ROAD, SWEET ROAD FOR UCLA BRUINS LOOK TO MAINTAIN POISE AT HUSKY STADIUM.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff Writer

SEATTLE - It will be cold, perhaps dipping into the high 30s by the time the fourth quarter rolls around this evening. It will be loud, the 72,000 fans who religiously turn out at Husky Stadium being capable of making the press box shake and opposing quarterbacks quake.

It's the kind of atmosphere that in recent years has made the UCLA Bruins scurry back to their den.

Yet one of the most surprising aspects of UCLA's roller coaster of a season is how impervious they've been to the elements.

The Bruins, who went nearly two calendar years without a win away from the Rose Bowl between 1998 and 2000, now seem quite at home on the road.

UCLA is 3-1 on the road this season, the only blemish a 17-12 loss to Cal that likely would have ended differently if not for the injuries to quarterbacks Cory Paus and Drew Olson.

The three wins equals the number of road victories the Bruins have managed in the past three years combined. And if they can beat Washington today - something they're actually favored to do and something that will make them bowl eligible - and win next week at last-place Arizona, they'll equal the school record for road victories in a season.

This year, the mints on the pillows taste sweeter.

``Everybody has to keep (his) composure - that's the main thing,'' senior tight end Mike Seidman said. ``You have to keep your poise and not let the crowd take you out of your game. I think the guys have handled everything really well, especially the young guys who haven't been there before.''

Perhaps, that is the most remarkable part of their road success, they've done it with so many cubs.

The Bruins (5-3, 2-2) will start six freshmen today - Jarrad Page at strong safety, Spencer Havner at linebacker, Mike McCloskey at center, Tyler Ebell at tailback, Keith Carter or J.D. Groves at fullback and either Matt Moore or Drew Olson at quarterback. They also will start five sophomores.

And the kiddie corps haven't exactly been bit players.

Havner, in his first game away from home, intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown to start the Bruins on their way to a 38-24 win at Oklahoma State. Ebell, picking up for injured starter Manuel White, rushed for 206 yards to lead the Bruins to a 45-37 victory at Oregon State.

Both wins were accomplished the hard way, with UCLA rallying from a 10-0 deficit to win in Stillwater and a 14-0 deficit to win at Corvallis.

``We trust each other,'' McCloskey said. ``We take it as a challenge. When we go on the road it's 60 guys (the limit of players who can travel in Pac-10 play) going up there against everybody else. It allows us to rise to the occasion.

``We're so young that everything's new. The first game at home was just as nerve-racking as the first game I played away. But once you get into the game, you settle down and it's all business.''

One reason for their success is they've been blessed with a relatively friendly schedule. Yet, the three teams they've beaten on the road - Oregon State, Oklahoma State and San Diego State - are a combined 10-1 at home against everyone else, including Oklahoma State's win over Nebraska.

The Bruins have also done two things that help take the crowd out of a game: run the ball well and stop the run. In their four road games, they've allowed 75 yards a game and rushed for 157 a game.

It's a formula they might need to follow again today. Despite the Huskies' struggles this season - they're 1-3 in the Pac-10 for the first time since 1988 - they've won 17 of their last 18 at home.

``We have 10 true freshmen playing and 12 redshirt freshmen playing,'' UCLA coach Bob Toledo said. ``That's 22 freshmen. That's a concern. But the nice thing is we started camp on the road at Cal Lutheran. We've been to Oklahoma State and San Diego State. They've got that experience. But this will be different - the biggest stadium, the crowd, the elements. This is a big Pac-10 game.''

It was only two years ago that a young sophomore quarterback from Miami, making his second start on the road, became unnerved by the Husky Stadium crowd. It was the last time Ken Dorsey and the Hurricanes have lost.

The last time Moore played in weather this cold was as a 10-year-old, when his Pop Warner team played in the snow in Tehachapi. The Bruins' other rookie quarterback, who has at least played on the road this season, knows he's in for something new, too.

``It's going to be loud,'' Olson said. ``But we'll be prepared. In (high school) the playoffs were cold, but not Washington cold.''

The challenge again won't be beating the cold but keeping their cool. They'll have to if they want another sweet trip home.

UCLA at WASHINGTON

Today, 4 p.m., TBS

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(color) Matt Moore, UCLA freshman quarterback and former Hart High of Newhall star, might start today against Washington.

Edna T. Simpson/Daily News