Assistant McCarthy Knows His Way Around This Place

UCLA wide receivers coach D.J. McCarthy is hoping that his homecoming today to Washington’s Husky Stadium is as successful as his first was when he was an assistant with Nevada three years ago.

“We went there as a mid-major and they underestimated us,” said McCarthy, who played for Washington from 1991 to ’93. “I was up in the Seattle area recruiting before the game and they were not giving us any respect. We jumped on them early and we threw for over 300 yards, which is always nice when you coach wide receivers.”

Final score: Nevada 28, Washington 17.

McCarthy, who ranked second among Washington wide receivers in touchdown catches in 1993, has fond memories of his playing days but said he enjoys returning as a coach.

“Any chance you get back home to coach against your alma mater, it’s a big deal,” said McCarthy, who spent two years at Long Beach City College before transferring to Washington.

“It gives you a chance to show how you’ve grown as a coach and as a person. It also gives you a chance to compete in a place you used to call home.”

UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell, who was Washington’s offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach in 1999, said he also looks forward to trips to Husky Stadium.

“It’s a very special place to play,” Dorrell said. “I really enjoyed my time as a coach there.”

Dorrell also has worked on the same coaching staffs as Washington defensive coordinator Kent Baer (at Arizona State in 1994) and Huskies tight end/special teams coach Bob Simmons (at Colorado in 1992 and 1993).

Other UCLA-Washington ties: UCLA wide receiver Joe Cowan and quarterback Patrick Cowan are sons of former Huskies quarterback Tim Cowan; UCLA tight end Adam Heater is the younger brother of former Washington defensive lineman Andy Heater. Both are sons of former UCLA and Washington assistant Chuck Heater.

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Washington is 2-1 and coming off its biggest win in three years, but the Huskies have not defeated UCLA since 2000.

“We know we can play with these guys,” Washington safety C.J. Wallace told reporters this week. “Last year, we felt like we gave them a cheap win. We beat ourselves.”

A year ago, UCLA rallied from a 17-7 fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Washington, 21-17, at the Rose Bowl.

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UCLA’s Aaron Perez is averaging 39.8 yards in six punts, fewest in the Pacific 10 Conference. Washington’s Sean Douglas, who leads the Pac-10 with a 48.8 yards average, has the most, 14.... The last time UCLA played at Husky Stadium, the Bruins rallied from a 24-7 first-quarter deficit to win, 37-31, behind running back Maurice Drew, who rushed for 322 yards and five touchdowns, setting school records for both yards and touchdowns.

lonnie.white@latimes.com

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

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1 UCLA’s passing game: With Washington senior cornerback Dashon Goldson questionable because of an injury, the Huskies secondary is likely to be short-handed. UCLA quarterback Ben Olson will try to exploit this weakness, especially since even with Goldson, Washington statistically has the worst defense against the pass in the Pacific 10 Conference.

2 Washington’s passer: Huskies quarterback Isaiah Stanback is not an accurate thrower, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hurt UCLA with big passing plays. Stanback’s ability to scramble presents a huge challenge for UCLA’s front line, especially ends Bruce Davis and Justin Hickman.

3 Wrap it up: The biggest knock against UCLA’s defense last season was that the Bruins couldn’t tackle. That hasn’t been a problem in two games this season, but Washington running backs Kenny James and Louis Rankin are hard to bring down and Stanback is hard to catch.

-- Lonnie White