Much of the Bruins' early success can be credited to Drew Olson, who has completed 70 percent of his throws and hasn't thrown an interception. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
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	A TRAGIC LOSS UCLA star Maurice Drew suffered a tragic loss during the Bruins' win over Rice last weekend. His grandfather, Maurice Jones, whom Drew considered a father figure and who attended nearly all his high school and college games, suffered a fatal heart attack in the Rose Bowl stands. Drew, who returned to practice Tuesday, said there was never any doubt he would play against Oklahoma. "There's a time to grieve, but right now my grandpa would want me to play football," said the junior running back. "This is what he talked about all summer, he couldn't wait for this game." The Antioch, Calif., native will honor his grandfather by adorning the name "Drew-Jones" on the back of his jersey Saturday against Oklahoma. Sadly, Drew is the third UCLA player to suffer a death in his family since preseason camp -- defensive lineman Kyle Morgan's brother was shot and killed, and receiver Brandon Breazell's cousin Patrick Murphy died in a car accident.

There's a buzz in Los Angeles this week about a certain local football team. Its senior quarterback is completing passes like a seasoned pro. Its electrifying tailback is breaking big runs and even bigger punt returns. There's talk that maybe this could be a special season.

And USC is looking pretty good, too.

It's only been two games, against admittedly inferior opponents (San Diego State and Rice), but after suffering through consecutive six-win seasons, UCLA fans have good reason to be a tad giddy about the potential -- particularly the offensive firepower -- the Bruins have exhibited so far. The litmus test comes Saturday, when UCLA hosts No. 21 Oklahoma, though the matchup has lost some of its luster following the Sooners' embarrassing loss to TCU and close call with Tulsa. Still, it represents a golden opportunity for third-year coach Karl Dorrell's program to gain some much-needed credibility.

"This is a huge statement game for us -- this is Oklahoma," said senior quarterback Drew Olson. "If we want to get noticed nationwide, we're going to have to go out and win a game like this."

For the past three years, not only have Olson and his teammates gone largely unnoticed nationally, but also in their own city. While their cross-town rivals were becoming the toast of Hollywood, crashing the Jimmy Kimmel Show and hanging with Will Ferrell and Snoop Dogg, the Bruins were quietly fading into Van Damme-esque obscurity. Bowl losses to Fresno State and Wyoming became symbols of their mediocrity, and Dorrell was portrayed as emotionless and overmatched, the antithesis to the practically sainted USC coach Pete Carroll. Wise-cracking Los Angeles Times columnist T.J. Simers still refers to Dorrell in print as Karl Dullard.

It's not easy operating in the shadow of such star power as USC's Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and Dwayne Jarrett, but the Bruins have been quietly assembling some impressive firepower of their own. It's taken them until now, however, to put it all together. It starts with game-breaking running back Maurice Drew, an elusive speedster who's averaging 9.5 yards per carry and has returned two punts for touchdowns. "He is of [Bush's] caliber," said Dorrell.

Freakish tight end Marcedes Lewis, widely considered the top pass-catching TE in the country, grabbed seven passes for 131 yards in the Bruins' opener against the Aztecs. Last week, with Rice's defense keying on Lewis, Olson leaned more heavily on receivers Junior Taylor (five catches, 93 yards, two touchdowns) and Brand Breazell (four catches, 75 yards, one TD). "It was the first time since I've been here that we caught the football and made plays after [the catch]," said offensive coordinator Tom Cable.

But the key to everything has been the improved play of Olson, who has completed 70 percent of his throws with zero interceptions this season. For much of the past two seasons he struggled to grasp the complex West Coast offense Dorrell brought with him from the Denver Broncos. He completed a relatively low 55 percent of his passes and threw 22 interceptions against 30 touchdowns. Many UCLA fans were hoping highly touted BYU transfer Ben Olson (no relation) would beat out Drew for the starting job, but it didn't happen.

"[Drew] all of a sudden seems like he finally has a handle on what the heck we're doing," said Cable. "Hopefully this is who he is."