PALO ALTO “”mdash; The bloody cuts and grass stains that dotted
Matt Moore’s battered body said it all.
A relentless Stanford pass rush sacked the UCLA sophomore
quarterback eight times, a punishing effort that left Moore dazed
and confused.
“Matt should have a clean jersey after every game,”
left guard Eyoseph Efseaff said. “He was getting hit every
single down, and we had a very frustrating time trying to figure
out what was going on.”
The Cardinal defensive front had registered a Pac-10 worst 11
sacks coming into the game, but it exposed UCLA’s
inexperienced offensive line Saturday. Despite gaining 287 total
yards, the Bruin offense never established any sort of offensive
rhythm because Moore rarely had time to throw downfield.
“I don’t know what was going on up front, but there
was a guy popping through and coming free almost every time,”
Moore said. “I took some shots today.”
The sacks forced UCLA into long-yardage and passing situations,
playing right into the hands of the Stanford defense. At times,
Moore shined under pressure, hitting the hot route or scrambling
for big yardage.
But the resurgent Cardinal attack eventually got to Moore. And
with the Bruins forced to play from behind for the entire second
half, it prevented UCLA from making a serious dent in the
two-touchdown deficit.
“We couldn’t protect today,” coach Karl
Dorrell said. “We didn’t give the quarterback nearly
enough time to do the things he needs to do. That was the
difference in the game. We couldn’t generate any offensive
consistency, especially in the second half. We have to address
these issues by this time next week.”
Stanford attacked in several ways. The cornerbacks pressed and
played man coverage on the wide receivers, making it a little more
difficult for Moore to hit hot routes. Even more effective was the
defensive-line shifting. With near-perfect timing, right before the
snap the Cardinal defensive line would readjust its position,
confusing the UCLA offensive line.
“When they shift, you have to think real quick,”
freshman right guard Kevin Brown said. “You basically set
yourself up for one guy, and then they all of a sudden shift, and
you have to think about what this next guy can do. That slightest
edge can be enough.”
UCLA’s protection scheme, minus the services of talented
pass-blocker Manuel White, was also hit hard by disguised blitzes.
Stanford sent linebackers and defensive backs alike, with great
success ““ eight sacks for 53 yards.
The Bruins did make adjustments. Brown, the former defensive
tackle who has been a guard for all of two weeks, was pulled for
lack of experience. Instead of an assignment blocking scheme, UCLA
started using a man-type blocking scheme. And when Drew Olson
entered the game for Moore, the Bruins went exclusively to the
shotgun formation.
The jury is still out on whether those changes had any effect on
UCLA’s protection, primarily because the Cardinal called off
its blitz after gaining a two-touchdown advantage. Nevertheless,
the Bruins will have to answer those questions this week before
they head to Washington State, which also boasts a formidable
defensive front.
“Stanford just had a really good scheme for us
today,” center Robert Chai said. “We’ve got a
tough game next week against Washington State, so we just have to
keep our head on a swivel and do what we need to do to win next
week.”