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This story has been written before. Three times, to be exact.

It’s the one where UCLA stumbles out of the blocks, bumbles around for three plus quarters, yet prevails in the end with some magical burst.

But on Saturday afternoon, there was a slight twist to the plotline, a role reversal of sorts. It was the kind that made the comeback twice as improbable and the victory 10 times more meaningful.

It was the defense, frequently besieged and often criticized as the Bruins’ weak link, that led the charge.

That’s right. It wasn’t Maurice Drew’s cutbacks or Drew Olson’s precision passing that kept UCLA in the game, but the defense.

Normally dependent on its efficient offense in the red zone, the defensive side picked up the slack. Usually accustomed to stringing together a couple good series in previous comebacks, it executed solidly for all four quarters in this one.

“It’s nice that we did rise up and play good defense,” defensive coordinator Larry Kerr said. “Hopefully it will build us as an entire team.

“Obviously, we’re stronger on offense than we are on defense, but the defense has its role and it plays it hard. It will definitely help our morale in showing we can contribute mightily to a win.”

In comebacks against Washington State and California, the defense chipped in like a miser skipping the tab and paying the tip. But on Saturday, it footed more than its fair share of the bill, waiting until the bitter end before even asking the offense to contribute.

“We were able to stay consistent for the whole game, but the offense was definitely consistent from eight minutes left in the game,” safety Jarrad Page said, spinning the offense’s efforts more deftly than a seasoned politician.

For more than three quarters, the only thing the offense did consistently was set up punting situations. The offensive line wasn’t blocking on runs, Drew Olson wasn’t connecting on passes, and the whole operation was basically looking more futile than a quantum-physics final.

Yet the Bruins still passed their test in the end.

“We feed off each other,” linebacker Justin London said. “I’d love to see the boys get the groove back real quick, especially when it’s on the line. But we don’t doubt that they can.”

Saturday’s victory also erased another element of doubt in UCLA fans’ minds. It showed that a three-touchdown deficit with eight minutes left isn’t enough to put this team into a grave. It demonstrated that an undefeated season can be kept alive when the offense has an off game. And it suggested that there’s some semblance of balance in these Bruins, an absolute must for any team ranked in the top 10.

“We all complement each other,” lineman Justin Hickman said. “When one’s down, the other has to step up. That’s what we did. When it comes down to the end, the offense came through like they always had.”

After the game, offensive coordinator Tom Cable responded to questions about the defense carrying the load for a change. It’s a conversation he probably couldn’t have imagined having a few weeks ago in Pullman, Wash., when he ripped into the unit at halftime for its lethargic performance. On Saturday, he was asked whether it would have been appropriate for Kerr to do the same to his group.

“It’s all about all of us,” Cable said of the team. “If he had wanted to come over and kick someone in the tail, I would have been right there with him. I’d be proud of him to do that.”

Kerr never took the offense to task for its ugly first half. Maybe because he knew how the story would end.

E-mail Finley at

afinley@media.ucla.edu if you turned off the television to study quantum physics on Saturday.