These are courtesy of UCLA:
GAME #6 — UCLA (4-1, 3-0 and in first place in Pac-10 play and ranked No. 25 on the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll) returns home this week to host Notre Dame (0-5) in the final nonconference tilt of the season. Kickoff is slated for 5:00 p.m. PDT and the game will be televised by ABC with Dan Fouts, Tim Brant and Todd Harris calling the action. AM 570 (KLAC) and the Bruin Radio Network (Chris Roberts, Matt Stevens and Wayne Cook) will broadcast all of the Bruin games. Sirius satellite radio will air the game on channel 126.
UCLA IN THE POLLS IN 2007 — Pre-Season: USA Today 17, AP 14; Sept. 3: USA Today 14, AP 13; Sept. 10: USA Today 11, AP 11; Sept. 17: USA Today 29, AP 30; Sept. 24: USA Today 27, AP 29, Harris 29; Oct. 1: USA Today 25, AP 30, Harris 26.
HONORARY CAPTAIN — Kenny Easley, who played free safety for the Bruins from 1977-80, is serving as this week’s honorary captain. Easley was the first player in Pac-10 history to be named a first-team all-conference selection in four straight seasons. He was UCLA’s second three-time consensus All-American. Easley remains UCLA’s all-time interception leader, with 19, and is fourth on the career tackle list (374). He finished ninth in the 1980 voting for the Heisman Trophy. Easley was a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 1981 NFL draft. He has been inducted into the National Football Foundation and UCLA Hall of Fames.
LAST GAME -- UCLA rallied from a 14-0 first quarter deficit, exploding for 28 fourth-quarter points en route to a 40-14 victory over Oregon State in Corvallis.
UCLA fumbled on its first two offensive plays and Oregon State returned the second for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The Beavers’ lone offensive TD of the day with 18 seconds remaining in the first quarter gave them a 14-0 lead and they still led 14-6 at halftime.
UCLA created a break in the third quarter when Reggie Carter forced a fumble and Christian Taylor recovered it at the OSU five-yard line. Kahlil Bell scored on a one-yard run but UCLA still trailed 14-12 when its two-point attempt failed.
In the fourth quarter, still trailing 14-12, Ben Olson found Bradon Breazell on an inside screen and the speedy receiver slipped one tackle and sped up the middle for a 69-yard touchdown and UCLA’s first lead of the day, 19-14 with 9:12 remaining in the game. OSU fumbled the ensuing kickoff, Matthew Slater recovered it at the 21-yard line and three Bell runs later, the final one from four yards, the Bruins led 26-14.
On the next kickoff, John Hale forced a fumble and Rodney Van recovered it at the 39-yard line. On third and 13 from the 30-yard line, Olson and Breazell hooked up for ther second touchdown of the day. Oregon State had a punt blocked by Korey Bosworth on its next possession and five plays later, Chris Markey scored UCLA’s fourth touchdown of the fourth quarter.
Defensively, UCLA allowed just 248 yards and one touchdown. In the final three quarters, UCLA allowed just 101 yards and six first downs. The Beavers gained more than seven yards on just three of their final 12 offensive possessions.
Kyle Bosworth and Trey Brown led the team with eight tackles each. Brown also made two key interceptions and Bosworth had a tackle for loss. Dennis Keyes and Alterraun Verner each had seven tackles and Chris Horton added six stops. Reggie Carter had five tackles, a sack and a forced fumble while Rodney Van and Christian Taylor each had four stops. Van had a sack and a fumble recovery and taylor also recovered a fumble.
Offensively, UCLA started slow but finished with 353 yards, including 156 and four scores in the fourth quarter. UCLA finished with 133 net yards rushing against a defense that had allowed just 118 net yards in the first four games.
Ben Olson completed 14 of 25 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns (69 and 30 yards) and one interception. Kahlil Bell led the team in rushing (80 yards and two touchdowns) and receiving (four for 49). Joe Cowan made three receptions and Brandon Breazell had two for 99 yards and two touchdowns (69 and 30 yards). Chris Markey added 58 yards on the ground. Kai Forbath made two second-quarter field goals (37 and 28 yards) and converted all four PAT attempts.
