SARKISIAN AFTERWARD --- "Somewhere, there's got to be a silver lining. ... We're going to grow from this.''

Last play picked off was called. Locker said he underthrew it a little bit.

No new injuries, apparently. Wells had some cramping, Polk some bruised ribs. None of it sounds serious.

GAME OVER --- UCLA holds on to win 24-23. UW now 3-6 and bowl hopes slim. More later.

LOCKER PASS PICKED OFF --- A fade route to Kearse at about the 20 was tipped by Sheldon Price and into the hands of UCLA safety Rahim Moore, who came into the game leading the nation in interceptions with seven. UCLA has the ball with under a minute left at its own 34.

LAST CHANCE FOR HUSKIES? --- UCLA stopped but takes six minutes off clock. UW has ball at own 12 with 4:21 left. Bowl hopes on the line, it seems.

FOLK MISSES FROM 38 --- UW's drive stalled after reaching the 16 and Folk then missed badly from 38 yards out. So UCLA stays ahead with just over 10 minutes left.

ATTENDANCE TODAY --- 72,924.

UCLA REGAINS THE LEAD --- A 27-yard Forbath FG makes it 24-23 with 14:53 to play in the game. It's the fourth lead change of the game.

THIRD QUARTER STATS --- UCLA has 411 yards, UW 306. UCLA is 20-26 passing for 329 but also has the two interceptions.

UW has 124 rushing on 18 attempts, UCLA 82 on 30.

END OF THIRD QUARTER --- UW leads 23-21 but Bruins have the ball at the 10, third and goal. Frankly, seems a game there for the taking for either team, which is a little ominous for UW given the five UCLA turnovers and loss of Prince. Those things might have indicated UW would have a bigger margin now.

UW STOPPED AND NOW UCLA DRIVING --- UCLA has ball at 31 after a Kraft scramble after which he put the ball in Butler's face, seeming to taunt him a little bit. Looks like hard feelings lingering.

ANOTHER UCLA TO --- A high pass by Craft is picked off by Jason Wells giving UW the ball at its own 20 with 4:55 to play. That's TO No. 5 for the Bruins.

IT WAS THE BACK JUDGE WHO CALLED THE TD GOOD --- His name is Johnny Jenkins. This is just a regular Pac-10 crew doing this game.

LOCKER KEEPS FOR 13 YARDS --- Leg looked just fine there on his longest run of the game.

UCLA SCORES DEBATABLE TD --- Looked like the ball might have hit the ground before Austin cradled it and caught it. But no replay of it and UCLA has cut the lead to 23.21 It was a 29-yard pass from Craft to Austin, who was really wide open but had to slow up to catch a pass thrown short.

RULING UPHELD --- UW leads 23-14. Loud cheer from UW contingent when the big screen showed the replay with Kearse getting the foot in. UW players doing the jumping on the sideline thing before the kickoff.

LOCKER TO KEARSE 34 YARDS FOR TD --- Play being reviewed but UW could be up 23-14.

RULING ON FIELD STANDS --- And we're told the review took 1:21.

ANOTHER UCLA TO? --- Franklin loses a fumble. Butler causes, D. Jones recovers. Now being reviewed.

CRAFT AT QB FOR UCLA --- Neuheisel sides with the veteran over the true frosh.

PRINCE RETURN QUESTIONABLE --- That's the official word up here as he is being evaluated for concussion syndromes.

FIRST-HALF THOUGHTS --- The Huskies have the lead, but it's a tenuous one at 16-14. UW surely feels it should have a bigger lead after getting three UCLA turnovers but turning those into just six points.

And three possessions inside the 20 also yielded just nine points, after UW's first march of the game ended in a touchdown.

The good is the passing game and the running of Chris Polk as the offense has 241 yards, almost as many as it had for the entire Arizona game few weeks ago (256).

The good is also that the defense at least was able to rise up and stop a few of UCLA"s drives, as well. One came on the big hit on Prince that will surely be long debated here depending on how the game turns out. The crowd was angry about that one, especially after it was shown on the big screen, and it appeared as if UCLA's Chane Moline trieed to go after Butler a couple plays later.

When Butler left the field slow with cramps, the crowd wasn't too sympathetic.

