UCLA has received national attention for a high-powered offense that’s averaging 52 points and 600-plus yards of total offense through three games. However, its hard-hitting defense is nothing to overlook.
In particular, senior linebacker Anthony Barr leads the Bruin defense and is making a strong case to be the top defensive player selected in the 2014 NFL Draft. Barr has 18 tackles with five tackles for loss and one sack in 2013. He also has three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His versatility makes him dangerous against a variety of offensive schemes, and his speed off the edge is enough to make any Pac-12 quarterback sweat.
What makes Barr’s impact especially interesting is the fact that he is relatively new to his position, as he played fullback during his first two years at UCLA. Last year he made the switch to defense and in his rookie season he recorded 82 tackles and 14 sacks.
“He’s explosive. He’s instinctive. He does it all,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He’s a player that has a great skill set and is fundamentally sound. He’s a force. There’s no doubt about it.”
Barr’s speed and killer instinct made him a natural linebacker, but the truth is that he’s still learning the techniques and concepts of his position and is only going to get better as this season progresses.
With all the hype surrounding Barr, one might think Utah’s offensive line would be worried. They’re not.
According to Utes’ offensive lineman Junior Salt, the O-line doesn’t focus on any one specific player because that might lead to them underestimating another key part of the opponent’s defense. Rather, Salt and the rest of his unit respect and prepare for a defense as a whole.
“We don’t take any team lightly. UCLA is a great team, and they look good across the board,” Salt said. “From their down linemen to their linebackers to their secondary … Their defense is a big part of why they’re nationally ranked, but what they have to give is nothing new to us.”
Salt feels the momentum from Utah’s win over BYU and having home field advantage against UCLA will make for a much different game than last year’s disappointing 21-14 loss to the Bruins in Pasadena. Salt also recognizes that quarterback Travis Wilson is a different player than he was against UCLA a year ago when he was making his career debut as quarterback.
“Travis gives us tremendous confidence, and that motivates us to hold down blocks and move D-linemen off of the ball,” Salt said. “We’ve seen in the past how dangerous Travis can be when we secure those blocks. We know what he’s capable of doing, and UCLA knows what he’s capable of doing … its going to be a battle of the trenches all four quarters.”
In that vein, Salt said the game may come down to which team can do the best job of eliminating mental errors.
“It’s a matter of execution and effort,” he said “It’s going to come down to who makes less mistakes.”