FOR UCLA, ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING UPSET AGAINST TROJANS COULD GIVE BRUINS SOME SWAGGER.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

It will be unmistakable from the moment the players walk onto the Rose Bowl field Saturday. Their confidence is mixed with arrogance, but the vibe the opponent will get is based more on attitude.

That attitude, UCLA players said this week, is the trademark of the top football program of the past five seasons. It is an attitude that has led to 55 wins in the past 58 games and a pair of national championships.

And it belongs to the Bruins' archrival, USC.

Now, after a few years of watching and learning what it takes to become the best, the Bruins said they are ready to take down the best, and jump-start their own march to becoming one of the top programs in the nation.

So what do the Bruins need to do to become -- gasp -- USC?

``First of all, it starts with our work ethic, the in-program things, the mentality that we're going to get it done, no matter what,'' UCLA junior cornerback Rodney Van said. ``Week in and week out, we know we're the better team. There's never a doubt in your mind. And that's what they (the Trojans) have.

``I honestly think they come to the field like, `I don't care who we're playing. We're better than you. We have better athletes than you. We will win. We'll find a way to win.' I think that's the mentality that we need to have.''

Although many Bruins fans believe looser admission standards, less stringent discipline, and even a change in leadership would help bridge the gap, UCLA needs more top-notch talent to become competitive with the Trojans.

The Bruins contend the talent is already within their program, but need to develop an attitude of superiority.

``You can tell they have the swagger like, `We're going to knock your butt off and beat you up,''' UCLA offensive tackle Shannon Tevaga said. ``We do good, but then just fall back off.''

Bruins fourth-year coach Karl Dorrell already changed the culture within the program, breaking apart cliques, instilling a discipline code that does not discriminate based on a player's importance to the program and holding players accountable on and off the field.

However, Dorrell acknowledged that UCLA, despite going 10-2 last season, is still developing an on-field attitude.

``It's still a learning process for us,'' Dorrell said. ``We learned how to win last year through some difficult circumstances. This year we've had some difficult circumstances that didn't go our way, but then finished the season pretty strong, and we're hoping to finish it even stronger on Saturday.

``I think we're getting a better feel of what it takes. It takes a certain mind-set and attitude in your approach in how you do your business in every way. It's how you practice, how you train, how you do all of those things. We're gradually picking up the pieces and understanding that process.''

But it seems USC learned a lot quicker than the Bruins.

After beginning the 2001 season 2-5, the Trojans rallied to win four straight and earn a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl, which coach Pete Carroll's squad lost to Utah.

Since then, the Trojans have played in four straight BCS bowl games, and will make it a fifth in January. USC has already clinched at least a Rose Bowl bid and is expected to play Ohio State in the BCS title game if it can beat UCLA for an eighth straight year. Last year, the Trojans humiliated the Bruins 66-19.

The Bruins had some of their own mystique last season, when they won their first eight games, staging improbable rallies from double-digit fourth-quarter deficits in wins at Stanford and Washington State, but the magic ended with a 38-point loss at Arizona.

UCLA still finished 10-2, matching a school record for victories, but the confidence did not carry over to this season.

Instead, UCLA blew fourth-quarter leads at Washington and Notre Dame, and did not respond well to deficits in losses to Oregon and Washington State.

``We can do it, too,'' Bruins quarterback Ben Olson said. ``I think the way that attitude breeds itself is by winning. It's a confidence that you have of, `You know what, if we're losing in the fourth quarter, who cares? We know we're going to have the confidence to pull it out.' That's something that we need here. We need to develop it.''

Ending USC's dominance in the series could go a long way in accelerating the development.

In order to beat the Trojans, who are two-touchdown favorites, UCLA will need to play a near-flawless game.

It means not blowing assignments against 6-foot-5 junior receiver Dwayne Jarrett, who scored three touchdowns against Notre Dame last week, and getting pressure on quarterback John David Booty.

The Bruins also must tackle well, a bugaboo during a four-game losing streak but a strength in wins against Oregon State and Arizona State that helped them earn a berth in the Emerald Bowl against Florida State.

Offensively, the Bruins cannot afford to turn the ball over and must execute the short passing game, since USC's fast linebacking corps likely will make it difficult for UCLA to control the clock via the running game.

Van said a victory against USC will ensure an improved status for UCLA, but will not signal a complete turnaround.

``Beating them, it may not get us there, but it furthers us in the direction,'' he said. ``If you think it and know it, and you go out and prove it against a team that also feels that way and you beat them, then you're definitely on your way.''

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Photo:

A win over USC could add some swagger to Junior Taylor, center, Ryan Moya and the Bruins.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Box:

NO. 2 USC at UCLA