UCLA's defense has made the team a contender for the Pac-12 crown

By foxsports
Published

UCLA has rattled off three consecutive conference wins and seems to be the one team that may be able to take out Utah in the race for the Pac-12 South title. 

Over the past three games, the Bruins defense has stepped up in a major way. Despite losing multiple stars on the defensive side of the ball, the Bruins have as many sacks in the past three games (9) as they did over the first six games of the season.

So what does head coach Jim Mora attribute the team's success on defense to?

“I think we’re just getting better at what we’ve been doing,” UCLA coach Jim Mora said, per the Orange County Register. “We’re becoming more efficient and more consistent."

As for how the defense can continue to put pressure on the quarterback as the Bruins prepare to take on one of the nation's most lethal passing attack in Washington State?

“There are a million variables, really,” Mora said. “There’s tight coverage that makes him (the quarterback) hold it a little bit longer. Pressure that doesn't let the quarterback step up or escape. The longer you make him hold it and the more confined he is to escape from, the better chance you have at getting him down.”

(h/t Orange County Register)