Olson, UCLA Defense Spark Win

UCLA was impressive in winning their home opener 31-10 against a tough Utah team.

Most impressive was first-time starter Ben Olson who threw for 318 yards, going 26-35 and connecting for 3 TDs.

Even more impressive, and perhaps more important, was the swarming Bruin defense, which ranked near the bottom in previous seasons. They forced 3 turnovers including a 28 yard touchdown on an interception by Alterraun Verner early in the first half.

Although UCLA had a great season last year, going 10-2 with wins over Oklahoma and Cal, it was their defense that remained a question mark all season. New Defensive Coordinator DeWayne Walker, who turned down big NFL money to come to Westwood, has taken the challenge of turning this defense around. If this game is a sign of things to come, we can certainly look forward to great things from the Bruins this season.

The Bruins look to continue their improvement against Rice next week at home before opening conference play against the Washington Huskies in Seattle.

Photo by: AP David Moloshok