BRUINS SEE THIS GAME GO TO THE DAWGS UCLA WATCHES 16-0 LEAD TURN INTO LOSS VS. WASHINGTON WASHINGTON 29, UCLA 19.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

SEATTLE -- Nearly 30 minutes after UCLA retreated beneath Husky Stadium, defensive end Bruce Davis sat in front of his locker, still in full uniform, trying to comprehend what took place.

A 16-point lead vanished, and the defensive dominance was replaced by a couple of blown assignments, some missed tackles and the slipperiness of Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback.

But the most egregious play came from the Bruins' offense. Suspect play-calling and the inability to get into the end zone despite plenty of opportunities ultimately led to UCLA's downfall in a 29-19 loss to the Huskies in Saturday's Pacific-10 Conference opener for both schools.

Washington (3-1) ended a five-game losing streak against UCLA (2-1), which dropped a conference opener under fourth-year coach Karl Dorrell for the first time.

``It was bad,'' UCLA fullback Michael Pitre said. ``Keeping it real and being honest, that's not championship football. You can't win a Pac-10 championship scoring only one touchdown (on four chances) inside the 10-yard line.

``As a team, we have to develop that killer instinct. When you have a team on the ropes, you have to be willing to knock them out, and that's what we didn't do.''

To make matters worse, it was the reciprocal of how the Bruins beat the Huskies a year ago -- coming from behind in the fourth quarter.

Washington took a 22-19 lead when Stanback hit tight end Johnie Kirton for a 4-yard touchdown with 7:32 to play. The two then hooked up on the two-point conversion.

Stanback finished 18 for 29 with a career-high three touchdowns and an interception, and also rushed for 48 yards. In fact, Washington had 249 yards of total offense, and Stanback had 248.

``I'm not going to sit here and tell you it doesn't hurt, because it hurts bad,'' Davis said. ``Stanback took over that game. His team was down and he stepped up and made some great, great plays. He's an amazing football player.''

Conversely, Bruins sophomore quarterback Ben Olson struggled for the second straight game. He completed 18 of 31 passes for 135 yards, but was sacked three times and intercepted twice, the second of which linebacker Dan Howell (Hart of Newhall) returned 33 yards for a game-clinching touchdown to give the Huskies a 29-19 lead with 6:02 to play.

``I have to do a better. I take responsibility for this loss,'' said Olson, whose third-quarter interception stalled a drive on Washington's 11- yard line. ``I can't throw the interceptions that I threw.

``I saw (Howell). I knew I had to get the ball over him. No excuses. The ball slipped. It was just a bad throw.''

Although Olson accepted the blame, there was plenty to go around as the Bruins dissected their collapse.

At the midway point of the second quarter, UCLA had outgained the Huskies 188 yards to minus-2, but the lead was only 16-0 because three trips inside Washington's 10-yard produced just one touchdown. That was a 1-yard run by Chris Markey (19 carries, 124 yards), and came after Washington punter Sean Douglas dropped a snap and UCLA took over on the 6-yard line.

On each of UCLA's four possessions inside the 10-yard line, the first- down play was a run. And of 11 plays called inside the 10-yard line, seven were runs, including a handoff to Kahlil Bell on third-and-goal from the 10 with the Bruins clinging to a 16-14 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.

``Probably have to be a little more aggressive and take a couple of shots,'' UCLA offensive coordinator and play-caller Jim Svoboda said. ``Just taking a look back at it, off the top of my head, it may be something we had an opportunity to do.''

The offensive ineptitude meant short field goals for Bruins placekicker Justin Medlock, who made kicks from 28, 23, 51 and 22 yards.

``Red-zone opportunities. That's what it comes down to,'' Svoboda said. ``It's a different game if we can turn those into touchdowns instead of field goals.''

But even outside the red zone, UCLA's offense was predictable, if not ultra-conservative.

Before the last desperation drive, the Bruins ran 19 times on first down, compared to four pass attempts on first down. Olson was also sacked once on first down.

The defense's tackling doldrums, a staple of the last few seasons, showed up in bits and pieces and also played a role in Washington's comeback.

The biggest culprit was cornerback Rodney Van, whose missed tackle of receiver Quintin Daniels gave the Huskies a first down on a third-and-11 from their own 7. It was also the impetus for a nine-play, 92-yard drive as Washington got back into the game on Sonny Shackelford's 23-yard touchdown catch. It brought the Huskies within 16-7 with 65 seconds remaining in the first half.

Van then missed another key tackle two minutes into the second half that allowed Shackelford to turn a short gainer into a 28-yard touchdown reception as Washington pulled within 16-14.

``It cost us a game, it cost us a touchdown,'' UCLA defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker said. ``One kept the drive alive, and then he missed the other one. That's a problem. It's an issue that keeps showing up.''

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3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) With Logan Paulsen, background, in pursuit, Washington's Dan Howell returns an interceptionfor a touchdown.

Jim Bryant/Associated Press

(2) UCLA quarterback Ben Olson gets tackled by Washington's Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Wilson Afoa and C.J. Wallace in Saturday's Pac-10 opener in Seattle.

(3) Washington quarterback Isaiah Stanback threw for three touchdowns and rushed for 48 yards.

Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images