UCLA Football: Head Coach Jim Mora talks about the start of fall camp
The UCLA Football team officially begins their 2017 season with the start of fall camp and Head Coach Jim Mora talks about the first day, getting an earlier start and the Wasserman Center.
Things are different around the UCLA Football team this year. The Bruins are starting the season with new practice uniforms, because of the change in rules their schedule is slightly off and, oh yeah, there is this new football facility that is shining like a jewel on one side of the new Spaulding Field. There is definitely a different vibe about the program.
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UCLA Head Coach Jim Mora had talked with the media about the goings-on with the Bruins as they start preparations for the 2017 season.
Because of the new rule that abolishes two-a-day practices, the Bruins are starting earlier than previous seasons as the 29-alotted practices have now made the fall camp front heavy. Part of the problem with that is some players are finishing up their summer sessions this week which forced practice to start at 7:30 p.m.
Related Story: UCLA unveils new Wasserman Center
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“This is a grind for these guys, these next three days. I think, as I have said a couple times in the last week or so, I think the NCAA made the right decision with eliminating two-a-days, but adding the time on the front end makes it challenging.” Aside from that, it was business as usual for the Bruins.
With the start of camp, things appeared to start smoothly and Mora was asked if player-run practices put them ahead, “I don’t know. I didn’t see any of them so I didn’t know what they were doing. It didn’t feel like we had lost any momentum from spring.”
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When asked when if anyone stood out, Mora noted freshmen defensive linemen, “Greg Rogers kind of jumped out at me. Martin Andrus jumped out at me.” He added that he would see a lot more when he examines practice video.
Mora also noted that he was in awe of the new Wasserman Center which UCLA finally gets to use, “Every time you walk through it, its just more spectacular. I was just standing back there looking at out during practices and four or five years ago it was just a dream.”
Other than that, there was not a lot of news and notes about individual players. Mora kept talking about how the players are transitioning and how this weekend should be a better gauge of the direction of the team as summer school will be out and the entire squad will have moved into the nearby Luskin Center to get that overall fall camp feeling.
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Practices resume today and go Joe Bruin will continue to bring you the latest news and notes from fall camp.