Bruins Defense

A month ago, UCLA's defense was powder-blue pylons that Kansas State ran around, and over, for 313 yards. On Saturday, the Bruins messed with Texas. A 34-12 victory over the seventh-ranked Longhorns was rooted in the Bruins defense, which forced four turnovers and gang tackled Texas into submission. Texas finished with only 85 yards rushing, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Linebacker Akeem Ayers forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. Linebacker Sean Westgate , 5 feet 11 and 220 pounds, made 11 tackles, seven solo.

UCLA will either finish a tumultuous season on a high note or become the first bowl-eligible team to lose eight games in a season. The Bruins were drubbed, 50-0, by USC, then, after their head coach was fired, lost to Oregon in the Pac-12 Conference title game, requiring a waiver from the NCAA to go to a bowl game with a losing record. Illinois also had a roller-coaster season, climbing high when it opened with six consecutive wins, then plummeting to six straight losses — a turn of events that also resulted in a coaching change.

UCLA handled Houston, 31-13, at the Rose Bowl, a victory that made two things clear: The Bruins have better talent than is found wandering around Conference USA, and UCLA will not go winless this season. The Cougars, though, are the Lone Star state's junior varsity compared to the Texas team UCLA faces in Austin on Saturday. "There is no question, we're going up the ladder a little bit," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "That is no slight on Houston. " But Neuheisel said that Texas "has everything.

Sometimes UCLA defensive coordinator Joe Tresey appears to be the loneliest guy in Westwood. During practice, he might stand 50 yards away from the action, getting a wide-angle view of his defense. Sometimes Tresey looks like the angriest man in town. He can go from an introspective pose to an agitated state very quickly, with loud woofs of "Are you [kidding] me!" Sometimes, well, Tresey just seems puzzled. Deep into the season, his defense is still a work in progress.

Learning to win is the next step for UCLA's football team. The Bruins, aching while going through growing pains in their first three games, came up with their most consistent game of the season Saturday, give or take a defensive breakdown and offensive gaffe. But the 36-31 loss to Fresno State showed that effort isn't always enough. "I think we're satisfied with the effort," Coach Rick Neuheisel said. "But there are things we can get better at."

UCLA begins its first season under Coach Rick Neuheisel today, and Times staff writer Chris Foster looks at some of the key issues and matchups for the Bruins' opener against the Volunteers. O, where art thou? Tennessee is nationally ranked while UCLA is building, but the teams have this in common: Both are unveiling new offenses run by inexperienced quarterbacks who have had difficulty differentiating receivers from defenders. Norm Chow, UCLA's offensive coordinator, has community college transfer Kevin Craft trying a safe-'n'-sane, pitch-and-catch plan.

UCLA's defense will walk, and limp, into Corvallis, Ore., to face a challenging Oregon State offense. The middle of the Bruins' defense took another hit Wednesday, as starting defensive tackle Jerzy Siewierski hobbled off the field on crutches. Siewierski injured his right foot during practice, according to Coach Rick Neuheisel . "Jerzy tweaked something," Neuheisel said. "We'll find out the significance of it. We'll have to wait and see." Siewierski was schedule to be re-examined this morning.

About the time California's Jahvid Best was weaving his way through what looked like powder blue pylons, slipping tackle after tackle against the UCLA defense, the idea that there was a problem should have crossed the Bruins' minds. Best's 93-yard touchdown run underscored the Bears' ability to make big plays -- and the Bruins' inability to prevent them -- in Cal's 45-26 victory Saturday in a Pacific 10 Conference game at the Rose Bowl. By the time Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks was sailing down field on a 68-yard interception return to polish off things, the Bruins probably realized their season was in critical condition.

Through Sunday's games (last week's ranking) 1. Pittsburgh, 25-10-1; Penguins are 6-0 in shootouts, with Marc-Andre Fleury stopping 12 of 13 shooters. That, and a hot Sidney Crosby (22 goals, 43 points) too. (3) 2. New Jersey, 25-8-1; Devils have won 11 of 13. Martin Brodeur was pulled one game after he broke Patrick Roy's games-played record, but Devils still won. (2) 3. Chicago, 23-8-3; Blackhawks blank Red Wings to win fourth straight and eighth of 11. Even Brian Campbell, a bust last season, isn't looking so bad. (6)

UCLA defensive end Datone Jones was certainly aware of what was going on this weekend. The NFL spent three days collecting top college talent during the draft, including UCLA defensive tackle Brian Price, who went in the second round by Tampa Bay. So Jones, who will be a junior, started his draft campaign Saturday night during the Bruins' spring game at the Rose Bowl. Jones had two sacks, recovered a fumble and spent a good portion of the evening in the backfield. He was the marquee player in a scrimmage dominated almost entirely by the defense.

