UCLA NOTEBOOK: RUN GAME STUNTED.

Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer

UCLA's running game was supposed to be more consistent, even without Maurice Drew in the backfield, and perhaps in the long run it will be.

But to get there the Bruins need a lot of work.

Following an easier-than- expected 31-10 defeat of Utah in the opener Saturday at the Rose Bowl, questions about the running game and the Bruins' ability to adjust to the Utes' scheme along the defensive line surfaced in the locker room.

The Bruins rushed 41 times for 107 yards and several players admitted to being confused by Utah's twisting, stunting defensive front.

``We didn't think they would do as much as they did,'' UCLA center Robert Chai said. ``They were doing a lot of twisting, a lot of stunts, which affects the run game. It's still not an excuse for us. We still need to have a better run game. We need to pay more attention to detail.''

The Bruins had difficulty running the ball in their onefull-blown scrimmage in training camp, but players and coaches quickly wrote that off, saying the defense was too in tune with the offense. Such was not the case with Utah.

Other than receiver Brandon Breazell's 12-yard reverse, UCLA did not have a run in double-digit yardage. Of the Bruins' 26 first downs, only three came via the run. Twenty came from the passing game.

``The twists messed up the running back reads,'' Bruins fullback Michael Pitre said. ``If they can make the running back hesitate that much, it's only going to be a 1- or 2-yard gain.''

Pitre said Utah's decision to stunt so often and bring its safeties near the line of scrimmage opened up the passing game, and was a big reason quarterback Ben Olson was 25 of 33 passing for 318 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start.

But that doesn't make UCLA's inability to run the ball any better, he added.

Chris Markey, who is taking over for Drew as the feature back, found very little room to slash through holes. He was held to 32 yards on nine carries, and his 8-yard run midway through the first quarter and another 8-yarder in the fourth were the longest runs by a Bruins back.

Kahlil Bell, a bruising runner who should complement Markey's style, had 34 yards on 14 carries. He was often met by a Utes defender at or behind the line of scrimmage.

``It just wasn't there,'' Markey said. ``They had a lot of twists and stuff up front with the defensive linemen. It kind of messed up our running game. We have to make adjustments faster. They did a good job. We do a good job running the ball. It's just knowing our opponents, I guess you could say.''

Of UCLA's 41 rushes, a testament to new offensive coordinator Jim Svoboda's willingness not to abandon the running game despite its lack of success, 15 went for one yard or less. Seven went for negative yardage.

Not even the halftime adjustments paid big dividends. The Bruins averaged 2.61 yards per carry in each half. The only difference was UCLA rushed 18 times in the first half, 23 in the second.

``We'd like to run the ball better,'' Svoboda said. ``It would make us better as an offense. We adjusted a little bit, ran the ball better in the second half. That's the important thing. We got some things going and I think we wore them out late in the game and were able to put them away.''

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UCLA 31, UTAH 10