With big shoes to fill, linebacker Jayon Brown enjoys success

BY CLAIRE FAHY

Jayon Brown is ready.

He sits in a locker room tucked beneath the Rose Bowl bleachers, checking every aspect of his uniform to make sure he’s prepared. As the junior linebacker rests in front of his locker before UCLA football’s homecoming game, he feels a slight twinge of nerves while reflecting on the task at hand.

Recently thrust into the starting lineup and onto the national stage by the injury to standout linebacker Myles Jack, Brown faces the pressure of filling in for a projected first-round draft pick.

In this, his fourth start of the season, Brown does his best impression of Jack, recording 18 tackles as the Bruins beat the Colorado Buffaloes 35-31.

Brown has long been waiting for this pressure. A three-star recruit out of Long Beach Polytechnic High School, the linebacker joined a Bruin program that was stacked at his position, with the likes of Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Jack headlining a high-profile unit of talent.

“I’ve been waiting to get some serious time like this since I was a freshman so I’m living the dream right now,” Brown said. “I just want to keep getting better and winning games.”

The UCLA defense has been oft-derided and highly scrutinized this season, a by-product of a high volume of injuries. Throughout the turmoil, Brown has emerged as a force, recording double-digit tackles three times and helping to anchor a stretched-thin defense.

“Guys are going to get hurt. Guys are going to get dinged up in games,” coach Jim Mora said in September. “You’ll have adversity. It’s how you handle it that defines you.”

Brown plays what the team refers to as “Jack” linebacker on the outside of the formation but is often shuffled inside to play “Mike,” filling in at whatever position needs a healthy body.

“I think Jayon’s done a tremendous job, he’s gotten better each game, his game’s gotten better. We ask him to do a lot of different things,” said defensive coordinator Tom Bradley. “He plays all the positions at linebacker. It’s not easy. … I’m proud of the way he’s developed and hopefully he’ll continue that development.”

Junior linebacker Jayon Brown made 18 tackles in UCLA's 35-31 win over Colorado Oct. 31. Brown has risen to the occasion since filling in for the injured Myles Jack, helping steady a Bruin defense rocked by injuries. (Miriam Bribiesca/Daily Bruin senior staff)

Following last Saturday’s 17-9 upset of Utah, Brown sat at the press conference podium, holding court.

“My fellow Americans …” he began, before breaking out in laughter. “I’m not used to this.”

For the past two seasons, Brown wasn’t the one fielding questions. He wasn’t an instantly recognizable headline-maker like Jack or Kendricks. But he was chipping away, waiting in the wings.

The media swarming Brown after the Utah game peeled off following three minutes of questions, but the junior remained where he sat, thumbing through the stat sheets. Seeing that he was credited with a sack, he stood up jubilantly, arms raised above his head. Brown had left the game with an injury midway through the third but returned to finish out the contest, producing 10 tackles.

“When he went down, that’s when my breakfast started to come up,” Bradley said. “Because what’s happened to us at the linebacker position in the past. With everybody getting hurt he’s had to take on a lot of responsibility, not just physically, but mentally.”

Brown learned that mental toughness gradually, while biding his time on the sidelines. Brown said he models his work ethic after that of Kendricks, who was a second-round NFL Draft pick last year.

“I just learned from the guys in front of me … see how they approach practice, look at their work ethic,” Brown said. “It’s working out good for me.”

Brown’s competitiveness, however, was there from the very start. The linebacker started playing football in first grade at the age of 8, taking the field at both running back and linebacker.

“There was one game that I got, we were playing some team that had like a Steelers (uniform),” Brown said. “I was at running back and I got the ball and I think I scored for like a 70-yard run, it was pretty sick.”

Brown has made plenty of highlight-reel plays since then. As a freshman Brown was named all-conference honorable mention and won Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for a forced fumble and fumble recovery in 2013.

Brown was only credited with two tackles his sophomore season due to the coaching staff’s uncertainty as to whether he could make it as a linebacker. Standing at 6-feet, 220 pounds, the junior couldn’t physically size up with teammates like Kenny Young, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound player who out-competed Brown for the outside spot at the 2014 spring training.

Ever since being given a chance in the starting lineup, Brown’s game has reached new heights.

“I feel more comfortable now than I did in past games,” Brown said. “I’m still getting used to things, I’m seeing things faster, reacting faster.”

Even with his newfound success, Brown is ready for more. He’s still looking for his first career interception and criticizes himself for not racking up more tackles for loss.

The junior states adamantly that UCLA has the ability to go the distance, with every intention of winning the Pac-12 championship Dec. 5 – a title match the Bruins can reach with a win this weekend.