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel , asked about the pressure the Bruins' defense might apply, had a coy answer ready: "We want to have the ability to bring pressure when it is the prudent thing to do. " When is it prudent? To defensive coordinator Joe Tresey , that appears to be any day the sun comes up. There is a new aggressiveness to the way the Bruins play defense, as was evident in recent during practices. "It's great," free safety Tony Dye said. "I'm not thinking anymore, I'm just going.

Safety Tony Dye was almost giddy following UCLA's first scrimmage this spring. "This best scrimmage we have had here, ever," Dye said. "This is the most fun I have ever had on this field. " There was encouraging play by the offense and defense, but what made the Bruins different from last season was their defensive front. UCLA's Kai Maiava tweaks ankle at spring practice UCLA's defensive push was more a pushover last season, as the Bruins allowed 200 or more yards rushing in eight games.

UCLA's defense was in a zone, and Ben Howland couldn't have been happier. The coach who abhors zone defenses was thrilled when his Bruins went into lockdown mode with their trademark man-to-man scheme Thursday night at Pauley Pavilion, overcoming a sluggish start to pull away for a 71-53 victory over Arizona State. An array of steals, strips and blocks by UCLA over the final 91/2 minutes of the first half triggered a 30-8 run that transformed a 12-point deficit into a 10-point halftime lead.

Seemingly no statistic is too obscure to be included in the thick media release UCLA distributes before each game. The number of dives for loose balls, free-throw percentage in the last four minutes, success controlling jump balls ? it's all there in black and white. Too bad for Malcolm Lee there are no figures for staying in front of your man, contesting shots and generally making life miserable for opposing players when they're on offense. The junior guard might lead the Bruins in each category.

Jordan Zumwalt , UCLA's freshman middle linebacker, has a warning for opposing teams. The Bruins' defense has been trampled over this season, allowing 200 or more yards rushing in six games, but Zumwalt said, "You're not going to get it in the future, that's for sure. As soon as we get a year of college under our belts, college workouts, we're going to be beasts. We've got nothing but big things ahead of us. " There are up sides to the Bruins' defensive front. Zumwalt, defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa and defensive tackle Cassius Marsh all are freshmen.

UCLA's defense faces the nation's 14th-leading rusher Saturday when Oregon State and Jacquizz Rodgers drop by the Rose Bowl. Rodgers is the latest in a strong group of running backs the Bruins have faced, including Oregon's LaMichael James , Kansas State's Daniel Thomas and California's Shane Vereen . All exploited the Bruins' weakness against the run. Rodgers will face a defense that revisited the tackling issues that...

Offense 14, Defense 9. It may not be the 13-9 score still talked about around Westwood -- UCLA's 2006 victory over USC -- but it did allow the Bruins' first and second offenses to claim victory in a scrimmage Saturday. Still, it also confirmed some suppositions about the 2008 Bruins' strengths and weaknesses. The glass-half-full view was that the Bruins' defense can put points on the scoreboard. The glass-half-empty view was the offense seemed just as capable of keeping points off the scoreboard.

Repeated mediocre seasons result in demands for coaching changes. So when UCLA plays 15th-ranked Arizona on Saturday, Coach Rick Neuheisel can look across the field and take solace that Wildcats Coach Mike Stoops is still around. A 17-29 record in Stoops' first four seasons had the hot water boiling in Tucson. Consecutive 8-5 seasons quieted things down. Staff writer Chris Foster looks at the game's key issues and matchups: What's the rush? UCLA's Richard Brehaut is making the third start of his career ?

Repeated mediocre seasons result in demands for coaching changes. So when UCLA plays 15th-ranked Arizona on Saturday, Coach Rick Neuheisel can look across the field and take solace that Wildcats Coach Mike Stoops is still around. A 17-29 record in Stoops' first four seasons had the hot water boiling in Tucson. Consecutive 8-5 seasons quieted things down. Staff writer Chris Foster looks at the game's key issues and matchups: What's the rush? UCLA's Richard Brehaut is making the third start of his career ?

You could say things are up in the air for UCLA's defense. Was last week's aerial show by Washington State merely a spot of turbulence? Or was the ease with which the Cougars moved the ball through the air a harbinger of real trouble ahead? Jeff Tuel passed for 311 yards and two touchdowns as Washington State scared the "we beat Texas" out of the Bruins before UCLA rallied to win, 42-28. "I think we need to get our confidence back," UCLA strong safety Tony Dye said.