PASADENA — The entire crowd knew it was coming.
With UCLA facing a third-and-goal on the 2-yard line and linebacker Myles Jack in the backfield, thousands of fans got on their feet in nervous anticipation of what the freshman’s 12th carry of the game would bring.
The result was a ferocious 2-yard touchdown run, Jack’s fourth of the game. The No. 13 Bruins rode on the bruising shoulders of their not-so-secret weapon for the second straight week, defeating the Washington Huskies 41-31 at the Rose Bowl for the eighth consecutive time.
With Jack in the game and defensive players-turned-blockers like senior defensive ends Cassius Marsh and Keenan Graham, senior inside linebacker Jordan Zumwalt and redshirt junior lineman Brandon Willis, the recent trend has been power runs up the middle. So far, it has frustrated and beaten opposing defenses time after time.
“I don’t know if it’s the defensive guys on the other side, I think it’s just the fact that we have a bunch of big guys in there and they know that we’re probably going to run,” Marsh said. “If we do run, they still really can’t stop it because Myles is such a talented kid. They do look frustrated when we’re out there.”
Improving on the 120-yard, one-touchdown game against Arizona that put him on the map last Saturday, Jack is already in good company. On Friday night, he became just the 13th player in UCLA history to rush for four or more touchdowns in a single game, the first since now-Jacksonville Jaguar Maurice Jones-Drew in 2004.
Within the UCLA offense, Myles Jack hasn’t so much carved his role, but sledgehammered it. Lingering injuries to running backs like redshirt junior Jordon James, redshirt senior Damien Thigpen and redshirt sophomore Steven Manfro have transformed the freshman from a change-of-pace option to a must-have puzzle piece in a matter of two games.
“I think it was less about Washington’s defense and more about Myles and us needing a running back,” said coach Jim Mora about using Jack on offense. “You can see how hard he runs. He gets the extra yards.”
He got more than a few extra yards in the first quarter against Washington (6-4, 3-4 Pac-12) when he fumbled on a third-down carry in the first quarter. The result of Jack’s only true blunder of the game: a 25-yard gain thanks to a downfield recovery by Willis.
Perhaps it was just a case of there being no rest for UCLA’s weariest player, who added five total tackles and a pass breakup in a fully loaded defensive effort to his 59 rushing yards. But he said he wouldn’t have his workload any other way.
“Third-and-1, I either go back on the field and go play … or I get a shot of water,” Jack said. “It’s not that hard of a decision. I’ll go ahead and get the first down and go sit back down.”
Three weeks after the Bruins combined to post just 24 points in two consecutive losses to Stanford and Oregon, they’ve found a spark. In Jack, the Bruins admit they have something that makes them unpredictable to opposing defenses and, on the whole, more excited.
“I think a good, physical running back ignites a whole football team,” said offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone. “It’s a blast.”
UCLA (8-2, 5-2) will look to continue its fun next Saturday against an Arizona State team that likewise has Pac-12 title game aspirations. Over the last few games of the regular season, it appears as though Jack’s teammates have even higher hopes for the freshman.
“That kid is special, man,” Marsh said. “Honestly, and this is a big claim, but I think overall he’s the best player in the country.”