UCLA Football: ASU's Swinging Gate Haunting Bruins Defenders Days Later

One of the main reasons UCLA suffered their second straight loss

The UCLA Bruins aim to break their two-game losing streak after a disappointing defeat to the 3-7 Arizona State Sun Devils last Saturday. The loss took out any hope of UCLA's chances of securing a Pac-12 title, adding to the frustration of a season that hasn't lived up to expectations.

Throughout the game, the Bruins encountered challenges in both moving the ball on offense and halting ASU's offense. Despite outgaining the Sun Devils, UCLA struggled to contain them, mainly when ASU employed the swing formation. 

This unconventional and unique setup involves the entire offensive line, excluding the center, positioned on one side of the field. Senior linebacker Kain Medrano addressed the team's difficulties with the swing formation, acknowledging that ASU executed it more frequently than the Bruins had anticipated.

“It was difficult. We’ve seen it before but we didn’t see it the amount of times that they ran it. They had good plays out of it, so now that we’ve seen it, we made our adjustments and we can move on."

(Per Kain Medrano)

The Sun Devils succeeded with this strategic choice, particularly in exploiting the swing formation's nuances. ASU's head coach, Kenny Dillingham, provided insights into the persistent use of this formation, catching UCLA off guard.

“I don’t know if you saw the fire-breathing dragons we saw on defense. Let’s just take those guys and put them on the sideline,” Dillingham told the Pac-12 Network crew after the game. “If we can put three fire-breathing dragons over there on the sideline 20 times a game, we’re going to do it.”

(Per Kenny Dillingham via Arizona Sports)

Medrano emphasized the Bruins' commitment to learning from this challenging experience and ensuring they are better prepared to counter the swing formation in future matchups.