Go Joe Bruin editor Mike Regalado talks to college football analyst Mark Rogers about what to expect from the UCLA Football defensive line this upcoming season.
One of the biggest issues with UCLA Football on the defensive side of the ball is the fact that they were atrocious in stopping the run last season. The Bruins were 8th in the Pac-12 Conference last year in run defense, giving up 198.5 ypg.
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Part of that had to do with the loss of key players like DT Eddie Vanderdoes and LB Myles Jack to season-ending injuries. With veteran players out, Defensive Coordinator Tom Bradley had to quickly acclimate several younger players into the mix, often playing vanilla defense.
The Bruins also seemed to have a bend-but-don’t-break mentality, as they allowed more short-yardage plays to avoid giving up long balls.
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It worked in preventing a lot of air over the defense, but the run stop suffered.
That changes this season as the Bruins not only return several key players, have some depth from a young crew, but also set into place a new philosophy with the implementation of the 4-3 defense.
I get into all of this with college football analyst Mark Rogers as I discuss what UCLA Football fans should expect from the defensive line this season.
From the return of Vanderdoes to linebackers
Deon Hollinsand
Keisean Lucier-Southpermanently moving up on the line to
Takkarist McKinleybecoming a deadly pass rusher to the newest Bruins, Rogers and I talk about the changes from last year and how the approach to a new defensive philosophy can help the Bruins improve their overall production.
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It is a start to having the defense step up, but will it happen, or will we see more of the same from last season?