UCLA PLAYER / COACH NOTES —
Redshirt senior BRUCE DAVIS is the nation’s leading returning sack specialist, based on his sacks in the 2006 season. He ranked fourth (tied) in the NCAA and tied for first in the Pac-10 in sacks (12.5 - 0.96 ave.) and 18th nationally and second in the Pac-10 in tackles for losses (1.35 ave.).
He now has 20.5 career sacks to rank eighth in school history. This season he has 3.5 sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, a fumble caused and a fumble recovery. He tied his career-best with seven tackles against BYU.
Senior running back CHRIS MARKEY became just the fifth player in school history to rush for at least 190 yards in a game twice in a career after his 193-yard effort versus Washington. He ranks sixth in UCLA history in career all-purpose yardage with 3,882 yards and 11th in career rushing with 2,422 yards.
True junior tailback KAHLIL BELL rushed for 195 yards in the opener versus Stanford. That is the highest total by a Bruin in an opener. He also went over the 100 yard mark with 109 yards versus Washington. Bell is third in the Pac-10 with an average of 104.4 yards per game.
Seven of BRANDON BREAZELL’s 11 career touchdown receptions have measured at least 23 yards -- 46, 23, 56, 35, 78, 69, 30 -- and he has also scored on kickoff returns of 42 and 45 yards.
TEAM NOTES —
UCLA has drawn 72,986 (BYU) and 72,124 (Washington) in its first two home games with Notre Dame and California on the October home schedule.
UCLA has scored 40 points in back-to-back games (44 vs. Washington, 40 vs. Oregon State) for the first time since the middle of the 2005 season when it scored 40 or more in three straight games.
In the final three quarters of the Oregon State game, UCLA allowed just 101 yards and six first downs. The Beavers gained more than seven yards on just three of their final 12 offensive possessions.
Against Oregon State, UCLA finished with 133 net yards rushing against a defense that had allowed just 118 net yards in its first four games.
UCLA’s 28 points in the fourth quarter at Oregon State tied the school record for points in a quarter. (since 1958). It had been done 12 other times since 1958, most recently in the second quarter against Rice in 2005.
Oregon State was just one of 14 on third down opportunites. In five games, opponents have converted 20 of 80 (25.0%) third down opportunites -- first in the Pac-10 and fourth in the nation. UCLA ranked fifth nationally in third-down conversion defense (28.4%) in 2006, having allowed 13 opponents to convert 50 of 176 third-down opportunities.
UCLA has held its five opponents to 444 net rushing yards on 158 attempts (2.8 average) and ranks 16th in the nation (88.8). The Bruins allowed Stanford 52 net yards rushing on 26 attempts (2.0 average), BYU just 44 net yards on 25 attempts, Utah 122 on 37 attempts, Washington had 124 on 32 attempts and Oregon Staste had 102 on 38 attempts. In 13 games in the 2006 season, UCLA allowed 91.1 yards per game (tied for ninth in the NCAA and tied for first in the Pac-10) and just nine touchdowns on the ground.
Under Karl Dorrell, UCLA’s home record is 22-5 (.808). The .815 percentage ranks 18th in Football Bowl Subdivision for home record during the last four-plus years (2003-2007). UCLA’s 10-game home winning streak in 2005-06 was its longest since 1997-1999, when it won 13 consecutive home games. The Bruins have captured wins in 14 of the last 15 games played at home in the Rose Bowl (loss 10/28/06 - Washington State).
UCLA is 21-2 when it wins the turnover battle under head coach Karl Dorrell, including 2-0 (Stanford, BYU, Oregon State) in 2007. It is 12-20 when it ties or loses the turnover battle, including 1-1 (Utah, Washington) in 2007.
Redshirt junior quarterback BEN OLSON (#7) has completed 63 of 122 passes for 922 yards, with seven touchdowns and five interceptions in four games. He sat out the game versus Washington due to headaches. He is sixth in the league in passing yards (230.50).
After missing the Washington game due to headaches caused by the hits he took at Utah, Olson returned to action at Oregon State. On the afternoon, he completed 14 of 25 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His first TD, an inside screen to Brandon Breazell that resulted in a 69-yard score, gave UCLA its first lead with 9:12 remaining. His second, a 30-yard strike to Breazell, made the score 33-14 less than three minutes later.
