Bruins lose, but help unmask overrated Irish

THEY WIN, and it’s the single greatest accomplishment in Karl Dorrell’s four years on the UCLA job.

And how good were the Bruins for nearly 59 minutes of play!

But they lost, and as the e-mailers are already writing, the numskull blew it.

It’s so easy. A win is a triumph, but a loss becomes an indictment for dismissal.

It just can’t be that simple, and in fact it’s hard to say right now what was more telling Saturday, UCLA’s shocking and promising success against a BCS-contending powerhouse or visual evidence that suggests Notre Dame is more impostor than champion material.

The way these people slobbered over the Irish players at Friday night’s over-flow pep rally, Digger Phelps, Paul Hornung and Dick Vitale taking turns singing their praises, you’d have thought a hyped-up Notre Dame would stomp the Bruins.

You guys are awesome, baby.

Fast forward to game day, and the Irish players emerged from the Basilica of Sacred Heart after Mass to find adoring fans lining the sidewalks -- three and four deep -- all the way to the stadium more than half a mile away.

Never seen anything like it.

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TAKE EVERYTHING you’ve heard about the home-field advantage, and what spirit can mean to a team and double it here. Brady Quinn, the Irish starting quarterback, led the march of Irish idols, high-fiving fans all the way to the stadium like some kind of conquering hero -- two hours before taking the field.

Given a week off to rest and a chance for the genius who coaches the team, Charlie Weis, to hawk his new book, “No Excuses: One Man’s Incredible Rise Through the NFL to Head Coach of Notre Dame,” there was nothing but certain victory in the air for the Irish faithful.

Strike up the best fight song in college sports, throw in a spectacular Midwest autumn afternoon that had the sun bouncing off the Golden Dome like a spotlight from the heavens, and yet with 1 minute 2 seconds remaining after all the one-sided hoopla, Dorrell’s Bruins had withstood it all to lead Notre Dame, 17-13.

“Fifty-eight minutes and fifty-eight seconds,” Dorrell said, and is that good, or just forgotten because it wasn’t good enough?

Maybe if they had taken advantage of the Irish fumble to start the game and posted some points. Maybe if they hadn’t been so disorganized on third and six late in the game, missing the chance to kill more time. Maybe if they had managed to post just one more first down.

But forget it, UCLA lost, 20-17, and you know what you can do with your moral victory when it comes to season’s end and they begin passing out bowl assignments.

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“OH WOW,” said Dorrell, his news conference finished and standing off to the side to reflect again on the emotional U-turn he had just experienced. “I’ve seen it on TV, but I’ve never experienced losing a game like this for myself.”

One more play and Dorrell is hoisted on the shoulders of his players, carried off the field and returns to Los Angeles hearing about his arrival as a legitimate coach.

One more play and USC is conflicted, preparing for the monster that Notre Dame is supposed to be one week, then knowing when it’s over they get the rival that has already taken the Irish down.

One more play, and whose fault is that?

The Bruins pressured Quinn all day, and if Quinn is a Heisman Trophy candidate, then UCLA quarterback Patrick Cowan should be playing in the NFL.

On the final drive, though, the Bruins backed off Quinn, tactically on point when you consider Notre Dame stood 80 yards away from a score with no timeouts. Just keep the Irish in front of you, maybe let them complete a pass, but just keep the Irish in front of you.

“Those guys in that locker room fought and put everything they had out there,” Dorrell said, and just what do you say when the chance to prove everyone wrong has been swiped at the very last second?

The Irish got off the hook and Weis remained a genius. The howling mob got a Superman finish from their heroes, guaranteeing even more public fawning.

And the Bruins go home to play Washington State with Dorrell’s assignment to pick up the pieces -- or else this Saturday that brought UCLA so close to greatness really didn’t mean anything more than another loss.

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WHEN THE Bruins left the field, members of the Irish band greeted them by yelling, “Beat USC.”

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JEFF SAMARDZIJA, who caught the winning touchdown pass for Notre Dame, signed with the Chicago Cubs after being selected in the fifth round of the June draft. He’s a pitcher rather than a catcher, although he could’ve fooled UCLA.

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THE MANIA here is so far out of control it takes a ticket to gain entrance to a pep rally. Most of the students here had gone home for the annual week off in October, and yet Notre Dame still drew more fans for a pep rally than UCLA attracts for most home basketball games.

Hornung, a Heisman Trophy winner, but essentially banished from Notre Dame after making some disparaging remarks a few years back, spoke at the rally. But while pointing to a friend in the crowd, Hornung dropped his drawers.

He explained to everyone he had recently lost weight, but simply put, his pants just dropped to his ankles, answering the question: boxers or briefs?

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I THOUGHT it was interesting to see Steve Lavin, former UCLA basketball coach, at the pep rally. I couldn’t tell if Lavin was doing the “W” for Weis along with the students to the sound of the 1812 Overture, or just stretching.

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WHEN IRISH defender Trevor Laws spoke at the rally, he said, “Tomorrow when we play USC ... “ He corrected himself and said, “Tomorrow when we beat UCLA.”

He nearly got that wrong too.