DEFENSE DEPARTMENT MISTAKES MADE MOOT BY STIFLING BRUINS `D' UCLA 13, OHIO STATE 6.

PASADENA - As the week progressed, the UCLA football team's shock over last week's terrorist attacks began to dissipate and the Bruins looked forward to their game with Ohio State as part of the healing process. A return to normalcy, they called it.

You call this normal?

On a day when the offense fumbled and the special teams bumbled, it was the defense that delivered the Bruins' 13-6 victory over 21st-ranked Ohio State on Saturday in front of 73,723 fans at the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State managed only 166 yards in total offense, scored its only touchdown on a blocked punt, and couldn't muster a single first down the four times UCLA coughed up a fumble in its own territory.

The 14th-ranked Bruins, who improved to 3-0, didn't just win with the help of their defense as they did against Alabama and Kansas. They won because of it.

And when, in the name of Nick Aliotti and Bob Field, was the last time that happened?

``They've been maligned, ridiculed, you name it,'' UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. ``I thought they were outstanding.''

A year ago, the UCLA defense was setting a new record for ineptitude as well as points allowed. But instead of boos, they exited the field Saturday to chants of ``de-fense, de-fense,'' by a few thousand fans who stood over the tunnel that leads to the locker room.

``I got chills all over my body,'' said UCLA senior middle linebacker Robert Thomas, who had five tackles for losses, and nine total. ``I'd never heard that before.''

Once inside the locker room, they got something even better: handshakes from the offense.

``To have an offensive player to come over, shake my hand and say, `You won the game for us,' that's a great feeling,'' said linebacker Ryan Nece, a fifth-year senior who hasn't forgotten the sniping of offensive players after the loss to Miami in 1998.

``Believe me, I've been criticized, and we've had offensive players turn their back on us before. To have them say we played great is a great feeling.''

The defense bailed out the Bruins all day.

The Bruins took the opening kickoff and drove for a touchdown on Cory Paus' 24-yard pass to Ryan Smith on third-and-12. It was the fourth time the Bruins converted a third down on the drive. It also was the last time they saw the end zone.

The Buckeyes (1-1) held tailback DeShaun Foster, who had 66 yards on 19 carries at halftime, to no yards on 10 carries in the second half. Though Paus threw for 262 yards - his best of the season - the Bruins couldn't get a handle on the ball.

UCLA fumbled six times, four by Foster, who managed to lose only two of them. Another fumble was on a punt return by Craig Bragg. And kicker Chris Griffith missed two of his four field-goal attempts.

Yet, the most grievous special-teams mistake was early on, when Mike Doss, Ohio State's All-American strong safety, was left untouched as he stormed up the middle toward punter Nate Fikse. Doss smothered Fikse's kick about the 5-yard line and the ball rolled into the end zone, where Ricky Bryant recovered it for an Ohio State touchdown.

``We had a missed assignment,'' Toledo said. ``We had two guys go one way and nobody go the other way and the one guy was free.''

The Bruins still led 7-6 when Mike Nugent missed the extra point.

As bad as the Bruins' special teams were, the Buckeyes were worse. Nugent missed a 28-yard field goal and Josh Huston failed on a 32-yarder.

Nugent's miss would have put Ohio State ahead 9-7 in the second quarter, but Huston's shank was even more deflating. It came after Foster fumbled the ball at UCLA's 9-yard line midway through the third period.

If there was a shining moment for the UCLA defense, this was it.

On first down, linebacker Marcus Reese stopped tailback Jonathan Wells for a 1-yard gain. On second down, Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari, getting pressure from tackles Rodney Leisle and Ken Kocher, was dropped for a 2-yard loss by free safety Marques Anderson. Then, on third-and-goal, receiver Michael Jenkins couldn't hold Bellisari's pass in the back of the end zone.

Bellisari was 5 for 23 for 45 yards with two interceptions. The only passes he completed in the second and third quarters were to Anderson and cornerback Matt Ware.

Ohio State managed two first downs on a drive only once. When that happened, starting defensive linemen Kenyon Coleman, Leisle and Dave Ball raced onto the field and the drive ended three plays later.

Were the Buckeyes ever going to score?

``Not today,'' Anderson said. ``Once we stopped them there, we knew we were going to get a shutout.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) UCLA's Ryan Nece breaks up a pass in the end zone intended for Ohio State's Michael Jenkins in the third quarter of Saturday's game in the Rose Bowl.

(2) UCLA linebacker Robert Thomas drags down Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari.

Hans Gutknecht/Associated Press