Stakes Raised for Bruins

UCLA may one day look back at today’s matchup against No. 18 Oregon as the game that solidified the Bruins as contenders for the Pacific 10 Conference football championship.

But with UCLA playing at Notre Dame next week, today also could be remembered as the day that reality hit.

“We have two big games for us on the road,” junior defensive tackle Brigham Harwell said about the 4-1 Bruins, who are 2-1 in Pac-10 play.

“This is going to be a big, big test for us and we know it all starts with Oregon. They have a great offense that averages nearly 500 yards every week. We’re starting a new quarterback in Pat Cowan, who showed last week that he can do the job.

“As a team, we know that we can win both. We just have to go out there and do it.”

The Ducks (4-1, 2-1) feature an offense that averages 470.2 yards and 37 points a game. Oregon’s calling card is its ground attack, led by sophomore running backs Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson.

Stewart, who runs with speed and power, averages 96.4 yards rushing a game; Johnson, who is quicker than Stewart, is averaging 8.1 yards a carry.

“The first thing we have to do is stop the run,” Harwell said. “Like everyone else, we expect them to try and test us early with their running game. Once we do that, our job as defensive linemen will be to fly to the ball.”

Oregon is coming off a 45-24 loss at California -- a game in which the Ducks rushed for only 70 yards.

“That’s really an aberration for them,” UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said. “They fell behind early, and I think that’s what dictated them not running the ball as well.”

But Oregon can do more than run. Junior quarterback Dennis Dixon is a double threat who averages 290.8 yards of total offense a game. He has completed 109 of 172 passes for 1,295 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions.

“We’re going to have to do a real good job against the run game, and they have done a tremendous job all season long until last weekend,” UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said. “And they’ve thrown the ball all over to everybody too, so they have some very potent wide receivers that have made some big plays.”

Harwell said the goal of UCLA’s defensive front is to control the line of scrimmage.

“The defensive tackles, including Kevin [Brown] and myself, have not been making a lot of plays, but we’ve been holding down the middle,” Harwell said. “This will be the type of game that we have to step up. This is the type of game you love to play in.”

For the second season in a row, UCLA has charged out fast. If not for a second-half collapse at Washington, the Bruins -- who were 5-0 at this point last year -- would be undefeated heading into today’s game.

But that in part can be attributed to a home-dominated early schedule.

Victories over Utah, Rice, Stanford and Arizona all came at the Rose Bowl, where the Bruins have won 10 consecutive games.

It’s a good bet that UCLA will not feel at home today at Autzen Stadium, which already has had a record-breaking crowd this season -- 59,269, the largest crowd ever for a college football game in the state of Oregon, watched the Ducks defeat Oklahoma last month.

“When you have a packed house and a crowd and the pressure of a game, those are factors when it is really all said and done,” Dorrell said of the Bruins, who have won four of their last five at Oregon.

Quarterback Cowan, who filled in after starter Ben Olson was injured in last week’s victory over Arizona, will make his first college start today. Although Cowan looked good completing 20 of 29 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns against the Wildcats, he’ll be facing in Oregon the Pac-10’s top-rated pass defense.

“They have faced some good offensive teams and really did well,” UCLA offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda said of the Ducks. “When we look at them athletically, they are as good or better than anybody we’ve played this year.”

The last time UCLA played Oregon, Chris Markey had a big game. Playing in place of Maurice Drew, who sat out because of injury, Markey rushed for 131 yards and had 84 more in receiving, leading UCLA to a 34-26 victory at Autzen Stadium in 2004.

“They have a lot of athletes and a lot of physical players, but teams have been running the ball against them,” Markey said of the Ducks this week. “We want to get back on track with our run, but the bottom line is that we’re ready to do whatever we have to do in order to win. This will be a tough test, but it’s not like we haven’t won up there before.”

lonnie.white@latimes.com