UCLA CAN KICK ITSELF AGAIN OREGON RALLIES TO FRUSTRATE BRUINS OREGON 31, UCLA 30.

Byline: Billy Witz Staff writer

PASADENA - Maybe it's meant to be that kicker Chris Griffith will miss wide left. Or that quarterback Cory Paus will make many big plays, but not enough little ones. Or that coach Bob Toledo, when handed a loaded gun, will shoot himself in the foot until he runs out of bullets.

If it's not destiny, then it's certainly history.

And it's becoming an excruciating history for the Bruins, who lost to seventh-ranked Oregon 31-30 in front of 68,882 at the Rose Bowl in an all-too-familiar script.

For the second year in a row, the outcome would be determined by a long field-goal attempt by Griffith. His 46-yarder was 4 yards closer than last November, it was at the opposite end of the stadium and it came with 1:54 left instead of on the final play.

But it was the same result: wide left.

``I'm flabbergasted,'' UCLA offensive tackle Mike Saffer said. ``It's the same thing two years in a row. I'm shocked right now. One point, a missed field goal - just like last year. It's kind of hard to swallow.''

The loss dropped UCLA to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Pacific-10 Conference. Oregon (6-0, 2-0) won for the 33rd time in 36 games and remained the Pac-10's only unbeaten team.

Just as it did last season, the game also pointed to the big difference between the two programs. In these kinds of games, Oregon makes you beat them and UCLA often manages to beat itself.

The Bruins outgained Oregon 477-383. They dominated much of the second half. And again, they came up one point short and a few feet left.

``I think we beat ourselves,'' cornerback Ricky Manning said. ``There's no way that team should beat us. You'd like to show good sportsmanship and tip your hat to them, but they just didn't do it today.

``I hate losing like that. There were so many things when you make mistakes and don't make plays. It's frustrating.''

No doubt, much of the head scratching will be over the decision-making of Toledo.

With the Bruins ahead 30-24 late in the third quarter, instead of trying a 42-yard field goal by Griffith that would have put the Bruins ahead by two scores, Toledo called for a fake on fourth-and-15. Holder Garrett Lepisto's pass was complete to Marcedes Lewis, but it gained only 8 yards.

``We thought it was an opportune time to do it,'' said Toledo, who was not swayed by an earlier block of Griffith's PAT. ``We didn't think they'd be ready for it. Any time you run a fake, you're open to criticism.''

For three quarters, the Bruins played wide-open football. The first play from scrimmage was a 55-yard scoring pass from Paus to Tab Perry. They scored on a 53-yard pass from receiver Jon Dubravac, who took the snap in a shotgun formation, to Craig Bragg. And Bragg caught two other scoring passes, 71 and 46 yards, the latter when he made a dazzling one-handed catch and raced through the heart of the Oregon defense.

Then, when the game was on the line, Toledo's play-calling turned as conservative as it did last year, when he ran the ball on third-and-5, leaving Griffith with a 50-yarder.

This time, the Bruins had a first down at the Oregon 25 with 2:59 to play after Paus hit Bragg on a clutch 10-yard out on third-and-7. Tyler Ebell, who carried 26 times for 119 yards, was stuffed for no gain trying the middle, then was dropped for a 3-yard loss trying to skirt the end. On third down, a quick pass in the flat for Bragg was incomplete.

``I anticipated the run,'' said Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti, who worked under Toledo for one acrimonious season in 1998. ``They ran the ball last year and they were closer this year, so why not? On third down, I thought they'd throw something safe.''

Griffith, teary-eyed in the locker room, said last week he was hoping for another opportunity to make up for last year.

``I had a feeling it was going to come down to this,'' Griffith said. ``When I was going out there for the kick, I was thinking I was going to make it. It was wide left again.''

Toledo said his play-calling wasn't a reflection of his confidence in Paus, who threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns but also had three interceptions, doubling his season total. Paus also took a critical sack before the fake field goal and was called for intentional grounding, which prevented the Bruins from trying a 44-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

``It was a tough call,'' Paus said. ``I should have made it easier. It shouldn't have been an issue.''

All the plays that UCLA didn't make, Oregon did.

Keenan Howry returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown, kicker Jared Siegel walloped a 59-yard field goal (tying a Pac-10 record) through the uprights on the final play of the half on a play set up by defensive holding.

And then there was the winning touchdown.

UCLA stopped Oregon on third-and-5 on the final play of the third quarter, but the officials ruled the clock had run out. Given another chance, Oregon quarterback Jason Fife scrambled away from pressure and found Howry, who got lost in the defense and outraced everyone for a 74-yard touchdown that put Oregon ahead 31-30.

The flag on the field was for defensive holding. The player the Bruins held? Howry.

``It's the same scenario as last year,'' defensive coordinator Phil Snow said. ``They won the war. I don't know if they won the battle.''

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Photo:

(color) UCLA quarterback Cory Paus loses his grip on the ball as Oregon's Haloti Ngata closes in Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer