A low blow for Bruins

PULLMAN, Wash. -- The contrast along the UCLA sideline was striking, from unbridled jubilation to unexplainable malaise in just seven days.

A week ago, the Bruins went into animated gyrations watching Alterraun Verner sail down the sideline in the final minutes, clinching a victory over 10th-ranked California.

Saturday, they were left with a dull-eyed gaze as Washington State running back Dwight Tardy sprinted 51 yards for the final insult in the Cougars’ 27-7 victory that sent a chunk of the 31,027 at Martin Stadium rushing the field afterward.

Just this week’s episode of Good Bruin, Bad Bruin.

“We don’t ever want to feel like we do now,” cornerback Trey Brown said.

It’s a familiar feeling, though.

For the third time this season, Coach Karl Dorrell opened his postgame news conference by saying, “This was a disappointing loss.”

Yet the Bruins continue to stumble against teams that are struggling. Utah was winless but beat them, 44-6, and UCLA is still the only victory on Notre Dame’s record.

But what made this one a tough flight home was twofold: It was a Pacific 10 Conference game and it was against a team that had lost four games in a row.

The Cougars (3-5, 1-4) had more offensive linemen spending time in the training room than on the practice field and a coach who had a more tenuous hold on his job than Dorrell had on his.

Yet, in the end, Cougars Coach Bill Doba looked like an offensive genius. Washington State rolled up 545 total yards. The Cougars came into the game averaging 100 yards rushing a game, but rolled over the Bruins for 274.

Tardy had 214 in 37 carries, including two touchdown runs. Quarterback Alex Brink threw for 271 yards, including a five-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Gibson for a 20-7 lead with 7:31 left.

All of which seemed confusing to the Bruins afterward.

“You have to give Washington State credit,” quarterback Patrick Cowan said.

Said guard Shannon Tevaga: “This was UCLA beating UCLA.”

Everyone seemed confused, even Cougars fans, who chanted, “over-rated, over-rated,” near the end of the game. The Bruins haven’t been “rated” since after the second week of the season, when they reached their high point at No. 11.

News must travel slowly to the Palouse, though the Cougars now know why the Bruins slid in the polls.

UCLA has one touchdown in its three losses. What the Bruins (5-3, 4-1) were able to cling to before Saturday was their undefeated record in conference.

Now that’s gone.

“It’s frustrating,” Brown said. “When is it going to stop? It’s got to stop now. We’ve said that after all three losses. . . . We’re not trying to be the type of team where we show up for one game and don’t show up for the next.”

The Bruins can point to the loss of leading rusher Kahlil Bell, who left the game because of a sprained knee early in the first quarter, and receiver Brandon Breazell, their top playmaker, who left with bruised ribs in the second quarter. But the game remained winnable.

“I’d be lying if I wasn’t concerned,” UCLA defensive end Bruce Davis said. “We’ve got to figure that out, get back to the lab and fix what needs to be fixed.”

Part of the answer could be found in the training room. The Bruins played without middle linebacker Christian Taylor (concussion) and have only four healthy defensive tackles.

Tardy had 99 yards rushing by halftime, including a one-yard run that tied the score, 7-7, in the first quarter.

“It was a cat-and-mouse game,” defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said. “At times, I had to commit more bodies, take some chances and play one-on-one in the passing game.”

The Bruins were called for five pass-interference penalties and the Cougars parlayed that into a pair of field goals by Romeen Abdollmohammadi, the second giving the Cougars a 13-7 lead with 5:46 left in the third quarter.

“I wasn’t worried about the yards,” Walker said. “I wanted to keep the points down. I felt pretty good through 3 1/2 quarters. Then the roof fell in.”

The defense could support things no longer.

Bell went 50 yards for a touchdown on the game’s third play. The Bruins gained only 205 more yards the remainder of the game. Of the Bruins’ best playmakers, Cowan was the healthiest, and he played on an injured right knee.

Cowan, who practiced only once during the week, completed 17 of 36 passes for 167 yards.

“We probably would have moved him around more, but we were trying to be somewhat smart with the guy,” offensive coordinator Jay Norvell said.

The defense had a last game- and face-saving chance, trailing by only six points late in the third quarter, stopping the Cougars on three runs from the one-yard line, then blocking a field goal. But the Bruins gained only seven yards on the following possession.

Said Davis: “I wish I knew why this happens.”

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chris.foster@latimes.com

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KEYS TO THE GAME

Chris Foster’s keys to the game and how UCLA measured up:

1. Brink’s job. Washington State quarterback Alex Brink beat the Bruins for the third time in four seasons. He passed for 271 yards and one touchdown Saturday. Brink’s efficiency allowed the Cougars’ running game to roll, particularly Dwight Tardy, who gained 214 yards and scored two touchdowns.

2. Quarterback triage. UCLA’s Patrick Cowan wobbled through the game on a sore knee, which did not allow him to use his greatest asset: mobility.

3. Control the ball. The Bruins’ running game got off to a good start when Kahlil Bell went 50 yards for a touchdown on the third play and had 67 yards in his first four carries. But Bell left with a knee injury and the Bruins gained only 100 yards on the ground.