Regardless of what remains to come, Jayon Brown is ready.

Gameday predictions: UCLA vs. USC

Sophomore running back Nate Starks and the Bruins will take on USC on Saturday with the Pac-12 South division title up for grabs. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)

UCLA travels across the city this weekend for its final regular season game. The Bruins are coming off a 17-9 win over the Utah Utes, whereas the USC Trojans are backing into the rivalry game with a 48-28 loss at the hands of the Oregon Ducks. The winner will travel north for a chance to snag the Pac-12 championship.

Here’s what Daily Bruin Sports predicts before Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. kickoff.

(Rachel Zhu/Daily Bruin)

Claire Fahy, sports editor

UCLA 27, USC 24

This rivalry game is one for the ages – at least one for the coach Jim Mora era, as it’s so fondly called. Since USC’s 50-0 rout of UCLA in 2011, the Bruins have owned this matchup, winning the past three. Not once in any of those years have the stakes been this high for either team, as a win guarantees a Pac-12 championship berth. The Bruins’ offense is currently firing on all cylinders and will be hard to stop. Freshman quarterback Josh Rosen has not thrown an interception in more than 200 consecutive passes and senior receiver Jordan Payton just set a school record for career receptions. UCLA looked efficient against an aggressive Utah defense last weekend and should be able to exploit USC for points. The Bruins defense also looked strong as defensive coordinator Tom Bradley exhibited an ability to make in-game adjustments rarely before shown. This game will be a nail-biter to the finish, but UCLA could be on its way to the team’s first Pac-12 championship since 2012.

(Rachel Zhu/Daily Bruin)

Korbin Placet, assistant sports editor

UCLA 31, USC 28

Mora has a record of 14-3 on the road going back to the 2013 season. That’s right, 14-3. It is pretty incredible, since playing at home is generally considered to be the ultimate advantage. Yet, somehow Mora has figured something out while playing away from the Rose Bowl. Maybe playing at the Coliseum will extend UCLA’s dominance over USC to four years in a row and push the Bruins to the Pac-12 championship game. It will be hard, no doubt, and some would even argue that the Trojans need this win more than their banged up counterpart. Reaching the title game would help salvage a season that saw the Trojans fall short of expectations, and lose its coach.

(Rachel Zhu/Daily Bruin)

Tanner Walters, assistant sports editor

UCLA 28, USC 20

If you’re looking for a game with storylines galore, look no further. If you’re looking for a game to put your next betting venture on, run for the hills. Sure, Rosen and the UCLA offense could light up the ‘SC secondary, but can the freshman really keep up his clean interception-less streak that much longer? There were a couple of suspect passes against Utah last Saturday that narrowly avoided disaster, so I’m expecting some sort of reality check at some point or another. With that said, UCLA has proven over and over this year that it will keep fighting back and even when there are stumbling blocks the Bruins still find a way. My final regular season prediction is that they’ll keep finding a way this weekend at the Coliseum.

(Rachel Zhu/Daily Bruin)

Matt Cummings, assistant sports editor

UCLA 42, USC 24

A little over a month ago, this would have been a different story. The Trojans looked ready to vindicate the preseason hype, and the Bruins’ season was slipping away. But now this matchup actually looks good for UCLA. For much of the season, the Bruins’ offense was better able to pick apart weak run defenses than weak pass defenses. Not anymore. With Rosen now evolved into a premier passer, UCLA is well-equipped to torch a USC defensive unit that’s stout against the rush but vulnerable through the air. The Bruins will put up points, and on the other side of the ball, they’ll be fine against an offense that hasn’t been anything special lately.

Stakes of UCLA-USC rivalry escalate with Pac-12 South title on the line

BY CLAIRE FAHY

Sophomore running back Nate Starks and the Bruins will take on USC on Saturday with the Pac-12 South division title up for grabs. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)

The UCLA-USC football rivalry is often seen as a battle for bragging rights within Los Angeles, with both schools calling the city home. This year, Saturday’s game nears a height of historical consequence, with far more than glory serving as the prize.

The Trojans have not made an appearance in the conference championship since 2009 and the Bruins haven’t done so since 2012. Whichever team comes out on top following this weekend’s 60-minute matchup will make its return to the title game, with a chance to play in Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 5.

Both teams enter their final regular season game far from where they imagined being at this point in the year. USC was projected to win the Pac-12 title, while UCLA received College Football Playoff hype to start the season. Multiple injuries, scandalous headlines and various upsets later, the two programs both have a lot to prove.

