On the third defensive drive of UCLA’s season, the coaching staff decided to sub out all four starting linebackers.
It could have been interpreted as the coaches sending a message to a group that had allowed a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive to start the game.
It wasn’t.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley and linebackers coach Scott White had actually discussed that substitution tactic before the game against Virginia even started.
“Scotty White had talked about doing it,” Bradley said. “He wanted to get the other guys in the game, get them some experience, get them some work – which they did.”
That strategy carried over into the second game of the season against UNLV. Junior linebacker Cameron Judge got his first career start at outside linebacker, and fellow second-string juniors Jayon Brown and Isaako Savaiinaea each saw extended reps with the first-team defense – something they really didn’t see at all last year.
“We’re trying to develop a rotation so we’ve got depth,” Bradley said. “And (so the starters are) fresh at the end of the game when they need ’em.”
Nearly three weeks after this linebacker-rotation plan was first implemented, the Bruins have already started to see the benefits. Last week against then-No. 19 BYU, Savaiinaea stepped in for starting inside linebacker Kenny Young after the sophomore was ejected, and didn’t have much of a learning curve.
“He came in and didn’t miss a beat,” said junior weakside linebacker Deon Hollins, one of UCLA’s four starting linebackers.
Savaiinaea played like a starter, finishing with a career-high 14 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Brown also saw another uptick in reps against BYU, finishing with a career-high nine tackles himself.
“(The rotation is) helping a lot,” Brown said after the game. “I’m getting more game experience, getting more used to actually being out there on the field with the defense.”
Now, with junior linebacker Myles Jack – one of the team’s most integral players – out for the year with a torn meniscus, the UCLA linebacker rotation will prove to be as key as ever.
“(In) the first three weeks, you guys have seen a lot of Jayon and a lot more of Cameron – so those guys have played now,” said coach Jim Mora on Thursday. “It’s not like they’re just going to go in and get their first action.”
Mora said Brown, Savaiinaea and Judge will each see extended reps in Jack’s absence this Saturday at No. 16 Arizona (3-0). The only question is how those three will hold up over the long haul after being elevated from platoon roles.
“There’s no fear in them, I can tell you that,” Mora said. “They’ve got fight in them, and you’re gonna see that.”