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UCLA looking for first road win as it prepares to face No. 12 Washington

UCLA coach Jim Mora and the Bruins are still looking for their first win in their road white uniforms this season.
(Rick Scuteri / Associated Press)
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For most of his time at UCLA, coach Jim Mora has had something in common with country music legend Willie Nelson. He just couldn’t wait to get on the road again.

The Bruins went 18-11 in true road games under Mora before this season, notching a handful of signature victories. There were triumphs over No. 23 USC in 2013, No. 15 Arizona State in 2014 and No. 16 Arizona in 2015.

UCLA compiled a winning record on the road in each of Mora’s first four seasons, going 5-0 in 2014, and picked up what might have been its most impressive victory of a lost 2016 on the road against Brigham Young.

The Bruins’ fortunes on the road this season have been the football equivalent of arriving at their destination at 3 a.m. after a lengthy delay only to find their luggage lost and the rental car counter long abandoned.

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UCLA (4-3 overall, 2-2 Pac-12 Conference) is winless on the road heading into a game Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium against No. 12 Washington (6-1, 3-1). The Bruins’ 0-3 record away from the Rose Bowl includes a heartbreaker against Memphis and head-scratching embarrassments against Stanford and Arizona.

Mora’s efforts to uncover a common theme before Saturday could be dubbed “CSI: Memphis, Palo Alto and Tucson.”

“Nothing I can put my finger on and we’re looking for everything,” Mora said Monday of his team’s road struggles. “What we try to do is create consistency within the last 24 hours leading up to kickoff. It’s a little bit difficult on the road, a little bit more difficult. But we just have to play better.”

Turnovers have been something of a constant, the Bruins having committed 11 of their 15 turnovers on the road. Mora said his players must “be able to play through less-than-successful plays when you kind of get reeling and the crowd gets into it and your mind starts to go too fast and you just gotta settle down and play play-to-play. We haven’t been as good as we have been on the road in the past at doing that.”

UCLA may not face a more challenging road atmosphere than the one it will encounter against Washington, which has won all three home games this season while playing before near-capacity crowds. The Huskies could be especially energized against the Bruins after unveiling a statue of former coach Don James as part of their homecoming festivities.

“It’s going to be an electric environment,” Mora said, “and I think our guys will be ready to go.”

Injury updates

Mora said defensive tackle Matt Dickerson would undergo surgery on his injured collarbone Tuesday that would sideline him for an extended period but did not rule out a return this season. The surgery is expected to involve the insertion of a plate to stabilize the area.

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Defensive end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner was released from a hospital Saturday night, escaping what were feared to be internal injuries during UCLA’s 31-14 victory over Oregon.

“This morning he looked very normal and said he felt great,” Mora said. “I’m not sure what the plan will be with him [Tuesday] with regards to practice, but he seems like he will be OK.”

The only players besides Dickerson who have been ruled out for the game against Washington, Mora said, are linebackers Breland Brandt (concussion) and Brandon Burton (knee). Mora said linebackers Josh Woods (shoulder) and Krys Barnes (pneumonia), defensive end Rick Wade (knee), tight end Austin Roberts (ankle) and tailback Jalen Starks (ankle) all had a chance to play against the Huskies.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Follow Ben Bolch on Twitter @latbbolch

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