But it's obviously a big key to this who UCLA's QB is the rest of the way and if he cacn get anything done. Prince was playing really well, completing 13-17 passes for 212 yards, the only real mistake the one interception by Trufant.

UW is also doing a nice job on UCLA's running game as the Bruins have just 33 yards on 19 carries.

HALFTIME STATS --- UW had 241 yards at the half, UCLA 245.

FIRST HALF ENDS, UW AHEAD 16-14 --- Neuheisel says in halftime radio comments they will check on Prince at the half to see if he can return.

UW STOPPED --- Husky drive stopped on a third down play where Habben's helmet flew off. Hard to tell from here what happened but UW coaches wanted a penalty.

Locker took a hard hit on second down and hard to tell if it was a re-injury to the thigh or something else.

UW MOVING --- Huskies moving down the field. Locker lookiing good hitting short throws and UW has the ball at the UCLA 46. And Schaefer back at OT for Ossai.

DTN FORCES FUMBLE --- And Matthews recovers at the 23 to stop UCLA's drive. 3:25 to play in the half.

BREHAUT NOW IN FOR PRINCE --- Prince could be done for the day.

BUTLER HITS PRINCE HARD --- Butler flagged for a personal foul on a helmet to helmet hit on Kevin Prince, who remains down on the sideline at the 5:07 mark. UCLA will have the ball at the 10 but also a new QB.

DTN BACK TO END ---Te'o-Nesheim backc at end with Matthews andn Duncan getting some time inside.

UW REGAINS LEAD --- Another Folk FG, this one from 32 yards, makes it 16-14 with 9:27 to play in the second quarter. But that's a third straight possession inside the UCLA 20 that gets just an FG.

TRUFANT INTERCEPTS PASS --- Add on a personal foul and UW has the ball at the UCLA 17 with 10:28 to play.

HUSKIES GETTING STOPPED IN RED ZONE --- That was ann 82-yard drive that got just three points and two drives inside the 20 that have gotten just six points.

POLK STOPPED ON WILDCAT --- On third and goal at the three the Huskies unveiled the Wildcat, Polk taking a direct snap. But he got only a yard and UW was forced to kick a field goal. So UCLA still leads 14-13 at the 11:26 mark.

POLK NOW OVER 100 --- He has 102 yards rishing.

POLK NOW HAS 91 YARDS --- On four carries.

UW HAD 125 YARDS IN FIRST QUARTER --- UCLA had 183.

OSSAI BACK IN --- And he false starts on third down as the first quarter ends. UCLA is ahead 14-10.

HOLDING ON PULU WIPES OUT DECENT RETURN --- UW will start at 16.

PRINCE GOING OFF --- Prince is 10-13 for 171 so far.

UCLA SCORES --- A 1-yard run by Moline caps an 80-yard drive and makes it 14-10 with 1:49 left. Drive was 80 yards in 11 plays in 4:25.

UCLA MOVING --- Huskies having trouble getting a pass rush and UCLA is throwing at will, now down to the 25. And now on the Wildcat, Knox runs it to the 13.

HUSKIES MAKE IT 10-7 --- UW turned the fumbled kickoff into a field goal of 30 yards by Folk to take a 10-7 lead with 6:14 to play. Schaefer remains in at LT for Ossai.

UW GETS IT BACK --- Huskies recover fumble on kickoff at 30. McDowell forces, Fellner recovers.

HUSKIES ANSWER BACK --- UW scores on a 17-yard Locker pass to Kearse to tie it at 7-7 with 8:26 to play. Kearse also had a 26-yard reception and Polk a 26-yard run to set it up.

POLK OUT --- They are working on Polk on the sidelines, looks like neck/shoulder.

SCHAEFER STILL IN FOR OSSAI --- But Kelemete is back in.

OUCH --- Bad start for the defense as UCLA drives 88 yards in nine plays in just 3;33 to take a 7-0 lead scoring on a fourth down play-action pass, Prince to Harkey. 10:16 left in the quarter. Prince 6-7 for 95 yards (due to lost yards on the fumble) on the drive.

UCLA DRIVING --- TE Logan Paulson caught a short pass just in front of Mason Foster and took it 56 yards to set up the Bruins at the UW 4. But Foster then forced a fumble that UCLA recovered for a loss of eight, so it's second-and-goal at the 12 for the Bruins.