“This is everything we want,” said junior linebacker Jayon Brown. “At the beginning of the year, this was our goal to make it to a Pac-12 championship, and we’ve got just one more game left. It’s always a big rivalry, but now that there’s more on it, that just makes it that much better.”

When asked whether the Bruins would be able to take down the Trojans, freshman Josh Rosen needed only a one-word answer: “Absolutely.”

Rosen enters Saturday’s game looking to go head to head with another quarterback who received early-season Heisman hype: Cody Kessler. USC’s signal caller is completing 69.2 percent of passes on the year with 25 touchdowns.

In comparison, Rosen is throwing 60.2 percent for 19 touchdowns, with a streak that has now reached 210 consecutive passes without an interception. In recent games against Washington State and Utah, the freshman has showed an increasing maturity and poise in the pocket.

“(Rosen) grew up in California, I’m sure he knows a lot about the rivalry,” said redshirt junior running back Paul Perkins. “This kid is very poised, this is not gonna be any big phase for him, I’m sure he’s gonna be fine.”

The Bruins and the Trojans are as well-matched a pair that has existed on UCLA’s schedule. Both suffered significant, high-profile injuries to their defense and feature a balanced pass-oriented offense supported by top-notch playmakers.

What the Bruins have in Rosen the Trojans have in Kessler, while senior receiver Jordan Payton is mirrored by JuJu Smith-Schuster, although the Trojan sophomore is questionable after sustaining an injury against Oregon last weekend.

With the pranks, puns and pontifications aside, what remains of this weekend’s rivalry game is a winner-take-all showdown. Should UCLA emerge victorious, this season could go down as one of the best of the Jim Mora era, whereas a loss would give the Bruins their worst season record in recent history.

Halftime Signatures: Alto saxophonist relishes harmony in tight-knit section

BY CLAIRE FAHY

Second-year mechanical engineering student Noah Ashman leads the alto sax section of the UCLA Marching Band. Since last year’s rivalry game was at the Rose Bowl, Saturday’s game will be his first at the Coliseum. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin senior staff)

In anticipation of the UCLA-USC football matchup Thanksgiving weekend, Daily Bruin A&E features members of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band. Today’s installment profiles Noah Ashman, a second-year mechanical engineering student and alto saxophone section leader.

The UCLA Bruin Marching Band erupted into the tune of “The Mighty Bruins” as the scoreboard flashed the final score: UCLA 38, USC 20. Noah Ashman, a first-year at the time, cheered with the other alto saxophone players before engaging in playful banter with a friend in the Trojan marching band.

“It was a great game and I got to rub it into him afterwards that our band was better,” Ashman said.

This Saturday, the Bruins face the Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and Ashman, now a second-year mechanical engineering student, will be one of the 250 marching band members representing UCLA.

As the alto saxophone section leader, Ashman said his duties include directing 19 altos, keeping harmony with the other woodwinds and energizing the crowd­. However, he said his main focus remains on enjoying the game’s hyped atmosphere with a group of peers he calls his family.

The alto saxophones are part of the band’s brass and woodwinds section. They are tasked with performing the countermelodies – secondary subordinate melodies that accompany the primary melodies played by the trumpets and trombones.

Though the altos may not be the largest section, their sense of community is strengthened through hours of practice, performance and traveling. Ashman said the bonds are formed during their first weeks at band camp.

“I had just moved in and suddenly I was spending 12-hour days with these people,” Ashman said. “We unite under our common love for music and performance.”

With so much of his time consumed by band, Ashman said one would assume academic hardship to be inevitable. However, he said he experiences greater success in his classes during band season than during his time off.

Ashman said his demanding schedule has helped him develop a balance between academics and band and continue to be an example for his section.

“When I have that kind of routine it really keeps me on track in my classes,” Ashman said. “It’s a weird paradox. It sounds like it would be such a struggle to balance, but it’s the best way to keep me focused.”

Joy McCreary, a second-year political science and international development studies student and alto saxophone performer, said she depends on Ashman’s witty character and authority to lead her during the performances. As for the UCLA-USC game, McCreary said she enjoys the rivalry, but said the crowds can be somewhat terrifying.

“We basically walk around with big target signs above our heads,” McCreary said. “The Coliseum is a little bit scary.”

While McCreary is not looking forward to the intense heckling from Trojan fans, she said the band’s philosophy remains of utmost importance. Band members, she said, are expected to be supportive and energetic, no matter what the crowds chant or the scoreboard dictates.

“You get excited for games in general, but when it’s the USC game, everyone’s that much more into it,” Ashman said.

Saturday’s game will be his first time performing at the Coliseum, yet Ashman is level-headed despite the intimidating environment.

“It’s home being out there on the field,” Ashman said.

