One week ago Saturday the sky was falling. Nationally derided
Washington handled UCLA 29-19 in Seattle, and UCLA’s offense
looked anemic enough that the 10-point margin would have seemed
insurmountable at any point, let alone in the fourth quarter.
Everyone pointed to the red-zone offensive play-calling as the
reason for the loss.
With one week to prepare for Stanford’s offense, defensive
coordinator DeWayne Walker wanted to prove one thing ““
everyone was wrong. Every time a team gets a shutout, it wins. A
lack of killer instinct on the defensive end was the culprit for
the loss, Walker thought.
Rarely missing a tackle or an opportunity to grab a turnover,
the UCLA defense met Walker’s hopes and expectations on
Saturday, defeating Stanford 31-0 at the Rose Bowl. Entering the
game, the Bruin defenders were fired up to make up for the
defensive lapses in the second half of the Huskies game. Practicing
this week, the Bruins were told they needed to put together two
solid halves.
On The Field, In the Locker RoomListen
to coaches and players about their thoughts on Saturday’s win over
Stanford. All links are in downloadable MP3 format.
Defensive end Justin Hickman talks about the Bruins’ mindset going
into Saturday’s game.
Offensive coordinator Jim Sboboda talks about the setbacks in the
first half and the following successes.
Tight-end Logan Paulson discusses the Bruins’ next opponent,
Arizona.
Karl Dorrell speaks about the team’s performance during a press
conference. Also, see a
DBTV feature from Saturday’s game.
“Right after the Washington game, I wasn’t really
happy with our play,” cornerback Rodney Van said. “In
practice this week, coach Walker told us that our first half last
week was great, but we couldn’t have played with anyone in
the second half.”
Ending the scoring on Saturday with a fumble return by defensive
lineman Kenneth Lombard for a touchdown seems to be the proper
final note for a defense that was beyond dominant in its first
shutout since the 2004 season ““ also against Stanford. Van,
who was the goat last week after missing two key tackles, had a
feeling toward the end that Stanford wasn’t going to be
scoring.
“Every time you play a team, my coach used to say,
you’re supposed to think 90-10,” Van said.
“Ninety percent you know they’re not going to score and
10 percent you know they’re a team with Division 1 athletes
and that they are probably going to score.
“By the end of the third quarter, I was at 100 percent to
zero.”
That confidence probably had something to do with the overall
dominance of the Bruins up to that point. At the end of the third
quarter, UCLA had allowed just 156 yards. After Van made the
conclusion the Cardinal were not going to score, Stanford gained
just 10 yards in the fourth.
“(Coach Walker) told us to get better as the game goes
on,” Van said. “And that’s what we went out there
and did. We got the job done and it was beautiful, as you can see
““ 31-0.”
The Bruins created five turnovers in the game, all credited to
Stanford’s Trent Edwards, who had a nightmarish day with
three interceptions and two fumbles. The Bruins got to him
constantly, throwing blitzes and stunts at him that the Cardinal
never solved.
“We kept them off balance,” said defensive end
Justin Hickman, who had 1.5 sacks on the day and two tackles for a
loss. “Straight rush, two man stunts, three man stunts. We
were just hitting it.”
Even when the game was 7-0 at the end of the first half and the
UCLA offense had still not shown up to the Rose Bowl, it had the
feeling of a blowout. UCLA limited Stanford to 69 yards in the half
and the Cardinal never appeared to be in any position to take a
shot at the end zone.
The Bruins scored as many touchdowns (two) on special teams and
defense as they did on offense. Their first and only touchdown of
the first half came on a blocked punt on the Cardinal 12-yard line
after Stanford’s first possession ““ and three-and-out
““ of the game. Wide receiver Gavin Ketchum blocked the punt
and linebacker Eric McNeal recovered it and took it into the
endzone for a touchdown.
Late in the fourth quarter, with UCLA leading 24-0, Edwards was
sacked on his five-yard line by Hickman and safety Dennis Keyes.
After getting hit, the ball slipped out of his hands to be scooped
up Lombard, who took it in for the score.
Even one of the offensive touchdowns was the direct result of a
Bruin defensive play. In the fourth quarter and up by 17, safety
Chris Horton picked off an Edwards pass at the Stanford 40-yard
line. It put quarterback Ben Olson and the offense in fine field
position to record their second touchdown of the game.
“We give the offense a lot of confidence,” Keyes
said. “The offense knows they don’t have to force
plays. They know we can stop the opponent and eventually things
will come along for them.”
The question is whether the offense realizes that. Olson forced
two throws that were picked off in the red zone during the game and
generally looked as if he was pressing to make perfect throws.
Still, the defense is not feeling any pressure to perform due to
the offensive woes.
“Some games they’re going to have to pick us
up,” said cornerback Trey Brown, who had an interception and
sack on the day. “Some days, like today, we’re going to
pick them up. I have confidence in our offense.”