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UCLA Football: The dawn of the Chip Kelly era is here

By Mike Regalado

WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero (L) and Chip Kelly hold up a jersey during a press conference introducing Kelly as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
WESTWOOD, CA - NOVEMBER 27: UCLA Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero (L) and Chip Kelly hold up a jersey during a press conference introducing Kelly as the new UCLA Football head coach on November 27, 2017 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /
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The UCLA Football team has officially moved into the Chip Kelly era as the remnants of the Jim Mora era slowly start to vanish and none too soon.

Since the UCLA football team became bowl eligible the day after Thanksgiving, things have been looking up. It reached maximum optimism the day after when it was announced that UCLA hired Chip Kelly as their new head coach.

RELATED: Cactus Bowl 2017 – UCLA vs. K-State wrap-up and analysis

For the last four weeks, the Bruin faithful have been riding high on this wave of Kelly with the hiring of proven position coaches, players committing, and several of them already signing their national letter of intent.

There was just one last thing UCLA needed to do before the Bruins were 100% Kelly’s… play in the Cactus Bowl.

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With interim head coach Jedd Fisch fulfilling his duties after the removal of Jim Mora, he was going to have the Josh Rosen-led Bruins to their final game of 2017. The only thing is that Rosen didn’t play because he is apparently still suffering from a concussion he suffered in that game against Cal after Thanksgiving.

No problem. Fisch still has several players that could get the job done, and they were doing that for the most part… but only in the first half of the Cactus Bowl..

The Bruins had an impressive first half and it seems like the fervor of the last month was following UCLA into battle.

Unfortunately, the Jim Mora era team emerged in the second half. The wheels fell off and the Bruins were outscored 28-0 after the break in a penalty-laden, mistake-filled half that was the epitome of Jim Mora’s last two seasons.

But now it’s over.

Bruin fans, despite the bad taste in your mouth over the Cactus Bowl, it’s time to take a big swig of that Chip Kelly-flavored Listerine and start anew. What happened yesterday, literally does not matter. A win would have been nice, but what’s even better is knowing what is on the horizon.

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Next season, Bruin football is going to have a new look and new meaning.  As we have speculated here at Go Joe Bruin, we expect Kelly to completely change the culture of the program. Championships will be the goal and the Bruins have the coach to do it.  Sure, there is reason to be wary, but there’s also a reason to be excited. Kelly is an exceptional football mind and he is all UCLA’s. Is it spring practice yet?