After reviewing the tape of UCLA’s 48-12 loss to Arizona, coach Rick Neuheisel immediately cited “pad level on the defensive front” as one of the key problems that ailed the Bruins.
Defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield agreed, and you don’t have to be Sir Isaac Newton to understand why.
“The lower man wins. Simple physics,” Breckterfield said, an All-American lineman in his own right during his playing days at Oregon State. “If you’re lower than somebody, you have the better chance of getting past that block.”
A Wildcat team that entered the game as one of the worst rushing teams in the nation racked up 254 yards rushing Thursday night.
It was the Arizona offensive line getting the better push, leading to the emphasis on pad level this week in practice. But that wasn’t all ““ those Wildcat running backs had massive holes to run through, too, and the list doesn’t stop there.
“The biggest thing was being cut out of gaps,” redshirt junior defensive end Datone Jones said. “Guys not recognizing certain blocks, playing them wrong and being cut out, guys coming in from the second level and missing the tackle. It’s the little things.”
UCLA will have to clean up the little things before California can have another big day on the ground. Golden Bear running backs have torched the UCLA defense over the years. Shane Vereen ran for 151 yards last year and 154 the year before that, and Jahvid Best had 102 in their 2009 win.
Best and Vereen used games against UCLA as showcases before moving on to the NFL, and Isi Sofele could join them. Cal’s junior running back had 80 yards on 13 carries in Cal’s 35-7 win in 2010 and is already averaging almost 90 yards per game on the ground.
“The focus for us is to try to neutralize the playmakers,” Breckterfield said. “They’re aggressive up front. We’ve got to match their intensity up front, do our best to stop the run, and try to get (quarterback Zach Maynard) to throw the ball. He’s a 50 percent passer. Odds are you get a chance at one out of every two.”
Johnson to make return
When Jerry Johnson returns to the field Saturday, it’ll be one day short of a calendar year since the redshirt junior wide receiver fractured his left ankle.
Neuheisel said he wanted Johnson on the field for 15 plays, but that won’t be enough for Johnson.
“That’s funny, I heard him say that, and I was like “˜Coach, I want at least 40,'” said Johnson, who added he didn’t expect to play this year but put in extra rehab to return. “I believe I can put in more than 15 plays for this team.”