NEW OL --- Sounds as if the other two guys, Ossai and Kelemete, were late to a meeting or something and that's the reason for the new line. We'll see how long it lasts.

DRIVE STOPPED AFTER PROMISING START --- UW go 34 yards from Polk off LT on the first play, but the drive then stopped thanks in part to a dropped pass by Jonnson.

NEW OL DEBUTS --- It is indeed Schaefer and Rosborough out there for the first play.

RICHARDSON, JOHNSON DOING THE KICK RETURNING --- UW set to receive.

TUCKER ONE OF THE GAME CAPTAINS TODAY --- Evidence of how well the coaches think true frosh Tim Tucker has done at MLB of late is that he is here today in uniform and was one of the two game captains alongside the usual four season captains (Josh Gage was the other game captain). I can't imagine Tucker will play now, surely just a reward for good work this week.

HUSKIES CALL TAILS AND LOSE TOSS --- UCLA wins toss and defers, UW to get the ball first.

HOUSTON NUMBER CHANGE --- With Anthony Boyles now playing defense, Matt Houston has changed his number to 45 --- both had been wearing 5.

PRE-GAME NOTES --- About 16 minutes to kickoff as I write this.

Those who were on the pre-game chat may have read that the Huskies appear to have done some shuffling on the OL today.

It looked in the warmups like a starting OL, left to right, of Schaefer, Wood, Tolar, Rosborough and Habben. And walk-on Daniel Kanczugowski appeared to be on the second team at guard.

On defense, it did indeed look like Jason Wells was starting at safety alongside Nate Williams and the DL appeared to have DTN at tackle alongside Ta'amu with Pulu and Crichton at ends.

So definitely some shaking up of things today.

We'll see how it works out.

Nice and sunny here, if not maybe as warm as it looks. Have a little time to chat so let's go. ...

We've arrived at the stadium where the sun is beginning to peak through --- it was pretty overcast as we drove up through the city.

So the weather should be just fine for the game.

A quick note that I'll host a pre-game chat at 11:15 a.m.

For now, a few pre-game scenes, though unfortunately all of these are kind of UCLA-related since I didn't really see much UW presence as we walked in:

Here's the UCLA band practicing in the parking lot:

Here's a view of the stadium from the parking lot:

Here are a couple UCLA cheerleaders trying to get away from us as quickly as they can:

And here's a view of the field as workers prepare it for the game:

And yes, 1 a.m. counts as Saturday morning. ...

--- Here's my preview story for today's game and here's a poll showing that, as I write this, 77 percent of people think UW can win today, So UW's got that going for it.

--- Several of you sent this to me,and it is indeed a good link --- a look at all the visiting locker rooms in the Pac-10 from the USC Rips It blog. As you can read, it's a ranking based on how a visiting team feels in the locker room it is given in each of the Pac-10 stadiums.

Not ranked, for the obvious reason, is USC< which would be near the bottom, probably right after Husky Stadium, from what I've gathered from UW people. I haven't been in the Rose Bowl locker room featured here but I have been most of the others and I wouldn't disagree with the overall judgments here. No doubt, the long walks at WSU and OSU are awkward for opposing teams --- I've tried to do interviews on those walks before and experienced it first-hand how difficult it can be for opposing players to have to walk long distances through opposing crowds. If you listened to Steve Sarkisian's radio show this week you heard him rave about the Rose Bowl visiting locker room --- which USC obviously must have used a time or two -- and how he couldn't wait to get back in there, surely hoping it might bring forth some new nice memories. We'll see in a few hours.

--- Coach Sark's blog has a nice pic of Sarkisian, Marques Tuiasosopo and Jake Locker in the end zone at the Rose Bowl --- I'm thinking this is the first time Tui's been there since he was named MVP of that game in 2001. His blog also notes the weather will be nice tomorrow --- 71 and sunny.

--- Whoever the heck Lucky Lester is, he picks the Huskies to win.

--- The LA Times preview notes that Rick Neuheisel is 2-0 against UW --- or had you forgotten the 1996 Holiday Bowl?

--- The Riverside Press-Enterprise offers this breakdown of the game.

--- The LA Daily News writes that UCLA hopes the Huskies are again a good luck charm, noting how the Bruins have owned UW for about two decades now. And LA Daily News beat guy Jon Gold will be on 710 ESPN Seattle at 9:25 this morning to talk about the game. I'll probably be telling Todd Milles to turn right at about that moment.

