The State of UCLA Football

The UCLA Bruins have been a model of consistency over the past four years with Jim Mora under the helm. Before you deny that that statement, Jim Mora Jr. has led UCLA to records of 9–5, 10–3, 10–3 and 8–5. These records include 3 of 4 wins against sanction-ravaged cross-town rival USC and the yearly loss to Stanford. There seems to be a pattern to UCLA teams under Jim Mora. They are usually very strong on the road, they lose to Stanford and they seem to lose a high-stakes game to a lesser opponent. Jim Mora’s recruiting has been strong and the on-field product matches that to a certain extent.

The outcome of this season hurts just a bit more because of the hype, not to mention the loss to USC. UCLA had the talent, the names, the rare backing of national media. Injuries destroyed UCLA’s defense and were littered throughout the entire team. The defense did a decent job with the loss of highly touted NFL Linebacker prospect Myles Jack. Even before Jack had a season ending knee injury, Eddie Vanderdoes left a huge gap in the center of the defense. Not to mention Ishmael Adams legal troubles and his subsequent suspension. UCLA never had their best defensive lineman, linebacker, and arguably their best DB on the field at the same time. The injury bug is a tough crutch to lean on but there’s no denying the missing talent. Jack, Vanderdoes and Adams are just the defensive players highlighted for injuries. It seemed as though UCLA was down a key player every week and a new talent was carted off the field every half. Injuries catch up with any team and catch up they did. Kids stepped up and did their jobs. Kudos to Mora for getting his kids ready to play even though the results disappointed the high hopes of the Bruin faithful.

Injuries happen to every team, but they do not overshadow the talent of this squad. Paul Perkins was ol’ reliable. Back to back 1250+ rush yds and 10+ TD seasons. Paul Perkins leads a stellar group of athletes at running back that include Nate Starks, Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi. Freshman Soso Jamabo had flashes of speed and power that impressed. UCLA fans should be excited about this kid. UCLA can rub their hands together in satisfaction because Jamabo is the future of the UCLA backfield. With fellow freshman Olorunfunmi as a compliment, UCLA will have a formidable backfield for years to come.

The biggest question mark coming into this season was at the quarterback position. We all knew St. John Bosco standout Josh Rosen was going to get the starting nod but what we did not know was how effective he was going to be as an 18 year old true freshman. Effective he was. The strides he made as the leader of the offense were incredible. Rosen had an eye popping 350 yard 3 TD game in his debut against Virginia. He came back down to earth in his second game, with an easy win over UNLV. Rosen’s first test as a college athlete came against BYU. Rosen was shaken against a stout BYU defense. He was hit and pressured throughout the game and tosssed up 3 bad INTs. It looked as though he was checking down plays in fear of having to throw. Despite his visible petrifaction, he led the bruins down the field for a go-ahead score with the help of Paul Perkins. Myles Jack’s final play as a Bruin was a game sealing INT in the final minute that lifted Rosen to his first come from behind victory. Rosen never looked back from there. Besides the losses to Stanford and USC, Rosen looked like an NFL quarterback. Rosen zipped throws into tight windows that would impress any NFL scout. Josh Rosen’s arm the future of the program and possibly the future of an NFL franchise.

UCLA’s 2015 hurt the fans with hopes of a national title but there is much to look forward to. Fans call for the firing of Jim Mora or speculate his departure but I don’t believe Mora goes anywhere. His personal relationship with Rosen and all of UCLA’s young talent is tough situation to leave. It’s easy to blame Mora for losing “big” games or not living up to national title expectations but UCLA has been reestablished as a top recruit destination and contender. One or two things fall in the direction of Westwood in the next few years and they could be in a College Football Playoff game. They will be in the conversation as long as Rosen is under center and Mora is on the sideline. Whether or not fans think Mora can lead the Bruins to a national title, they are better off with him than without. UCLA fans can live with 10 win seasons with the potential to reach the next level. The Bruin Revolution is complete. Despite a meaningless loss in the Foster Farm’s bowl, don’t panic. UCLA has got some staying power in the national discussion for at least a few more years.