Go Joe Bruin
Fansided

UCLA Football: What we learned from the first part of Spring Practice

By Michael Chavez

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: A general view during the Introduction of Chip Kelly Press Conference on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. Kelly was just announced as the new UCLA head football coach. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: A general view during the Introduction of Chip Kelly Press Conference on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. Kelly was just announced as the new UCLA head football coach. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next

He Blinded Me With Violence

There is definitely a sea change with the defense. New defensive coordinator Jerry Azzinaro is expected to have the Bruin defense play more aggressive (though anything is more aggressive compared to what Tom Bradley did last season).

Azzinaro came from his only season at Cal where he bolstered the defensive line. In 2017, the Golden Bears had an average rushing defense for the Pac-12 (still better than UCLA’s 287.4 ypg), as they were 7th int he conference, limiting opponents to 164.1 yards. What is interesting about this stat is that it is a massive improvement from their 2016 campaign when they gave up a conference-worst 272.2 ypg.

That is what we should expect from this UCLA team, except it will have an added ingredient: violence.

From the first practice, new DL coach Vince Ohgabasse was heard screaming that he wants “more violence”. If that is not a way to get aggressive, then I do not know what is. The Bruins need that change in cognition and it looks as if they are getting there sooner than later as the defense has been playing with a rejuvenated sense of determination, something the players are adhering to. It also helps that the coaches are intense in their own right.

https://twitter.com/CoachRoyM/status/975940907781337088

Still Issues With Depth

It is true, things are going well as they can be, but it does not mean that the Bruins’ problems from last season are gone. Right now, Kelly wants to see what he has on the roster and from there, him and his coaches will make the appropriate changes. Unfortunately, tne one thing they cannot immediately fix with practice is the amount of players they have.

UCLA has depth issues with both the offensive line and the linebackers. The OL has some back up coming in the fall as six freshmen will help thicken up the line, but as of now, they are still pretty thin. Additionally, there are several players that are injured and one that has left the program. One of the quick fixes to this is the position changes, with the most significant being Boss Tagaloa moving from DL to center.

It is going to be interesting to see how the Bruins balance the LBs as they are moving from 4-3 to 3-4. With the need for more LBs, the coaches are going to be playing with an EDGE rusher (a DL/LB hybrid) and the nickel position (a LB/DB hybrid).

So far it seems to be working, but this will not come to fruition until everyone is as healthy and/or the roster adds more bodies. One good piece of info coming out of camp is how certain players seem to be emerging and thriving in the new system, most notably ILB Mique Juarez who has walked a rocky path in his first two seasons with the Bruins. Not only is he showing the skills that made him a 5-star recruit, but should help bring more violence to the defense.