CORNERING THE MARKET ON CONFIDENCE NOW THAT UCLA'S CLARK BELIEVES IN HIMSELF, OPPOSING QUARTERBACKS RARELY TEST HIM.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer The best thing for UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX cornerback Matt Clark Matt Clark may refer to:
In the Bruins' 46-16 loss to Washington last season, the 5-foot-9 Clark was matched up against 6-foot-4 Huskies receiver Reggie Williams Reggie Williams may refer to:
In the first quarter alone, Clark allowed six catches for 57 yards and a touchdown. No matter what Clark tried, Williams kept moving the chains toward another first down. Clark was benched for a series, and Bruins coach Karl Dorrell Karl Dorrell (born December 18, 1963 in Alameda, California) is the first black head coach in the history of the UCLA Bruins college football team, a position he took on December 18, 2002. scolded him for not being aggressive. Two days later, the two met again. The problem wasn't technique. Clark's confidence was shot. ``These kids put so much pressure on themselves. They're so scared to make a mistake,'' Dorrell said. ``I said to Matt, 'I believe in you. You've been a great player here. It's hard living out there on the edge, and I believe in you.' I told him to play with instinct, play with passion and just go play.'' A year later, so much has changed. Heading into Saturday's game at Arizona State, Clark, a product of Cleveland High in Reseda, leads the Bruins in pass breakups with four and has one of UCLA's four interceptions. He rarely is tested now, with opposing teams challenging junior Marcus Cassel Marcus Ray Cassel (January 6, 1983 - November 17, 2006) was an American football player. Born in Long Beach, California, Cassel was a graduate of St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. on the other side. Williams is just a memory. ``Confidence is sky-high right now,'' Clark said. ``I definitely got so much better with my coverage. On every pass route, I'm basically right there with every receiver all the time.'' Playing on a defense ranked 105th nationally in yards allowed (437.9 yards per game), Clark's biggest contribution has been the one-on-one tackles that have halted further damage. Sometimes he will dart up the field and cut out a running back's feet, or he will track a ballcarrier and force him out of bounds to cut off a big play. In last week's loss to Cal, Clark caught Bears tailback J.J. Arrington (College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. ) from behind and pulled him down on the Bruins' 3-yard line. Clark traces it all to his meeting with Dorrell. ``I think I was too conservative, and not wanting to get beat too much,'' Clark said. ``I kind of played soft and didn't want to break on too many passes. After that talk, I looked at the tape and was like, 'Man, if I played like I know I can, I should have had picks and been aggressive.' '' After last season, Clark headed into the weight room and was bench- pressing 350 pounds by the spring. He worked out with former UCLA cornerbacks Ricky Manning Jr. and Matt Ware Matthew Jesse Ware (born December 2, 1982 in Santa Monica, California) is currently an American football defensive back in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals. He was waived by the Philadelphia Eagles on September 2, 2006 and picked up by the Cardinals. , who is Clark's cousin and now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles It was Ware who took over Clark's assignment against Williams during last year's Washington game. Clark said he now speaks with Ware after each game. ``He is confident and experience brings confidence,'' Ware said. ``When you start slowing down and start seeing things Seeing Things may refer to:
To Clark's teammates, the change also is easy to spot. Quarterback Drew Olson Drew Olson (born April 6, 1983 in San Francisco, California) is a former starting quarterback for the University of California, Los Angeles football team, where he broke many of UCLA's passing records. said he recognized ``a huge difference.'' Receiver Craig Bragg Bold text Craig Milton Bragg (born March 15, 1982 in San Jose, California) is an American football wide receiver. He attended UCLA and Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, CA. , who often matches up against Clark in practice, used ``confident'' often. ``He has the same talent,'' Olson said. ``He's not more talented this year than he was last year. You make plays and you realize you can do it. He can get up on guys and bait 'em into running routes and baiting quarterbacks into throwing it. When you can start doing stuff like that, laying off (a receiver) and you know he's going to throw it and then breaking on it, that's pretty cool stuff.'' Brian Dohn, (818) 713-3607 brian.dohn(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Matt Clark (2) UCLA cornerback Matt Clark now can stop receivers such as San Diego State's Jeff Webb. Edna T. Simpson/Daily News Box: UCLA at No. 12 ARIZONA STATE |
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