UCLA forward Josh Carlin is the guard of the Bruins’ offense – Orange County Register

UCLA offensive line coach Juan Castillo revisits a phrase whenever his players are in a difficult situation. If the odds are against them in a game or if they are endlessly drilling the technique in practice, he asks:

“What would you say to your son?”

The desired response involves working hard and ignoring external noise to overcome challenges and become mentally stronger. Redshirt senior Josh Carlin lives and breathes it as the custodian of an offense that has been continually tested this season.

“The thing about him is there’s a burning desire inside,” Castillo said. “You see that. His goal is to play in the NFL and I think he has enough talent to do that. But what will help you is what’s inside.”

The UCLA offensive line has had varying levels of success this season. They struggled to protect the quarterback down the stretch in Big Ten Conference games and allowed Oregon’s No. 2 defense to sack Ethan Garbers four times before the quarterback finally left the game.

A forlorn Carlin, who played center at the time, addressed the media at the postgame press conference and took the blame for the offensive line’s deficiencies.

“I take responsibility because I’m the leader of the room and these are my guys, so we need to continue to emphasize the importance of keeping it active,” Carlin said. “There was a sense of urgency throughout practice and moving forward about what’s at stake and what we need to do as an offensive lineman.”

The line has given up fewer sacks since that game, but the Bruins, whose overall record is 1-5, are still working to fulfill the potential of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s designs.

The offensive line has been reconfigured as UCLA continues its efforts to improve. Carlin, who is 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, moved from center to right guard and Sam Yoon took over at center. This gives Carlin another asset as an NFL hopeful and Yoon the opportunity to gain experience.

Carlin jokes that he may also have potential as a running back in Bieniemy’s offense, as he played the position in Pop Warner. However, it doesn’t seem like the line is willing to sacrifice his talents – he still makes calls even at right guard.

“When you’re on the road you always use a silent count,” Castillo said. “When we were on the road and he was able to make the calls, it took a lot of pressure off Sam having to deal with the silent counting part. That really helped us a lot.”

Players said Bieniemy’s offense is complicated, which has a lot to do with the code words and long play calls that the quarterback must receive through his headset and distribute to the huddle before going out and doing his thing. readings. Playback calls can be up to 15 words long.

Bieniemy advises the Bruins to listen to the words that speak to them and the offensive line, those words tend to be at the center of the call. The line quickly learned the system in the spring and is making small adjustments based on the opponent.

The challenge now is to find ways to improve weekly. Castillo emphasizes technique, which is incorporated into long pregame warmups with and without pads.

“The most important thing is to warm up like we are for the game, get down the steps and get into action,” Carlin said. “As soon as we get back out of the locker room, it’s time to go.”

Efforts to improve the offensive line are also happening in quieter environments. Players talk about what it takes to win one-on-one, both on the field and in a metaphorical sense, while critiquing film from past games in team meetings.

Castillo went around the room after UCLA’s game against No. 3 Penn State and asked each offensive lineman if they were improving. Carlin was affirmative, Castillo recalls, and spoke of the ups and downs of the game and the stamina needed to continually approach one-on-one.

“As we walked across the room,” Castillo said, “I wanted everyone to hear everyone talking, to hear how they are improving and how we are going to overcome.”

Carlin, who prepped at Sierra Canyon, is at the forefront of developing this mentality and players follow his example because he lives honestly while maintaining a friendly attitude. He is a player that his teammates want to follow.