SAN ANTONIO — In the wake of UCLA’s 40-35 victory over Kansas State in the Alamo Bowl it may seem odd to feel all that positive about the Bruins’ defense.
The unit surrendered 29 second-half points and 369 yards of total offense, and nearly squandered the Bruins’ 31-6 halftime lead in the process.
Wildcat senior wide receiver Tyler Lockett hauled in 13 receptions for 164 yards and two scores and at times seemed unstoppable.
And UCLA should feel just that, despite an inconsistent two halves.
One part Jekyll, another part Hyde. Both buoyed by maturity and veteran leadership, yet hindered by immaturity and inexperience.
The unit was, as it has been all season, led by Eric Kendricks, who delivered a thoroughly vintage performance.
The redshirt senior linebacker earned defensive MVP honors for totaling his usual 10 tackles to go with two sacks in an impressive and fitting end to his UCLA career.
“It’s pretty cool to end my Bruin career on the podium like that,” Kendricks said. “I mean, obviously a dream come true. I put the work in this week in practice with my teammates. We all did, and that’s why we won.”
Fellow redshirt seniors, safety Anthony Jefferson and defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa, similarly had strong ends to their time in blue and gold.
Jefferson moved around throughout the game, playing deep in coverage and in the box, while his seven tackles helped stifle a WIldcats’ ground game that mustered 31 rushing yards on 32 carries.
Odighizuwa was extremely active as well as he played all over the defensive line and wreaked havoc in doing so, finishing with a sack and two pass breakups.
But as much as this game was a crowning achievement for three players vital to UCLA’s defense in 2014, it was also a reminder that the Bruins might be better even without them in 2015 and that they have a long way to go to get there.
There were the obvious blights. Sophomore cornerback Priest Willis committed a critical personal foul call that nullified his interception of Kansas State’s quarterback Jake Waters that would have all but ended the game. He was beat badly by Lockett later on the drive for a 29-yard touchdown pass that brought the Wildcats within five points.
In all, the UCLA defense was flagged for seven of the team’s 15 penalties, including four on one Kansas State drive alone.
“They started to pile up on us. We got a little emotional, it got tense,” said coach Jim Mora. “Some of those penalties were by some young guys. They’re going to learn from those things, they’re going to relax in those situations and just execute.”
Heading into an offseason in which the team loses not only a starter, but a veteran leader at every level of its defense, that certainly is the hope.
If Friday night was any indication, UCLA is in good hands.
In his 13th game as UCLA’s defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich was as creative and aggressive as he was all season. Ulbrich consistently dialed up pressure on Waters, whom the Bruins sacked a season-high seven times to go with four quarterback hurries.
“We went up against an offensive line that hadn’t given up a lot of pressure, that’s a byproduct of them having a good offensive line and a quarterback that’s pretty elusive,” Ulbrich said. “We committed to that pretty early on – we were going to force the issue and get after it a little bit. And it worked pretty good, we got home quite a few times.”
No one more often than Deon Hollins, who proved himself a revelation Friday night in the Alamodome. The sophomore linebacker routinely beat his man off the ball and harassed Waters all night, collecting a career-high three sacks thanks in large part to a devastating first step off of the line.
And after a relatively quiet sophomore campaign, linebacker Myles Jack was electric Friday, totaling eight tackles – two of them for loss – and a 41-yard interception return in the second quarter that turned the tide of the game decidedly in UCLA’s favor, while asserting his place as Kendrick’s heir apparent to lead UCLA next season.
Jack will hardly be alone though. There is Hollins, as well as fellow sophomore standouts, defensive lineman Kenny Clark and Eddie Vanderdoes, both of whom were stout Friday.
Meanwhile, Jefferson will likely be replaced by junior safety Randall Goforth, who was a starter before being lost for the season due to a shoulder injury.
There’s plenty of talent still on UCLA’s roster, and with that an equal share of hope. Adding to that is a possible tantalizing recruiting class with a number of top defensive prospects considering the Bruins. But that is all conjecture better left for the months ahead.
Friday, for the final time, was still all about the here and now.
“I just mostly wanted the seniors to go out with a bang,” Hollins said. “Those guys, Owa, Brett (Hundley), EK, those guys deserve it. They absolutely deserve it, I just wanted those guys to go out with a bang.”
In leaving Waters and Kansas State black, blue and beaten, the Bruins did just that.