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UCLA Football: 5 holiday wish list items for Bruins in 2019

By Connor Muldowney

BERKELEY, CA - OCTOBER 13: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates after the Bruins scored a touchdown against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
BERKELEY, CA - OCTOBER 13: Dorian Thompson-Robinson #7 of the UCLA Bruins celebrates after the Bruins scored a touchdown against the California Golden Bears at California Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – NOVEMBER 24: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal catches a touchdown pass as Colin Samuel #10 and Adarius Pickett #6 of the UCLA Bruins defend during the first half of a game at the Rose Bowl on November 24, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – NOVEMBER 24: JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19 of the Stanford Cardinal catches a touchdown pass as Colin Samuel #10 and Adarius Pickett #6 of the UCLA Bruins defend during the first half of a game at the Rose Bowl on November 24, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

4. Any semblance of a defense

Defense, please.

Any Bruin fan who watched a single game this season has to have a defense on their wish list for the upcoming season. The Bruins ranked No. 105 in the country in total yards allowed per game and also 105th in points surrendered per contest.

The secondary was slightly better than the run defense, ranking 88th in the country in passing yards allowed per game. The front-seven struggled to stop the run, though, ranking 100th in the nation after giving up 200 yards per game on the ground.

The Bruins need an improved run defense, but a better secondary will do, too. Chip Kelly is more of an offensive coach, but even he knew that what his team did defensively wasn’t good enough.

Being in the Pac-12, having one of the worst defenses in the country just blends the Bruins in, but if they want to contend with the Washingtons, Washington States and Stanfords of the league, they will need to run out a top-50, at least, defense on a weekly basis.

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