Defensive coordinator Larry Kerr doesn’t want to admit it,
but he’s thought about it before.
In fact almost everyone associated with the UCLA football team
has thought about it at least once, even if it was nothing more
than a fleeting thought: the possibility of “what
if?”
What if the Bruins had last year’s defense coupled with
this year’s offense? If it were even possible, the UCLA
football team would surely be better than it is now, and
Kerr’s job would be much easier.
“I’m sure that’s crossed my mind,” Kerr
said. “If we had those two together, we would be an awfully
tough team.”
Last season, Kerr coached one of the best defenses in the
country, a unit ranking second in the Pac-10 and 18th in the
nation. But that success came at a cost since five starters from
last year’s defense now play in the NFL, leaving big shoes to
fill.
One could only imagine the possibilities of those players
combined with this year’s much improved offense.
The harsh reality is that the Bruins’ defense is a far cry
from what it was last year. The same players who helped carry the
load for the 2003 season are long gone, and now Kerr, for all
intensive purposes, has had to start over.
“The struggle from last year was that we couldn’t
play a lot of young guys from last year because the defense carried
the team and the offense was struggling,” Kerr said.
“We couldn’t really develop any of the young
players.
“We came into this year and it was like starting
over.”
The Bruins’ defensive woes have been well documented this
year. Loaded with young, inexperienced players, and dealing with
several major injuries, UCLA now ranks near the bottom of almost
every defensive statistic in the conference. Out of 117 Division I
schools, the Bruins rank 111th in rushing defense (237.3 yards per
game), 66th in passing defense (214.6 yards), and 108th in total
defense (451.9 yards).
Most of the struggles have originated from the defensive line,
where tackle C.J. Niusulu was the only returning player with any
game experience.
Thus, because of the young make-up of the Bruins, who have
played six true freshmen and nine redshirt freshmen this year, Kerr
has had to alter his coaching style.
“I’ve had to adapt to who I’m coaching in
order to get it done,” Kerr said. “It’s like when
my kids are five and then 20, they’re different, you
know?”
“When you have an older, mature group, sometimes you
don’t have to push them as hard. You don’t have to hold
their hand, you don’t have to be as intense with
them.”
Several veteran players have also noticed subtle changes in
Kerr’s coaching style, but understand the changes are
warranted.
“He’s a little more intense on the sidelines,”
junior linebacker Spencer Havner said. “He tends to go after
people a little bit more than last year. Last year, we knew what we
had to do and what we had to take care of. This year, we have a lot
of young guys, so it’s different.”
In only his second year at UCLA, players agree that Kerr has
made a significant impact after taking over for former Bruin
defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Kerr was one of several new
coaches who came to Westwood after head coach Karl Dorrell took
over the program in 2003.
“Coach Kerr is a great teacher,” linebacker Justin
London said. “He’s someone I respect a great deal.
He’s the type of coach you can rely on. He’s not going
to give you a bunch of garbage talk for no reason.”
Snow had only been at UCLA for two years before the coaching
change took place. Consequently, Kerr’s hire means that the
redshirt senior players have had three different defensive
coordinators.
Fortunately, the set of defensive schemes Kerr brought with him
emphasized simplicity, making the adjustment easier on the
players.
“The biggest challenge last year was to take a group who
had several different defenses throughout their careers and reteach
them another,” Kerr said. “Our whole job last year was
to get those guys to buy into what we did. And they did and
that’s why we had great success.”
Although the system has remained the same in Kerr’s second
season, results have been different.
Kerr’s new challenge is to remain tolerant of his young
players’ mistakes and be patient until they develop into the
players he believes they can become.
“Sometimes I’ve gone overboard and done too much to
help them and set them back,” he said. “You have to be
careful and fortunately I saw that early and pulled back on some
things. I think bringing these guys along at that right time is
important.”
But as the growing pains intensify with each game, the question
emerges of when the defense will find its niche.
“I really feel like this year’s group was where last
year’s offense was to some extent,” Kerr said.
“If we can make the step through the end of this year, we
could be very good.”
As UCLA progresses into the final stage of its season, Kerr
understands the last four games will be a bumpy ride. Still,
he’s glad that some of last season’s pressure is gone
now.
“Fortunately our offense is so good, that it has allowed
the defense to not carry the burden,” Kerr said.
“If we were carrying the burden, we would be in deep
trouble right now. That’s honest.”