UCLA knows the biggest problem it faces in Saturday showdown at No. 12 Washington

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen sounded like a football version of Norman Dale from “Hoosiers”, preparing to pull out a measuring tape and walk from one goal line at Husky Stadium to the other.

“It’s the same field, the same dimensions, it’s the same ball, the same team,” Rosen said of playing on the road, “we’re just kind of somewhere else.”

Lately, life on the road for the Bruins has resided in the loss column. UCLA (4-3 overall, 2-2 Pac-12) has dropped all three of its games away from the Rose Bowl and will take a seven-game road losing streak into its showdown Saturday at No. 12 Washington (6-1 ,3-1).

Beating the Huskies would check off more boxes than just an elusive road victory. It would further distance the Bruins from .500 while keeping them in contention for the Pac-12 South Division title with games remaining against two of the three teams ahead of them in the standings.

More significantly, perhaps, it would represent the kind of signature victory that had become routine under coach Jim Mora during his first four seasons at UCLA, but has been notably absent lately. The Bruins have not defeated a ranked team since beating No. 18 Utah on Nov. 21, 2015.

Mora shrugged off the potential impact of a single victory, preferring sustained success.

“I only think signature victories are important,” Mora said this week, “if they’re followed up by more victories.”

Washington has some ground to make up in the Pac-12 North, not to mention its bid for a second consecutive appearance in the College Football Playoff, after a 13-7 loss at Arizona State on Oct. 14. The Sun Devils disrupted what had been a prolific Huskies offense, sacking quarterback Jake Browning five times, while making a usually fearsome defense look less than imposing.

Even so, Washington still ranks first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (10.6 points per game), total defense (236.9 yards per game) and rushing defense (73 ypg).

“They bring challenges up front, they bring challenges in the secondary and with the linebackers,” UCLA offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch said. “We just have to have our best day on Saturday.”

UCLA has been running the ball with increased frequency, creating a more balanced offense. The Bruins averaged 36.6 carries over their past three games versus 25.2 carries over their first four.

Part of UCLA’s increased reliance on the run may be the loss of standout tight end Caleb Wilson to a season-ending foot injury and the suspension of receiver Jordan Lasley, one of the team’s top playmakers. Mora has not indicated a timetable for Lasley’s return.

A significant portion of the Bruins’ road struggles has been due to their failure to play keep-away; they’ve turned the ball over 11 times in three road games. “Hold onto the ball” and “sustain drives” could easily be whiteboard material on Saturday.

“Just be efficient, play our game,” Rosen said. “You can’t get behind and let them play theirs and dictate the flow.”

Like Mora, Rosen hopes that a win against the Huskies could represent not a destination but the start of something bigger.

“It’s a big game,” Rosen said. “It’s probably one of the more important games of any of our careers at UCLA.”

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch