Bruins couldn’t run for a key first down

UCLA’s defense will never forget Notre Dame’s final drive in Saturday’s 20-17 loss, but the Bruins offense will remember their final possession just as much.

Leading the No. 10 Irish, 17-13, with 2:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bruins needed one first down to seal a win, but they did not get it.

On first down, tailback Chris Markey was stuffed for no gain. On second down, Markey picked up three yards. On third down, he lost two yards. Three running plays in a row that gained a combined one yard.

“Everyone’s mind-set was first down, first down, first down,” senior center Robert Chai said. “We ran the exact same play two times in a row just from different directions and didn’t get it done.

“We definitely thought we could pull it off. They gave us the look that we expected them to play, but they played it well and stopped us.”

Fullback Michael Pitre said UCLA’s inability to execute on the drive and Notre Dame’s determination to stop the run gave the Irish a chance to win.

“If they don’t get the ball back, they don’t score,” Pitre said. “But most teams would play defense like they did in that situation. They knew we would try and run, and they just stacked the box.”

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At one point during the second half, UCLA ran 11 consecutive pass plays, although two ended with Patrick Cowan being sacked, which is a far cry from the Bruins’ conservative calls in last week’s loss at Oregon.

Junior Marcus Everett led the Bruins with six catches for 102 yards, including a 54-yard touchdown, the longest pass play of the season for UCLA.

“All of the receivers felt like they were in a zone today,” Everett said. “We had the ball in the air and we were able to make some plays. But in the end, we needed one first down and didn’t get it....It’s possible that we could have thrown on that possession because they had so many people in the box to stop the run.”

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Junior tight end William Snead -- who switched from defensive end less than a month ago -- caught his first pass and it turned into a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter, running over two defenders.

“I didn’t run the right route on the play,” Snead said. “I was supposed to run a 12-yard in, but I just saw the middle open.... Being anxious, I just kept running and the ball came to me.”

With Ryan Moya and J.J. Hair sidelined because of injuries, Snead was used as UCLA’s No. 2 tight end behind Logan Paulsen, who did not catch a pass against Notre Dame.

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After giving up 256 yards on the ground last week against Oregon, UCLA’s defense limited Notre Dame’s running game to 41.... Notre Dame had nine senior starters on both offense and defense. UCLA started three seniors total.... UCLA linebacker Aaron Whittington sprained his right ankle on the first series against Notre Dame and played only one play the rest of the game. He was replaced by John Hale, who finished with two tackles. Backup running back Kahlil Bell injured his left ankle and did not play in the second half.... Linebacker Christian Taylor led UCLA with 10 tackles, followed by safety Dennis Keyes and defensive end Justin Hickman, who each had eight. Hickman also had three sacks and Bruce Davis finished with two.

-- Lonnie White

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Notre Dame tailback Darius Walker’s first-quarter fumble was his first in his last 405 touches. His last lost fumble was Sept. 10, 2005, against Michigan....

With 304 yards passing, Irish quarterback Brady Quinn became only the 32nd player in NCAA Division I-A history to surpass 10,000 yards in his career.

-- Chris Dufresne