Scott White had an extra pep in his step as he waltzed out of Wasserman Performance Center on Monday evening.
UCLA’s inside linebackers coach – who once coached for the Bruins while Jim Mora was head coach from 2011 to 2017 – was a man on a mission as he headed toward the intramural fields for the Bruins’ practice. White knows what the defense has to do against UNLV on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
“Trying to get it fixed, man,” White hollered at reporters on his way to the turf practice fields.
White has been in Westwood for some of the more physical Bruins defenses, coaching the likes of Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks – both of whom went on to have extensive NFL careers. Last week’s season opener against Utah represented a far cry from those days; UCLA conceded 492 total yards – 286 rushing and 206 passing – as it struggled to get into the backfield or create pressure against any semblance of a rushing attack.
The good news for the Bruins? Against the Rebels (2-0), in all likelihood, the only way is up – and messages like White’s appear to have had an impact.
“You can see that the players are like, ‘OK, we’ve got to fix this, we’ve got to do this’ because they’re the ones out there doing it,” said head coach DeShaun Foster, “and I think that it’s just resonated with them, what happened out there on the field [Saturday].”
UNLV has accomplished similar results running the ball, considering how Utah attacked UCLA on Saturday. Across the Rebels’ first two games, they’ve tallied 455 rushing yards. Running back Jai’Den Thomas – who goes by “Jet,” much like UCLA junior tailback Jaivian Thomas – currently leads the country with 212 rushing yards and four touchdowns, albeit UNLV being one of the few teams to have played two games.
Rebels quarterback Anthony Colandrea has already eclipsed 100 rushing yards on the ground – and UNLV coach Dan Mullen plans on using Michigan transfer quarterback Alex Orji as a threat on the ground as well. In the air, Colandrea has built a dynamic connection with wide receiver Jayden Bradley, who has tallied 256 yards on 12 receptions – more than double anyone else on his team in both categories.
That quarterback-receiver combination had UCLA redshirt sophomore defensive back Rodrick Pleasant on notice heading into Saturday in Las Vegas.
“They make sure that they target him and find ways to get him the ball in his hands,” Pleasant said. “He’s a good receiver and you just know that they’re going to force-feed him.”
Stopping players like Bradley will likely need to be a focus should the Bruins want to “fix” their defense from last week. And for redshirt freshman linebacker Jalen Woods, playing well against UNLV can be a mouthwash to help refresh UCLA ahead of returning to the Rose Bowl for New Mexico next week.
“Even though we got this bad taste in our mouth from the last game, we can still go out there and put it on film,” Woods said. “And that’s what we’re about.”
When UNLV has the ball
UNLV played Idaho State – an FCS foe – and Sam Houston State, defeating both teams to begin the season. While the Rebels’ defense left lingering questions following both games, their offense has flowed from the get-go.
Colandrea, a junior, has appeared quite comfortable throwing the ball – and was unafraid to use his legs as well. Since UCLA will be one of UNLV’s higher-end opponents in 2025, expect a more calculated approach.
Jai’Den Thomas and Bradley are unafraid of a big play, but against the Bruins – with more of an even matchup – they may have to settle into reduced roles at Allegiant Stadium.
When UCLA has the ball
Offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri didn’t get a true opportunity to showcase his playcalling chops against Utah, forced into a pass-based approach after Utah jumped out to a 20-0 lead.
Sunseri should be able to tinker with his players – and schemes – to unlock quarterback Nico Iamaleava, and potentially running backs Jaivian Thomas and Jalen Berger, both of whom struggled last week. Movement appeared to be a calling card for Sunseri, with a lot of pre-snap adjustments, getting tight ends Jack Pedersen and Hudson Habermehl involved often.
With UNLV allowing 291.0 passing yards through two games, Iamaleava may be able to target plenty more Bruins across the field as the Rebels adjust to a far more talented offense – on paper – than the teams UNLV had faced up to this point.
UCLA AT UNLV
When: 5 p.m. Saturday
Where: Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas
TV/Radio: CBS Sports Network/790 AM