GREAT ESCAPE; BRUINS SURVIVE LOWLY STANFORD : UCLA 28, STANFORD 24.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

For now, the UCLA Bruins are No. 1 with a bullet-proof uniform.

But come Monday, will they be all right? Come Monday, they'll be holding on tight - and wondering if the Bowl Championship Series rankings reward (or punish) fourth-quarter escapes against last-place teams?

``Close, close, close - too close,'' UCLA senior safety Larry Atkins said. ``(Stanford) gave us their best effort, and it was far from our best effort. I don't know if we took them lightly in the beginning, but their intensity was higher than ours. It took them getting the lead to wake us up.''

Five days after becoming No. 1 in the only poll that matters - and almost 10 years to the day No. 1 UCLA lost to Washington State - the Bruins dodged an upset for the ages and remained unbeaten with a 28-24 victory before 64,820 in the Rose Bowl.

It is one thing to survive Oregon; at the time, the Ducks were one of the top teams in the Pac-10. Even the edgy victory over Cal last week seemed impressive, considering the Bears' fabulous defense and UCLA's depleted roster.

But Stanford? One-win Stanford? A four-touchdown underdog, the Cardinal had the Pac-10's worst defense and only one chance to compete Saturday afternoon: if the Bruins (7-0, 5-0) made mistakes. And sure as a Stanford third-down pass, they committed 12 penalties for 125 yards.

``That's ridiculous,'' UCLA guard Andy Meyers said. ``We're not the Raiders.''

It was the timing and type of mistakes, not the quantity, that nearly cost them: personal fouls, holdings, pass interferences, even a roughing-the-passer penalty. They were big, bad, drive-killing mistakes, including a holding penalty on guard Jim Ghezzi that erased a first-quarter touchdown pass to Danny Farmer.

``It took a long time for us to realize Stanford was probably a better club than we gave them credit for,'' said UCLA quarterback Cade McNown, who threw two interceptions in a four-play sequence in the first half. ``I wish we had played better. In the last couple weeks, we've escaped. We didn't dominate, we've escaped.''

They needed help from several unlikely sources to extended their winning streak to 17 games. Tailback DeShaun Foster, recovering from a sprained knee, was supposed to play in an emergency situation only. Guess what? With starting tailback Jermaine Lewis unavailable (bruised lower leg) and Keith Brown fatigued, Foster got the call. He gained 51 yards and scored the winning touchdown, an 8-yard run with eight minutes left.

Reserve cornerback Marques Anderson, whose availability was in question because of a sprained toe, made the game's biggest play, knocking the ball from Stanford receiver Jeff Allen at the 1-yard line with four minutes left. Atkins pounced in the end zone, giving UCLA possession and preventing a go-ahead touchdown.

``I came with the rake (a ball-stripping technique) to try to make him fumble,'' Anderson said. ``The defense needed to make a big play.''

Indeed. For much of the game, Stanford quarterback Todd Husak shredded the Bruins like an Iran-Contra document. He completed 25 of 45 passes for 419 yards and teamed with receiver Troy Walters (10 catches) to keep numerous drives alive. Taking advantage of UCLA's blitzes with short patterns, the Cardinal converted 11 of 18 third-down opportunities.

``We truly expected to win,'' Walters said. ``We thought they might be taking us lightly.''

The Bruins squashed any suggestions that they had overlooked the Cardinal, but it was clear from the outset that events would not unfold as expected.

The teams exchanged touchdowns in the first half, with UCLA needing a 53-yard touchdown pass from McNown to Brian Poli-Dixon to tie the score 14-14 entering halftime.

The Cardinal bolted to a 24-14 lead in the third quarter, blocking Chris Sailer's 50-yard field goal attempt and scooting 39 yards in five plays. For the first time since its winning streak began almost 14 months ago, UCLA faced a double-digit deficit in the second half.

``I thought it would go overtime,'' Bruins coach Bob Toledo said. ``I thought we'd score and get a field goal. I was planning for overtime.''

But McNown had other plans. He bulled 3 yards on a third-and-1 to keep one touchdown drive alive, then hit Danny Farmer on third-and-8 to preserve the game-winning charge.

UCLA vs. STANFORD: A CLOSER LOOK

THE HERO

UCLA cornerback Marques Anderson, who forced a fumble by Stanford receiver Jeff Allen at the 1-yard line to prevent the go-ahead touchdown with four minutes left.

THE GOAT

Stanford tailbacks Juan-Carlos Lacey and Brian Allen, who rushed for 42 yards and forced the Cardinal to rely exclusively on its aerial attack.

STAT OF THE GAME

Stanford converted 11 of 18 third-down opportunities and averaged 12.3 yards on third down, while UCLA converted just 4 of 12 third downs and averaged 3.6 yards.

QUOTE OF THE GAME

``Sometimes, when you're on a championship run, you need a little magic. We certainly had our rabbit's foot tonight.''

- UCLA defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti.

NOTEBOOK: Anderson strip show a huge hit for UCLA

Marques Anderson had no choice. He could not deflect the ball. He could not make the tackle. So he watched Stanford receiver Jeff Allen corral Todd Husak's pass, then did what every cornerback is taught when times are desperate and the receiver is a step ahead.

He used the rake - a ball-stripping technique in which the defender slaps at the ball carrier's arm with a downward motion, attempting to force a fumble.

``I was supposed to have free safety help,'' Anderson said. ``I had underneath coverage. I saw he was going to have possession. The game was on the line. I was lucky the ball came out.''

And the Bruins were lucky to have Anderson, who did not practice last week because of a sprained big toe on his right foot. He finished with seven tackles but, like fellow cornerbacks Ryan Roques and Jason Bell, was beaten time and again by Stanford quarterback Todd Husak and his trio of receivers.

``They were quicker than they looked on film, and the quarterback was better than I thought,'' Bell said.

Tailback trio: Starting tailback Jermaine Lewis bruised the outside of his right calf on UCLA's second series and did not return.

``I got hit with a helmet or somebody's shin or a leg whip,'' Lewis said. ``But I'm fine. I'll be back next week.''

With Lewis out and Keith Brown tiring in the third quarter, the Bruins inserted freshman DeShaun Foster, who was supposed to play in an emergency.

``It was an emergency,'' coach Bob Toledo said. ``He proved he's an outstanding back. . . . He gave us a little lift. He made some outstanding runs down the stretch.''

Foster gained 51 yards on nine carries in his first action since the Oregon game two weeks ago.

Boost from the stands: A raucous crowd helped force Stanford to use its timeouts during a drive midway through the fourth quarter.

``We finally have a home-field advantage,'' Toledo said. ``Our fans were responsible for Stanford calling three timeouts. That's a home-field advantage. I told the team before the game that people are finally coming out to see us play instead of the opponent.''

Not kicking themselves: UCLA kicker Chris Sailer, recovering from a strained groin, missed a 53-yard field goal and had a 50-yarder blocked. Each time, Stanford gained superb field position, but the Bruins did not regret the decisions.

``He felt good,'' offensive coordinator Al Borges said. ``We'd never try them if we didn't think he could do them. He said he could. We didn't blink an eye.''

- Jon Wilner

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos, Box

PHOTO (1--Color) Marques Anderson saved the day for UCLA when he stripped the ball moments before Jeff Allen crossed the goal line in the fourth quarter.

(2) DeShaun Foster drags Tim Smith along en route to the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

(3) UCLA QB Cade McNown threw two interceptions in a four-play sequence in the first half but rallied the Bruins to victory.

Myung J. Chun/Daily News

(4) ANDERSON

BOX: UCLA vs. STANFORD: A CLOSER LOOK (see text)