PASADENA – UCLA was hampered by injury at every level of the defense last year as the Bruins limped to their worst record under head coach Jim Mora.
The way it ended last year — with a loss to 5-7 Nebraska in the Foster Farms Bowl — stayed with the defense. It motivated the Bruins. They wanted to prove that the team that repeatedly got gashed by opposing offenses was not who they truly were.
It’s certainly not who they are now.
While the offense struggled to get going, the defense again carried the Bruins to a 45-24 win over Arizona on Saturday at the Rose Bowl.