2015 Alamo Bowl Rundown: UCLA Defense vs. Kansas State Offense

UCLA ends an up-and-down season this Friday when they play Kansas State in the Valero Alamo Bowl on January 2.

One of the major inconsistencies for the Bruins throughout the 2014-2015 season was their defense. The Bruins definitely have the talent, however they could not seem to put it all together week in and week out. These struggles led to first-year defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to come under fire this year, and it’s safe to say UCLA needs to turn things around come the 2nd, or calls for change may get louder than they were earlier this season.

UCLA’s (and Ulbrich’s) first step toward that is against #11 K-State this Friday. Kansas State has a good read option offense and they have many options at their disposal. Quarterback Jake Waters is sneaky fast in the aforementioned read option and wide receiver Tyler Lockett is a deep threat for the Wildcats, averaging 14.5 yards per catch, compiling a team-high 1,351 yards and nine touchdowns this season. Additionally, K-State has utilized two-back sets under Bill Snyder as running back Charles Jones has been solid this year and fullback Glenn Gronkowski has the capability to make a mark both blocking and receiving.

More from UCLA Bruins Football

• UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
• UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
• UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
• UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
• UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show

To combat this, the Bruins may have to use a mix of zone defense and man-to-man throughout the contest. UCLA does have a few athletes that can match up with Kansas State, and the secondary is definitely either the “make or break” component of the UCLA D headed into Sunday.

Look for the linebacker combo of senior Eric Kendricks and sophomore Myles Jack to once again make a significant impact, and one of those two (preferably Jack due to his speed) may have to spy Waters on Friday to combat Kansas State’s option packages.

As was mentioned previously, UCLA has the potential to be one of the best defenses in the Pac-12 and the nation, and the major question is if the Bruins can perform up to that level consistently.

However as far as the Alamo Bowl is concerned, given the fact that they will have had more than four weeks to prepare following the loss against Stanford, and the fact that the Bruins have a lot of talent on the unit, UCLA has the ability to slow down the potent K-State offense.

The defining question though is: Will the defense show up?

I believe that they will indeed.