LOS ANGELES — UCLA offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy doesn’t subscribe to an offense needing to have an “identity.”
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Running game? Passing game? UCLA has proven it can win in multiple ways.
Senior quarterback Ty Dieffenbach completed 22 of 33 passes for 264 yards in Saturday’s 17-7 victory over Wisconsin, but the Bruins also needed rushing touchdowns from Anthony Woods and Wayne Knight to secure their latest win.
“Your identity as a football team is for us to be connected and to be the hardest-playing offense in the country,” Kennedy said Wednesday. “That is our identity. How that happens and what play calls present themselves, that’s going to be dictated by the game. We had to throw the ball to win, and we did enough to come out with a victory. But the identity? The game plan? That’s up to the defensive coordinators to plan what we are trying to do. Our identity together is to be a tight-fitting group.”
Ninth-ranked UCLA (6-0 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) will spend the next few days finishing its preparations for this Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. home game against Michigan State (2-5, 0-4).
SPECIAL TEAMS SPOTLIGHT
Special teams coordinator Drew Canan, in his 13th season at UCLA, discussed the growth and maturity of kicker Mateen Bhaghani.
Bhaghani, who made a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter of the victory over Wisconsin, is 6 for 8 on field goal attempts this season and has 30 touchbacks on kickoffs to aid the field position battles.
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“He’s very meticulous,” Canan said. “Everything is very important to him. His steps, he wins and he’s very consistent. He’s over 90% on touchbacks, and what a weapon he is. Those guys on kickoff are a little bit disappointed, but I’m fine with the ball going out of the back of the end zone. He’s very coachable, and he’s been phenomenal.”
DAROLD DeNGOHE’S JOURNEYMAN IMPACT
Linebacker Sammy Omosigho has been in the spotlight with his performances this season. Much of the pressure generated from Omosigho has come from the double-teams being drawn by defensive lineman Darold DeNgohe, a Philadelphia native.
DeNgohe, who started his career at Rutgers, then transferred to James Madison before following Coach Bob Chesney from JMU to UCLA.
He has 10 tackles this season and had two tackles for losses against Oregon. His pass rush helped provide some of the physicality UCLA needed to leave Eugene with a win two weeks ago.
This weekend, DeNgohe will be tasked with anchoring a defensive line that will attempt to corral Michigan State senior running back Jaziun Patterson and his downhill style.
“He’s in this building all the time, and he loves football,” UCLA defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler said of DeNgohe.
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