IN LONG RUN, UCLA HAS NEED FOR MCELROY : STANFORD (2-5, 1-3) AT UCLA (3-4, 2-2).

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

UCLA junior Jim McElroy entered this college football season with visions of greatness dancing in his head.

After averaging 21 yards per catch last year - the best average at UCLA in two decades - McElroy figured he'd follow Sean LaChapelle, J.J. Stokes and Kevin Jordan as the Bruins' next elite receiver.

Then he saw the new offense - the short passes and mid-range passes, the slants and curls, hooks and screens - and reconsidered his goal.

``I came to practice and saw the game plan and thought, `Dang, I think this is going to affect me,' '' he said. ``I don't like the short stuff. I like the deep balls.''

McElroy lacks the size of a Stokes or Jordan, but he has plenty of speed. He is UCLA's fastest receiver and its best deep threat, with an innate knack for big plays.

Last year, six of his 19 catches were for 45 yards or more, and his 59-yard catch and run set up the second touchdown against USC.

``He has shown he can be our big-play guy,'' receivers coach Ron Caragher said.

A back injury late in training camp slowed McElroy's adjustment to the new system, and the preponderance of short passes frustrated him during the rare times he was feeling good. The result: two catches at Tennessee, none against Northeast Louisiana, Michigan and Oregon.

McElroy is not alone. Flanker Derek Ayers is either injured or ineffective. Reserves Tod McBride and Eric Scott drop too many passes in practice to merit extended time in games. Slot receiver Danny Farmer, effective early in the season, has become the object of double teams.

Even quarterback Cade McNown is out of sync. Last year's passing game enabled McNown to throw to whoever was open. But the system devised by coach Bob Toledo and coordinator Al Borges calls for McNown to make two or three reads per play, and usually from the outside in. He'll check the receiver first, then the tight end, then the running back.

From snap to pass, the process should take 2.7 seconds at a rhythmic tempo: one receiver, two receiver, three. But McNown is moving too quickly, at a one-two-three beat, thus not allowing the patterns time to develop.

By the time McElroy breaks open, for instance, McNown has moved to his second or third read.

``Cade's getting off his primary guy too fast,'' said Toledo, whose team plays Stanford today at the Rose Bowl. ``He has got to slow it down a little. He's a hyper guy, Type A, like his coach. He just has to take his time. But he'll learn.''

The receivers must stay patient, too. Unlike Terry Donahue's aerial attack, the new system is based on clearing out areas of the field to exploit specific matchups. Often the object of McElroy's pattern is simply to get himself and the cornerback out of the way.

``We have to understand we're all in specific roles,'' McElroy said. ``But it's hard when you know (when the play is called) that you're not getting the ball.''

For all the varying formations and men in motion, the system is remarkably simple. Most plays look the same. But on each there is a slight nuance - imperceptible to the untrained eye, confusing to the linebackers and safeties - and often that's the very matchup McNown looks to exploit.

``After games, a lot of defensive players have said, `Your offense is confusing. We didn't know what you were going to do,' '' McElroy said. ``That's because it looks like the same thing over and over.''

But the combination of short passes and McNown's speed-reading stifled the long-ball game. So in early October, just when McElroy's back was nearing 100 percent, Toledo designed a play specifically for his big-play threat.

It's a simple 10-yard curl pattern that preys on man-to-man coverage. McElroy runs it over and over - short, short, short - then bam, he'll suddenly break long when the cornerback gets too comfortable. It worked against Arizona State, as McElroy caught a 55-yard touchdown against an unsuspecting secondary.

Then he caught six passes at Washington and four at Cal, many on short curls and hooks. Suddenly wary of the 55-yarder they'd seen on film, the cornerbacks played a few yards off McElroy. It's cyclical; when they get comfortable with the short stuff, McElroy will blow past them, headed long.

``I'm starting to get comfortable with the offense now,'' he said, ``and they're getting me into the game plan more.''

Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. at the Rose Bowl.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports West; XTRA-AM (690).

Series: UCLA leads 36-27-3 and has won three straight, including a 42-28 victory last year at Stanford in which Karim Abdul-Jabbar rushed for a career-high 261 yards. The Bruins have won four of seven played in the Rose

Bowl.

Injury update: For UCLA, safety Shaun Williams (knee) and defensive end Darren Cline (ankle) are out. For Stanford, offensive tackle Eli Burriss (back) is out. Quarterback Chad Hutchinson (thumb) is probable.

Players to watch: UCLA quarterback Cade McNown, who has thrown nine interceptions in his past five games. . . . Stanford tailback Mike Mitchell. At 215 pounds, his size may give UCLA's small defenders trouble. . . . UCLA returners Paul Guidry (punts) and Jim McElroy (kickoffs). The Bruins have not had a big return all season, and Stanford's special teams are not much better than UCLA's. . . . Cardinal inside linebackers Chris Draft and Jon Haskins. They're the key to stopping UCLA's running game . . . All the Bruins linebackers and safeties. They'll be blitzing early and often against a makeshift offensive line.

Stanford update: The Cardinal has lost four of its past five, including an embarrassing defeat to lowly Oregon State two weeks ago. . . . In the past seven seasons, Stanford is 16-6 in November. A year ago this weekend, the Cardinal lost to USC 31-30. . . . With an offensive line in disarray because of injuries and inexperience, the Cardinal has allowed a league-high 33 sacks. . . . Stanford ranks just ahead of UCLA in total defense but is allowing 156 yards per game on the ground. Watch for another big day from Skip Hicks.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

Photo: JIM McELROY: ``He has shown he can be our big-play guy,'' says receivers coach Ron Caragher.

Box: STANFORD (2-5, 1-3) AT UCLA (3-4, 2-2) (see text)