Bruins Put This Loss in Waste Basket

UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell will remember the first time he lost to Washington for years to come.

Ben Olson probably will remember his first defeat as a starting college quarterback even longer.

That’s because monumental collapses are difficult to forget and the Bruins had one Saturday, blowing a 16-0 lead and losing, 29-19, to Washington in the Pacific 10 Conference opener for both teams at Husky Stadium.

“We had a chance to really seize control of the game in the first half,” said Dorrell, whose Bruins dropped to 2-1 overall with their first defeat against Washington since 2000 after five consecutive wins.

“The first half, we couldn’t have played any better other than a few mistakes. The second half, we didn’t get into the rhythm that we had in the first half. We made some positive plays, but it just wasn’t the same.”

There were plenty of positives early on. Chris Markey ran for 124 yards and a touchdown, the Bruins defense forced four turnovers and had three sacks; and Justin Medlock made four field goals for the second consecutive game.

But Medlock’s success also explains why UCLA is no longer unbeaten. He was needed four times because of the Bruins’ inability to score touchdowns and Washington (3-1) made sure UCLA paid for not fully cashing in.

Isaiah Stanback passed for three touchdowns and accounted for 248 total yards; wide receiver Sonny Shackelford, who played at Beverly Hills High, caught nine passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns; and linebacker Dan Howell sealed UCLA’s fate with a 33-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t really feel that they were taking us seriously enough,” Washington linebacker Scott White said. “They kind of slapped us in the face early and we got really upset with ourselves and our effort. We knew that we were better than what we were showing when we were down, 16-0.”

The last time UCLA had played at Husky Stadium, in 2004, the Bruins fell behind, 24-7, in the first quarter before Maurice Drew led them to a 37-31 come-from-behind victory. Saturday, UCLA experienced the flip side.

With Markey leading the way, the Bruins moved the ball with ease the first time they had possession but had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Medlock. UCLA then kept Washington from getting a first down and the Bruins’ special teams made a big play when Huskies punter Sean Douglas dropped a snap and was tackled by the Bruins’ Trey Brown before he could get off a kick at the Washington six-yard line.

UCLA needed only two plays before Markey dived into the end zone from the one-yard line to give the Bruins’ their first rushing touchdown of the season.

Trailing, 10-0, Washington’s offense still could not pick up a first down and was forced to punt again after three plays. Markey then broke off a 63-yard run to set up another field goal by Medlock, from 23 yards, to give the Bruins a 13-0 lead.

By the time the first quarter ended, UCLA had outgained Washington, 146 yards to minus-four.

It was more of the same for the Bruins for most of the second quarter, but their inability to finish drives with a touchdown -- a problem that surfaced against Rice two weeks ago -- began to catch up with them.

After Medlock connected from 51 yards to give UCLA a 16-0 lead, the Bruins became conservative on offense, with Olson rarely attempting a pass on first down and mainly running the ball whenever the Bruins got inside Washington’s 20.

The game started to turn before halftime when Stanback drove the Huskies 92 yards and connected on a 23-yard touchdown pass to Shackelford, cutting UCLA’s lead to 16-7. The key plays were a third-down missed tackle by cornerback Rodney Van and a 35-yard sideline catch by Shackelford.

“They had great momentum from the success of ending the second quarter and going into halftime with scoring seven points,” Dorrell said.

Washington took the second-half kickoff and drove 65 yards in six plays for a touchdown. Stanback finished the drive with a 28-yard touchdown pass to Shackelford to pull the Huskies within 16-14.

UCLA wasted two great opportunities later in the quarter when defensive end Bruce Davis forced Stanback to fumble and Chase Moline recovered at the Washington 30. But the Bruins’ gave the ball back when an Olson pass was intercepted by Mesphin Forrester five plays later.

The next chance for UCLA came when freshman Terrence Austin returned a punt 79 yards to the Huskies nine. Two runs and a lateral pass to Markey later, the Bruins again had to settle for a field goal that Medlock made from 22 yards. That gave UCLA a 19-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Over the final 15 minutes it was all Huskies, who took their first lead of the game on Stanback’s four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Johnie Kirton. A successful two-point conversion gave Washington a 22-19 lead.

With 7:05 left, UCLA got the ball back but did not have it for long. On the Bruins’ third play, an Olson pass was intercepted by Howell, who ended any hopes for a UCLA comeback when he returned it for a touchdown that put Washington ahead by its final margin.

Olson completed 18 of 31 passes for 136 yards with two interceptions and was sacked three times. He said he thought he made only two or three poor throws, but the key one to Howell was definitely one of them.

“I saw the linebacker, but instead of throwing a touch ball, it didn’t quite come out of my hand the way I wanted it to,” he said. “I threw it right to him.”

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lonnie.white@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Lonnie White’s keys to the game and how the Bruins measured up:

1. UCLA’s passing game: Ben Olson completed 18 of 31 passes for 135 yards and connected with nine receivers. But he failed to do enough when the Bruins were inside the Washington 10, and that cost them -- UCLA had to settle for three Justin Medlock field goals inside 30 yards.

2. Washington’s passer: Isaiah Stanback struggled early, but he got going in the second half. With the Huskies spreading UCLA’s defense out with multiple receiver formations, Stanback was able to make big plays to lead the Huskies to a come-from-behind victory.

3. Wrap it up: The Bruins’ inability to make consistent tackles cost them. A miss by cornerback Rodney Van helped Washington score before halftime, and several defenders missed Stanback on second-half runs.