Myles Jack loves being a two-way weapon for UCLA

Myles Jack, the Myles Jack, made a couple cameos for UCLA against Colorado on Saturday.

You know the guy. The linebacker who chases down opposing players and hurls them to the turf. The running back who tramples defenders like they’re wine grapes.

Jack intercepted a pass, pulling the ball in with one hand. Later, on offense, he shifted his locomotive-like body into bullet-train speed and swept into the end zone, flicking off a defensive back along the way.

That’s what everyone expects to see. Always.

“It does amuse me,” Jack said. “Everyone wants the flashy Myles Jack, scoring on every play, playing offense and defense full-time, being Superman and never getting tired.”

UCLA is preparing to play Arizona in a key Pac-12 Conference game Saturday at the Rose Bowl. A year ago, the Bruins unleashed Jack as a running back on the Wildcats and watched him roll up 120 yards in six carries, including a 66-yard touchdown run that clinched a 31-26 victory.

Jack was already known as a talented linebacker. The two-way performance made him a national sensation. This season, the sophomore has gone about his business, improving as a linebacker and chipping in occasionally on offense. But his work is now done in a spotlight’s glare — and with extra attention paid by blockers and tacklers.

Nothing has been quite the same since that first Arizona game.

“This whole mystique about me began,” Jack said. “I was a freshman. I had watched guys like [Oregon’s] De’Anthony Thomas and [Texas A&M’s] Johnny Manziel. Now they were talking about me on ESPN and showing my highlights. A lot of things changed after that night.”

For the better, mostly. Jack was chosen as the Pac-12’s freshman of the year — on defense and offense. But fame came with a price.

“He is a phenomenal player, but it seemed like he is expected to make phenomenal plays every single game,” receiver Jordan Payton said.

Jack has settled in. This season has been a grind, not a flash. Coach Jim Mora said that Jack understands the game more and relies on his instincts less.

He is second on the team with 62 tackles, his goal of 100 well within reach. And he has rushed for 60 yards and two touchdowns.

Solid numbers, but nothing yet like the continual highlight show that was last year’s Arizona game.

“It was crazy what one night did,” UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley said. “He went from Myles Jack to the Myles Jack. Once those expectations are out there, people are going to want to see it all the time.”

Hundley has experience in that area. He was called “the savior” by UCLA fans before he even arrived on campus in 2011.

“Sometimes the hype is not going to be the best thing,” Hundley said.

Jack knows about hype. USA Today created a new word, runningbacker, to describe him and he was put on a few Heisman Trophy watch lists.

Suddenly, he felt the need to make every play, even during spring practice. In training camp, he would exchange banter with Hundley after plays. It was all in good fun until Jack was kicked out of a practice after making inappropriate comments to a teammate. It was national news by the time he reached his dormitory room.

“It woke him up to the realities of being a household name,” Mora said. “Everyone wanted his autograph or to take a picture with him. He was an 18-year-old kid. That’s a lot. The great thing is his mom is very dynamic, very strong.”

La Sonjia Fisher had a word with her son after the training camp incident. Jack said it was a tougher lecture than the one Mora gave him.

“I had to learn that I couldn’t do things the way I did before,” Jack said. “You’re not going to get away it. People are watching. I’m still coming to grasp with that, but I’m learning to be more relaxed and more quiet about what I do.”

Quiet as he has been, Jack remains a target for opposing teams.

“He’s one of the most dynamic players in the league,” Arizona State Coach Todd Graham said. “He can do it all — blitz, cover man to man, he’s great in zone coverage. The guy plays sideline to sideline. You have to account for him on every play.”

Jack has worked to account for the attention.

“You have no choice when the hype is around you,” he said. “Other teams know who you are. If you don’t get better, you’re going to get exposed.”

Jack has always had strong coverage skills, which he has worked to hone.

“When you get into a pure passing situation, you usually bring in more defensive backs,” UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich said. “He allows us to stay in our nickel stuff because he is an exceptional cover guy.”

Pass rushing is a another matter. Jack has one sack in 21 games.

“There is a little bit of a feel to that,” Ulbrich said. “We continue to work on it. But he is so valuable in coverage.”

On offense, Jack has played less instead of more. He had 267 yards and scored seven rushing touchdowns last season. But he has appeared only in short-yardage situations this season. And even then, he has been a decoy as much as a ballcarrier.

Still, you never know when the Myles Jack will show up.

“In the California game, we had a play where Myles didn’t get the ball,” Hundley said. “I was to fake it to him. I told Myles, ‘Sell this like you never sold anything before.’

“I say ‘hike,’ and he jumped straight over everybody on the other team. It was the most amazing thing I have seen.”