Bruins Outgrow Terrible Twos

That's how long it has taken UCLA to climb from the bottom of the Pacific 10 Conference -- and near the bottom in the nation -- to boast one of the most potent offenses in college football.

In 2003, Coach Karl Dorrell's first season, the Bruins were next to last in the Pac-10 with an average of 294.9 yards a game and picked up only 2.6 yards per running play, giving them one of the most anemic rushing attacks in major-college football.

Dorrell said he was implementing the same West Coast offense he learned in 15 years as an assistant at the college and pro level, including three seasons with the Denver Broncos under Coach Mike Shanahan.

It's just that the way the Bruins were running it made it nearly unrecognizable.

"I knew that it was going to be an adjustment," said Dorrell, who preached patience. "When you throw in a whole new system, everyone from seniors to freshmen has to go through a learning stage."

Given some time on those lessons, the Bruins are now passing (and running too) with flying colors.

Led by three players who started but struggled through growing pains in 2003 -- quarterback Drew Olson, running back Maurice Drew and tight end Marcedes Lewis -- UCLA is averaging 40 points, fifth-best in the nation, and averaging 444.4 yards, including 148.9 rushing.

Those statistics compare well with the Bruins' 1998 team, which finished 10-2 and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation. Led by quarterback Cade McNown, the most prolific UCLA offense in school history averaged 39.7 points and a school-record 487.3 yards.

Although there have been times this season when UCLA's offense has struggled, it hasn't happened often. And when the Bruins do hit stride, they've been hard to stop. Four times they have rallied to win after trailing by double digits late in games, and their 63 points against Rice was the most in a game since 1997.

"UCLA does a great job of making plays all over the field," California Coach Jeff Tedford said after the Bruins outscored the Golden Bears, 47-40, in October. "You have to give them credit."

UCLA isn't finished tinkering either.

"We're not there yet, and that's what is so scary to me," Dorrell said. "We have a chance to do some special things in the next stage of our development. We made great progress last year, but our passing game really wasn't where it needed to be. This year, we have a pretty good passing game with some good experience.