UCLA Football: Bruins’ Defense Is A Reason For Optimism Moving Forward
By Matt Wagner
UCLA’s offensive line, missing junior center Jake Brendel, did not do well to say the least against Virginia on Saturday.
Quarterback Brett Hundley did not have much time in the pocket at all, leading to some errant throws, while the running game was stagnant throughout, aside from a few carries by sophomore Paul Perkins.
As a result of this, the Bruins scored had only one offensive score, a touchdown run by Hundley late in the third quarter, in their 28-20 victory over the Cavaliers.
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Despite the disjointed performance by the offensive line throughout, UCLA does have one major bright spot going forward.
Their much-hyped defensive line was good this weekend, but the linebacking core and secondary played extremely well on Saturday. Linebackers Eric Kendricks and Myles Jack had 30 tackles combined, while Kendricks contributed a pick six on his way to being named Pac-12 defensive player of the week.
Defensive back Ishmael Adams had a pick six to start the defensive scoring in the second quarter while also getting four tackles in the win. Randall Goforth also played well on defense and showed a little versatility by returning one punt.
Admittedly, it does not feel as joyous as usual following a UCLA victory and they do have a lot of things to work on moving forward, but the Bruins’ defense is one silver lining.
And some more good news: Brendel is “day-to-day” now as he recovers from his MCL sprain, according to Jack Wang from Inside SoCal.
Certainly, the return of Brendel will restore some much-needed continuity to the line, and the unit should be much better moving forward.
So worry not, Bruin fans! Things will get better quickly and starting this Saturday versus Memphis, UCLA has a chance to get back to the well-oiled machine we are used to seeing them be. And whether Brendel plays or not (SportsReference.com listed him as “out.”), offensive line coach Adrian Klemm is a good coach and will fix the O-line issues either way.