After getting annihilated by Stanford, 58-34, UCLA Football Head Coach Jim Mora is definitely feeling the heat of a blazing hot seat. Is this the beginning of the end?
Things were suppose to be different in the Jim Mora era of UCLA Football. After the program was buried in mediocrity of their previous two coaches, Karl Dorrell and Rick Neuheisel, Mora came to Westwood with a determination to change the culture.
RELATED: UCLA vs. Stanford Post Game Recap and Analysis
His first order of business… cancelling the UCLA “tradition” of going “over the wall”. The Bruin faithful opened their eyes and nodded in agreement. Mora was no-nonsense and he could be the coach fans have been looking for.
He did well in his first four years, winning, at minimum, 8 games. Two of those years were consecutive 10-win seasons. It was promising. And like any team, UCLA had a few ups and downs with injuries to elite players and vital coaching changes, but for the most part, things looked promising for the most part.
More from Go Joe Bruin
- UCLA Football: It’s time for the nation to meet Dante Moore
- UCLA Football: Where are they ranked heading into week 4
- UCLA Football: Position battle breakdown for Utah showdown
- UCLA vs. Utah: Location, time, prediction, and more
- UCLA Football: Highlights from Chip Kelly’s appearance on the Jim Rome Show
But things were going to be taken to the next level when the Bruins landed NFL-QB-in-the-making, Josh Rosen. He was the most gifted player to commit to UCLA in a long time (no disrespect to Brett Hundley). Unfortunately, It has not gone that way and UCLA is once again in the making of another mediocre season, one that Mora might not survive.
Buyout notwithstanding, Mora is not a popular figure among the UCLA faithful and it looks like if his team continues to have games like they did against Stanford and a season like 2016, 2017 could be his last in Westwood.
Yes, he made a great coaching hire with OC Jedd Fisch, who has turned Rosen into a masterful player, but there are problems on the defensive side and it has plagued the Bruins. The inability of Mora and DC Tom Bradley to change their schemes has left UCLA to allow 43.3 points per game. PER GAME.
This is not a good trend and it looks like it will only get worse, especially with teams like Utah, Washington and USC on the horizon (all away games).
Next: 5 things we learned from the non-conference schedule
Though I would like to hold out hope, I hold onto reality and the reality is that this team is not putting out an overall good product. There is talent, but coaching has left something to be desired. That desire could very well lead to a coaching change. I can’t even, in good faith, say there actually is hope.