True senior tailback CHRIS MARKEY (#28) is one of the top backs on the West Coast, if not the nation. He is on the pre-season Watch List for the Maxwell Award, presented to the nation’s top player, and the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s top running back.
Markey is the 14th Bruin to rush for 2,000 yards in a career and currently ranks 11th on that list with 2,422 yards. He is also sixth on the career all-purpose yards list with 3,882 yards. He now has 65 career receptions to rank T-28th on that UCLA list and is first among Bruin running backs (Maurice Drew had 64).
On the year, he has rushed for 404 yards (5.1 average) and two touchdowns and his average of 80.8 yards is eighth in the Pac-10.
True junior tailback KAHLIL BELL (#36) leads the Bruins in rushing with 522 yards on 98 attempts (5.3 average) and ateam-high four touchdowns. He is third in the Pac-10 and 29th nationally with his average of 104.4 yards per game. He is also sixth in the Pac-10 in all-purpose yards (123.4 average).
At Oregon State, he recovered from a horrible start (fumbles lost on UCLA’s first two plays) to lead the Bruins with 80 yards, including touchdowns of one and four yards, on 24 attempts. He also led the team with four receptions for 49 yards and finished with 129 all-purpose yards.
True senior receiver BRANDON BREAZELL (#1) again demonstrated his big-play ability against Oregon State. With UCLA trailing 14-12, he took an inside screen, slipped a tackle and raced 69-yards for a touchdown to give UCLA its first lead of the day, 19-14, with 9:12 remaining in the game. Less than three minutes later, Ben Olson and Breazell connected on a 30-yard pass to the goal line for another score.
After five games, he leads the Bruins with 22 receptions and 396 yards (18.0 average) and three touchdowns. He ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in receiving yards (79.2) and his average of 18.0 yards per catch is the highest in the league among players with at least 11 receptions.
Breazell ranks 24th (tied) on UCLA’s career reception list with 69 catches. In addition, he ranks 21st in school history with 1,097 yards. Seven of his 11 career touchdown receptions have measured at least 23 yards -- 46, 23, 56, 35, 78, 69, 30 -- and he has also scored on kickoff returns of 42 and 45 yards.
One of the Bruin team leaders, redshirt senior CHRISTIAN TAYLOR (#33) is on the pre-season Watch Lists of the Butkus and Lombardi Awards.
In the 2007 opener at Stanford, he made six tackles (four solos) and had one for loss. Against BYU, he made six solo tackles. At Utah, he made six tackles (two solos), including one for loss. He made four stops (three solos) versus Washington. At Oregon State, he made four tackles (three solos) and recovered a fumble at the OSU five-yard line to set up UCLA’s first touchdown. After five games, he ranks fifth on the team with 26 tackles.
Redshirt sophomore REGGIE CARTER (#51), at Oregon State, he made five tackles (three solos), including and eight-yard sack. He also forced a fumble that set up UCLA’s first touchdown of the day in the third quarter. In five games, he has made 27 tackles to rank fourth on the squad. He is also second (tied) with four tackles for loss.
True junior KYLE BOSWORTH (#54) at Oregon State, he started and tied for the team lead with eight tackles (seven solos), including one for loss and he also broke up a pass. On the year, he ranks seventh on the squad with 21 tackles.
TREY BROWN (#23)-- At Oregon State, he made the ninth and 10th interceptions of his career and also tied for the team lead with eight tackles (seven solos).
On the year, Brown has made 25 tackles and broken up 10 passes. He leads the nation with 2.60 passes defensed per game (10 breakups and three interceptions). He also leads UCLA and is tied for second in the Pac-10 with three interceptions.
Redshirt senior free safety DENNIS KEYES (#11) he leads the team with 37 tackles and is T-15th in the Pac-10 (7.40 average).
