UCLA SPECIAL TEAMS: THESE TEAMS NOT SO SPECIAL BRUINS' KICKING-GAME GOOFS ALMOST COST THEM.

PASADENA - His team won and he could exit the Rose Bowl with a career-best field goal to his name.

But Chris Griffith wasn't as satisfied with Saturday's 13-6 victory over Ohio State as others crooning in the UCLA locker room.

Griffith's two missed field goals in four tries were among several special-teams gaffes that could have, but never ultimately, spoiled a brilliant effort by the Bruins defense.

Winning the game is all that matters, right?

``It's not all that matters,'' said Griffith, a junior who made 24 of 32 field-goal attempts the previous two years and was 4 of 4 in UCLA's wins over Alabama and Kansas.

``Yeah, I'm glad we won the game ... but 2 for 4 is not acceptable as far as I'm concerned. I definitely think I can't do that again. I don't like missing kicks whether it's in practice or a game.''

Griffith barely cleared the crossbar on a 49-yard field goal to put the Bruins up 10-6 late in the second quarter, and he made a 33-yarder with 4:08 remaining in the third.

But he was kicking himself for missing from 40 and 38 yards in between the successful tries.

His first miss, wide right early in the second quarter, partly can be attributed to a low snap. But Griffith tagged every ounce of blame on his own leg when he pulled a 38-yarder to the right.

``Everything was perfect, and I missed,'' he said.

All four of Nate Fikse's kickoffs sailed out of the end zone, but he's also the Bruins' punter, and Ohio State's lone points were courtesy of a relentless rush by Mike Doss.

Doss smothered Fikse's second-quarter punt and Ricky Bryant covered the loose ball in the end zone. Fikse never had a chance when Doss busted through the middle of the line virtually unblocked.

``You feel kind of bad because we weren't always 100 percent successful,'' Fikse said. ``You just have to make sure everyone does their job. We know the guys have enough talent or they wouldn't be here.''

Like Griffith and Fikse, freshman Craig Bragg felt relieved to be evaluating a third consecutive win sure to elevate UCLA even higher from its No. 12 and 14 rankings in the USA Today/ESPN and Associated Press polls, respectively.

In the fourth quarter, after yet another defensive stand, Bragg fumbled a punt and OSU's Angelo Chattams recovered with 6:06 left to give the Buckeyes another opportunity in UCLA territory.

``I ran into my own guy,'' Bragg said. ``I wasn't expecting it. All I was thinking was `Hold onto the ball.' ''

But the Bruins' defense repeated its pattern of suffocating every window cracked open for the Buckeyes, holding on downs at the UCLA 35.

``Thank God our defense played the way they played,'' Griffith said.

UCLA faces more challenges the next two weeks - at Oregon State and Washington at home - in possible close games when field goals and punts can be the determining factor.

The Bruins' specialty players vowed to be better in Corvallis, Ore., on Saturday.

``I don't think there's a better team in the country all-around in our kicking and punting and return teams,'' Griffith said. ``But we have to do it.''

Ohio State kicker Mike Nugent, who could relate to Griffith's melancholy Saturday, followed the blocked-kick touchdown by promptly kicking the extra point wide. Also, Nugent sliced both of his field goals from 28 and 32 yards, respectively.

``I feel bad for him,'' Griffith said of Nugent. ``I know what it's like to miss. Hopefully I won't miss anymore.''

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Photo:

Ohio State's Ricky Bryant (9) celebrates with Dustin Fox after recovering a blocked punt in the end zone.

Chris Urso/Associated Press