Each week during the 2016 college football season, The Pac-12 Networks will feature a Fundamental Play of the Week from the previous weekend’s slate of games to encourage proper technique, which fosters better on-field performance.

In the second quarter of the Thursday night matchup between UCLA and Colorado in Boulder, UCLA senior defensive lineman Takk McKinley was able to change the momentum of the game with a beautiful fundamental play. With Colorado on the UCLA 33-yard line on second-and-7, McKinley rushed the edge, hit the quarterback and forced an interception that was returned to the Colorado 18-yard line.

As Pac-12 analyst Yogi Roth points out, it’s the culmination of all of the little details that make this play by McKinley the Fundamental Play of the Week:

• At the start of the play McKinley, comes off the rush end position and uses his hands to get the offensive player away from his body.
• After evading the offensive lineman, he bursts to the quarterback and takes his head out of the hit as he sacks Colorado's Seto Liufau.
• The sack leads to a fumble that linebacker Jayon Brown scoops up.
• After McKinley makes the sack, he bounces back up and sees that Brown has the ball going in the opposite direction. He runs to assist with a block.
• McKinley’s block allows Brown to return the ball for 49 yards to Colorado’s 18-yard line.

McKinley’s great job of understanding the rules and regulations of the game, taking his head out of the hit and staying in the play to make the block after his sack are what make him a very strong fundamental player.

After the game, head coach Jim Mora commended his team’s defensive performance in the hard-fought battle against Colorado.

“Our defense takes a lot of pride in their performance and they showed it tonight,” he said. “They kept rising up and rising up and rising up and rising up. I’m really proud of those guys.”

The Pac-12 and more than three dozen leading organizations across medicine, sport and child advocacy support USA Football’s Heads Up Football program for a better, safer game. In recognition of a Pac-12 team’s strong fundamentals, USA Football awards a $4,000 equipment grant to a local youth football organization within the selected university’s market throughout the season.

In honor of UCLA’s display of strong fundamentals, USA Football will award a $4,000 equipment donation to Southern California Jr. All American Football & Cheer.