A season of monotony has played out with a numbing sameness on the interior of UCLA's defensive line. On almost every play, two or three offensive linemen converge on Jay Toia, massive bodies colliding in an attempt to neutralize the Bruins defensive tackle.
All that open space created by Toia's block hogging has benefited teammates. Lots of them. Carson Schwesinger leads the Big Ten with 47 solo tackles. Kain Medrano has notched five tackles for loss, spending enough time in the backfield to collect loyalty points.
'It just kind of shows you what type of person Jay is - he's selfless,' UCLA coach DeShaun Foster said. 'I'm sure he would like some one-on-ones so he could beat some guys and get some sacks and get some TFLs, but the situation that's happening ... he's just doing a great job eating the blocks and letting the linebackers roam around and make plays.'
'Whatever I can do to help this team,' Toia said as the Bruins (1-5 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) prepared to face Rutgers. 'I've just got to count on my teammates to make the plays.'
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