UCLA football’s strong defensive performance vital in Arizona win

PASADENA — It was billed as a shoot-out, an offensive showcase, a game that could test the scoreboard’s limits.

With the Pac-12’s third and fifth highest-scoring offenses – and the fifth and fourth worst scoring defenses – duking it out, Saturday’s game between No. 12 Arizona and No. 22 UCLA was supposed to be a barnburner.

Instead, UCLA’s 17-7 win was characterized by the Bruins’ defensive effort.

After scoring on its first drive – only after it was extended by two personal foul penalties on third downs by sophomore outside linebacker Myles Jack – Arizona was held scoreless the final 57:29 of the game. The nation’s No. 6 yards-per-game offense and No. 12 scoring offense put up abysmal numbers in comparison to its season averages.

The Wildcats (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) came into Saturday averaging 541.9 yards per game and 40.6 points per game. They left the Rose Bowl with just 255 yards and seven points.

“It was definitely a statement game for us just to show everybody what our potential is and what we need to be playing at every week,” said redshirt senior defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa.

The potential has been there all season for UCLA’s defense, but outside of its season opener at Virginia, UCLA lacked a signature defensive performance. Coming a few ill-timed penalties away from pitching a shutout against the Pac-12’s top offense, it’s safe to say Saturday night was that performance.

The Bruins swarmed Arizona redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon, forcing errant throws, stuffing the read option and finishing with three sacks. UCLA’s gap discipline and constant pressure clearly made Solomon uncomfortable, as he was forced to flee the pocket and struggled to find open receivers. He finished 18-48 for 175 yards passing.

“Today was the first game defensively that I felt like we did what we were supposed to do on every play,” said coach Jim Mora. “Don’t pop a gap, just do your job, trust your teammate. We did that, you saw the results.“

The result came at just the right time for the Bruins, who are in do-or-die territory at this point of their season. With the logjam atop the Pac-12 South, UCLA (7-2, 4-2) needed a win against Arizona to keep its Pac-12 title hopes alive.

Given the way less prolific offenses like Cal’s and Colorado’s met no resistance against UCLA, the Bruins figured to be in another tense battle against the Wildcats.

But the team sensed the moment. Against the nation’s No. 12 team, they needed something extra. And donning their new, grey L.A. Steel uniforms, their faces striped with war paint, it was clear the Bruins brought it.

“Everything just felt a little different today,” said sophomore linebacker Deon Hollins. “A couple guys I know from (Arizona) were just so amped on Facebook, just seeing their posts, they’re so amped that it just raised everything for us.”

After allowing 32.25 points on average over its past four games, UCLA’s defense had been struggling. Now, as the Bruins head into the most important – and likely the most challenging – portion of their schedule, their confidence is as high as its been all season.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m not gonna sugar coat it, this has been huge,” Hollins said.

“If we play to our standard, no one can mess with us.”