If anyone needed proof of how far UCLA’s defense has come,
look no further than Saturday’s performance against USC. This
was not the same defense that allowed 426 yards rushing in the
season opener against Oklahoma State. It was not the same defense
that Arizona State quarterback Andrew Walter torched for 415 yards
and six touchdowns. Instead, this was a defense that contained, and
sometimes outplayed, the No. 1 team in the country.
“It’s satisfying to us that we showed everybody
else,” safety Jarrad Page said. “Inside our team we
already knew. It’s just the attitude we’ve had all
year. We knew we could play with anybody.” On Saturday, USC
quarterback Matt Leinart didn’t throw a touchdown pass
““ the first time that has happened in his career. The UCLA
defensive line was able to get consistent pressure on Leinart,
recording three sacks. The unit also didn’t allow the Trojans
to score a touchdown in the second half. “That’s the
best team we’ve played,” defensive coordinator Larry
Kerr said. “They’re a heck of an offense, and our guys
competed with them.” Defensive tackle Kevin Brown recorded
two sacks Saturday, and without Reggie Bush’s two big runs,
the vaunted Trojan offense was held pretty much in check.
“They’ve come a long way,” defensive line coach
Don Johnson said of his defensive unit. “They’re going
to be a great bunch of players.” Though many felt that USC
would have great success running the ball against the Bruins, and
that Leinart would be able to pick apart the secondary after the
running game had established itself, neither actually materialized.
Kerr said his team put a large emphasis on forcing turnovers, and
that’s what made the plays that appeared to result in Trojan
fumbles, but were blown dead, so frustrating. “There were a
couple of really questionable calls,” Kerr said. “In
fact, they’re not questionable ““ outright bad calls.
That takes a bunch of points off the board for them and puts some
points on for us.” Though the Bruins had nothing to be
ashamed of, they still had a sense of regret. “We knew how we
could play as a defense, and it’s too bad that we waited
toward the end of the season to show how we could play,”
cornerback Matt Clark said.
TRULY SPECIAL TEAMS: UCLA made some huge plays
on special teams on Saturday, none bigger than senior receiver
Craig Bragg’s 96-yard punt return early in the second
quarter. USC punter Tom Malone outkicked his team’s coverage,
Bragg took it near his own goal line, beat several Trojans and was
off to the races for the longest punt return in school history.
Ninety-six yards later, the Bruins were right back in the game.
“I just ran back there and caught it, and the guys did an
awesome job of blocking,” said Bragg, who moved to second on
UCLA’s career list in all-purpose yards. “That’s
the first punt return I’ve ran back untouched.” UCLA
safety Chris Horton blocked his second punt of the season in the
second quarter, and the Bruins also successfully ran a fake punt,
as linebacker Wesley Walker took a short snap and charged up the
middle for a first down as time was running down in the first
quarter.
SENIOR SALUTE: Fourteen seniors will finish
their UCLA careers without a victory over USC, and it stings.
“It hurts, especially against your rival,” receiver Tab
Perry said. “Our last game, our senior game. We have to take
it and keep going.” Though this game was much more
competitive than the previous three years, it’s a loss all
the same. “For us to play like that against the No. 1 team, I
thought we should have won, and I thought we were in a good
position to pull it off,” Clark said. “At the same
time, I’m kind of sad that I finished my career without
beating USC.”
VEGAS, BABY: Because Texas, not Cal, will play
in the Rose Bowl, UCLA is headed to Las Vegas for the Pioneer
PureVision Las Vegas Bowl, where the Bruins will face Wyoming on
Dec. 23. UCLA defeated New Mexico in the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl. The
game will be played at UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium at 6:45 p.m.,
and it will be televised by ESPN. “We are happy to be
participating in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl,”
coach Karl Dorrell said. “It’s my understanding that
the players enjoyed their experience in 2002 and we are looking
forward to the trip and the contest against Wyoming.”