UCLA football coaches confident that victories are around the corner

The game plan is there, the seeds are planted and the wins will come.

Eventually.

UCLA’s defense (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12) has steadily grown since a 31-24 overtime loss to now-No.10 Texas A&M, putting together a historic performance against BYU and then limiting Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey to 151 total yards.

Linebackers coach Scott White said the defensive improvement stems from a shift in their mental preparation and focusing on the game plan.

“Overall execution. It hasn’t been a schematic thing, it hasn’t been a personnel thing, it’s execution overall,” White said. “(The coaches) can’t play for you, it’s all about execution and that’s where they’ve done a really nice job.”

On the other side of the ball, however, the offense has struggled to string together consistent weekends.

[Related: UCLA to focus on primary receiver, rusher positions]

Quarterback Josh Rosen entered the season as a dark horse Heisman candidate, but is still adjusting to offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu’s new system.

The sophomore has thrown just five touchdowns compared to four interceptions through four games. In the Pac-12, the Bruins are 11th in scoring, averaging only 24 points per game, and ninth in total yards per game.

Quarterbacks coach Marques Tuiasosopo said he wasn’t panicking about UCLA’s .500 record or the tough loss against No. 7 Stanford.

The system is in place, and despite Rosen’s self-criticism about his decision-making and vision on the field, Tuiasosopo sees his star quarterback improving week by week.

“The efficiency, going through reads, pocket presence,” Tuiasosopo said. “(Rosen) missed a couple things early (against Stanford), but he came back and made the adjustments. That didn’t happen the first couple weeks. It’s like watering bamboo. You water it for the first few months and it doesn’t grow. And you’re wondering what the heck’s going on and all of the sudden, it just sprouts out and you can’t stop it from growing.”

Since throwing three picks against the Aggies, Rosen has completed 67 of 105 passes for just one tipped interception at BYU.

In the loss to the Cardinal, he had his highest completion percentage, despite the multiple drops by his receivers.

But stats don’t always correlate to the win and Tuiasosopo’s toughest task is helping Rosen find a way to lead the Bruins to the victory, even if the quarterback has a tough game.

And in his first year with Rosen, Tuiasosopo believes they’re about to turn the corner.

“We’re just going to stay the course. We’re not going to change. I believe we’re doing all the right things,” the quarterbacks coach said. “(Polamalu’s) doing all the right things with our offense. We’re very close and trust me, we know what that means. We understand winning is the most important thing and it will happen.”