FLASH SLIDESHOW
See more photos from UCLA Football’s match with the Oregon
Ducks.
EUGENE, Ore. “”mdash; Add brutal honesty to the list of
intangibles that DeWayne Walker has brought to the UCLA coaching
staff.
Walker, in his first year as UCLA’s defensive coordinator,
is known for his candor as well as his diligent scheming. But those
traits collided in Autzen Stadium on Saturday.
Following Oregon’s 30-20 win over UCLA, Walker answered
questions outside the visitor locker room regarding his
unit’s leaky performance. He took responsibility for
Oregon’s fast start ““ three touchdowns in its first
three possessions ““ which put UCLA in a 20-3 hole before the
start of the second quarter.
Five games into his new job, Walker’s defense hadn’t
allowed any team to eclipse 300 yards of total offense and had
boasted the title of No. 2 defense in the country ““ unlikely
accomplishments for a unit that had allowed 232.8 rushing yards per
game the previous season.
But that solid defense disappeared on Saturday, and what
reemerged were the images of missed tackles and blown coverages
tattooed all over the tenure of Walker’s predecessor, Larry
Kerr.
While the Bruins failed to execute, Oregon coach Mike Belotti
implemented a game plan that made the UCLA defense ineffective,
Walker said.
“In that first quarter (Belotti) had me on my heels a
little bit,” Walker said. “We made some adjustments and
I thought we slowed them down. But I’m not going to lie; he
had me on my heels. He’s a good football coach.”
On Oregon’s first possession, wide receiver Brian
Paysinger was in the slot and was matched up against UCLA
linebacker Kyle Bosworth, who started in place of Christian Taylor.
Paysinger ran past Bosworth, and caught a 39-yard pass to the UCLA
22-yard line.
It was a mismatch that left Walker accountable.
“I’m going to take responsibility on that,”
admitted Walker. “(Bosworth) was just outmatched. I was
pissed at myself more than at (him).”
Taylor, initially hindered by a sprained left ankle, replaced
Bosworth after Oregon’s first touchdown.
Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon efficiently operated a hybrid
spread offense. The Ducks ran several options, play action bootlegs
and quarterback draws that took advantage of Dixon’s
speed.
Dixon completed 10 of 17 passes for a total of 144 yards and two
touchdowns, while rushing for 77 yards on 11 attempts.
The only two quarterbacks who have had any success against the
UCLA defense thus far are Dixon and Washington’s Isaiah
Stanback, both dual threats as dangerous with their feet as with
their arms.
Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart, a big, bruising running back,
shed several tackles with his “north-south” style. He
ran for 127 yards for a 6.0-yard average, leading a rushing attack
that totaled 276 yards on the ground.
UCLA came into the game giving up just under 60 yards per
game.
Walker felt Saturday’s numbers were the result of an
Oregon offensive line that used its superior size and strength to
push the UCLA front seven around. Walker initially tried to blitz
his linebackers in hopes of penetrating the rushing lanes and
dropping the secondary into zone. When that backfired in the first
quarter, Walker used more man-to-man coverage.
“I just felt like those guys were big and our guys
couldn’t go toe-to-toe with them,” Walker said.
“I had to give our guys a chance and try to bring pressure
and some penetration. I thought once we made that adjustment the
game changed a little bit for us. I wish I did that in the first
quarter,” Walker said.
But for Walker, the biggest problem for UCLA was its array of
missed tackles.
“That’s a big offense,” he said. “That
running back (Stewart) ““ he’s an NFL player right
now.
“They did a good job controlling the line of scrimmage and
we missed way too many tackles,” Walker said.