UCLA routs Huskies

So what happened?

How could unranked UCLA, a team that had trouble scoring points splitting its first four games, explode for 39-second-half points, shut down Williams, leave Pickett limping out of the stadium and come away with an astonishing 46-16 Pacific-10 Conference victory Saturday before 68,319 at the Rose Bowl?

How could Washington lose to a team that committed 13 penalties for 127 yards, including three personal fouls for aggressively grabbing the facemask?

Coming off three straight victories and a 16-7 halftime lead, a half that UW coach Keith Gilbertson said “was one of the best halves we’ve had in a couple of years,” Washington staged a meltdown so unfathomable the game film’s going to look like your basic farcical sci-fi flick.

“Man, you don’t want to talk to me right now,” said UW defensive tackle Terry Johnson, normally one of the more loquacious Huskies.

The Bruins (3-2, 1-0 in Pac-10 play) caught fire when UCLA defensive tackle Rodney Leisle pounced on a fumble by Pickett in the end zone for a TD to cut the Husky lead to 16-14. It happened on the first play of the second half and was Leisle’s first play of the game after he sat out the first half from a suspension because he punched a San Diego State player in the stomach in last week’s game.

As soon as defensive end David Ball separated Pickett from the football, momentum quickly and startlingly changed. The Bruins already were amped when they dropped Roc Alexander on the 7-yard line after Alexander hesitated bringing the ball out of the end zone on the second-half kickoff.

The crowd found reason to roar, and the 18th-ranked Huskies (3-2, 1-1) were done.

“Any time you have a big play, particularly early in the second half, it gives you momentum,” said UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, who was Washington’s offensive coordinator in 1999. “We were able to ride that momentum through the third and especially the fourth quarters. It gave us a great boost as a team and we were able to get everything working.”

Even when the Bruins DIDN’T have anything working, the Huskies let them off the hook.

The Bruins took a 22-16 lead late in the third quarter with a 91-yard, 14-play drive capped by a 1-yard run by 240-pound fullback Manuel White, who caught a pass from Drew Olson for a two-point conversion.

But it was Olson who was the star of the drive. Olson, 16-for-24 on the day for 258 yards with an interception, made clutch throw after clutch throw.

The absolute best was a 24-yarder to wideout Craig Bragg, who leaped high for a catch and got a foot down on the right sideline with Alexander all over him for a 24-yard gain. So much for a third-and-11 and a possible punt.

Bragg finished with eight catches for 142 yards.

Washington, still full of chutzpah, responded to Leisle’s TD with a promising drive of its own. Pickett got the Huskies down to the Bruin 15-yard line, but a pass bounced off fullback Zach Tuiasosopo’s arm and Leisle intercepted at the 12.

“I just misplayed the ball and he made a great play on it,” Tuiasosopo said. “You’ve got to give it up to them. They played a great game.”

The Bruins turned the faux pas into three points, with a 39-yard field goal by Justin Medlock to make it 25-16.

From there, it turned into slapstick. Strong safety Jerrad Page picked off a Pickett pass and returned it 24 yards for a TD to make the score 32-16.

On the next series, Pickett was sacked three times.

White rumbled for 56 yards, setting up a 9-yard TD run by Olson. UCLA 39, Washington 16.

Linebacker Justin London intercepted a pass by reserve quarterback Casey Paus, which set up an 8-yard TD run by Maurice Drew. Bruins 46, Huskies 16.

Washington’s four second-half turnovers led to 25 Bruin points.

“It just felt like we were rolling downhill and couldn’t get the brakes on,” Gilbertson said.

The Huskies dominated the first-half yardage but could come away with only a 16-7 advantage. Evan Knudson converted on field goals of 44, 24 and 37 yards, while Pickett found Williams for a 9-yard TD pass in the first quarter.

The story was the way the UW defense stuffed the Bruins for all but one first-half drive.

The Bruins could do little against a fired-up UW defense. Olson was 7-for-11 passing for 98 yards and an interception by UW corner Derrick Johnson.

But 41 of Olson’s passing yards came on a deep throw to Bragg when the Huskies simply had a mix-up in the pass coverage.

That play led to a 7-yard TD run by Tyler Ebell to cut the Washington lead to 13-7. Knudson made it 16-7 with a 37-yard field goal to end the half.

Then, pffffft.

“We have to bounce back,” UW tailback Rich Alexis said. “We don’t have any choice.”

Better start by trashing the game film. There’s no education value there.