Speed is the name of the game – at least in UCLA’s case, and most definitely, lately.
The Bruin offense wants to go faster. Better yet, as fast as possible.
Why?
“When we go fast, there’s not a lot of teams that can stop us. … We really (start) to blow teams out of the water,” said sophomore right tackle Caleb Benenoch.
It’s a shared belief among the team: Faster is better. So practice tempo has been set to rapid-fire.
Since Monday, the Bruins’ practice play clock has been chopped clean in half – from 40 seconds to 20 seconds.
And because, as Benenoch pointed out, most of the time the Bruins practice without referees, they can just play. Snap the ball. Play. Put the ball down. Snap it. Play. Put the ball down. Snap it, and so on.
“When you go at that speed, you get used to operating in chaos,” Benenoch said.
As for conditioning to play that fast, junior defensive tackle Ellis McCarthy said the Bruins don’t do much of it. They don’t need to. They play their way into shape.
With that logic, it seems the first day of the new, shortened play clock went exactly as planned.
“That first day … we were all just absolutely exhausted. It was a real changeup for us,” Benenoch said.
Three practices later, though, Benenoch believes the team is adjusting well, getting more and more comfortable running at that speed. And he’s excited for it.
After all, in time, the changeup will be worth it.
The way Benenoch sees it, is if UCLA goes faster in practice than in games, come game time, it’ll feel slower, and easier.
Or as coach Jim Mora put it, you “train your body, (and) train your mind” at the tempo you’d like them to work.
The man behind the whole operation is redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley under center.
“We’ll go as fast as he goes,” said offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone.
To Mazzone, Hundley is going fast – the fastest Mazzone’s seen from him.
If anything, Mazzone thinks he slows down Hundley sometimes.
When Hundley turns to the sideline, and Mazzone doesn’t have the play call for him, Hundley takes it upon himself – going into the huddle, and calling his own play.
So the whole “push the tempo” bit is no joke to Hundley.
In one instance during fall camp, he lined up behind his offense, ready to snap the ball. Then he realized his right guard was absent.
Freshman offensive lineman Najee Toran stood on the sidelines, looking gassed with his hands on his hips.
Clearly infuriated, Hundley yelled across the field, “Come on man, we ain’t got time for that.”
But so far, at least to Mazzone, it seems the Bruins look up to speed.
“The tempo right now is probably the best since I’ve been here,” he said.