As freshman Myles Jack produced a two-way performance on Saturday unlike anything in recent UCLA memory, fellow linebacker Anthony Barr submitted a game that the stat boxes will never remember.
The senior pass-rushing maestro failed to record a tackle for the first time in his college career. Passes broken up or penalties accrued for Barr do not register either: His name is absent from the Pac-12 play-by-play sheet for UCLA’s 31-26 road victory over Arizona. But glimpses from the film room verify that Barr’s ability to affect the game remains intact.
“He was tackled about six times. He probably would have had about six sacks if (Arizona blockers) hadn’t had tackled him,” said coach Jim Mora. “It was a shame what they got away with.”
The Arizona game marked the second straight week in which Mora pointed to officiating playing a role in diminishing Barr’s performance. In a teleconference following the Colorado game, the coach gave a pass to Barr and other defensive players for accruing a handful of aggressive penalties, saying that clarity is lacking in the assessment of plays that happen so quickly. Barr finished the Colorado game with back-to-back 15-yard penalties, one for a personal foul and another for roughing the passer.
Defensive coordinator Lou Spanos expressed no concern over Barr’s on-paper performance and said that the former F-back was “highly productive.” Spanos said he believes that Barr affected the Arizona offense throughout the game, and that the linebacker did an “outstanding” job applying pressure on quarterback B.J. Denker, who is known for keeping plays alive. The Bruins kept Denker and the Wildcats’ passing game bottled up for a majority of the game, but gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to give Arizona a shot at winning the game on its last drive.
Spanos also credited Barr with being a force against the Wildcats’ running attack. Inspection of the play that ended Arizona’s first possession of the game reveals the kind of attention Barr demands from offenses.
With a 4th and 1, the Arizona Wildcats ran a lead blocker from the backfield to pave the way for running back Ka’Deem Carey. Barr muscled his way past a blocking receiver to get toward the inside of the line of scrimmage, and began to occupy the lead blocker. With Barr clearing two Wildcats on the play, sophomore safety Randall Goforth and redshirt junior inside linebacker Eric Kendricks converged on Carey for a tackle for a loss and forced a turnover on downs.
Saturday’s game also marked the second straight contest in which Barr did not record a tackle for a loss. At least a fraction of a backfield stop resulted from each of the former F-back’s 21 games prior to the Colorado game. Despite the two-week statistical slump, Barr still ranks third in the category within the Pac-12 through nine games, only off the top spot by one tackle.
Barr played much of the Arizona game as more of a defensive end, a position that Barr recognized does not lend itself well to posting up big numbers.
“Playing a (defensive line) spot, it’s harder to make plays. But we got the win,” he said.
A win this Friday against Washington may well involve a return to statistical splashes for Barr.
Spanos credited the Huskies with being a team that does not shy away from the vertical game, a fact that suggests a greater number of longer drop-backs from Washington than Arizona. Consequently, the Huskies may provide Barr more opportunities to return to his usual statistical impressiveness.
Why are you shocked? Arizona QB Denker is so mobile Barr could not catch him and KaDeem Carey ran through everybody else. UCLA won but not until the final 2 minutes. Don’t be so shocked that Barr didn’t do much.