Offense Prepares for Utes’ Blitz of Blitzing

UCLA’s Ben Olson-led offense will be tested by Utah’s blitz-happy defense Saturday at the Rose Bowl.

“Since I’ve been here, I haven’t seen a team that blitzes as much as Utah,” junior fullback Michael Pitre said. “It’s because they have so much confidence in their corners that they can cover man to man.”

The Utes, who had the second-best defense in the Mountain West Conference last season, return eight starters, including All-American candidate Eric Weddle in the secondary, and feature an attacking scheme that could give Olson and UCLA’s receivers problems.

“We have a lot of respect for their defense,” said Olson, who will start his first game at quarterback since his senior season at Thousand Oaks High in 2001. “They do a lot of good things and bring a lot of pressure. We have to make sure that we take advantage of any opportunities that we get to move the ball against them.”

Utah’s defensive strength is its versatility led by Weddle, who has started since his freshman year and has 11 interceptions, nine sacks and 20 tackles for loss in his career. On any given play, the former Alta Loma High standout can line up at strong safety or cornerback, and will also be used often as a blitzer.

“He is one of their better players on defense,” Pitre said of Weddle, who had four interceptions last season, one returned for a touchdown.

“I know I watched a lot of film of their bowl game against Georgia Tech and he played mainly cornerback against Calvin Johnson. That shows what type of athlete he is. They move him around a lot and like to bring him on blitzes. He’s a hard-nosed guy who doesn’t necessarily deliver the big hit but seems to be where the ball is at all of the time.”

The 6-foot, 200-pound Weddle is not the only multidimensional player on defense for the Utes. Casey Evans -- a second-team all-conference free safety last season -- will start at linebacker but also play safety in the Utes’ nickel defense, while Steve Tate, a free safety, can also play multiple positions.

Last season, Utah won four of its final five games, including a 38-10 victory over Georgia Tech in the Emerald Bowl.

“They have a lot of momentum going on with their program,” UCLA Coach Karl Dorrell said about the Utes. “They come in here with a very experience football team, especially on the defensive side.”

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As an example of UCLA’s newfound depth on the defensive line, tackles Kevin Brown and Chase Moline are listed with the second team. Brown, a junior who sat out last season because of an ankle injury, will back up Brigham Harwell while Moline, who started nine games last season, is behind Kenneth Lombard.

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Wide receivers Marcus Everett (hamstring) and Gavin Ketchum (quadriceps), along with tight end J.J. Hair (foot), practiced Monday and are expected to play Saturday. Dorrell said cornerback Michael Norris (knee) has an outside chance of playing against Utah.