Bruins Tackle Their Biggest Problem

UCLA’s defense played better against Tennessee than it did against Washington State, but more improvement is needed for the Bruins to win against No. 11 Texas in Austin on Saturday, according to defensive coordinator Rocky Long.

“We still aren’t putting enough pressure on the quarterback,” Long said. “We’re not tackling as well as we should.”

The tackling problem is one that can take care of itself over time, but not over much time.

“We’re in a Catch-22 situation,” Long said. “You don’t want to tackle all that much in practice, because you get people hurt. But you have to get people ready to tackle in games.”

The Bruins gave up six plays of 20 yards or more against Tennessee after giving up 10 so-called “big plays” the week before against Washington State.

And UCLA shut down Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning in the second half, giving up 100 yards on seven-for-21 passing.

This week, the Bruins face a difficult situation in which they must prepare for two teams: a Texas offense with quarterback James Brown and one without. The Brown-led team includes a scrambling quarterback, but the one without him probably would be oriented toward running back Ricky Williams.

Brown suffered an ankle injury against Rutgers in the Longhorns’ first game, and his status for Saturday’s game was to be known today in Austin.

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UCLA has 254 rushing yards. Its leading rusher, Skip Hicks, has 270. . . . The Bruins are 2-12 in their last 14 games against teams in the Associated Press top 25 poll.

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NEXT FOR UCLA

WHO: Texas

WHERE: at Texas

TIME: Saturday, 12;30 p.m.

TV: Channel 7

RADIO: XTRA (1150)