Positive Numbers Are Piling Up on Defense

After getting hammered by UCLA defenders for four quarters, Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards had the look of a shell-shocked boxer as he stood outside the visitor’s locker room at the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

“We knew going into the game that UCLA’s defense was stopping offenses on third down,” said Edwards after Stanford failed on nine of 13 third-down situations in a 31-0 loss to the Bruins. “They are very well-coached, and they have a great scheme.”

First-year coordinator DeWayne Walker’s schemes have transformed the Bruins from one of the nation’s worst defensive units into one of the best, particularly on third downs and against the run.

After four games, UCLA leads all 119 Division I programs in third-down conversion defense at 19.2%, having given up only nine first downs on 47 third-down opportunities. The Bruins also rank third nationally in total yards given up at 221.5, and are ninth in defense against the run at 65.8 yards.

“Usually, how you do in practice carries over into games,” said defensive end Justin Hickman, who is fourth in the nation in sacks with 5.5. “We’re getting good work in preparation for games and it shows....

“We want to get a lot of three-and-outs, turnovers and score if we can.”

UCLA, which has given up only one rushing touchdown this season, had seven sacks and gave up only 166 total yards against Stanford. The Bruins also forced five turnovers and scored touchdowns off a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.

In forcing six punts a game, UCLA’s defense has faced only four red-zone challenges this season. Stanford went the entire game without getting the ball inside the Bruins’ 20.

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Junior cornerback Rodney Van bounced back after being singled out for his mistakes following UCLA’s loss at Washington. Against Stanford, Van made four tackles and registered his first two pass breakups for the season.

Walker said he spoke to Van after the game and told him, “ ‘Even though I’ve been hard on you. I do have faith in you.’ ... I was happy with him.”

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After four career starts, sophomore quarterback Ben Olson is still a work in progress. He completed 20 of 37 passes for 219 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.

“It’s frustrating, especially because I made my two mistakes in the red zone,” Olson said about the interceptions. “I have to do a better job of executing.”

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Freshman running back Chane Moline, who had two carries for two touchdowns against Stanford, has emerged as UCLA’s top short-yardage runner and will be implemented more into the offense as the season progresses, Coach Karl Dorrell said.... UCLA has won nine consecutive games at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins’ longest home winning streak since 1997-99 when they won 13 in a row.

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lonnie.white@latimes.com