Now is the time for Bruins to get younger in a hurry

With two-thirds of the regular season completed, UCLA enters the final stretch with an eye on the future. After working more younger players into the lineup this week during practice, the Bruins plan to give them increased playing time today against California at Memorial Stadium.

“We want to get the young guys into the fold more,” Coach Karl Dorrell said.

The Bruins, who have lost three consecutive games, start only three seniors among their position players while eight first-year freshmen have played this season.

“We have a lot of young players who are playing,” Dorrell said. “It’s a matter of just getting better.”

Two players expected to benefit most are freshman receiver Terrence Austin -- who returns after sitting out two games because of a hamstring injury -- and sophomore safety Bret Lockett, a steady contributor on special teams who will play in dime coverage and possibly split time with starter Dennis Keyes.

Austin, who leads UCLA with 110 yards in punt returns, will be used more as a receiver than on special teams with sophomore Ryan Graves remaining the No. 1 punt returner.

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Jeff Tedford, twice selected Pacific 10 Conference coach of the year in his first four seasons with Cal, has the Bears in position to win the league title if they can win the remainder of their games. But Tedford is leery of teams such as UCLA because of the parity in the Pac-10.

“Anything can really happen in this conference each week,” said Tedford, who has a 40-18 record at Cal and has never lost to the Bruins at home. “Nothing really surprises me.”

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After giving up 405 yards in the air to Washington State in last week’s loss, UCLA’s pass defense will have its work cut out against Cal, which leads the Pac-10 in yards passing at 268.5 yards a game

“In our last game, our execution was good, but we did not finish the plays,” UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said.

“I take a lot of pride in getting the players to the level where they are not hurting you. You have to keep coaching. If a player shows that he can do it once, he can do it again.”

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Dorrell on Cal’s pass defense, which ranks last in the Pac-10: “They’ve had a lot of people playing two-minute offenses, so that’s a little misleading. That’s a pretty good defense.”

Cal had five interceptions in an overtime victory over Washington on Oct. 21 and the Bears’ 18 this season ranks second in the nation.

“That’s a lot of interceptions,” Dorrell said. “They do a nice job in understanding a team’s weaknesses, and the offense puts some points on the board early and they do that often. We need to make sure we’re sharp and do positive things early in the game and keep ourselves within the game early and then have a good finish.”

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UCLA linebacker Aaron Whittington (ankle) and receiver Brandon Breazell (ribs) are expected to play today despite being slowed because of injuries. Quarterback Ben Olson (knee), running back Kahlil Bell (ankle) and return specialist Jeremy McGee (quadriceps) will not play.... Linebacker Desmond Bishop leads Cal in tackles and is third in the Pac-10 at 9.4 a game. In five league games this season, Cal quarterback Nate Longshore has completed 61.3% of his passes for 1,267 yards and 11 touchdowns.... The Bruins have not won at Cal since 1998, when quarterback Cade McNown threw two touchdown passes in a 28-16 victory.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

1 Middle ground. UCLA’s defensive tackles Brigham Harwell and Kevin Brown will be matched up against California’s interior offensive line, which features center Alex Mack and guards Erik Robertson and Brian De La Puente. The Bears love to run the ball up the middle, an area controlled by Harwell and Brown.

2 Pick or burn. Led by senior cornerback Daymeion Hughes’ seven interceptions, Cal leads the Pac-10 with 18. But the Bears also have given up 12 passing touchdowns, and UCLA’s Patrick Cowan has completed at least one touchdown pass in three of his last four games.

3 Longshore factor. Cal has given up only nine sacks this season, which is one reason for quarterback Nate Longshore’s passing success. UCLA, led by ends Justin Hickman and Bruce Davis, has one of the nation’s best pass-rushing defenses with 26 total sacks.

-- Lonnie White