Undefeated UCLA hosts a confident Oregon State team at the Rose Bowl

Oregon State football coach Mike Riley described facing No. 8 UCLA this weekend as a challenge, but also an opportunity.

The Beavers go on the road for the second straight weekend, a rarity for OSU in Pacific-10 Conference play, to face an undefeated team in the storied Rose Bowl.

The Bruins (6-0, 3-0) have used last-second heroics to win the last three contests, conference games over Washington, California and Washington State. There was also an impressive, at the time, thumping of Oklahoma.

“UCLA has had a terrific season up to this point,” Riley said. “It’s very impressive. Karl Dorrell and his staff have stayed the course. It looks like a lot of good things are going on with that team, and one of them is confidence.”

OSU (4-2, 2-1) has some confidence of its own. The Beavers are on a two-game winning streak, including Saturday’s upset over 16-point favorite California at Memorial Stadium. They are starting to play better in all areas, especially on defense.

Dismissing them as an easy win when away from Reser Stadium was proven wrong against the Bears. Odds makers however, still consider them 10-point underdogs, but that line of thinking doesn’t bother the Beavers anymore.

“A lot of people were dogging us the last few games, but young teams go through their struggles,” safety Sabby Piscitelli said. “But we are going to show that Beaver defense is back.”

OSU will need the defense to continue its newfound aggressive ways this week. The Bruins are second in the conference, behind No. 1 Southern California, in scoring offense with 43.3 points a game.

UCLA features a veteran quarterback in Drew Olson, a dynamic running back in Maurice Drew and Marcedes Lewis as a standout receiver. However, it’s Drew who worries opposing coaches most.

“He’s a wonderful player,” Riley said. “He’s a double-edge sword. He’s big in the kicking game, and in their offense. We’ll have our hands full.”

Drew gains only 80 rushing yards an outing, but averages 174.8 all-purpose offense and almost nine yards every time he touches the ball.

The 5-foot-8, 205-pounder is most dangerous on punt returns. His 30.7 yards an attempt leads the nation.

“He’s a good runner; he’s strong and he’s fast,” Riley said. “All those things together make him who he is. I think he’s really good. He’s just one of those guys who are special. He’s not big, but a tough runner. He can turn games around.”

OSU showed it can stop the run last weekend, keeping the second-best rushing team in the Pac-10 to 75 yards.

The difference this week is that Olson is a better passer than Joe Ayoob. If the defensive front don’t have the similar success against UCLA as Cal, the results won’t come out the same either.

“It’s going to be a tough game this week, just like this past week,” receiver Mike Hass said. “We just have to bring the same mindset.”

The Beavers finding a running game last weekend also enhances their chances. UCLA leads the conference in pass defense, while that has been OSU’s bread-and-butter.

Running back Yvenson Bernard is ranked 16th in the nation in rushing with an average of 105.2 yards a game. He started slow, but has steadily improved with the offensive line.

“If we continue to run the ball like this, we can have great success down the road,” Hass said. “When you have the balance we had (against Cal), you control the game better. The sky is the limit.”

UCLA also happens to be the worst team in the conference in stopping the run. Opponents have scored 15 touchdowns on the ground and gain 5.2 yards a carry.

That means what Bernard accomplishes this week will go a long way in determining the outcome.

“I would think more of it in terms of us than them,” Riley said. “It’s encouraging to see us run the ball and to take control of that part of the game. I’m very excited about it. If we continue to build on that, I know it’s going to be a very big factor in how good we can become.”