UCLA Football: Bruins continue to show they have some fight, fight, fight

The UCLA football team continues to show fight in a season that started out underwhelming. The Bruins’ showed that effort in their 31-30 win against Arizona which had the makings of a disaster.

The UCLA football team has some fight, fight, fight in them. This is not the team of recent seasons that would play conservatively and assumingly not give their all. Even in the face of disaster, this Chip Kelly-led team is swinging at the fences until the very end.

RELATED: UCLA’s Win Over Arizona Keeps Them in the Hunt for the South Division

After starting out 0-3, and having the nation write them off, UCLA took to the mountains to face Colorado. They shocked the Buffs for a half but were overtaken by the revamped Colorado offense. Despite the loss, there was hope.

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That hope spilled over into their next game against Washington. The Bruins were heavy underdogs but someone forgot to tell them as they pushed the Huskies to the limit. Washington were 21-point favorites in that game and only won by six. In that game, UCLA’s offense not only put up some of the best numbers against one of the toughest defenses in the nation, but they also limited the Huksy offense with their aggressive defense.

The Bruins followed that up with a blowout of Cal and made apparent the perception that this team is actually good. Having a 1-5 record does not usually do that for a team but it was more than what they produced in the win column that had heads turning. They were putting together solid drives, taking advantage of great field position and swarming the Golden Bears’ offense with their defense which forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter alone that led to two scores.

Many were expecting the same thing against Arizona, but things did not bounce UCLA’s way. Freshman QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has been leading the charge in the last few weeks, had left the game in the second quarter when he sustained an injury on a sack. Wilton Speight came to replace the freshman and had some trouble getting the offense going. Still, he led the UCLA to victory against the Wildcats with 204 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.

The defense did not help matters as they seem to revert to their Mora era run defense, allowing Arizona to rush for 289 yards. That was bad, but it did not keep the Bruins down.

Not only did the Bruins have two interceptions, but CB Darnay Holmes made the play of the game as he chased down Arizona’s JJ Taylor, who had a sure 56-yard touchdown, and punched the ball out of his hand to force a fumble and then recovered it in the end zone for a crucial takeaway.

It is little plays like this that have kept UCLA contending all season and we should expect more as the season progresses.

During the Mora era, it was apparent that the Bruins were who they were. No progress as the season went on. We are seeing the opposite with Kelly’s team.

These Bruins are getting punched in the gut, but they are not staying down. They are getting up and retaliating, a trait that is vital in modern football. A trait of a Chip Kelly team. A trait that shows they have some fight, fight, fight… as every Bruin should have.