UCLA Football: We need to talk about the run defense (because it is good)

The UCLA football team, who had one of the worst run defenses last season, has become more aggressive this season and it is showing in scheme and stats.

It doesn’t matter what players Jim Mora and Tom Bradley put on the line last year, the UCLA football team could not stop the run. Even team’s with less talent on the roster knew to run the ball and run it often against the Bruins.

Last season, UCLA was next to last in the nation when it came to run defense, allowing 297.4 yards per game. It doesn’t matter who they put up on the defensive line or with the linebackers, teams were able to waltz right through this Power 5 Conference team.

More from Go Joe Bruin

That mentality needed to change for Chip Kelly and to do that, he brought in a coach he had previously worked with and has a proven record of establishing strong and aggressive frontal attacks in his defenses.

Last season at Cal, Jerry Azzinaro did a hell of a job improving the Golden Bears’ run defense. In 2016, Cal was last in the Pac-12 in this category, allowing 272.8 yards per game. When Azzinaro arrived, that stat dropped to 164.1.

This is one of the reasons Kelly brought Azzinaro to Westwood. And with the help of DL coach Vince Oghobaase and LB coach Don Pellum, the Bruin players have become a more violent and dedicated group of football players.

From spring and fall, we have been hearing about how the defense is making changes. With two games down in the 2018 season, we are already seeing how those changes are taking hold.

After two games, UCLA is 96th in the nation in rushing defense. That might be bad at first glance, but when you take a deeper look, against Cincinnati and Oklahoma (the #6 team in the nation), the Bruins have only allowed 186.5 yards on the ground. That is 110.9 yards less than the average for 2018. So far, so good.

Hot. UCLA Football: Dorian Thompson-Robinson is cool under (a lot of) pressure. light

There is pressure. So much pressure. In two games, UCLA has sent so many players into the backfield and it is a welcoming sight. You can’t see any layover of principles from last year’s defense as the new staff has completely wiped that out and installed a whole new mindset.

It is a breath of fresh air compared to the “wait and react” style that Mora and Bradley utilized. Azzinaro seems to have a more “react and react” approach. Not only is he putting his players in position to make plays but he is allowing them to use their natural talents to produce those results.

Darnay Holmes made an incredible circus catch for an interception. Osa Oddighizuwa ran through the line to pick up a huge tackle for a loss when Oklahoma went for it on 4th down. Krys Barnes and Keisean-Lucier South had several breakups, simply by reacting quickly and shoving their hands in the air. Jaelan Phillips has been incredible in pursuit. All of these things are adding up to something special.

On top of that, UCLA’s schemes are helping the cause. We are seeing more blitzes, up to six players on the line and varying alignments on every given play. This has resulted in UCLA making more plays on the defensive side which has resulted in slowing the run.

Next. The 30 Greatest UCLA Football Players of All-Time. dark

It is not a great defense (yet), but they are getting there. If not by season’s end, then by next year, UCLA could have one of the best defenses in the country. Quite a big take, but one that I”m confident in going forward. All you have to look for is the progress.