Spring training focuses on physicality, straying from spread offense
Linemen from both offense and defense engaged in a scuffle halfway through Thursday’s spring practice. (Jintak Han/Daily Bruin)
By Matt Cummings
March 31, 2016 7:32 p.m.
No, the players don’t have pads on yet, but two days into spring training camp, UCLA football’s goal is clear: win the battle in the trenches.
Look no further than the scuffle that broke out around halfway through Thursday’s practice between junior defensive end Matt Dickerson and sophomore offensive tackle Andre James.
Dickerson, facing off with James in one-on-one drills between defensive and offensive lineman, drove the sophomore backwards into the imaginary quarterback pocket. Not satisfied, Dickerson kept on going, pushing James a few more yards before James broke free and took a flailing swing at Dickerson.
The intensity excited the rest of the linemen in both positional groups. Someone started screaming, “Hell yeah, hell yeah,” as the players rushed over to engage in a momentary scrum.
It’s hard to blame the players for reveling in the commotion.
The brawl was nothing major – a few seconds of shoving and swinging, a few more seconds of heated words – but it reflected the mindset of UCLA football this offseason.
The Bruins’ focus – ever since they surrendered 326 rushing yards in their Foster Farms Bowl loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers – has been on becoming more physical and aggressive at the line of scrimmage.
“We felt we had to do a better job of defending the run,” said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. “We’ve addressed that all winter time, not only schematically but also in what type of player we’re looking for to play at those positions.”
The coaches set weight-gain goals for the front-seven personnel, and with the help of strength and conditioning coordinator Sal Alosi, the players reached the targets, Bradley said.
Bigger? Check. Better? That’s the next goal for the front-seven.
“It just comes down to being fundamentally sound,” Bradley said. “You don’t want to get knocked back off the ball. You want to stay square.You don’t want to get turned.”
Bradley, with one season at UCLA under his belt, has implemented more of the 4-3 defensive concepts of his vaunted Penn State defenses, placing four big bodies on the line of scrimmage the majority of the time.
On the other side of the ball, the Bruins have adopted heftier personnel packages as well, straying from the spread offense of former offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and implementing more power running concepts under new coordinator Kennedy Polamalu.
With both units looking larger and packing more players near the line of scrimmage, the Bruins’ 11-on-11 drills have a very different flavor than they did a year ago.
“With the offense we have now and the defense we have now, everything is from tackle to tackle, or tight end to tight end,” said junior linebacker Kenny Young. “So everything is knuckle-up in the trenches and play physical. Once you practice that way, then that prepares you for the Stanfords, the Texas A&Ms and the big-time schools.”
It’s been fun for Bradley, who said he’s much more comfortable with his team in his second year .
“Everything is just a little bit better – actually a lot better – than when we started last year,” Bradley said. “Because we all know each other, we’re a lot more comfortable, and we have a lot more fun in practice than we did last year.”
The fun factor has been evident for the defense, which has shown a high level of energy during plays and afterward, jumping around exuberantly after successful sequences. Perhaps the extra energy comes from facing an offense less intent on spreading the field.
“Last year it was more of running around in space and making a tackle,” Young said of facing the UCLA offense. “(Now) it’s less running around, but more of that mean guy, that aggressive ‘I wanna knock you out’ type of guy.”
That’s exactly what the Bruins wanted and, so far, they look right on track.
