As usual, we’ll get right to this week’s interviews and see what’s been getting said at this week’s UCLA football press conferences. I’m just going to share this week’s videos here all in the same place to make it easy for you to watch them if you haven’t already. The videos in this article are courtesy of UCLA Athletics on YouTube, unless noted otherwise.
Coach Bob Chesney
On Monday, Coach Chesney had a lot to say about the Oregon game and the media was still focused entirely on last Saturday’s game. He began talking about the team’s performance and mindset. Chesney said:
Everybody handles the ability to have the next man up mentality and to be able to perform at a high level and to never make excuses and never set limitations on ourselves. We’ve been talking about that from the very beginning and it’s impressive to watch it come into action.
A lot of guys did a lot of really good things and then there’s a ton of things that we’ve got to do a whole lot better. So, if you’re going to ask about complacency, you don’t have to because obviously there’s enough on that film that we got to do a whole lot better if we want to win this this next game and any to follow.
We can’t turn the ball over. We can’t get a field goal blocked. We can’t do a lot of the things we did [like] letting the ball get down at the one yard line. All the other things that came and showed up in that game. There were moments that it really could have gone the other way, but I was really, really proud of the effort. Really, really proud of how hard they played. Really, really proud of them being able to self-regulate in a hostile environment like that. Not an easy place to play, but I thought they did a really good job of it and [I’m] proud of that effort, but it’s going to take a whole lot more as we continue to go.
And the standards don’t change, but with expectations from the outside world doesn’t mean much to us ultimately, but when you get yourself to the point where you are today, the standards just got to keep getting raised. And we talked a lot about it the other day of not only being good where we are, but how do we continue to raise our level of play and go from good to great? And that’s what I’m excited to watch our guys do in the the coming weeks.
Frankly, there was a lot to unpack from this interview, but my favorites are always the little nuggets of wisdom that discuss the mental aspects of the game. What really stood out, in my opinion was this nugget about the team’s response to Nico’s injury. Chesney explained:
I thought they did a really good job. Again, we we can’t control everything that happens out there. A team is not good because they avoid adversity. They’re good because they handle adversity. And not only handle it, they respond to it.
And they never panic, they never waver, and they get right about their business. And that’s ultimately what our guys did.
I was very, very, very pleased with the way they responded.
On Tuesday, Coach Chesney was finally asked about Wisconsin, and specifically, about Wisconsin’s defense. He was asked what he is seeing from Wisconsin’s defense. Chesney responded:
A lot. A lot. I mean, they’re a lot like us structurally. There’s a lot like us.
This defensive end is absolutely a problem. He is very disruptive and absolutely can destroy the run game and he hunts, like literally, hunts the quarterback. He is a a interesting player to watch.
The two guys on the inside are like our guards 330s and that type of weights and they just can anchor down and do a whole lot with getting knocked back and being very present. Our linebackers are probably two of the better that we’ve seen up to this point in time. They are downhill. They are big 10 linebackers and then you get out to the corners and the safeties and they’re really good. Uh, and they mix it up just enough. They know what they want to do at the core of who they are, but they have just enough wrinkles and coming off a by-week, you just never know. So, we have to prepare for everything.
Coordinators: Colin Hitschler & Dean Kennedy
It wasn’t a surprise to see Colin Hitschler get asked about Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell with the very first question of his interview. Hitschler spoke fondly of his former boss:
I could go on forever about it. When you’re with somebody that long and had those experiences and, obviously, think the world of him and what he helped me develop and become as a coach, like I owe a ton. So, obvious, [I] can’t say enough about him, know everything about him and his successes and why they’re successful.
So, you know, I’m excited to play him always. [It’s] always fun to play people, but, man, I’m focused on our team and how we’ve got to get better.
Hitschler’s understanding of Wisconsin’s defense also came up when offensive coordinator spoke with the media on Tuesday. Kennedy spoke about how Hitschler has helped the offense this week. He said:
Yeah, 100%. Obviously, when you have someone that’s worked with that staff, you’re obviously going to talk to him. [It] helps us out in a lot of different ways, right? So, I think that’s a huge piece, right, of him just being familiar with their defense.
Kennedy also spoke a lot about the quarterback situation with Nico’s injury and how both Ty and Madden have stepped up.