Compiled by Lena Schipper, A&E contributor.

Scouting report: USC

BY ANAY DATTAWADKAR

On Saturday, UCLA will face USC in a battle for the Pac-12 South title. The Bruins (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12) have defeated the Trojans (7-4, 5-3) for three straight years.

Here’s a scouting report for USC, a talented team that will be looking to avenge recent history.

Offense
Base Formation: Spread
Run/Pass Ratio: 53 percent rush / 47 percent pass
Blocking Style: Zone blocking
Strength: Wide receiver corps
Weakness: Pass protection
X-factor: Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster

UCLA will face a stern test this week against a strong USC offense led by interim coach Clay Helton. Helton’s spread/pro-style hybrid offense is littered with talent up and down. This is a unit defined by its ability to move the ball through the air, with senior quarterback Cody Kessler aptly finding targets among a deep wide receiver corps.

Though Kessler hasn’t quite put up numbers worthy of the Heisman hype that surrounded him coming into the season, the senior has played very well. He is an accurate passer, completing nearly 70 percent of his attempts so far; he also is renowned for his care with the ball, having thrown just six interceptions on the year, a key reason the Trojans are a top-10 team at minimizing turnovers in 2015.

The Trojan wide receiver group is dominated by one man – sophomore wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. Smith-Schuster – who recently was named to the 10-man shortlist for the Biletnikoff Award – is a big, physical wide receiver who currently leads the Pac-12 with 1,217 receiving yards and is tied for second with 10 touchdowns. He has, however, been hobbled by an ankle injury which he aggravated against Oregon last week, and his health will play a key role in the structure of the Trojan offense.

Smith-Schuster plays alongside sophomore Adoree’ Jackson and redshirt sophomore Steve Mitchell. Jackson is a dynamic all-purpose speedster who also plugs in on defense – at cornerback – and on special teams – as kick and punt returner. He has scored touchdowns in all three facets of the game so far this year.

The Trojans are not renowned for their rushing prowess, and are ranked eighth in the Pac-12 in that category. Freshman Ronald Jones II leads the team in rushing yards so far this year, though junior Justin Davis has been featured more recently, racking up 141 yards last week against Oregon.

The Trojans are middling in pass protection, tied for sixth in the Pac-12 in sacks against. This is partly due to several key injuries on the offensive line and poor pass blocking by the running backs. Look for the UCLA defense to attack this weak spot throughout the game. The Bruins have upped their pass rush recently, tallying 11 of their 26 sacks over the past three games.

Defense
Base Formation: 3-4 Over
Blitz Tendency: Low
Strength: Rush defense
Weakness: Play-calling
X-factor: Hybrid linebacker Su’a Cravens

The USC defense that UCLA will face is significantly weakened from earlier this year. This is an injury-riddled unit, one that two weeks ago lost its best player, Cameron Smith, to a season-ending knee injury.

An area the Trojans have been solid defending is the run, their fourth-ranked Pac-12 rushing defense limiting its opponents to 137.4 yards a game. However, the loss of Smith and periodic injuries to other linebackers have forced the relatively inexperienced Olajuwon Tucker into the fray. The USC linebackers’ struggles against Oregon’s rushing game played a key role in last week’s blowout loss.

The Trojan pass defense has been suspect so far this year, ranked ninth in the Pac-12. Nationwide, the unit ranks 63rd in Football Outsiders’ passing S&P+, which is a measure of a defense’s overall effectiveness against opposing quarterbacks. The defense was recently picked apart by Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams, whose six touchdown passes broke a record for an opposing quarterback against USC.

In that game – especially in the first half – defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox’s scheme was mercilessly sliced open. Time and time again, Oregon wide receivers found themselves wide open down the seam or on the sideline. A mix of poor play-calling and worse execution doomed the Trojans, whose inability to tackle turned big gains into touchdowns and put the team into a hole they would not recover from.

The loss lent credence to the anger of USC fans, who have long complained about Wilcox’s play-calling and reluctance to blitz. Despite ranking third in the Pac-12 with 33 sacks, the Trojans blitz infrequently, relying on their front-four to generate much of the pressure.

The statistic that perhaps best sums up this defense is its 85th-ranked havoc rate, a measure of a team’s likelihood of causing a disruptive play – such as a pass breakup, interception or sack. Even worse, the team’s defensive backs generate disruptive plays only 3.9 percent of the time – which ranks 122nd in college football. This is a struggling defense, one which should offer a tantalizing target for UCLA’s third-ranked pass offense in the Pac-12.

Compiled by Anay Dattawadkar, Bruin Sports staff.