UCLA’s defensive staff is heading into Saturday with the Oregon challenge fresh in its memory.
On Wednesday, safeties coach Anthony DiMichele could be heard pushing the Bruins to be the first team this season to pick off an Oregon quarterback, whether that’s Dylan Raiola or Dante Moore. “Zero picks all season!” DiMichele yelled, with an expletive sprinkled in, as practice rolled on.
That kind of edge has been part of the buildup all week. UCLA defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler, who spent last season on the opposite sideline in the College Football Playoff, knows exactly what the Ducks can bring. Oregon’s group, he said, forces defenses to deal with speed, balance and playmakers at every level.
“You’ve got great receivers coming up against you and an elite tight end, stable running backs that are elite and a Heisman candidate or two,” Hitschler said of the 13th-ranked Ducks. “Who wouldn’t want the opportunity to play against that?
Schematically, they put a lot of obstacles in front of you. There’s a chip on our shoulder there, and we have to find a way to slow it down.”
Hitschler and several others on Bob Chesney’s staff already know the pain of trying to solve Oregon. In December, while at James Madison, they were on the wrong end of a 51-34 first-round playoff loss to the Ducks.
Moore carved up that defense for 313 yards and four touchdowns on 19-of-27 passing, while returning sophomore Jordon Davison added 90 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries. Oregon piled up 201 yards on the ground at 7.7 yards per carry.
More than 10 months later, Hitschler is still drawing on that game.
“You learn from every opportunity and every game,” he said. “Win or lose, any good coach or any system is going to learn from previous mistakes.
Obviously it wasn’t good enough when we played them last year and would love to play them again last year, but that’s not how it works. It’s one and done, and you’re knocked out.
It is what it is. Regain, reload and gain a group of new guys, and let’s see how we can attack them slightly differently or hit them again.”
The urgency showed during practice, where Hitschler was overheard urging his defense to bring more effort. He said the Bruins are trying to keep that edge all the way through kickoff.
“Every day there’s a lot of intensity of practice,” Hitschler said. “You win Tuesday through Friday, you tend to win the game on Saturday. Just crossing our i’s, dotting our t’s, and let’s see what we can do to slow down this offense.”
UCLA enters Saturday’s game in Eugene at 4-0 and 2-0 in the Big Ten, but for the first time this season it won’t be favored. The Bruins are 11.5-point underdogs against the 13th-ranked Ducks, who are 3-1 and 1-0 after beating USC 41-27 on Sept.
- Both teams are coming off byes, and UCLA arrives with momentum after its 51-point rout at Maryland.
The Bruins also have a familiar face going back to Autzen Stadium in wide receiver Jalen Saint Paul. The Oregon transfer committed to the Ducks in February 2024 before announcing in May 2025 that he was headed to Westwood. He did not record any statistics in Eugene.
After playing in two games without a catch for UCLA last season, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound junior from Carlsbad High has started to find a role. He caught two passes from Nico Iamaleava for 11 yards in UCLA’s 28-10 win over San Diego State on Sept. 12.
Offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy said Saint Paul has been trending upward and earning more trust.
“He’s been coming on really strong,” Kennedy said. “He’s been coming on really strong.
He’s earned reps. First game he didn’t play as much.
Each game he’s taken steps for a young guy. It speaks to his preparation and his intelligence level because we do move receivers.
We have them play the inside and the outside, and it’s not easy. For him to pick that up and gain the trust.
It’s huge. He’s gaining the trust of (Iamaleava), and that’s a huge piece of their chemistry.”
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