TUCSON, Ariz. — Eric Kendricks refused to be beaten.
Early on in UCLA’s 31-26 win over Arizona, the redshirt junior inside linebacker was everywhere at once, keeping his head on a swivel to the tune of eight first-half tackles.
With Arizona in UCLA territory on the Wildcats’ first drive of the game, Kendricks stopped senior running back Daniel Jenkins five yards shy of a first down, forcing Arizona to settle for a 44-yard field goal.
The Wildcats stalked even deeper into Bruin territory on their next drive, moving within striking distance – on the UCLA 15-yard line – and threatening to once again reclaim the lead. All they needed was a fourth-and-one conversion from Pac-12 leading rusher Ka’Deem Carey. But Kendricks plugged Carey’s only available hole, forcing him back a yard to yield a turnover on downs, setting the table for an 84-yard touchdown drive for UCLA’s offense.
“To be honest with you, I filled the hole; I hit him and started driving my feet and my teammates came to help me, which is excellent,” Kendricks said of the play. “I don’t know if I would have needed the help, but it was sure nice.”
And when Arizona senior quarterback B.J. Denker thought he had senior wide receiver Terrence Miller over the middle for a long third-down conversion on the Wildcats’ next offensive possession, Kendricks quickly erased that thought by running stride-for-stride with Miller, leaping with deadly precision to knock the ball away and force yet another fourth down.
Kendricks even left for a few plays in the third quarter after taking a hit and getting up slowly, but fought to return in spurts, notching a game-high 13 tackles.
Coach Jim Mora said last week that Kendricks was visibly upset about having to come out of the Stanford game due to kidney tissue bruising. Against Arizona, the captain said he once again was dismayed at being momentarily relegated to the sideline.
“When I go out, I feel like my teammates are looking down on me,” Kendricks said. “I don’t want to ever feel that way again. I want to be there for my teammates as much as possible. If I can do that, I’ll be happy.”
His experience reflected that of the UCLA defense – the Bruins were battered, bruised and knocked down often on Saturday, but they never quit.
They gave up two critical receiving touchdowns to Arizona freshman slot receiver Nate Phillips in a three-minute span in the fourth quarter.
The defense also allowed Carey, one of the highest yardage-grossing running backs in the nation, to run over, through and past them for 91 yards in the second half.
“He’s the truth,” said freshman linebacker Myles Jack of Carey. “He’s everything they say he is. I had to hit him and I think I felt more of it than he did.”
But, like Kendricks from the sideline, the Bruins emerged from the punches and finished tough. They buckled down when in mattered most – during two Arizona drives toward the end of the fourth quarter in which the Wildcats had the opportunity to take the lead.
With the crowd on its feet and the momentum with the home team, the defense did its job. A punt ended the Wildcats’ drive and an interception by sophomore cornerback Ishmael Adams effectively iced the Bruins’ victory with 1:57 to play.
“Before we went out, we all looked each other in the eyes and we realized that we needed to get a stop,” Kendricks said. “We weren’t going to be stopped.”
UCLA’s secondary has been picked apart and criticized all season for its inexperience. On Saturday, this same group played a major role in securing UCLA’s second consecutive win.
“They really believe in what they’re doing,” Mora said. “They really believe in each other. I think there were questions early in the year about our secondary, and I think those guys have really risen to the challenge.”