LOS ANGELES — The last week in Westwood was not too dissimilar to how the focus was in Tim Skipper’s first week as interim-in-charge.
A turn back to football fundamentals became a calling card that ultimately led to UCLA’s comeback winning streak. UCLA might need a similar turn for the better – its first game in two weeks since losing to No. 2 Indiana 56-6 – when the Bruins host Nebraska on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
Offensive lineman Garrett DiGiorgio has been a leader, a proponent of a clean start – literally helping clean out the locker room, a detail he said stands true to this moment.
“I think the biggest thing is just really getting back to kind of what he talked about earlier, the basics,” said the redshirt senior, the longest-tenured starter on the Bruins.
Defensive Bruins, on the other hand, have been “honing in on details” – a phrase seemingly seared into their football vernacular since bye week practices began Oct. 28.
“We’ve been playing this game – for a lot of us – for probably over a decade, since we were little kids,” redshirt sophomore linebacker Donovyn Pellot said. “Getting back to that, having fun and honing in on the details.”
What does honing in on the details mean to redshirt junior linebacker Jalen Woods?
“Just doing better on tackling, just the fundamentals, and just getting closer, like, taking one step, one step more to be able to tackle,” he said. “So I feel like that’s like the biggest one, like we’re really preaching on.”
UCLA’s defense is going to have quite a challenge – and those details may be glaring with the Cornhuskers (6-3, 3-3) coming to town.
For starters, instead of playing against a known quantity such as Huskers quarterback Dylan Raiola, whom the Bruins stymied a year ago on the road, they’ll instead see true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef. Raiola’s season ended last week against USC when he fractured his fibula, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Skipper said earlier this week that the Bruins have had to turn to Lateef’s high school film at Orange Lutheran High to better understand the signal caller and his dual-threat abilities.
“I don’t think so, honestly,” Pellot said when asked about watching high school film. “Just trusting our preparation, trusting in the game plan the coaches are giving us. Obviously, watching that film is different, but, I mean, it’s just preparing like any other team.”
Emmett Johnson, Nebraska’s star running back, has already rushed for 1,002 yards, playing in every game. Nebraska coach Matt Rhule could diagnose a heavy dosage of Johnson against the Bruins, who own the conference’s worst rushing defense.
“He’s a legitimate baller,” Skipper said of Johnson.
When Nebraska has the ball
Look for Nebraska to turn to Johnson in the backfield often. Lateef has thrown only 19 passes so this season – and if the Huskers are worried about first-start struggles, they can rely on their junior tailback, who has averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
Nyziah Hunter (38 catches for 555 yards and five touchdowns) and Jacory Barney Jr. (33 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns) are the two most common wide receiver targets.
When UCLA has the ball
The Bruins might open their running back rotation with redshirt junior Anthony Woods healthy for the first time in a few weeks after having the bye week to recover.
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava had an off game against No. 2 Indiana two weeks ago, but so did most of the team, and he could return to the form he discovered during UCLA’s improbable three-game winning streak.
Nebraska (6-3 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) at UCLA (3-5, 3-2)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/radio: FOX (Ch. 11)/790 AM
