UCLA football was in a similar position close to this time last year.
With the Bruins’ pass rush struggling to get to the quarterback, playing three straight games without a sack, and a losing record-sinking fan morale near the start of Big Ten action, Ikaika Malloe wanted to help create change in his first year as defensive coordinator.
Malloe, with tears in his eyes, attempted to find the answers for 2024’s early-season woes. He accepted blame for UCLA’s rough defensive start. The high-energy linebackers coach, who has been a part of the Bruins’ coaching staff since 2022, promised he would find ways to “outwork” opposing teams as he tried to assemble a defense that underwent a coordinator shift after D’Anton Lynn left for USC and saw a myriad of players leave for the NFL and transfer portal.
On Oct. 1, when Malloe spoke to the media, linebacker Carson Schwesinger had yet to start a game for the Bruins. It goes without saying that Schwesinger – who tallied eight tackles in his NFL debut Sunday for the Cleveland Browns, who selected him in the second round of April’s draft – helped spark UCLA’s defense, turning Malloe’s tears into victories.
It’s Year Two for Malloe, but much of 2024 sounds familiar. With a defense near the bottom of the NCAA in team statistics – ranking second to last defending third down at a 70.4% conversion rate – and has yet to record a turnover, Malloe said he is ready to switch things up to protect his schemes and put the Bruins (0-2) in the best position possible to defeat New Mexico on Friday night at the Rose Bowl.
Does Malloe believe he can find answers for a second consecutive season?
“I feel like we’re finding the pieces to put in better ways,” Malloe said Tuesday, upbeat in tone compared to his emotional plea a year ago. “We got to continue on from the second half and actually start faster, so we are finding the right pieces in terms of how I can protect people. … We just got to execute better.”
In Saturday’s 30-23 loss to UNLV, Malloe switched around the starters. Oregon State transfer Isaiah Chisom entered for Jalen Woods at linebacker and leads the Bruins with 26 tackles. Michigan transfer Kechaun Bennett (one sack) joined Michigan State transfer Anthony Jones (1.5 sacks) on the edges, helping provide a formidable pass rush attack that stymied the Rebels in the second half.
Jones said learning and building chemistry alongside defensive linemen Gary Smith III and Keanu Williams helped him take a step after the first week.
“It’s really just trusting the process, getting in with Coach Malloe and Coach Jet [defensive line coach Jethro Franklin,” Jones said. “We just got to learn how to play off one another. And that’s just, when I bring up Gary and Keanu, like being able to play off those guys, they make my job easy.”
Compared to just one tackle for loss in its 43-10 season-opening loss to Utah, UCLA tallied three tackles for loss Saturday. There’s still room for improvement, Malloe said, adding that he needed to see improved execution from Smith and Williams – two of three returning players in the starting lineup – in the weeks ahead.
Malloe, much like last year, pointed inward for the struggles against Utah and UNLV in the first half. Personnel changes reminded him of a year ago, identifying players that excel at doing specific things, and putting them in the best position to succeed, avoiding opposing teams targeting a potential weakness.
Sometimes, for Malloe, it means taking a player off the field entirely if they’re making mistakes both in games and practices.
“As you look forward to this week, that’s what you’re gonna actually see – a little bit more changes, so we can protect some guys,” Malloe said, “and then we can probably put them in a better position to make plays.”
Malloe is still exploring the options he has at his disposal.
He referenced wanting to find freshman linebacker JuJu Walls more opportunities to get in the game as he toys with the ins and outs of his 11 on the field. And it’s not just freshmen.
Malloe said with 11 new starters and 18 players entering from different schools via the transfer portal – eight of whom started against UNLV – his goal is to build confidence up from the practice field. And that can be put on display Friday night at the Rose Bowl no matter who is entering the game
“As you make adjustments, you still got to build confidence in what they’re doing,” Malloe said. “Then the second part is them understanding the roles have all changed. So as long as they can fulfill their roles, the confidence will start to build again.
He continued: “Some might not like it, but they know if it is truly for the benefit of the team, then that’s what they got to be able to do.”
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