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UCLA Football: What’s the legacy of Jim Mora with the Bruins?

By Andrew Miller

PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Jim Mora of the UCLA Bruins looks on while his team warms up prior to playing the Stanford Cardinal in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Jim Mora of the UCLA Bruins looks on while his team warms up prior to playing the Stanford Cardinal in a NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on September 23, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Nate Meadors #22 of the UCLA Bruins breaks up a pass to Steven Mitchell Jr. #4 of the USC Trojans during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 18: Nate Meadors #22 of the UCLA Bruins breaks up a pass to Steven Mitchell Jr. #4 of the USC Trojans during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Lackluster defenses giving up too many points

The issues on the defensive side of the ball did not start to persist for Mora until 2015. However, the Bruins gave up at least 38 points in four of the five losses that season. Stopping teams did not get any easier for the Bruins from there.

A team that always put up a boatload of points on the Bruins during Mora’s tenure was Stanford. The Cardinal scored at least 56 points in two of the last three meetings between the two squads. Moreover, Stanford currently has a 10 game winning streak over the Bruins.

Three straight losses to the team’s biggest rival, USC, did not help Mora’s case either. Since Clay Helton took over at USC, the Trojans put up at least 28 points and the Bruins never managed more than 23. That’s a big shift after Mora defeated USC three straight times in his first three attempts.

The problem of not being able to stop opposing offenses really kicked in near the end of the 2016 campaign. Considering the PAC-12 had some solid defenses between the Washington Huskies, Colorado Buffaloes, Utah Utes, and USC last year, UCLA fell far behind. This problem only got worse in 2017, with six separate occasions where the Bruins gave up at least 44 points.

The 47-30 loss to quarterback Khalil Tate and the Arizona Wildcats and the 48-45 loss to Memphis should have been able to be prevented. Inept defense ultimately cost Mora his job this year.

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