--- Nick Montana was 9-13 for 228 and three TDs Friday night in an easy Oaks Christian win.

Talk to you later from the Rose Bowl.

Sorry to get this out late, but better late than never, I hope.

Anyway, here is the info on the Washington Warm Up for tomorrow's game at UCLA:

--- Begins at 9:30 a.m. and goes to 12:30 p.m.;

--- Held at Brookside Golf Course, just next to the Rose Bowl;

--- Admission gets you one drink ticket for beer, wine or soft drink;

--- Tickets are $10 for UWAA members who register in advance and $15 for non-members; a limited number of "at the door" tickets will be available for $15;

--- Live performances by Husky Marching Band and Cheer Squad;

--- Sign up at UWalum.com or by calling 1-800-AUW-ALUM.

The last Warm Up of the season will be at Oregon State on Nov. 14.

There are also viewing parties across the country. For a complete list of where to watch the game, check here.

Well, thanks for all the heartfelt replays to my request for some advice on how to pick the UW-UCLA game.

I've read some/most/as many as I had time for before a re-run of Saved By The Bell intervened. Seriously, I tried to read all of them once I landed, and not sure I could discern any sort of consensus --- looks like you guys are as torn as I was.

I also had lots of time on the plane ride down to peruse the Pac-10 stats --- either that, or listen to a former pro soccer player hit on a divorcee in the row behind me (sounded as if he was bound to score more with her than he did on the field).

And two numbers stood out:

--- 207. That's Jake Locker's rushing yards for the season, and eight yards fewer than Stanford's Andrew Luck in the same number of games. That just seems insane to me. I know Luck is a pretty mobile guy (and a huge reason why the Cardinal has a really bright future) and that sack yards are part of the stat and all that.

But it really makes no sense that Andrew Luck has more rushing yards so far than Locker no matter how you compute it. I understand Steve Sarkisian's reasoning on this. But as one person note this week, Locker got hurt anyway despite the best efforts of Sark and company to keep him healthy.

It's usually about this time on a typical Friday when I try to fill this space with am incredibly insightful prediction on the following day's Husky game.

As some/many/all of you have let me know, I haven't done that very well of late. I'm not sure I've done quite as poorly as some of you think --- I'm 4-4 on UW games for the season both straight-up and against-the-spread (and the ATS record could easily be 6-2, though it could also easily be 3-5).

But I have indeed missed four of the last six, three of the last four, and the last two.

So a few raspberries thrown my way are more than valid.

And what usually happens here is I make a pick, and then people comment about why I'm right or, more often, why I'm wrong (which is actually more than appreciated and a heck of a lot better than those who wait until the game is over and then let me know. Slow as I may be, I've usually figured it out by then).

But I thought for this week, given my recent ineptitude and the fact that this game is such a tough one to call --- I haven't seen anyone who has picked it predict a margin more than four points either way --- I'd solicit your advice ahead of time.

So as I prepare to fly to L.A., tell me who is going to win, and try to do so with some insight --- meaning something other than just "because UCLA sucks.''

I'm completely on the fence on this one so I really need some advice.

I had a chance to talk briefly with Marques Tuiasosopo earlier this week --- the legendary UW QB is spending the season with the team as an assistant strength coach.

The interview was mostly about something else.

But I did ask Tuiasosopo if he considered himself retired from the NFL or if he still hoped to play.

He made it clear that if someone were to call with a playing opportunity he'd take the first flight out of town.

"I'm not retired yet,'' he said. "I would love to play somewhere and get another opportunity. I'm fresh and still young (he turned 30 in March) and I feel like I've still got a lot left in me. We'll see what happens.''

Tuiasosopo played eight years in the NFL after leaving UW but was not picked up after the Raiders let him go following last season.

Sadly, however, the phone hasn't really been ringing.

"it's been real quiet, so that's been frustrating,'' he said. "For whatever reason that has been the case. But I keep holding out hope and waiting and seeing if something might come up.''

For now, he says he's content with his role at UW --- he just hopes he gets to play again somewhere someday.

"This gives me a great opportunity to stay involved,'' he said. "But I haven't yet hung up my cleats.''