Defense Rests: Kerr Out

UCLA defensive coordinator Larry Kerr was fired Tuesday, nearly three weeks after the Bruins completed a 10-2 season despite a defense that was ranked next to last against the run among 119 Division I-A teams.

Kerr, who also coached the Bruin linebackers, joined Coach Karl Dorrell’s first coaching staff at UCLA in 2003. His firing comes one day after running backs coach and recruiting coordinator Eric Bieniemy accepted a job with the Minnesota Vikings.

“This was a very difficult decision for me to make,” Dorrell said in a statement. “Larry is a fine coach, and he did a good job helping us build our foundation. But at this time, I felt it was in the best interest of the program to make a change.”

Considering UCLA’s poor defensive play over the last two seasons, the move does not come as a surprise. Last season, the Bruins ranked near the bottom nationally in running and scoring defense, giving up averages of 232.8 rushing yards and 34.2 points a game. The Bruins gave up 52 and 66 points in their two losses.

In 2004, UCLA’s defense was not much better, ranking last in the Pacific 10 Conference in yards allowed (432.9 a game) and rushing defense (210.1).

“Coach Kerr is a great coach who taught us a lot,” said senior cornerback Marcus Cassel, who played three seasons under Kerr. “But this is part of the business. A lot of times when things don’t happen like you want, you have to fix the problem to get better.”

Kerr, 52, did not return calls seeking comment. He was an assistant at Colorado State for 10 years before moving to UCLA. In his first season in Westwood, the Bruins gave up an average of 317.6 yards a game, including 116.9 on the ground.

But the last two seasons injuries and suspensions to key players such as Justin London, Kevin Brown and C.J. Niusulu hampered the effectiveness of Kerr’s defenses.

“Just like anything else, you get too much credit when you play well and when you play poorly you get too much blame,” Kerr told The Times after UCLA’s 52-14 loss at Arizona in November.

“Obviously, my role is a big role and I have to do a good job on that. But it’s a combination. It’s not all coaching, and it’s not all players.”

Although questions about Kerr’s job status had been raised since late in the season, the Bruins’ defense played well in a 50-38 victory over high-scoring Northwestern in the Sun Bowl, holding the Wildcats to 168 yards rushing, 33 below average.

Cassel said Kerr’s defensive schemes relied heavily on linemen, and not having players like Brown, Niusulu and Nikola Dragovic hurt.

“It was like our whole defensive line went down, starting last spring,” Cassel said. “That position probably lost more people than any group on our entire team and that was an area we really needed to keep guys.”

Said Kerr in November: “You have to deal with the parts that you have. You’re always trying to get people in there who could do the job. If a guy makes a mistake or two, you have to continue to play him until the point where he can’t get it done or you find somebody else to do it better.”

Dorrell, who was away from campus recruiting Tuesday, did not give a timetable for when UCLA will hire replacements for Kerr and Bieniemy.

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Getting defensive

Larry Kerr became the fifth defensive coordinator to leave the UCLA football program since 1996:

1996...Rocky Long

1997...Rocky Long

1998...Nick Aliotti

1999...Bob Field

2000...Bob Field

2001...Phil Snow

2002...Phil Snow

2003...Larry Kerr

2004...Larry Kerr

2005...Larry Kerr

NOTE: Long left to become head coach at New Mexico; Aliotti left to become Oregon’s defensive coordinator; Field was fired by Coach Bob Toledo; Snow left after Toledo was fired.

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How UCLA’s rush defense has fared in the last five years:

* 2004...210.1 yards (25.8 ppg)

* 2003...116.9 yards (23.5)

* 2002...129.5 yards (25.1)

* 2001...121.7 yards (30.7)

* 2000...186.6 yards (31.5)

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Where UCLA’s defense ranked in the nation in 2005 (rank in parentheses):

* Rush...232.8 YPG (116th)

* Pass...235.3 YPG (77th)

* Total...468.0 YPG (113th)

* Scoring...34.2 PPG (108th)

Sources: L.A. Times, NCAA.org