DEFENSE DOESN'T REST IN COMEBACK.Byline: Brian Dohn Staff Writer STANFORD - On the last play of the third quarter, Stanford faced a third-and-3 from UCLA's 43-yard line. Quarterback Trent Edwards Trent Edwards (born October 30, 1983, in Los Gatos, California) is an American football quarterback who starts for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bills in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stanford. gained 13 yards on a bootleg to his left. 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 defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a football team in the National Football League or college football who is in charge of the defense. This position aids the head coach a great deal in many ways by delegating play calling to other coaches and allowing the head Larry Kerr made a note of it, and played a hunch hunch n. 1. An intuitive feeling or a premonition: had a hunch that he would lose. 2. A hump. 3. A lump or chunk: "She . . . when the Cardinal faced a third-and-3 in overtime. Kerr played for another keeper, and Stanford coach Walt Harris' predictability played right into UCLA's hands. Bruins defensive end Justin Hickman Justin Hickman (born July 20, 1985 in El Paso, Texas) is an American football defensive end with the Washington Redskins. He played collegiately at the University of California at Los Angeles. was waiting, and he dropped Edwards for a 7-yard loss to force the Cardinal to kick a field goal. UCLA then capped its improbable fourth-quarter rally on Brandon Breazell's 23-yard touchdown catch to lift the eighth-ranked Bruins to a 30-27 defeat of Stanford in overtime Saturday, but it would not have happened without one of UCLA's better defensive efforts. ``On the play in the overtime, we anticipated a naked boot (leg),'' Kerr said. ``They ran it earlier in a similar situation, so I just made a call to send the end up field, and (Hickman's) whole job was if the quarterback came out on boot, to tackle him. And he executed it perfectly. Sometimes it's really nice when you execute.'' Hickman, who also had a sack to end regulation, made the play, but it was the defense's ability to keep Stanford from getting too far ahead while the offense sputtered for 3 1/2 quarters. The Cardinal won the field-position battle, but UCLA's ability to force punts bought the offense enough time to find its rhythm. And while the Bruins' offense was mounting the fourth-quarter comeback, the defense forced a pair of punts. ``It really doesn't matter when you get that 'W', but it's nice to know the defense performed well,'' Hickman said. ``There is something about us in the fourth quarter that we just turn it on.'' But it wasn't just the fourth quarter. The Bruins' defense played well after regrouping from an abysmal a·bys·mal adj. 1. Resembling an abyss in depth; unfathomable. 2. Very profound; limitless: abysmal misery. 3. Very bad: an abysmal performance. first drive in which the Cardinal methodically me·thod·i·cal also me·thod·ic adj. 1. Arranged or proceeding in regular, systematic order. 2. Characterized by ordered and systematic habits or behavior. See Synonyms at orderly. mixed the run and pass for a 13-play, 88-yard scoring drive. After that, it took miscues from UCLA's offense to put Stanford in scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on . Maurice Drew's fumble led to a 29-yard scoring drive by the Cardinal in the third quarter, and Marcus Everett's fourth-quarter fumble led to a 37-yard Stanford scoring drive. In fact, after Stanford's initial drive, the Cardinal didn't have a drive of more than 42 yards. ``We've taken a lot stuff all season for giving up yards, but I think all season we've done a good job of bending but not breaking,'' UCLA linebacker Wesley Walker Wesley Darcel Walker (born May 26, 1955 in San Bernardino, California) is a former professional American football wide receiver for the New York Jets (1977 - 1989). said. ``We've always kept our team in the game, but (Saturday), with our scoring down a little bit, we just had to keep it close. Our offense is bound to score points.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: UCLA's Michael Norris brings down Stanford's Gerren Crochet during the Bruins' victory over the Cardinal on Saturday. Getty Images |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion