The UCLA defense knows that, to be a consistent, dominant unit, it must stop the run.
That’s how the Bruins plan to dictate the pace of play, week in and week out. It’s a philosophy that isn’t likely to change, even on Saturdays when the Bruins face a team like Notre Dame that has demonstrated virtually no ability to run the football.
“We’ve got to stop the run,” senior linebacker Christian Taylor said. “That’s first and foremost. That’s just what we do.”
It could be because of the memories of last year’s loss to Notre Dame or the sting from this year’s disaster against Utah. No matter the reason, it’s clear that the defense isn’t looking past a struggling Irish team.
“Our team knows not to underestimate anyone,” Taylor said. “We’re never going to do that again. Notre Dame has a competitive football team. And I think they’re better than Utah.”
One of Taylor’s fellow linebackers, redshirt sophomore Reggie Carter, expressed a similar sentiment when asked about facing a weak Notre Dame offense.
“We thought Utah wasn’t that good either, and see how that came out?” Carter said.
The heart of the problem for Charlie Weis’ offense may be its offensive line. Notre Dame has allowed 29 sacks already this season and has been outmuscled on the line of scrimmage in five blowout losses.
The combination of the porous offensive line and the team’s quarterback issues has produced an ugly result. Notre Dame is averaging only 9.2 points per game and has just two rushing touchdowns this season.
Still, the Bruins refuse to take their opponent lightly.
“People may think that their offense isn’t good, but they have the ability to be great,” Carter said. “And since they’re 0-5, they have nothing to lose. They can just throw out the entire playbook and try something new.
“That’s a lesson we took from the Utah game.”
Notre Dame will feature sophomore James Aldridge as its starting running back. Aldridge, a native of Crown Point, Ind., has averaged 4.5 yards per carry this year. But the quarterback who will be handing him the ball remains a mystery.
Freshman starter Jimmy Clausen suffered a hip pointer injury in his last game against Purdue. Junior Evan Sharpley relieved Clausen, throwing for two touchdowns in the 33-19 loss, but Weis has yet to name a starter for Saturday’s game.
The Bruins hope to rattle the inexperienced Clausen, who will be playing just miles away from his hometown of Thousand Oaks.
“We want to make (Clausen) as uncomfortable as possible,” Carter said. “He’s a good player, but I’m sure he hasn’t fully grasped the concepts of college football yet. And I’m sure that he will be nervous.”
CARTER STEPS UP: Carter, a Los Angeles native, has had a great year so far at weak-side linebacker for the Bruins.
Taylor said that thus far Carter and cornerback Trey Brown have been the defense’s top two players.
Carter leads all UCLA linebackers with 27 tackles. He also has four tackles for loss. Against Oregon State, he forced a key fumble while sacking Beaver quarterback Sean Canfield.
“I’m getting a better grasp for this defense and a better feel for football,” Carter said. “I’m starting to react to things a little faster.”
Carter played in every game for the Bruins last year as a redshirt freshman. He was named a freshman All-American and recorded 46 tackles.
This season, Carter has emerged as a leader on a veteran defense.
“Reggie has been playing great,” Taylor said. “He always had the talent, but now he’s learning the defense and playing within our scheme.”