There are many questions the Bruins will have to answer on
Saturday. But none may be more prominent than how does UCLA stop
Reggie Bush?
Bush, the Trojans’ sophomore tailback/receiver/punt
returner/kick returner, may be the most versatile player in college
football, and definitely is one of the most dangerous.
UCLA has allowed many tailbacks to have career days this season.
And considering what Bush has done in his career, anything close to
a career day for him would probably mean a long day for the
Bruins.
“He is a player that makes the critical play that sparks
the engine,” UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. “What you
try to do is contain him. Give him the 20-yard play, not the
80-yard touchdown.”
Twenty-yard plays wouldn’t seem to be the solution for any
problem, but that just highlights what a special predicament Bush
is.
Bush has touchdowns this season as a running back, receiver, and
punt returner ““ and he has even thrown one. He has scored 13
times in all, most of them replayed over and over on highlight
reels.
The elusive six-foot back’s specialty is turning nothing
into something.
“If the hole’s not there, he’s one of those
guys that will go in the other direction and outrun
everyone,” defensive coordinator Larry Kerr said.
“He’s just a tremendous athlete and a real threat every
time he touches the ball.”
So for the Bruins, part of the solution may be keeping the ball
from him, especially by not kicking to him on kickoffs and hanging
the ball in the air long enough on punts so that he has no
alternative but to make a fair catch.
“We’ll try and make sure we hang that ball in the
air and let our coverage get down there, that’s the biggest
thing, getting the ball up in the air,” special teams coach
Brian Schneider said. “He’s the best we’ve seen
as far as making people miss. There’s a lot of good ones out
there, but he has that extra little burst, extra little
sidestep.
“The biggest thing is a total team effort of containing
him, and guys running to the ball.”
Dorrell indicated that the Bruins won’t completely look to
keep it out of his hands.
“We will kick to him, and we won’t kick to
him,” Dorrell said. “We’ll mix it up.”
But on defense, stopping Bush becomes trickier. Although he can
usually be found in the backfield, the Trojans will often line him
up as a receiver to give defenses another problem to worry
about.
Still, despite the complexity of defending Bush, UCLA
doesn’t believe it is effective to exert too much energy
worrying about him.
“They try and get him in matchups one-on-one in the
passing game as well as the running game,” Kerr said.
“We’re not going to change our defense for one guy. As
good as he is, we’re going to have to find a way within our
scheme to defend him.”
And neither the Trojan offense nor even its running game is so
one-dimensional that Bush is the only concern.
“I feel like the best weapon they have on offense is
LenDale White,” junior safety Jarrad Page said.
“He’s going to be consistent running up the middle.
He’s going to have the most consistent game.
“(Bush) is a game breaker if you let him be, and you let
him get outside the containment.”
The Bruins will certainly be aware of Bush’s every move on
Saturday. And if they can contain him, then it will be a
breakthrough in the Reggie Bush enigma, which has haunted every
Trojan victim this year.