GREAT IN NORTHWEST DREW'S 322 YARDS, 5 TDS CARRY BRUINS UCLA 37, WASHINGTON 31.

Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer

SEATTLE - Surrounded by a pack of television cameras near the 40-yard line, UCLA tailback Maurice Drew was reminded by a school official not to do to postgame interviews on the field.

So Drew broke clean from the group and ran to the corner of the end zone, then up the tunnel to UCLA's dressing room. He went untouched.

But, really, what chance did a bunch of media folks have in stopping Drew when a horde of Washington athletes just spent the last three hours unable to catch him?

It was Drew's way of capping off the greatest rushing day in UCLA history, a 322-yard, five-touchdown extravaganza split between breathtaking, awe-inspiring and simply overwhelming in the Bruins 37-31 victory at Husky Stadium in the Pac-10 opener.

``It wasn't like I was doing everything,'' said Drew, who had three touchdown runs of at least 47 yards. ``The holes were so big, and there was like no one in front of me when I had to run, except for a couple of times. That's easier than running through four or five tacklers.''

Drew's effort surpassed DeShaun Foster's 2001 school mark of 301, set against the Huskies at the Rose Bowl.

But even with the spectacular performance, the Bruins (2-1) needed a big play from the defense on the final play to ice their fourth consecutive victory against the Huskies. That came when Matt Clark and Ben Emanuel combined to stop receiver Charles Frederick on the UCLA 1- yard line as time expired.

``How 'bout that victory, huh?'' UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. ``Unbelievable.''

An apt way to describe such a crazy day that featured:

--UCLA falling behind 24-7 less than 13 minutes into the game because of two turnovers, only to rally and lead 27-24 at the half.

--A botched fourth-and-1 in which center Mike McCloskey snapped the ball with 39 seconds left because the Huskies appeared to jump offsides, but it wasn't called. It allowed Washington to get the ball and mount one last drive.

``We were trying to get them to jump offsides, which we believe they did,'' Dorrell said. ``It worked almost perfectly, but the refs didn't catch it.''

--A second-down pass from UCLA's 27-yard line with 16 seconds remaining that went through Emanuel's hands, or the final play in which Frederick caught Casey Paus' pass short inside the 5, broke a tackle but was stopped at the 1.

``It felt like I was getting loose to get in there,'' Frederick said. ``Someone hit me and I was just trying to drive my foot. Then another guy from behind pulled my heel and I just fell down.''

--The amazement provided by Drew. He scored on his first two carries: a 47-yard run down the left sideline on UCLA's third play from scrimmage, and a 62-yard run after taking a pitch to the left, cutting back at the line of scrimmage and running to the right corner of the end zone.

Drew, who mixed in a fumble on a kick return between those two rushes, added scoring runs of 58 and 15 yards in the first half, then scored on a 37-yard run early in the third quarter to give UCLA a 34-24 lead.

``You just kind of giggle,'' UCLA offensive coordinator Tom Cable said. ``You just kind of say, 'Wow.' That's pretty neat. But the nice thing is you have a bunch of guys around him playing their butts off. The offensive line is blocking, the tight ends are blocking, the fullbacks are blocking.''

Drew's rushing total was the third-highest in Pac-10 history, behind Washington State's Rueben Mayes (357) in 1984 and USC's Ricky Bell (347) in 1976. He became the 75th player in Division I-A history to eclipse the 300-yard mark, and he could have had plenty more if not for a cramped calf muscle midway through the second half.

``This would have been a heart-breaker to lose because we put in so much effort during the week,'' Drew said. ``But the defense came through, so now we don't have to worry about that.''

It is also one of the most significant wins in Dorrell's tenure at UCLA.

It is a Pac-10 victory on the road in one of the most notoriously difficult places to play in the country. The Bruins overcame an awful start and didn't implode. They again proved their offense is a force thanks to 424 yards rushing, quarterback Drew Olson completing 12 of 17 for 122 yards and a Dorrell-era high for points by the offense for a second consecutive week.

``Our kids showed something about them to being able to come back from a huge deficit in the first half,'' said Dorrell, who is in his second season with the Bruins. ``I couldn't believe the score, and it was still in the first quarter with all the points that were scored, and they didn't bat an eye. I'm really proud of our football team.''

Brian Dohn, [phone]

brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Maurice Drew heads upfield on his way to a 322-yard performance in UCLA's victory at Washington. Drew becomes the 75th Division I-A player to rush for 300 yards.

Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

(2) Washington's Charles Frederick is gang-tackled at the 1-yard line as time expires in UCLA's victory in its Pac-10 opener.

Box:

RECORD RUNNER