Bottom-of-the-barrel rankings motivate UCLA football to take accountability
Defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe coaches redshirt senior defensive back Joshua Swift on Spaulding Field. (Brianna Carlson/Daily Bruin staff)
By Ira Gorawara
Oct. 2, 2024 12:18 a.m.
Passion leaked through Ikaika Malloe’s tears Tuesday morning.
Bound by accountability, the defensive coordinator vowed to match his players’ resolve with an unyielding commitment of his own.
“They work so hard to try to give me what I want,” Malloe said, fighting back tears. “So on a flip side – man, I been up since 3 a.m. Sunday. I don’t want to let down this team. These kids fight hard, man. The love for each other – that’s what keeps us going.”
Malloe’s promise mirrored the sentiment shared across UCLA football’s members – who have taken individual onus for the team’s woes through its 1-3 start in 2024.
The tears that cascaded down Malloe’s face seemed to reflect the collective weight on the middling defense, but they also reminded the Bruins of the dogged support behind the scenes.
“Coach Malloe is one of those coaches that’s easy to play for,” said redshirt senior defensive back Bryan Addison. “He’s so passionate about his players and his defense that he takes pride in what he does and what he teaches us. To see him acting like that and to see how passionate he is about the game makes me fired up.”
Addison recorded his first career touchdown Saturday against now-No. 6 Oregon, simultaneously marking UCLA’s sole touchdown through the affair.
His 96-yard pick-six revitalized a seemingly discouraged Bruin crowd watching their team trail the Ducks 28-3 at the Rose Bowl and infused the team with newfound energy. But the focus for UCLA’s defense remains on honing the basics while instilling a culture of responsibility and accountability.
“It’s mostly the details. We had 10 penalties or nine penalties,” said coach DeShaun Foster. “For our first pillar to be discipline – that’s way too many. Play within yourself, guys. Don’t do something out of the ordinary or something you weren’t coached to do. We need guys to settle down.”
Malloe’s defensive arsenal couldn’t withstand the Ducks’ 60% third down conversion rate, a metric for which the Bruins have plummeted to being the nation’s worst.
Beyond that, UCLA lags in various defensive categories at the national level – notably ranking No. 86 in red zone defense, No. 104 in scoring defense and No. 98 in total defense.
“We need better consistency from us, and it starts with me,” Malloe said. “(I need to) hold them to the point, hold them to the standard.”
Though Malloe took accountability for his unit’s shortcomings and its quest for answers, he added that individual talent is abundant despite its recent performances – and that success hinges on a cohesive effort grounded in simplicity.
While failing to record a single sack since its season opener Aug. 31, UCLA has failed to protect its signal-caller. Redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers was brought down four times against Oregon.
Though Garbers limped off the field Saturday with a taped right ankle and rested during Monday’s practice, Foster said his first-string quarterback will be ready for action in this weekend’s duel against No. 7 Penn State.
The Bruins have conceded 12 sacks so far this year, placing them No. 116 in the nation. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Josh Carlin shouldered the blame for the offensive front’s missteps, owning its failure to shield Garbers.
“He’s (Carlin is) a true leader,” Foster said. “He’s somebody that’s going to try to help the team out no matter what. I saw a couple of his quotes, and he’s putting a lot on himself – it’s a collective, it’s not just Josh Carlin. We have leaders like that that are just going to own it.”
Players are not only embracing the burden of their team’s blemishes – they are ready to grind out the hours necessary to morph that responsibility into execution.
“We all signed up here to play football, no matter how many plays you get,” Addison said. “I don’t care how many snaps we get – we got to go out there and play 100 snaps if coach wants us to play 100 snaps. That’s what we’re going to have to do.”