There was the trick play vs. Northern Iowa that went for a 76-yard touchdown, followed by a 48-yard bomb from Washington's Jake Locker to backup Jermaine Kearse that gave the Huskies a 14-7 lead over the Cougars, to name a few.

Several times, Washington receivers ran free or got behind the BYU secondary last Saturday, but Locker simply overthrew them or they dropped easy passes.

And, as BYU defensive coordinator Jaime Hill acknowledges, it gets more difficult for the group with just 15 starts among them as UCLA visits LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday because Bruins quarterback Kevin Craft is a much better passer than UNI's Pat Grace or UW's Locker.

"He's not going to miss some of those throws that the other guys missed," Hill said. "So we gotta do a better job in the coverage part of it."

Also, UCLA has swifter, bigger and more talented receivers than any team the Cougars have faced since they saw the Bruins twice last year. Seasoned tight end Logan Paulsen (broken right foot) won't play, but against Tennessee nearly two weeks ago Ryan Moya, Terrence Austin, Taylor Embree and Dominique Johnson all had four catches or more and nine Bruins caught passes.

"We had a few assignments that were blown, that we got to get better at," Hill said. "We still have a young group that is learning how to play the game, understanding what the situations are. For the most part, the young guys are doing very well. There were a couple of routes [against Washington] that gave us challenges, but other than that they were OK."

The safeties, Fowler and David Tafuna, are seniors, but haven't played much in their careers. Fowler got four starts last year after Quinn Gooch suffered a season-ending injury, and Tafuna got some starts in 2006 but had a foot injury that caused him to miss the entire 2007 season.

The cornerbacks - Scott Johnson and Brandon Howard - are both juniors who got their first starts in the opener against UNI. Johnson is just 5-foot-11 and Howard is 5-9. UCLA's Embree, Moya and Johnson are all listed at 6-3 and Austin is 5-11. Fowler knows all four players are going to be tested Saturday.

"I think any time you are playing an NFL-style passing game like they have, I think they are going to try to challenge the secondary," he said. "It is part of their game plan; it is every week. I don't necessarily think there is undue pressure on us. We know that if we perform like we are supposed to - and are assignment-sound . . . we will be just fine back there."

No playmaker has emerged - BYU doesn't have an interception in two games - but the Cougars should be able to gamble more against Craft, who is not as mobile as Locker.

Coach Bronco Mendenhall said it is not in BYU's "identity" to become a blitzing, gambling defense overnight, but acknowledges there is some concern regarding the secondary and what might have been last week against Washington.

"Despite what you may have seen, I think they improved over the game before. And I still think it is going to take some time. But I like the way they are being coached, and I still think the guys back there are the right guys," he said.

drew@sltrib.com