UCLA Football: Physical Kansas State Could Expose Bruins Biggest Issue

Known for a style of football that's low on frills but high on physicality, No. 11 Kansas State serves as a barometer for just how much No. 14 UCLA needs to improve upon its most glaring issue for the 2015 season. 

The Wildcats perfectly reflect their head coach, Bill Snyder. Snyder is the oldest active sideline general in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and his Kansas State team plays with an old-school approach. 

A stifling defense complements a methodical, power-based offense—and vice versa. The Kansas State defense allowed just 21.8 points per game and 124.4 rushing yards to wear down opponents on one side then squeezed the air out of the ball on the other with an average time of possession of 32 minutes, 31 seconds. 

It's exactly Kansas State's brand of football that thwarted UCLA's bid for the Pac-12 Championship Game last month. The Bruins dropped a 31-10 decision to Stanford on Nov. 28 that both took them out of the Pac-12 South title race and exposed the most significant facet holding UCLA back. 

"Execution on our part," center Jake Brendel said. 

An inability to match the physicality of team like Stanford or Kansas State may not be the issue for UCLA, Brendel said. But when the Bruins have taken stiff shots from such opponents, their execution tends to suffer on both sides of the ball. 

UCLA's fourth loss to Stanford since 2012 may have shined a light on the Bruins' collective need to get tougher, but their struggles against other power teams say it isn't just the Cardinal giving them fits. 

Their first loss of the 2014 season came against Utah. The Utes cultivated a hard-nosed, defensive identity under head coach Kyle Whittingham, and this year, that identity manifested in a nation-leading 55 sacks. 

Ten of those came against UCLA on Oct. 4. 

Kansas State is not nearly as prolific a sacking defense, but the Wildcats defensive front is more than capable of causing some havoc. 

The majority of the team's sacks come from the defensive line. Ends Ryan Mueller, Travis Britz and Jordan Willis combine for 12.5, more than half the Wildcats' total.

And if Kansas State's defensive linemen aren't producing sacks, they can use their collective length to disrupt opposing quarterbacks, setting the stage for the nation's No. 17-ranked intercepting defense.  

UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley's ability to quickly and decisively run zone-read plays is crucial to combating Kansas State's pass rush. The Bruins cut down on sacks allowed late in the season as Hundley became more of a run threat out of the zone read.

But Kansas State is well-versed in defending such an offense, as Auburn running back Cameron Artis-Payne explained after the Tigers met the Wildcats on Sept. 18. 

"They did not get out of their gaps. They stayed in their gaps, and it did not create a lot of cutback lanes for the zone read," Artis-Payne said via KStateSports.com. "They were tough."

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Linebacker Jonathan Truman is the kind of highly active ball hawk Pac-12 teams are employing more in order to attack zone-read and spread offenses. Think Arizona's Scooby Wright or UCLA's own Eric Kendricks.

With Truman backing up the defensive line, Kansas State has the ability to slow down UCLA's rushing attack—and that spells trouble for what offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone tries to do with his scheme.  

"We got ourselves in obvious passing situations," Brendel said following the Stanford loss. "And you can't do that with our offense." 

Establishing a consistent rush against the stout Wildcats front seven isn't just imperative for winning the Alamo Bowl; it's also a look ahead to 2015. 

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With Hundley likely headed to the NFL, the Bruins should open next season with a completely unproven quarterback behind center.

Whether that's Asiantii Woulard or incoming 5-star freshman Josh Rosen—or someone else—will play out over the offseason. But no matter who wins that job, UCLA must rely heavily on the Pac-12's leading rusher this past season, running back Paul Perkins.  

Though Perkins shouldered the majority of the load en route to 1,381 yards, UCLA head coach Jim Mora talked throughout the regular season of establishing a multifaceted run game. 

The Bruins' response to Kansas State should put that concept to the test.  

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise cited. Statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com. Recruiting rankings and information via 247Sports composite scores.