statement for the Bruins, who have struggled with consistency since Dorrell took over the program four years ago.

“If we lose this game, then the SC game meant nothing,” UCLA junior middle linebacker Christian Taylor said. “To me, that’s the biggest thing. We’ve won our last few games, but if we lose our last game of the season, we’re not going in the right direction heading into the off-season.

“It can be a wake-up call, but it’s not what you want. It’s not good for anything.... It’s not good for notoriety. It’s not good for preseason rankings. It’s not good for recruiting. It’s not good for the overall mentality of your program.”

Since defeating USC, Dorrell has worked to make sure that the Bruins don’t take the Seminoles lightly because of their .500 record.

“This is a really good 6-6 football team that we’re playing,” said Dorrell, who coached the Bruins to a victory over Northwestern in the Sun Bowl last year. “I know that they are going to be excited about doing something special for themselves to help catapult them for next year as well.”

Tonight’s game is expected to be a battle between two of the toughest defenses in the country.

Spearheaded by linebackers Buster Davis and Lawrence Timmons, Florida State led the nation in tackles for loss and limited opponents to 278.9 yards a game.

“They play extremely hard and extremely fast on every play,” UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan said of the Seminoles defense.

“They do a lot of different things that could give us problems. We expect them to be ready to play because they are coming all the way out to the West Coast. They’re not just here to show up.”

Davis, a 5-foot-10, 240-pound senior middle linebacker, is the heart and soul of Florida State’s defense. He leads the team in tackles with 102 and had at least six stops in every game this season. Davis also has five quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception for the Seminoles, who twice held opposing offenses to fewer than 185 yards in a game.

Timmons, a 6-3, 230-pound junior outside linebacker, leads Florida State with 11 tackles for loss and six passes broken up and is tied with Davis in sacks.

“They have a solid defense that carries their team, there’s no doubt about that,” running back Chris Markey said of the Seminoles, who forced 12 turnovers in their six victories this season but only three in their six losses.

UCLA also relies heavily on its defense. The Bruins are ranked third in the nation in tackles for loss and third-down conversions, and have given up only 24 touchdowns this season, compared with 48 last season.

Seven times this year, UCLA has held an opponent under 17 points seven times, and six times the Bruins have held a team to fewer than 265 yards in total offense.

“From what I’ve seen, they look as good as any defense that we’ve played this season,” Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden said. “Their defense can play with anybody.”

That was evident in UCLA’s 13-9 victory over USC, which ended the Trojans’ 63-game streak of scoring 20 or more points.

“That was a game that definitely got my attention,” Florida State running back Lorenzo Booker said. “Everyone knows how potent USC’s offense has been, and they just shut them down.”

UCLA’s defense is led by pass-rushing ends Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis, who are tied for second in the nation with 12 1/2 sacks each. They’ve been a dominant force, and they help make things easier for the rest of the defense.

Juniors Kevin Brown and Brigham Harwell are solid tackles, who team up with middle linebacker Taylor to lead the Bruins’ defense against the run, which ranks No. 1 in the Pacific 10 Conference at 89.9 yards a game.

“We know that this is going to be a game probably decided by which defense plays better,” Buster Davis said. “We know UCLA has a good defense, but we think that we’re pretty good too. It’s going to be a fun game to play.”

lonnie.white@latimes.com