UCLAs defense lives up to Bruin Bullies name with lockdown showing

There’s a UCLA coach who has sparked a major transformation in addition to Bob Chesney.How about that Colin Hitschler defense?For more than a month now, Hitschler’s unit has been in lockdown mode.The Bruins haven’t given up more than two touchdowns in a game since the middle of September, and on Saturday they unveiled a masterpiece at the Rose Bowl.With its offense sputtering for much of the afternoon, No.7 UCLA’s defense stepped up in a major way during a 27-0 victory over Nevada.The Bruins (8-0) intercepted four passes — with a drop by safety Scooter Jackson preventing a fifth — while holding the Wolf Pack (3-5) to 176 yards of offense.It was UCLA’s first shutout since a 2015 thrashing of Oregon State and its first at home since holding Oregon scoreless in 2007.These guys don’t call themselves the Bruin Bullies for nothing.The Bruins’ defense is one of the biggest reasons they remain in College Football Playoff contention and have won on days when their offense has been sluggish.Over its last five games, UCLA has given up an average of only seven points.

That’s a number they often gave up in less than a quarter under the likes of Jerry Azzinaro, Tom Bradley and some of the other defensive coordinators who preceded Hitschler.Nevada’s best chance to put points on the board came late in the third quarter, when it missed a 48-yard field goal.The game ended in fitting fashion, with defensive back Ty Lee making an interception in the final minute and the Bruins taking a knee to run out the clock.The Bruins kept their unbeaten start rolling ahead of the initial release of the CFP rankings on Tuesday.The big question is if they will be one of the top eight teams, which would put them in position to host a first-round game at the Rose Bowl.With one of the quarterfinal games also scheduled to be played at the Rose Bowl, it’s conceivable that UCLA could play back-to-back home games in the CFP.With UCLA’s offense generating very little, Bruins defen...