UCLA Starting MLB Makes Bold Claim About Bruins' Roster

"One exciting fact throughout our camp was that usually throughout camp teams usually have some players pulling hamstrings, cramping up. But this fall camp we had only one player pull their hammy. That's an amazing thing. It's all thanks to the coaches. The preparation, the hard work the players put in. The strength and conditioning staff really did their thing."

- Darius Muasau on the UCLA Bruins per UCLA Official YouTube account

UCLA won its season opener over Coastal Carolina by a score of 27-13. The defense in particular was stout, allowing only 56 yards rushing on 34 carries (a 1.6 YPC average). The front seven also managed to accrue 10 TFL and 4.0 sacks. Muasau himself led the team with 9 tackles on the evening. 

The Bruins will have to adjust to the new clock rule, which has recently been implemented into the college game. Even after first downs, the clock will continue to run. As a result of this change, we've seen teams across this first week of the season having fewer possessions to work with. As such, many predict that going uptempo will have a higher point of emphasis from a schematic standpoint. This puts a huge premium on the conditioning for all defenses. 

If one remembers, Muasau was interviewed a month before the year kicked off. He offered this interesting nugget on the team:

"I feel great. Coach [Keith Belton] has been working with us this offseason, getting us all right. I feel like we emphasize conditioning. We will be the best-conditioned team out there in the Pac-12 this season."

- Muasau on UCLA's roster (per UCLA's official YouTube channel). 

With one win under its belt, UCLA is looking to go 2-0 this upcoming weekend, as the Bruins travel to San Diego to take on the SDSU Aztecs.