BRUINS' FUTURE STARTS IN VEGAS A BOWL VICTORY WOULD START 2005 OFF RIGHT FOR UCLA.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - UCLA gear was everywhere Craig Bragg looked. Kids were wearing it at his high school, it was in the shops at malls, and the Bruins were players in the national championship race.

Bragg was so impressed, he committed to UCLA as a high school junior, well before a dismal 4-7 mark in 1999 foreshadowed what would be a tumultuous demise of the program.

Now, nearly six years after committing, Bragg plays his last game, today against Wyoming, in the Las Vegas Bowl. He will leave as UCLA's all-time leading receiver, and with the reputation of being one of the nicest and classiest individuals in the program.

He also will leave without playing in a major bowl, a pain balanced by the belief he was a major factor in what he thinks is the program turning around.

``I'm disappointed we didn't win as much as I thought we were going to win,'' Bragg said. ``But at the same time it helped me as a person to understand what life is really like, as far as the ups and downs and the letdowns. I can't say I'm happy about where (the program is) at, being 6-5, but I feel good about where it's going.''

The vibe about the future of UCLA is definitely better than it has been during coach Karl Dorrell's two seasons, but it can disappear in a heartbeat. That is what makes the Las Vegas Bowl vital.

The Cowboys (6-5) appear to be nothing more than a middle-of-the-road Mountain West Conference school, in the postseason because nearly every school with six wins is in a bowl.

``This is important (to) win to keep momentum going in this program,'' UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. ``It's that important. Momentum in this game will help in a lot of different respects going into '05. It helps in recruiting. It helps with (players') attitude when they approach the offseason. It helps with spring ball.

``With the youth of this football team, we might be in position to be in that (preseason) top 30, top 25, if you do something well (tonight). Those are the things we're building with this team.''

Bruins weak-side guard Steven Vieira committed to UCLA a day before the 1999 opener against Boise State. Since then, the Bruins are 37-34, and the most prestigious bowl the Bruins played in was the 2000 Sun Bowl. The following year the Bruins declined an invitation to the Humanitarian Bowl. In 2002, coach Bob Toledo was fired before the Las Vegas Bowl, and last season, Dorrell's first, UCLA was humiliated in the Silicon Valley Football Classic.

The seniors' time in Westwood has been dotted with scandal (think handicap parking), controversy (think Cory Paus and DUI, or DeShaun Foster and SUV), with instability (think Toledo's firing) and with dysfunction (think riffs within the coaching staff).

It has not been chock full o' wins.

``I was expecting a lot of championships, you know, Pac-10 championships and competing on a high level,'' Bruins senior cornerback Matt Clark said. ``Things didn't turn out like that.''

Even Dorrell's first year was fraught with off-the-field issues, including several arrests, selfishness and in-fighting among players, and what many current players describe as a lack of quality leadership from the upperclassmen.

This season, despite a ho-hum record, the direction and perception of the program seem more positive. Players worked harder in the offseason, and there was more accountability among players willing to police themselves.

Until Sunday, when, according to sources, seniors Eyoseph Efseaff and Ben Lorier showed up intoxicated for a team meeting and were suspended from the game and sent home, there had been no embarrassing off-the-field moments.

Senior running back Manuel White, a co-captain, said even the suspensions showed a positive turn in the program.

``The integrity of this program is back,'' White said. ``If there was no integrity, they would have stayed. It would have never been an issue. You're setting a standard. There's definitely going to be a standard. They're not going to let just any guy come into this school. They're building a program around good guys that go to work and are professional about it.''

Dorrell believes UCLA's 34-26 win Nov. 13 at Oregon could be a huge turning point for a program known for late-season collapses.

The close loss to USC three weeks ago showed the Bruins' new-found desire and fight, players said, and high-profile quarterback Ben Olson's oral commitment earlier this week has fans anticipating the future.

That excitement level that would be crushed with a poor showing or, gasp, a loss to a Wyoming team that is nearly a two-touchdown underdog, hasn't won a bowl game since 1966, and physically doesn't match up well with UCLA.

``When we win this game, and (the returning) guys go into spring ball and winter workouts and all that, having a win in your mind as opposed to a loss makes it a lot easier,'' Vieira said. ``Spring ball, you don't have that bad taste in the back of your mouth every day you go out there.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, box

Photo:

UCLA receiving leader Craig Bragg, left, plays his last college game at the Las Vegas Bowl.

Getty Images

Box:

UCLA vs. WYOMING

- Brian Dohn