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UCLA Football: Almost is Not Good Enough

By Mike Regalado

Sep 17, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Provo, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Jim Mora stands on the sideline during the first quarter against the Brigham Young Cougars at Lavell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports /
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The ball has not bounced the UCLA Football team’s way this season as near wins still count as losses. There is a lot to be positive about with parts of this team, but as a whole, a 3-4 record diminishes that.

It has not been good for the UCLA Football team in 2016. They are 1-3 in the Pac-12 and 3-4 overall. Though that record hurts, it pains Bruin fans that much more to know that UCLA could have claimed a victory in every one of those 4 losses.

***WARNING: optimism and positivity ahead. Proceed with caution!***

There is no running game, receivers are dropping passes at key moments, there is iffy offensive line play and bad play calling has plagued the Bruins. It has been said that if the offense was clicking, then the Bruins would be a deadly team.

Oct 8, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Jaleel Wadood (2) celebrates a play with linebacker Jayon Brown (12) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 8, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive back Jaleel Wadood (2) celebrates a play with linebacker Jayon Brown (12) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Their defense has been pulling their weight, but they can’t score they points for UCLA. That is not their job. It is infuriating because the Bruins are a step away from being very good, they just cannot capitalize.

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Just think what position this Bruin team would be in if they scored in OT against Texas A&M. What if they disallowed the last offensive touchdown against Stanford? Imagine if QB Josh Rosen added an extra touchdown to go with his 400 yards against Arizona State. And what if QB Mike Fafaul finished the Washington State game in a very Jerry Neuheisel-esque way ith a last second TD? This team would be 7-0 and have a possible Top 10 ranking.

But that did not happen and UCLA has essentially taken themselves out of the running for the Pac-12 South Division.

It has been close, but close is not enough. It hurts because the Bruins have fought in every game. They have not let teams dominate them and have kept it close on both sides of the ball. UCLA has lost by an average of 6.3 points in all of their losses. That is not a horrible stat.

Compare that to the average amount of points the Bruins lost by in 2015: 13.4.

UCLA has not been blown out, but that does not matter, unfortunately. The only number that does matter, is “4”. That is the number of losses the Bruins have so far this season.

Next: UCLA Football: Building You Up To Break You Down

It is unfortunate to focus on just losses, but that is the age of sports we live in. Though there are some bright spots to this season, the darkness has overshadowed that.