NOTEBOOK: NO MORE PUSHING FOR DAVIS.Byline: BRIAN DOHN Staff Writer PASADENA -- Bruce Davis This article is about the American football player. For the American businessman, see Bruce Davis (video game industry). Bruce Davis (born June 21, 1956, in Rutherfordton, North Carolina) is a former professional American football player. pulled on his chin with his hand, flashed a huge smile and then did something incredibly out of character: He was held speechless. That, more than anything, told of Davis' satisfaction with his role as UCLA's weak-side defensive end. At 6 feet 4 and 240 pounds, he is no longer a target for opposing offensive coordinators to push around so the running game can excel. Instead, Davis lines up wide so he can get past tackles with his speed or create a gap for a linebacker to fill in stuffing the running game. ``I'm in the best-case scenario right now,'' said Davis, a junior. ``They're using what I've got. It hasn't been like that in the past, and now it is. It's like, `Wow, I'm finally in the spot I've always wanted to be in here.' I'm getting a chance to do my thing.'' Entering Saturday's game against Stanford at the Rose Bowl, Davis had nine tackles in three games, second most among UCLA's defensive linemen. His three tackles for a loss was second on the Bruins, and already half what he made in 2005. Davis credits innovative first-year 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 DeWayne Walker DeWayne Walker (born December 3, 1960) is an American football coach. Playing career College playing career Walker was a two-year starter at the University of Minnesota and played at Pasadena City College for two years. with putting him in the proper position on the field, and he said Walker has made him understand the importance of watching film. That area is where Davis said he made his biggest strides in detecting weaknesses on opposing tackles. ``With a tackle, it's really footwork,'' Davis said. ``If a tackle has good feet, that's the hardest thing to beat. ... If they have bad feet, slow feet, I try to take advantage of them, manipulate them.'' Punt problems again: Just when 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. thought the problem was solved, UCLA's Terrence Austin muffed a fair catch late in the first, and Stanford recovered, only to miss a field goal on the drive. Jerzy and Jess: With Chase Moline (herniated disk Herniated Disk Definition Disk herniation is a rupture of fibrocartilagenous material (annulus fibrosis) that surrounds the intervertebral disk. ) out and Kenneth Lombard now playing defensive end, true freshman True freshman is a term used in NCAA sports, indicating that an athlete is playing the sport in his first year of college, rather than redshirting for one or more years to protect future college eligibility. Jerzy Siewierski and red-shirt freshman Jess Ward both played in the first half. CAPTION(S): photo, 6 boxes Photo: no caption (Trent Edwards) Box: (1) BY THE NUMBERS (2) HERO (3) GOAT (4) STAT OF THE GAME (5) 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 (3-1) LOG (6) THEY SAID IT |
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