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Ute defense a learning experience for young Bruin offensive line

Junior left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo didn’t expect the added pressure from Utah’s defense, but welcomed the opportunity for the line to improve.

By Emilio Ronquillo

Oct. 9, 2013 12:00 a.m.

Brett Hundley ran wild on the stat sheet during last Thursday night’s 34-27 over Utah. In addition to collecting a running and passing touchdown, the redshirt sophomore quarterback even punted and caught a score from sophomore wide receiver Devin Fuller.

Hundley also found himself running from a wild Utah defense that deployed pressure from all angles. On numerous occasions, Utah sent more pass rushers than there were blockers on an offensive line that lost starting redshirt sophomore left tackle Torian White for the season to a broken ankle in the second quarter.

Utah’s aggressive approach provided the face of a defensive effort that prevented UCLA from producing anything more than a nine-yard gain through the air in the second half. Only two touchdowns were scored after intermission, with Hundley and the Utah defense right at the heart of each.

Hundley helped Utah to tie the game at 24-24 to open the fourth quarter by scrambling away from pressure right as he threw an errant pass behind his receiver and into a Utah defender’s hands. The Utes sent seven pass rushers with zero coverage, or man-to-man without safety help, behind them. A blitzing linebacker flushed Hundley out of the pocket, forcing him to run left before reversing field and connecting with the scoring Utah defensive back, just before receiving contact from a trio of defenders.

Junior left guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who did not come into the game expecting as much pressure as he saw from the Utah defense, said he felt that the experience in Salt Lake City was good for the progress of him and his fellow linemen.

“It’s new for us, when they bring more than we can block. We’ve got to think quick,” Su’a-Filo said. “And as an offensive line, we have to make decisions and trust that everyone is going to do their job, running backs and quarterbacks alike.”

UCLA center Jake Brendel commended the way his running backs handled the extra pass rushers. He particularly praised a play in which redshirt junior running back Jordon James wiped two defenders out with a single block in the Bruins’ backfield.

Brendel, a freshman All-American center in 2012, was critical of his own technique during an uncharacteristically rough game that saw the redshirt sophomore produce a series of low snaps throughout the night. Brendel said that he was taking mental shortcuts, thinking about engaging blockers before squaring away proper snapping technique. He took blame for complicating matters for Hundley.

“Having to look down at the ball and back up at the defense is going to be tough for him to do. That’s on my shoulders,” Brendel said.

Brendel was nonetheless happy with the performance of the offensive line, which was reformatted by the White injury to place two freshmen on the right side. Sophomore Simon Goines swung back to the left side that he occupied to open the year, with Caleb Benenoch at tackle next to fellow freshman Alex Redmond.

“(The young linemen playing next to each other) didn’t make my job much harder. I trust them to do their own thing. I’m going to make my calls no matter who’s next to me,” said Brendel, who saw the pre-snap shifts of the Utah defensive line as an extra challenge Thursday night.

Hundley went on to redeem his contribution to the point differential by calling his own number in an instance where the Utah defense did not blitz. On a 3rd and 6, he took a draw play from 36 yards out for UCLA’s final score, with Redmond running downfield and getting in front of the lone defender between Hundley and the end zone.

Hundley said that he noticed Utah’s choice to play man coverage with a single safety against UCLA’s four-wide sets, and thought up the draw play during the first quarter. He suggested it to offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone the play, and the Bruins “sat” on the play until that fourth quarter.

Coach Jim Mora is not sure whether or not UCLA’s opponent this week, Cal, will attempt to attack UCLA’s offense with the same aplomb demonstrated by Utah. The Bruins’ UC rival only fielded three healthy cornerbacks as of last Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Times, and thus may not have the luxury of playing the quality man coverage required behind an eager pass rush.

“When you’re playing with a banged-up secondary, you really take two philosophies,” Mora said. “You’re either going to bring it all the time, and make them throw it fast, or sit in Cover 2 and help your corners. It’s never that simple … but I think we’ll be able to decipher pretty quickly what their philosophy is.”

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Emilio Ronquillo
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