Staying ‘chill’ has shored up defense

Bolden paying dividends in much-improved secondary

CORAL GABLES — Off the field, Miami Hurricanes safety Bubba Bolden is quiet and soft spoken with a relaxed West Coast vibe about him.

Get the ex-Southern Cal Trojan and former Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High star on the field, and all that changes.

“The most exciting thing about Bubba Bolden, to me, is the passion he plays with, and that’s kind of surprised me,” UM defensive coordinator Blake Baker said. “He’s kind of a quiet guy off the field. Man, he plays with great energy on the field.”

Said Bolden, “This is just my free space. I come out here, and this is what I do. When I’m off the field, I’m a chill guy and I’m relaxed, don’t really do much, but when I come out here, it’s a different attitude and a different mentality.”

Whatever switch he flips when he gets between the white lines, it’s working for Miami of late. After getting more acclimated since making his Oct. 5 debut against Virginia Tech, Bolden got his first start in Saturday’s 16-12 win at Pittsburgh. He had four tackles and forced a key fumble immediately after a catch by a Panthers receiver that led to a Gurvan Hall recovery.

With uncertainty at the position after losing starters Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine to the NFL, the unit that has come a long way and hasn’t allowed a touchdown in two of its last three games.

Bolden’s increased presence has allowed Miami to rotate four safeties, along with Hall, Amari Carter and Robert Knowles. The Hurricanes have managed to get three of them on the field at the same time in dime packages (six defensive backs). Bolden was in that role blitzing on one of cornerback DJ Ivey’s two interceptions on Saturday.

“It’s pretty good, honestly, having depth at safety and being able to rotate,” Bolden said. “If it’s a long game, we’ve got to cover slot receivers running go routes. We get tired, and rotating is what keeps us fresh, keeps us going on the defense.”

Miami’s defensive-minded coach Manny Diaz enjoys all the possibilities of how he can utilize the number of versatile safeties he has at his disposal.

“The depth we have with those four kids at safety gives us so much flexibility in how we choose to defend people,” Diaz said.

Said Bolden: “They’re just trying to get me on the field. I tell them, ‘I’ll play anywhere, I’ll play any position.’”

Diaz also noted how Bolden impacts the rest of the defense.

“He’s a guy that, I think, positively affects his teammates around him by just his tenacity,” Diaz said. “The way he plays, he’s got that sort of bravado around him because he’s getting confident in what we’re doing.”

Bolden was notified before Saturday’s game that he would be starting in place of Hall, who still played a key role not being 100%.

Knowles, who started alongside Bolden on Saturday, said Bolden’s approach to learning the defensive schemes has allowed him to be a significant contributor early in his Miami career.

“He came along pretty fast, and he’s a good learner, a quick learner, as well,” Knowles said. “He takes it very personal, so he always looks over his stuff.”

With four safeties now rotating in games, the Hurricanes are also bringing along freshman Keontra Smith, who was a fourstar prospect out of Chaminade-Madonna.

“Keontra Smith is coming along good,” said Knowles, a redshirt senior. “He’s learning still. He’s still in his playbook, and he’s always focused because if anything happens, he’s going to be ready.” despite