Here Comes DeShaun

By STEVE HENSON

Oct. 14, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

The line was unsmiling and immovable, wrapping up De-Shaun Foster and stopping him in his tracks.

Good thing too, or the UCLA tailback might have slipped on the concrete in the tunnel beyond the end zone. Yes, that Rose Bowl security team could show Washington a thing or two about defense.

Foster rushed for a school-record 301 yards, leading UCLA to a decisive 35-13 Pacific 10 Conference victory Saturday and stealing attention from the stifling Bruin defense, not an easy task.

Many of the 70,377 fans chanted “defense, defense” when the Bruins exited the field, just as they did after UCLA’s first home game three weeks ago. But when Foster passed, the cheers changed to “Heisman, Heisman.”

It’s not quite time for fans to chant “We’re No. 1,” but the No. 7 Bruins are beginning to make a case.

The victory ended the No. 10 Huskies’ 12-game winning streak, was UCLA’s fourth over a ranked opponent and second over a Pac-10 defending co-champion.

Offense and defense are beginning to balance. UCLA (5-0) has given up only 60 points. Foster has 813 yards and eight touchdowns. When the first bowl championship series rankings are released Oct. 22, UCLA is expected to be near the top.

“We are shooting for a conference title but also for a national championship,” Foster said.

Pardon him for believing nothing is beyond reach. He capped a four-touchdown effort with a 92-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter that required the heads-up assistance of the security team.

“He never disappoints me,” offensive tackle Mike Saffer said. “If he’s in the game, he’s running hard. It showed on that last touchdown. We were just trying to get the ball out of the end zone and he breaks one.”

And that wasn’t even Foster’s favorite run. He was most partial to his first score, a bruising five-yard dash around end five minutes into the game that left defenders Zach Tuiasosopo and Wondame Davis on their backs.

Washington had not given up a rushing touchdown in a regular-season game since Foster scored last season, but the Bruins were determined to run from the outset. Foster scored from 21 yards to cap an 85-yard drive on UCLA’s next possession for a 14-0 lead.

The lead grew to 21-0 with two minutes left in the quarter when a punt blocked by Marcus Reese was recovered and taken six yards to the end zone by freshman Jibril Raymo.

It appeared the rout was on. But Washington has come back for 16 victories in three seasons under Coach Rick Neuheisel. Two weeks ago, the Huskies fell behind California, 21-0, and came back to win.

“In the back of my mind I was thinking they are a come-from-behind team,” cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. said.

Sure enough, Washington scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass play with 20 seconds left in the half, finally making UCLA pay for a sloppy quarter that included a fumble by Foster at the Washington one and another by fullback Ed Ieremia-Stansbury at the Washington 15.

The Huskies missed the extra point, but a 21-6 lead after a half his team dominated made UCLA Coach Bob Toledo uneasy.

“At halftime we said we were going to win the fourth quarter,” he said.

First things first. On UCLA’s initial offensive play of the third quarter, Foster broke a 64-yard run to the Husky one-yard line. After a Washington penalty nullified a fumbled handoff exchange, Foster scored for a 28-7 lead.

UCLA has not given up a point in the third quarter all season and Washington did not find the end zone again until a meaningless score with 2:40 to play.

The Huskies had 16 yards rushing in 29 carries and tailbacks Willie Hurst and Rich Alexis combined for two yards in 18 tries.

“In my whole career that’s the best defense I’ve played,” said Hurst, a senior. “We didn’t have an answer for them. It’s the exact same personnel as the last two years, but they have a new attitude and a new style.”

Quarterback Taylor Barton, making his first start in place of injured Cody Pickett, completed 22 of 44 passes for 316 yards, but he paid dearly, getting sacked four times and limping to the locker room at game’s end with an sprained foot and a concussion.

Defensive linemen Dave Ball, Rodney Leisle, Kenyon Coleman and Ken Kocher all got in licks.

“The number of hits he took disturbed me,” said Keith Gilbertson, the Washington offensive coordinator. “That’s clearly the best front we’ve played in a very long time. I’m trying to think of all the UCLA lines, or anybody in our league who’s had that powerful a defensive front. I think back to Arizona when Dick Tomey was there with the Desert Swarm defense.”

Middle linebacker Robert Thomas had 12 tackles, including 11 solo and three for losses. He dropped two potential interceptions in the first quarter, but that only seemed to make him hit with more ferocity.

“We’ve got to look at film and see if he was on stunts or he’s just reading plays that fast,” Husky guard Elliott Zajac said. “If he is, he’s on another level.”

Despite giving up a season-high passing yards, the Bruin secondary made big plays. Freshman cornerback Matt Ware had an interception, recovered a fumble and helped hold explosive receiver Reggie Williams to four catches for 61 yards.

UCLA offensive players have enjoyed watching the defense each week. Foster, for one, often stands on the sideline exhorting his teammates and enjoying the pyrotechnics.

However, this time it was the defense watching an offense on fire. Or more precisely, Foster, whose yardage was the third highest in Pac-10 history and is the most ever given up by Washington.

“I’m in shock, I’m not believing it,” Manning said. “I’m saying, ‘He’s got 300 yards? Oh, my God.”’

Meanwhile on the field, an offensive line that relishes blocking for a Heisman Trophy candidate was just as ecstatic. After the 92-yard run, tackle Bryce Bohlander saw the video board flash Foster’s statistics.

They sunk in quickly for Bohlander, a math whiz whose hobby is trading stocks. He sees Foster’s climbing.

“Their defense only gave up an average of 119.5 yards rushing a game, so it definitely felt good for DeShaun to go over 300,” he said. “It’s good to get accolades and recognition.

“It’s starting to happen to our whole team. Nobody is left out. It’s getting interesting.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

LEADERS OF THE PAC

Pacific 10, single game rushing:

1. Rueben Mayes, 357 yards

Washington State vs. Oregon, 1984

2. Ricky Bell, 347 yards

USC vs. Washington State, 1976

3. DeShaun Foster, 301 yards

UCLA vs. Washington, 2001

4. Bill Enyart, 299 yards

Oregon State vs. Utah, 1968