In talking about the Badger defense, Kennedy used a term even I hadn’t heard before. Kennedy said:
They are relentless. I think they are probably one of the most sound defenses that we’re going to play. They do not have a lot of MAs.
MAs? I wasn’t sure what he was referring to. So, I figure many of you may not be sure either. He’s talking about “Missed Assignments.” In other words, Wisconsin’s defenders know what they are supposed to do on each play and they execute that most of the time. That makes it tougher (though not impossible) for an offense to exploit a situation for a big gain.
Players: Jalen Woods, Josh Phifer & Landon Ellis
Jalen Woods offered his thoughts on Coach Hitschler during his interview on Monday. Woods said, “He would just wants the standards to be the standards and what we are holding ourselves to is to want to be the best defense in the country.”
Tight end Josh Phifer covered a lot of different topics as far as the offense is concerned but one thing he addressed was the selflessness of the receivers. He shared how the coaches discuss the need for downfield blocking. Phifer said:
We’re trying to keep our nose in front of the ball carrier on all plays. You know what I mean? So, I think if everyone’s thinking like that, trying to keep your nose in front of the ball carrier, you’re going to have a lot of success on offense. And if you see our receivers, even our receivers when they when they don’t get the ball, it’s route ball work, route no ball work. So, no matter what, they’re looking to go get someone someone to block, pick up an extra explosive play for their other guy.
The first thing wide receiver Landon Ellis spoke about was what it was like to get a win at Oregon after ending last season there. He said:
Oh, it was great. That one’s been circled for a long time. I had a lot of teammates from James Madison text me that weren’t able to play in this game. It kind of felt like it was one of theirs as well. So, yeah, it meant the world to me, but we got more work to do.
Bonus Videos
When Coach Chesney spoke with Nick Koop on the Bruin Insider Show, he spoke in detail on a lot of different topics, but one of the more fun things Chesney discussed was the catch Semaj Morgan made to set up Wayne Knight’s touchdown reception. Chesney told the story this way:
The kid is phenomenal and that was a pivotal moment of the game. Like, if he doesn’t make that catch, you know, you don’t know how that thing ends…and he did such a good job.
And then he came to the sideline and we always talk about and all camp long and we talk about what wins games, what loses games, situational awareness, schematic competence, ball and field position, all the things that come with it. And we show examples from each practice. And there’s so many practices where there’s contact as we’re going to catch the ball and we come up short, right?
And then later as camp goes on, we do a better job. But we kept talking about the air is thin. To win a game, the air is thin and there’s these little moments that you have to make the competitive catch as hard or as not easy as it might be, you still have to make that play.
And he came to the side. I was like, “Yo.” And he was like, “The air is thin. The air is thin.” Is exactly what he said to me.
And I was like, “Hell yeah, it is.” Yeah. He has been so much fun to watch. Oh, he’s best.
Jalen Woods earned the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance against Oregon. On this week’s Bruin Insider Show, Woods offered his reaction to winning the award. Woods said:
I was pretty excited just all the hard work I put in, but I couldn’t get the award without the defensive ends setting the edge in the game, without the defensive tackles holding the double teams for us and the safeties coming down like in the run support and defending the pass. So, just everybody just collectively doing their job to make my job easier.
Coach Chesney was also interviewed on the Triple Option podcast with Fox Sports’ Rob Stone, Urban Meyer and Mark Ingram. This was an interesting conversation because Stone, Meyer and Ingram went deeper into some things than most interviews. This was such an interesting conversation that I almost split this off into its own article, even though I ultimately decided to leave it here.
Ingram asked about Coach Chesney’s goals for the season and how they’ve changed after starting 5-0. Chesney replied with one of my new favorite Bob Chesney quotes:
I think goals are for people that want to win once. I think process and standards are for people that want to win long long term.
Urban Meyer talked about some really interesting things during this conversation. Meyer offered his impression of the UCLA offensive line. He said:
I’ve watched every one of your games on the Big 10 network. We do that show every Sunday with Gerry Dinardo and I didn’t, once again, didn’t really know you and I was like, early in the year, I watched your offensive line come to the line of scrimmage. I was like, “Holy shit! That’s a great looking group.” So, you you’ve done something that really the Pac-12, Pac-10, now those Big 10 schools out there haven’t done. It looks like you built inside out. I mean, that offensive line, I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, that’s one of the best in the country right now. Uh, was that is that always been your because you’re a defensive coach. Has that always been your vision of the offense?
