BRUINS FEELING OK IN OK UCLA LINEMEN READY TO SCRAP WITH OKLAHOMA STATE.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

STILLWATER, Okla. - When UCLA strolls into town this evening, it'll bring just the type of football team the locals can appreciate. It's one whose backbone isn't made up of city boys who like to move and shake, but roughnecks who don't mind rolling up their sleeves and using a little muscle to get their work done.

Namely, the offensive and defensive lines.

It's a group that couldn't fit in better here if they took the field with a pinch between the cheek and gum.

While the Bruins, who are ranked 23rd entering today's 4 p.m. kickoff against Oklahoma State, lost a host of skill players from last season, where they are experienced and talented this season is on both sides of the line. In the defense's case, you can add deep as an adjective, too.

It's fitting, also, that for a team no longer dominated by stars, its two best players might be two of its most anonymous: offensive tackle Mike Saffer and defensive tackle Rodney Leisle.

``There's not a lot of superstars, not a lot of `I' people. I like that,'' said UCLA coach Bob Toledo, who added of the lines: ``That's where it all starts. You can have all the great skill guys you want, but if you can't block 'em or keep people off your linebackers, it's tough to win.''

That played out in last week's season-opening 30-19 victory over Colorado State. The offensive line, which returns four starters - including four-year starting tackles Saffer and Bryce Bohlander - wore down the Rams. After rushing for 83 yards on 19 carries through three quarters, Bruins running backs carried 11 times for 86 yards and three touchdowns in the final quarter.

Meanwhile, the defensive line keyed a defense that allowed one scoring drive of more than 25 yards. Defensive end Rusty Williams made the play that kept the Bruins in the game, hitting CSU quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt as he threw late in the third quarter with UCLA trailing 13-7. His wobbling pass was intercepted, killing a drive at the UCLA 7-yard line.

It will need to play out again this season if the Bruins are to exceed the expectations of those who picked them sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference.

Those in the trenches are excited about another opportunity to dispel the notion they're long on guile and short on grit. Under Toledo, the Bruins are 4-0 against teams from the Big 12 Conference, with only one game - the 1998 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M - closer than 18 points.

``I like going to the East Coast and showing them what the Pac-10 is all about,'' said guard Steven Vieira, who is not a geography major.

The Bruins' offensive line has had games in recent years where it's bullied opponents, such as the upset of Alabama in 2000 and the thrashings of Oregon State and Washington last season. But they haven't played at a high level consistently, and in the past three seasons UCLA quarterbacks were sacked 101 times, the most in the Pac-10.

In addition to Saffer and Bohlander, guards Eyoseph Efseaff - a freshman All-American last season - and Vieira are back for their sophomore seasons. The new piece in the equation is freshman center Mike McCloskey, who played well in his debut last week.

``They should be the heartbeat of the team,'' said offensive-line coach Mark Weber, who thinks this unit can be as good as the dominating ones of 1997 and 1998. ``That's always the goal, but when you're very young, it's not able to happen as quickly. These guys have lots of game experience, they're good athletes, they're tough and they love playing the game. The fifth guy is new but he's very athletic.''

They'll have a much tougher test than last week. Oklahoma State returns its entire defensive front four, including tackles Kevin Williams, a four-year starter, and LaWaylon Brown, who has three tackles for loss this season.

After years of getting pushed around by big, physical offensive lines, the Bruins' defense finally pushed back last season with the best front four in the Pac-10. The trick is not to let things slip.

``We take pride in the way we played last year,'' defensive tackle Steve Morgan said. ``We've set a standard now. We're telling the young guys we don't want to let it have ebbs and flows. We want to be known for defense around here.''

The Bruins might not have a pass-rushing end this year like Kenyon Coleman, now with the Raiders, and they also lost starting tackle Ken Kocher, but they still are eight-deep across the front.

``I tell them all the time that the tempo, the aggression and the spirit of the defense is based on how they play,'' defensive coordinator Phil Snow said. ``We don't have great speed but that's OK, we can do some things to manufacture a pass rush. You want to prevent teams from running downhill.''

UP NEXT

Today vs. Okla. St.

4 p.m., FSN