Arizona Wildcats’ defensive challenge against UCLA quarterback: ‘Keep him in the pocket’
UCLA rushed for 402 yards against Arizona State last week. It was the first time the Bruins had eclipsed 400 yards on the ground since 2010. And they did it without the Pac-12’s leading rusher, Zach Charbonnet.
None of this bodes well for Arizona, which visits UCLA on Saturday.
The Wildcats rank 11th in the Pac-12 and 125th nationally in run defense, allowing 218.7 yards per game. They have surrendered 300-plus yards in three of six conference games and 200-plus in two other contests.
UCLA leads the Pac-12 and ranks seventh nationally in rushing offense, averaging 242.3 yards per game. The Bruins lead the country with an average of 6.3 yards per rush.
Charbonnet, who has a league-high 964 rushing yards, sat out against ASU because of injury. His status for this week is uncertain.
Without him, and with other running backs banged up, UCLA got career-best rushing performances from Kazmeir Allen, who’s mainly a wide receiver, and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Allen notched career highs with 11 carries for 137 yards. Thompson-Robinson had a personal-best 120 rushing yards on 10 attempts.
Keeping the veteran quarterback contained is priority No. 1 for the UA defense this week.
“He’s a great athlete,” UA defensive end Jalen Harris said Tuesday. “If he gets outside the pocket, he’s gonna make us pay.”
Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen had a front-row seat for the DTR show in 2020 and ’21. Nansen was an assistant for the Bruins those two seasons. He knows how to defend Thompson-Robinson – and that’s it much easier said than done.
“Keep him in the pocket,” Nansen said. “Make sure we don’t run past the quarterback. Make sure we level-rush the quarterback. Once he gets out of the pocket, he’s dangerous. So that’s gonna be the message to the guys all week.”
Thompson-Robinson ranks second among Pac-12 quarterbacks in rushing with 439 yards. Oregon’s Bo Nix is first with 457. Nix rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns against Arizona on Oct. 8.
The QB run game always has been a significant aspect of Chip Kelly’s offense, dating to his days with the Ducks. The Bruins don’t play as fast as those teams did, but Nansen said the essence of Kelly’s attack – “all the moving parts” – remains the same.
“There’s so many things you’ve got to prepare for,” Nansen said. “There’s so many misdirection and same-side run plays where they’re pulling guys. Sometimes they might pull the whole back side. So that’s gonna be the challenge, to make sure we fit it up the right way.”
‘The kids stepped it up’
Physically, they aren’t as big as they’re going to be. The moment? Huge.
But Nansen liked what he saw from the four freshman defensive linemen who played extensive snaps – often at the same time – against Utah last week.
“It was a challenge, but the kids stepped it up,” Nansen said. “It wasn’t too big for them. I was proud of the way they competed.”
Four true freshmen — Russell Davis II, Jacob Kongaika, Sterling Lane II and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei — played at least 21 snaps against the Utes. Defensive tackle Evan Branch-Haynes, a redshirt freshman, played 22 snaps.
Jedd Fisch has noted positive weight gains for Kongaika and Uiagalelei since they arrived in June. Both play on the interior, and they’re listed at 285 and 260 pounds, respectively.
Davis and Lane are listed at 210 and 220 — undersized for defensive end at the Division I level. Asked how much weight the two need to add, Nansen said: “A lot.”
“It’s just the way it is,” Nansen said. “During the offseason, we’ll try to build on that. But you can see the playmaking ability by both kids. It’s there.”
Harris knows what it’s like to battle 300-plus-pound offensive linemen who have a weight advantage of as much as 100 pounds. Harris weighed 212 pounds as a true freshman and 230 as a second-year player. He’s currently listed at 275 but said he’s closer to 260.
“It’s hard,” Harris said. “When you’re not as quite as big as some of the other players, you have to play with great technique and low pad level.
“I think they’re doing a great job. They understand that they have to fight. They’re gonna continue to develop, get stronger, put on that weight and become great players.”
Harris also can relate to being a new guy trying to figure things out. He credited former UA defensive end Justin Belknap and “a lot of coaches” for bringing him along.
“There’s a lot of guys that helped me out and helped me with the little things I may not know yet,” Harris said. “Now that I’m one of the older guys, I want to be able to help these young guys be successful when they get in the game.”
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: UCLA's running game stiff test for Arizona's underperforming defense
