Just a few weeks ago, UCLA’s defense was in a precarious situation, ranked No. 122 in scoring defense. The head coach got fired, along with his staff, and since then, it’s been a new dawn at the Bruins. In some respects, their season actually started against Penn State. The defense has improved, and senior defensive analyst Kevin Coyle has had as wild a few weeks as the program.

Just weeks ago, Kevin Coyle was content at Syracuse. But a call from his former linebacker, Tim Skipper, combined with a challenging task to revamp the Bruins’ defense, faced him. Coyle jumped on the bandwagon and left for Los Angeles. “So when Skip presented the opportunity, it wasn’t an easy decision to make, to be quite honest with you, cuz I had just gone back to another place where I had been before,” he said to the media on Wednesday.

Coyle arrived at UCLA a couple of days prior to the matchup against Northwestern. Before coming back as an analyst for the Orange, he had once been a defensive coordinator for the program. “I was at Syracuse and doing what I could to…help there on the defensive side. But because of Skip and because of the uniqueness of this challenge.”

In the first three games, the defense had allowed 36.0 points per game, giving up 431 yards per game. That challenge is what intrigued Coyle as he packed his bags and headed to the Rose Bowl stadium. “I made a decision that…Yeah I’m going to give it a swing.” The change brought out by Coyle has shown its results in no time, with the defensive unit allowing an average of 21.0 points per game since he took up the play-calling duties.

Coyle has a plan. “We’ve kind of been working this system for a number of years now. So we’ve established quite an inventory and volume of defenses. We’ve tried to take the core of what the foundation of the defense has been and implemented that right away, and then continue to try to build on it every week.” And it has worked, hasn’t it?

The roster has been quick to plug in to the new system, and learning constant weekly changes differed from opponent to opponent. Since then, the Bruins have won against Penn State, Michigan State Spartans, and Maryland. Presently, the program is going 3-4 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten. Overall, it’s been a successful few weeks and great reconnecting with his former player at the Bruins.

Kevin Coyle on Tim Skipper

Once, Tim Skipper, a linebacker at Fresno State in the 90s, was coached by Kevin Coyle. Now, the veteran, 69-year-old defensive analyst, is playcalling for Skipper. After DeShaun Foster was let go, Skipper shouldered the responsibilities of the interim head coach.

“I’m just happy for him because of what he stands for, the work ethic that he has. He’s the player’s coach. He’s in it for all the right reasons and trying to build up these young men and teach them.” Over 18 games as an interim head coach (back at Fresno State), he holds a 10-8 overall record and a bowl game win.

Coyle continued. “A lot about life as well as the football game, which is what we all do. And I think that’s why we have a special bond between us.”  Coming up next, UCLA faces off against Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers (7-0)