UCLA Football: How the Bruins Must Attack Stanford's Tough Defense

This upcoming Friday, Jim Mora and the UCLA football team will look to exorcise the proverbial demons as they host the Stanford Cardinal. 

Mora has yet to defeat Stanford during his time in Westwood. The Cardinal's staunch defense has made life very difficult for Brett Hundley and company. 

In the latest installment, the Bruins hope to put up points on the No. 6 defense in the entire country. 

This piece will cover three strategic aspects which will help UCLA to victory. 

Run the Zone Read

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Hundley running the rock.

Stanford's defense is very stout across the board. In terms of sheer size, it's one of the biggest defenses in the entire country. 

UCLA likes to attack the field horizontally—primarily with swing passes, wide receiver screens and quick throws to the perimeter. However, Stanford's overall length and pursuit in coverage could make this problematic. 

Although the Cardinal only allow 3.3 yards per carry, UCLA could be better served attacking them right up the middle. Brett Hundley's ability to run the football will go a long way in making this a productive means of attack. 

He wasn't asked to run the ball much versus Southern Cal the previous week. However, his propensity to take off and run could loosen a very stingy Stanford front seven.

Starting nose tackle David Parry has also battled a leg injury for most of the season, and his health—or lack thereof—could play a big role in the contest. 

Look for Hundley to hold onto the ball more frequently in zone-read situations. In some aspects, UCLA could look to mirror what Oregon and Marcus Mariota did to the Cardinal defense.

Test Stanford Deep

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Hundley looking to stretch the field vertically.

If there's one perceived unit of weakness in the Stanford defense, it's the secondary. 

Starting corners Wayne Lyons and Alex Carter have both been plagued by inconsistency at times this year. Safety Zach Hoffpauir, while both a big hitter and a very good tackler, has also recently battled injury. Depth in general also isn't outstanding.

With the potency of its front seven, Stanford is rarely challenged deep. UCLA needs to make a concerted effort to throw the ball down the field. Much of the team's passing attack is of the short variety. Mixing things up to include throws stretching the field vertically would seem ideal. 

Of course, this entire scenario is predicated upon UCLA protecting Hundley. He needs ample time in order to execute throws down the field to the likes of Jordan Payton, Mossi Johnson, Devin Lucien and Thomas Duarte, among others.

Push the Tempo

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Hundley getting psyched for the game.

As previously mentioned, Stanford possesses a big, physical defense. It's almost as if the Cardinal play football as if it were in a phone booth. 

Stanford would like nothing more than to turn this into a grind-it-out, dull, punishing affair.

The Bruins, on the other hand, want to get up and down the field. 

They need to try to execute plays at a rapid pace. Oregon did a great job of this earlier in the season. Mora's men don't necessarily operate at that same level, but ramping up the speed worked well. 

Every one of Stanford's losses (save for Utah) came against spread teams. This team will hope to fall into the same category on Friday.