UCLA Spring Practice Day 3 – A Fresh Look At The Defense

One of the things that I wanted to focus on for UCLA Spring Practice Day 3 is the Bruin Defense. Though everyone wants to know what is going on with the offense and the quarterback battle, which I will get into with the next article, I wanted to see how the defense operates, especially with the first practice in pads. With new defensive coordinator Tom Bradley taking over, it is one of the two biggest story lines in spring camp.

For the most part, the schemes and formations seem the same. In our last piece about the Spring Practice,  I wrote about how the defense will see different looks (per Bradley), but the new DC is taking his time to analyze the entire roster to finalize anything before next season.

Nov 8, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; (Editors note: Caption correction) West Virginia Mountaineers senior associate head coach Tom Bradley prior to kickoff against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

What Type Of Defense?

Well from what I saw today, the Bruins used elements of both the 4-3 (that Bradley ran at Penn State) and the 3-4 that the Bruins have been running the last few years. Overall, it looks very similar to what the Bruins ran last year, especially on the line.

Sep 25, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Takkarist McKinley (98) hits Arizona State Sun Devils running back Demario Richard at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Eddie Vanderdoes, Kenneth Clark and Takkarist McKinley were in the mix a lot, so identifying them as the downed linemen was easy to spot, but what threw things off was the fact that the Bruins put a fourth (and sometimes fifth) player on the line. Mostly, this was from linebackers Deon Hollins, Aaron Wallace (who was basking up Hollins) and Cameron Griffin who took turns in the pass rush.

Overall, the defense looks balanced and does not seem to have missed a step since last season, regardless of what new schemes are in place. With the UCLA offense trying things out with Jerry Neuheisel, Asiantii Woulard and Josh Rosen, there was a lot for the defense to feast on.

Players That Stood Out

Jan 2, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Kansas State Wildcats receiver Curry Sexton (14) is tackled by UCLA Bruins defensive back Jaleel Wadood (2) in the 2015 Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

– Jaleel Wadood looked sharp and really battled for position in coverage. Wound up in the back field a few times stopping the run. Had a solid interception during scrimmage.

–Tahaan Goodman looks to have improved his game overall. He was all over the field when he was in and looked very exceptional in the secondary. Very impressed with his man-to-man defense.

– 2015 commit Nate Meadors (who enrolled at UCLA last week) is already looking good should battle for back-up spot (and would not doubt he could battle for a starting spot). He was excellent in coverage and made some tough pass deflections.

–Denzel Fisher is another player that seemed to be where the ball was whenever he was on the field. Good coverage and a fast player that will help out the depth of the defensive backs.

–Myles Jack looks very, very, very good in coverage. Even better than last year. This is very promising for the Bruin’s defense if he can improve on that part of his game (does he have a part of his game that is weak?).

Click HERE to check out our offensive loo at Spring Practice Day 3.