Coach Chesney’s response offers some really good insight on his focus in building this year’s roster. He responded:
Yeah, it has. I think there’s nothing more uh frustrating for a defensive coach than the fact that you you can’t stop the run, you know, then that they can physically protect the quarterback by the fourth quarter, they start taking the game over. those were always things that you know you admired about teams you defended in in in my time. Uh so for me it was absolutely positively about that like how do we make sure I I think I say to the O line before every single game it starts here and it ends here. It always has and it always will. That’s my words to them know when they’re warming up before every single game. And it’s true. It starts there and it ends there.
It always has. It always will turn they until they turn into flag football which I don’t think they’re doing in in the in the very near future. That’s where it’s going to start and that’s where it’s going to end. So yeah, that was my belief. I also think too uh the names you just mentioned and the places you just mentioned, we were at Salvia on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The wind up there and the weather that you’d have to deal with. I knew that we couldn’t, you know, just go out there and and bring some offense that’s, you know, four wide and and hit a run and shoot type thing and expect to to be able to be really successful with it. I knew that wasn’t going to work up there. Uh, and then when even going to Holy Cross and playing at places like Colgate and those other places that are just cold and dark and you know that’s just all part of it.
You better be able to you better pack a run game and a defense. And I think those are two things that we’ve done a good job of. And then I think really the third side of that coin is the special teams and the ability for us to just never lose an edge in in any of the things we’re doing. But it starts with the O line.
That’s a really long way of saying something we’ve said here for a really long time: “Line wins games.”
As the conversation continued, Meyer revealed his experience discussing the UCLA job “years ago” with an unnamed UCLA Athletic Director. Given the timeline of Meyer’s coaching career, it could only have been former AD Dan Guerrero. Meyer revealed what many Bruin fans said out loud about UCLA football during Guerrero’s tenure. He said:
You know, there was a time years ago that I was actually contacted by an AD, and this was a long time ago, and there was the reputation was just they weren’t very serious about football and I got that vibe when I met with the AD on the phone and I was like why would I ever do that? That’s obviously changed. How was it changed?
Wow. Just wow. If that doesn’t sum up Guerrero’s tenure, I don’t know what else could. Of course, we all knew it as it was happening.
In response, Coach Chesney spoke about what attracted him to consider UCLA.
Yeah. So the the first one is when I got on the Zoom calls with with those guys here and I was on a couple of them at that point towards the end of our year at JMU. There was a lot of interest and I had interest in other places, but, ultimately, on that call is Bob Meyers, who is the longtime GM of the Golden State Warriors. He won four championships. I think it was the executive of the year two times in a row. Adam Peters, the GM of the Commanders, is on that call. There’s an ex player, Eric Kendricks, that’s on that call. Casey Wasserman’s on that call. And then Doc Roberts of the Dodgers is involved as well.
And I’m like, damn, these people, man, they love this place and they want this to be good. And here’s…this is probably the thing for me, coach, that stood out to me the most is we won three national championships this year. Three. We won eight other conference championships this year. I don’t know, and there might be, but I don’t know if there’s another athletic department in the country that won three national championships and eight conference championships. And honestly, what I said, and I stand by this, is that we’re one good football team away from, arguably, being the best and most dominant athletic department in the country.
I know it sounds funny coming from us, but at the same point in time, it’s the truth, right? It’s really the truth. And that’s what I see in it. I feel the energy from all those people and I would not be here and I would not say all those things. I’m not saying them because I’m the head coach. To answer your question, I’m the head coach because those things are true and I think that’s one of the most important things.
My favorite part of this conversation, though, came when Rob Stone let Coach Chesney ask Ingram and Meyer a question. Chesney asked them both the same question:
Of the greatest teams that you were part of, what are the three characteristics of those teams that you remember the most that you truly feel were the backbone of why that team was successful?
It wasn’t necessarily the question, or even the answers, which made this my favorite part. It was how you could see Coach Chesney writing down notes from what both Meyer and Ingram were saying. It was clear that he clearly wanted to absorb the nuggets that both Meyer and Ingram were sharing. It was a moment where his actions showed humility, vulnerability (the V in “ROVing it”) and a willingness to learn from others which I found impressive.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t share the Bruin Tape for the Oregon game to pump everyone up for today’s game. Three words: “Burn the boats.”
Go Bruins!!!
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