Rivalry heats up for sacks in Pac
Washington State head coach Bill Doba recruited both Mkristo Bruce and Justin Hickman at defensive end, but he got only one of them. He’s happy with the arrangement.
“I like Mkristo Bruce,” he said, asked if he would trade players, “not just for what he does on the field, but the way he is off the field, his leadership qualities.”
UCLA defensive line coach Todd Howard has seen plenty of both Hickman in person and plenty of Bruce on film. But he’s happy, too.
“I saw Mkristo’s five sacks against Stanford, and he’s a hell of a pass rusher as well,” Howard said. “I wouldn’t trade Mkristo for Hickman, and I’m sure the coaches there wouldn’t trade, either.”
Coaches on both sides might not change their minds on Saturday, but they’ll at least get a chance to see the two senior defensive ends – who are almost certainly the top two at their position in the Pac-10 – on the same field when WSU visits UCLA this weekend.
Until last Saturday, Bruce held the Pac-10 lead in sacks with 10. But a two-week drought has allowed Hickman to surpass him, and with 101/2 it’s the Bruins defender that can lay claim to the conference lead.
Seeing his lead erased led Bruce to have some playful interactions with his offensive teammates, pleading with them to keep Hickman away from Cougars quarterback Alex Brink.
“I’d rather not sit and watch another guy get sacks, you know?” Bruce said. “I had a couple conversations with those guys, but they’ve pretty much got my back.”
Both players, however, said they don’t plan to spend much time watching the other during the game, although both paid compliments to the other based on what they’d seen in the past. Their coaches share the sentiment.
“Watching Bruce, for instance, he’s in the backfield, he’s all over the place, just like Hickman has been for us,” UCLA head coach Karl Dorrell said. “You have to judge by what the production is, and they’re both doing very well.”
This season has been somewhat similar for both players in a number of ways. Last season, both the Cougars and Bruins defenses were routinely riddled by opposing offenses, leading to fewer passing downs, fewer sack opportunities and more frustration.
This season, the Cougars defense has made a marked improvement and the Bruins defense leads the Pac-10 in yards allowed and is second in points allowed.
For both players, it’s meant more chances on third downs to rush the passer without having to worry about getting beat by the run.
“We’re 180 degrees better than we were last year,” Hickman said. “Last year we were terrible (against the run) and this year we’re stopping it pretty soundly. Teams have got to put the ball into the air and they’re putting the ball in the air a lot against us. The more opportunities you have to rush the passer, the more sack opportunities you have.”
Both players shied away when asked who was the best defensive end in the conference, but their coaches seemed much more willing to publicly back their players.
“I want for him and I know he wants for himself to be recognized as the best pass rusher in the Pac-10,” Howard said. “Who’s better?”
In two days, the Pac-10 might just find out.
Notes
Bruce is now a quarterfinalist for the Ronnie Lott Award (defensive player and personal character), and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (defensive player) and the Hendricks Award (defensive end). … Tight end Cody Boyd was again able to complete practice as he returns from an ankle injury, but he has not yet been asked to block during the week. … As has been their custom this season, the Cougars did not don pads for Wednesday’s practice.