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Just in case the UCLA Bruins start to feel too good about themselves after a three-game winning streak, tailback Johnathan Franklin knows a number that will keep his teammates humble.
''Since we've been here, we've never won four in a row,'' the redshirt sophomore said Monday. ''We're definitely not satisfied. Last week is over, and it's on to the next one.''
UCLA (3-2, 1-1 Pac-10) has no reason to be satisfied after overcoming a second-half deficit to beat lowly Washington State 42-28 last weekend at the Rose Bowl. Although they're improbably back above .500 after a bumpy start, the Bruins acknowledge significant flaws all over the field - and they've got a tough trip to Berkeley looming this weekend.
Coach Rick Neuheisel knows his team nearly fell apart while Washington State scored three straight times in a stretch spanning halftime. Only a second-half rally with 22 unanswered points prevented UCLA from losing to the Pac-10's worst team at home just one week after beating Texas on the road.
''The good news is we did not go in the tank with that situation,'' Neuheisel said. ''We responded and found a way to win the game, but we certainly can't afford to have that happen again as we go down the rest of the conference schedule.''
Franklin sees room for improvement everywhere, but also feels momentum behind the Bruins for perhaps the first time since he arrived in Westwood along with Neuheisel in 2008.
Franklin is the nation's 10th-leading rusher with 125 yards per game out of the new Pistol offense, which is growing in sophistication with each week. He had a career-high 216 yards against the Cougars, while Derrick Coleman added career highs of 185 yards and three scores.
UCLA likely will face more opposition in Strawberry Canyon against California (2-2, 0-1), which had last weekend off after consecutive losses to Nevada and Arizona. Nevada runs much the same offense installed at UCLA after Neuheisel and Norm Chow borrowed the Pistol scheme, but Neuheisel hasn't used quarterbacks Kevin Prince or Richard Brehaut in the same way the Wolf Pack utilized speedy playmaker Colin Kaepernick to torment the Golden Bears.
''Kevin has shown that he has the ability to make plays with his legs, but we haven't isolated the quarterback as much as Nevada does,'' Neuheisel said. ''We're continuing to try to evolve with our offense. We'll just see what we think makes the most sense, and see if we can execute it.''
Neuheisel expects to have Prince back in practice after the inconsistent sophomore missed last weekend's game with an injured knee. If Prince can practice, the coach says he'll play - although Brehaut helped his stock with the Bruins' staff in his fill-in performance against Washington State.
''We don't want to overwork (Prince), but I think he's ready to go,'' Neuheisel said. ''And now that Richard has a little experience, we won't be as nervous about putting him in the game.''
The Bruins remained 118th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in passing offense, averaging 91 yards per game after Brehaut's 128-yard game against Washington State - the biggest yardage total from a Bruins quarterback this season. UCLA's two quarterbacks have completed just 48 percent of their passes with five interceptions against just two TD throws.
Franklin's 625 yards rushing are more than the entire Bruins passing offense has mustered (455), and Coleman isn't far behind (331). The Bruins' star ball-carrier isn't worried about it, believing a balanced offense will emerge as UCLA gains experience down the Pac-10 stretch.
''I feel all of us have a lot more growing to do,'' Franklin said. ''Competition has allowed us to get better and get to the level that we're playing right now. It's not the Pistol offense that's allowing us to do the things we do. It's the players that we have. I feel the players are making the offense, rather than the offense making the players.''
