UCLA Bruins Football: 5 players who earned game balls vs. Stanford

Yes, the defense gave away nearly a point a minute to the Cardinal on the road. It was the sort of defensive failure that makes it hard to find any silver lining. But some Bruins defenders did manage to put up solid performances, even as the rest of the team collapsed all around them with broken tackles and broken coverage.

Perhaps the best defender for the Bruins on Saturday was Kenny Young, the disruptive linebacker who was seemingly everywhere on the field. Young was tied with Jaleel Wadood for the lead in tackles, piling up 11 stops. That included a half-dozen solo tackles, and one tackle for loss. While the front seven had a hard time taking down Bryce Love and the rest of the Stanford offense, Young was one of the few who consistently took down Cardinal skill players.

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UCLA’s defense will need to be much better if they are going to rebound and continue to make noise in Pac-12 play. Young will need to be a big part of that turnaround. He earned his playing time on Saturday evening in the Bay Area, and takes home the last helmet sticker for the Bruins after a solid but ultimately disappointing Week 4 performance.