UCLA IN THE 2007 NCAA, PAC-10 STATS
INDIVIDUAL
Kahlil Bell -- rushing: 29th in NCAA, 3rd in Pac-10 (104.40); all-purpose yards: 6th in Pac-10 (123.4); total offense: 13th in Pac-10 (104.40)
Chris Markey -- rushing: 8th in Pac-10 (80.80); total offense: 18th in Pac-10 (80.80); all-purpose yards: 18th in Pac-10 (85.60)
Ben Olson -- passing efficiency: 59th in NCAA, 7th in Pac-10 (125.86); passing yards: 6th in Pac-10 (230.50); total offense: 9th in Pac-10 (206.75)
Brandon Breazell -- receiving yards: 46th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-10 (79.20); receiving: T-12th in Pac-10 (4.40)
Aaron Perez -- punting: 25th in NCAA, 2nd in Pac-10 (43.24)
Matthew Slater -- kickoff returns: 39th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-10 (26.53); all-purpose yards: 16th in Pac-10 (90.20); fumbles caused: T-20th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-10 (0.40)
Terrence Austin -- punt returns: 58th in NCAA, 5th in Pac-10 (9.14)
Kai Forbath -- field goals: T-4th in NCAA, T-1st in Pac-10 (2.00); scoring: T-30th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-10 (9.60); kick scoring: 2nd in Pac-10 (9.60).
Bruce Davis -- sacks: T-46th in NCAA, T-7th in Pac-10 (0.70); tackles for loss: T-7th in Pac-10 (1.00)
Korey Bosworth -- tackles for loss: T-16th in Pac-10 (0.80); sacks: T-17th in Pac-10 (0.40)
Dennis Keyes -- tackles: 15th in Pac-10 (7.40)
Chris Horton -- tackles: T-31st in Pac-10 (6.20)
Kevin Brown -- sacks: T-17th in Pac-10 (0.40)
Reggie Carter -- tackles for loss: T-16th in Pac-10 (0.80)
Tom Blake -- sacks: T-17th in Pac-10 (0.40); fumbles recovered: T-1st in Pac-10 (0.40)
Trey Brown -- passes defensed: 1st in NCAA, 1st in Pac-10 (2.60); interceptions: T-19th in NCAA, T-2nd in Pac-10 (0.60)
Alterraun Verner -- tackles: T-31st in Pac-10 (6.20); passes defensed: T-6th in Pac-10 (1.00)
TEAM
Rushing Offense: 27th in NCAA, 3rd in Pac-10 (199.40)
Passing Offense: 60th in NCAA, 8th in Pac-10 (225.20)
Pass Efficiency Offense: 63rd in NCAA, 7th in Pac-10 (122.61)
Total Offense: 39th in NCAA, 5th in Pac-10 (424.60)
Scoring Offense: 39th in NCAA, 5th in Pac-10 (32.40)
Rushing Defense: 16th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-10 (88.80)
Pass Defense: 100th in NCAA, 8th in Pac-10 (272.60)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 56th in NCAA, 5th in Pac-10 (119.40)
Total Defense: 55th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-10 (361.40)
Scoring Defense: 56th in NCAA, 5th in Pac-10 (24.60)
Third Down Conversion Defense: 4th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-10 (25.0)
Red Zone Offense: 4th in Pac-10 (85.0)
Red Zone Defense: 6th in Pac-10 (82.4)
Net Punting: 28th in NCAA, 3rd in Pac-10 (37.23)
Turnover Margin: 51st in NCAA, 5th in Pac-10 (+0.20)
Sacks: T-16th in NCAA, 2nd in Pac-10 (3.20)
Tackles for Loss: T-39th in NCAA, 4th in Pac-10 (6.80)
Punt Returns: 78th in NCAA, 6th in Pac-10 (8.00)
Kickoff Returns: 17th in NCAA, 1st in Pac-10 (25.75)
Kickoff Coverage: 5th in Pac-10 (43.0)
RED ZONE —At Oregon State, UCLA converted five of six Red Zone opportunities (three rushing touchdowns and two field goals) for 26 points. On the year, UCLA is 17 of 20 in the Red Zone with 11 touchdowns (five passing, six rushing) and six field goals for 94 points.
Oregon State was one (rushing touchdown) of three on Red Zone trips for seven points. On the year, opponents have converted 14 of 17 opportunities with 11 touchdowns (nine passing, two rushing) and three field goals for 86 points.