When a defense is at its best, the field appears tiny to the
opposition.
The opposing offense has no room to operate, and ball-carriers
are never more than a step away from being swarmed by multiple
defenders.
For the most part this year though, the field has seemed pretty
wide open for UCLA’s opponents.
Running backs have found holes at will and cutbacks have
produced an open sea of green turf.
But the Bruin defense is starting to show signs of improvement.
In the San Diego State game Saturday, the Bruins reduced the errors
that once allowed offenses ample breathing room.
“Guys have overrun the football, so we’ve really
worked on them understanding their cutback responsibilities,”
defensive coordinator Larry Kerr said. “That’s where we
get the big plays in the running game is cutbacks.”
With a very young defensive line, it takes a while for the unit
to understand the necessary patience required to not immediately
chase the ball, but rather staying at home and containing.
And naturally with youth, the learning curve has been steep, and
execution has improved continually.
“Our last four games, (the defense) improved week after
week,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “But (the SDSU game) is
the first game where the mistakes were cut down
tremendously.”
“We executed the defense better,” Kerr said.
“We trimmed the plan down a little bit to make it so we could
be more successful, and I think it really showed.”
What stood out most during the San Diego State game was when the
Bruins stifled the Aztecs in important late-down situations,
holding them to just 5 for 17 on third downs and 0 for 3 on fourth
downs.
Of course, the Aztecs are certainly not a high caliber offense,
and it was still far from a dominating performance. So, it would be
rash to draw any strong conclusions from that game alone. But any
positive play receives extra notice due to the Bruins’
massive breakdowns during their first three games.
“We didn’t make as many mistakes, and that’s
the biggest issue,” Dorrell said. “We cut down on the
mistakes probably 70 percent from what it’s been in the
past.”
While the defense has struggled as a whole, the linebackers have
been an exception, turning in consistent plays and collecting a
majority of the tackles. However, it has taken both the secondary
and the defensive line more time to bring their play up to that
level.
But what excites Kerr is that the defense appears to be
functioning better as a whole.
“I like to look at an entire unit working together,
that’s really how a team succeeds,” Kerr said.
“Obviously there’s individuals that will continue to
improve. But that’s what I’m really proud of. As a unit
we’ve continued to get better.”
Now that the defense has eliminated a lot of its early mistakes,
it can work towards reducing the remaining 30 percent of the errors
that Dorrell saw.
“I would like to see us play a little bit tougher against
the run, especially first downs,” Kerr said.
“We’ve made some strides, but we have to continue to be
a good first down football team. We’ve been playing well on
third downs, but first down we have to improve, especially against
the run.”