At the snap, he engages the blocker head-on and hopefully pushes a yard or two into the backfield. If he leans to peak around his man, Rodgers might fly past on the other side. So he must wait and rely on peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of the tailback flashing by to the left or right.
"It happens so quickly," Harwell said. "Off the ball. One-two. When he commits, you try to rip off the block and make the tackle."
While the line constricts the gaps, the linebackers flow to their spots every bit as cautiously.
"You never like sitting and waiting because that's how you get blocked," Carter said. "But you've got to wait for him to pop out of the backfield."
At which point there remains one more task on the to-do list: Wrestling the Oregon State runner to the ground.
Squat and strong-legged, Rodgers is not the type of back who goes down on contact, Walker said. He reminds players of former UCLA star Maurice Jones-Drew and his size can make him tough to manage.
"Guys think he's down when he's not," Carter said. "You've got to play till the whistle's blown."
Pac-10 statistics suggest that UCLA will have all it can handle. The Beavers rush for a healthy 165 yards a game and the Bruins rank eighth in rush defense. But Oregon State Coach Mike Riley isn't discounting the UCLA defensive line.
"They've got explosiveness, strength, they get a lot of penetration," Riley said. "They have caused people some problems in there."
Besides, with an offense struggling to generate much spark, the Bruins have little choice but to hope for a tight defensive battle.
And that means playing a waiting game against Rodgers.
"We've got to be careful," Walker said. "We've got to be patient."
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david.wharton@latimes.com
