WATCH: Bo Calvert on Bowling Green, UCLA's Karaoke Tournament

The Bruins will be facing a quarterback with a knack for improving when Matt McDonald and the Falcons visit the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

UCLA football edge rusher Bo Calvert spoke to reporters following Wednesday morning’s practice session. Calvert talked about the Bruins’ preseason karaoke tournament, how he has adjusted to the team’s new defensive scheme, how he has celebrated the walk-ons who earned scholarships and what the defense needs to do in order to contain Bowling Green quarterback Matt McDonald.

Favorite Bill McGovern story so far?

Haha, Bill McGovern. Um, man, I don't know. He's just a funny guy overall. I think he really keeps is lighthearted and so there's a lot of jokes that go around, obviously, in the film room that I can't share but are hilarious. But yeah, he's just a great guy and, like I said, keeps it lighthearted. When he needs to be serious, he's serious, but yeah, overall, just a great guy. I can't give you a specific, but really funny guy.

How would you describe his sense of humor?

Um, I think he just kind of is able to help guys if they re falling down on the field or whatever, obviously, make the point not to fall down and to stay up out there. I think maybe that's a specific example, but he'll kinda say it in a lighthearted way like, oh, you know, 'You tripped and the sniper got you' or something like that or 'The turf monster' whatever, all those regular things. But yeah, he's kinda just a funny guy, natural with the jokes. But yeah.

Outside linebackers won karaoke?

Yep.

What song? Heard Gaines say he didn't think you should have won?

Yeah, I don't know, there was some controversy about that. But so they had a final three, it was the O-line, the DBs and the outside backers. And then when they made the vote, they had the whole team kinda give an applause, so obviously all the offensive guys are gonna applaud for the O-line, cause that's their only group in there. And then it was kinda split between the DBs and outside backers. And then they brought it down to the O-line and outside backers and then we won that. Some of the guys were hating on that, but I think we did a good job. We had kind of a mixed group of everybody kinda singing and getting their own part, but it was nice, short and sweet, but it was good.

Impressions on the new scheme?

I think the best thing about the defense obviously is – I think on both sides of the ball – is the depth we have and be able to give so many different looks. I think when we want to get aggressive, we can get aggressive. When we want to sit back, we need to do those things, we can put in the bodies to do that. And I think the way we've been able to move so fluidly, being able to – I talked about it earlier, that we've kind of built the foundation with guys understanding different types of coverages and different types of pressures in years prior, and now we kind of just added to that depth of the things we can do. So switching things up on offenses and giving looks that maybe look like something and kind of masking different things. I think that's the biggest thing that we've improved on and kind of I would say mastered is disguising looks and not giving away things and showing how this defense can really move forward. I think it's been great, being able to have – we need a guy, we need pass rushers to get in, so we'll get those guys in. We need more of a dime/nickel defense and get those DB bodies in there I think has been great. So not being able to – not being handcuffed by the type of group you have, I think we have guys that can do everything on both sides.

Is this group of edge rushers the best since you've been here?

I would say, as far as experience and depth-wise, yeah. We're probably definitely the most experienced, best skillset as far as the variety of types of pass rushers that we have. Obviously, you have Carl, who's kind of a smaller, quicker guy. Then you have Latu, who's kind of very fluid in the types of things he can do, move his hands. You've got the twins that are just very powerful rushers but they also have great moves as well. So just being able to have everybody in there when one guy gets tired, being able to not have a dropoff has been huge. So being able to, when we have that second group come in or the rotating guys coming in after that, be just as good, if not better, has been amazing.

Main takeaways scouting Bowling Green? Preparing for an improviser at QB who extends plays?

Yeah, I think their quarterback does a really good job of extending plays and doing great with working with what he has. I think he does a good job of, you know, reading the defense and making a play on top of that. He's the type of guy that you gotta kinda keep in the pocket and you gotta make sure that he's not gonna escape. He's not overly aggressive on his running, but he can run and he's been shown to do that. So we gotta keep him bottled in and get him to get the ball out quick.

Last year the word for execute, now it's dominate?

Yeah.

Feel like you guys are ready to dominate?

Yeah, I think we've done the work up til now. Obviously, we're gonna have our first live experience on Saturday, kinda test that out, but I think we've done a really good job keeping the tempo up. We've had depth on both sides of the ball that's shown that we can be aggressive, we don't need to hold anything back, you know what I mean? So I think that's the biggest thing moving forward is the guys are able to put everything they have out there on the field and know that the next guy up is gonna give just as much.

Any walk-ons in particular you were excited got scholarships?

Yeah, I think, obviously I'm pumped for all of them. Carson Scheswinger went to Oaks Christian, that's where I went to high school, so I was really pumped to see him, he's been working his tail off this fall camp. Dovid Magna, another guy who's really turned around his body. He's coming back from a neck injury that he had surgery on, so working back from that and being able to earn a scholarship, I think, is an amazing story. And then another number of guys – Alex Johnson as well, he's been in my grade, so he's been here the last five years working as a walk-on and has been on the scout team and has also played in some games as well but he's kinda stuck to the script. So yeah, anytime a guy coming from a walk-on is able to earn a scholarship, there's been an immense amount of work that's gone into that. And so I think there's nothing but respect coming from players on the team when you see a guy who earns a scholarship because you know that he's earned it. They don't just hand those things out, you know?

How did Oaks prepare you and your other former high school teammates for UCLA?

Yeah, I think our team was pretty stacked when we were in high school. We had – as far as here at UCLA – we had myself and Zach Charbonnet, we had Shea Pitts and then Carson Schwesinger, and then a number of guys in the NFL now. Michael Pittman, who's now playing for the Colts, and Matt Corral, who just got drafted coming out of Ole Miss, and a number of other guys. But I think just that high school program was very unique, I think. I didn't realize it back then, the amount of All-Americans that we had – Colby Parkinson as well, he's a tight end who's now with the Seahawks. The amount of active guys on that team who were All-Americans was crazy. But I think just how serious we took coach Banker, our coach, was very, you know – he had practices a lot, similar to how we have out here, being up-tempo and scripted. And so being able to utilize that in high school and then step into here made the transition a lot easier.

Bringing in experienced guys to the defense add to the urgency to improve this defense?

Yeah, I mean, I think we did a decent job last year. I would say we're just building off those things. I would say the experience obviously just assures you of, when something goes wrong, that guys aren't gonna panic, you know? And the amount of maturity that we have that we can kind of rebite and lock back in, you know, just helps you that guys aren't overly emotional, they're just willing to accept the fact that you're gonna get beat a couple times and we're gonna lock back in and go win the next drive. So I think that's been the biggest thing I've seen.

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