Looking for an edge

UCLA cornerback Trey Brown would not be surprised if today’s game against Washington State at the Rose Bowl had another memorable finish.

It seems as if UCLA has had more than its fair share of nail-biters in Brown’s three years on the team, and he has experienced the gamut when it comes to the Bruins’ up-and-down ways.

In 2004, he was a redshirt freshman who received his first extended playing time against Arizona State, a game in which UCLA led most of the way before the Sun Devils scored the last 17 points to win, 48-42.

Then there was last week, when UCLA had Notre Dame on the ropes before the Irish drove 80 yards for a touchdown to win, 20-17, in the last minute.

Those are two games Brown and the Bruins believe they played well enough to win; two games that ended as heart-breaking defeats.

But Brown and his teammates also have good memories, including five come-from-behind victories last season, including a dramatic 44-41 overtime win against Washington State in which they rallied from a 17-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

That only adds to today’s plot as UCLA (4-3 overall, 2-2 in the Pacific 10 Conference) and Washington State (5-3, 3-2) try to separate themselves from the pack in a tight conference race.

Washington State upset Oregon, 34-23, last week and is No. 25 in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings. Brown is predicting “a fistfight; a slugfest.”

If the Bruins defeat the Cougars, they will set themselves up for a showdown at No. 12-ranked California next week and be in position to show that last week’s strong effort against No. 11 Notre Dame was not a fluke.

But a UCLA loss would end the Bruins’ 10-game winning streak at the Rose Bowl and open another checkout line for critics who have been complaining louder and louder about the state of the football program.

Coach Karl Dorrell expects his team to rise to the challenge rather than wallow in last week’s still-bitter defeat. “This team is very resilient and they are not feeling sorry for themselves,” he said. “The coaches aren’t feeling sorry for themselves. We picked each other up and blamed ourselves in a lot of circumstances.”

Don’t expect Washington State to care much about UCLA’s mental state because the Cougars have their own goals.

“We definitely believe the rest of the way, starting with UCLA, we can win them all,” Washington State wide receiver Jason Hill told the Seattle Times.

The strength of the Cougars is their experienced passing game, with quarterback Alex Brink and receivers Michael Bumpus and Hill.

Brink has 11 touchdown passes with six interceptions and is fourth in the Pac-10 with an average of 217.5 yards passing a game. Bumpus leads the conference with 52 receptions and Hill is second among Pac-10 wide receivers in touchdown catches with six.

“They are very good,” Brown said about Washington State’s passing offense, which is third in the Pac-10, averaging 244.3 yards. “It’s going to be a battle between their receivers and our secondary. Bumpus and Hill are definitely up there with the best receivers we’ve played.”

Last year, Brink had two touchdown passes and ran for a score in leading Washington State to a 38-21 lead. But in the fourth quarter, UCLA’s defense stiffened and the Bruins squeezed out a win in overtime.

“Washington State is a dangerous squad with a very good offense, and last year they came out and got on top of us fast,” UCLA safety Dennis Keyes said. “It was crazy playing up there. We have to be ready not to have that happen again.”

But even if UCLA’s defense does its job, the Bruins’ offense still has to produce with sophomore quarterback Patrick Cowan making his first home start.

UCLA has scored 18 offensive touchdowns this season -- only Stanford and Arizona have scored fewer -- and has eclipsed 300 total yards in a game only three times. But the Bruins believe that they grew from last week’s game against Notre Dame, which attacked Cowan with an assortment of blitzes.

Washington State’s defensive line, which has been depleted because of injuries, features one of the best ends in the nation in Mkristo Bruce, who has 10 solo sacks. But the Cougars’ pass defense has been suspect, giving up an average of 233.6 yards.

Dorrell said UCLA’s goal is simple.

“We’re still aiming at a very strong execution game when all three phases” -- offense, defense and special teams -- “are just doing a great job,” he said. “We haven’t been able to do that as much as we would like.”

lonnie.white@latimes.com