UCLA Football Preview 2014: Time to Justify the Hype

I can’t say that a lot of UCLA Bruins football fans were overly excited when Jim Mora came to Westwood to take over the program prior to the 2012 season. Two seasons later, however, and with quarterback Brett Hundley–one of the best players in college football–leading the way, the UCLA Bruins football program is poised to contend for a national championship for the first time since 1998. That lofty expectation has certainly created a lot of off-season hype.

Dec 31, 2013; El Paso, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins wide receiver Shaquelle Evans (1) celebrates with teammates after winning the 2013 Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium. UCLA defeated Virginia Tech 42-12. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

In 2012, UCLA made the jump from a 6-8 team to a 9-5 team, but the Bruins seemingly ran out of steam at the end of the season. They lost back-to-back games (including a heart-breaker in the Pac-12 Championship) to a top-10 Stanford Cardinal squad, then got blown out by Baylor in the Holiday Bowl. Last season, the Bruins only lost to Pac-12 foes Oregon (ranked no. 2), Stanford (ranked no. 13), and Arizona State (ranked no. 19), and ended up with a 10-3 record. They handily beat USC in both seasons. This season, they face Oregon, Stanford, and USC–but at the Rose Bowl. Their toughest road tests will be at Arizona State on September 25th and at Washington on November 8th.

Although Head Coach Jim Mora has helped the Bruins improve in so many areas, Brett Hundley was a pretty big gift left behind by former Head Coach Rick Neuheisel. Hundley has arguably been the most dynamic and truly special football player in the UCLA football program in the past 20-plus years–and certainly since I was a student at UCLA, dating back to 1998. The only other players to display such elite skills and NFL-caliber talent while at UCLA–at least, in my opinion–are NFL Hall of Famer Jonathan Ogden, Maurice Jones-Drew, and  Anthony Barr, who coincidentally was Hundley’s teammate in 2012 AND 2013.

Dec 31, 2013; El Paso, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley (17) runs the ball during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the 2013 Sun Bowl at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

In 2012, Hundley threw for 3,071 yards, tossed 24 touchdowns to only nine interceptions, and ran for another 748 yards with 11 touchdowns. Last season, Hundley threw for 3,745 yards and tossed 29 touchdowns, but only ran for 355 yards with nine touchdowns. He’s widely considered one of the top-5 candidates for the Heisman Trophy, and quite possibly a top-5 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

While much of UCLA’s success this season will depend on Hundley’s continued success, this Bruins team is chock full of talent. Second-year linebacker and part-time running back Myles Jack was a revelation last season, and he’s a weekly highlight reel–on both offense and defense. Fellow linebacker–senior Eric Kendricks–led the Bruins in tackles the past two seasons and had more tackles in 2012 than any UCLA player since 1978. The revamped secondary could actually be one of the team’s strongest units, with Anthony Jefferson, Ishmael Adams, Fabian Moreau, and Randall Goforth leading the way, and youngsters Tahaan Goodman and Priest Willis pushing for playing time. The secondary is so talented this season that freshman, and highly-touted recruit, Adarius Pickett, was moved to running back during the summer.

Of course, the Bruins do have a few questions on the roster. Will the offensive line hold up, unlike last season? Will the defensive line be able to compensate for the loss of Anthony Barr and Datone Jones to the NFL? Will the stable of running backs (i.e. Jordon James, Paul Perkins, Steven Manfro, Craig Lee, Adarius Pickett) plus Myles Jack on a part-time basis, be able to provide a more consistent weekly running attack than last season, when the team seemed a little lost without Johnathan Franklin (other than when Jack was on the field toward the end of last season)?

Nov 23, 2013; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Myles Jack (30) runs for 37 yards as Arizona State Sun Devils safety Alden Darby (4) goes for the stop in the first half of the game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

One thing’s for sure–after two seasons in which the Bruins have improved under the leadership of Brett Hundley and the tutelage of Jim Mora, UCLA football fans expect this team to take the next step and compete for a national championship under the new playoff system. This is it for the Hundley era at UCLA, so the Bruins can’t afford even the slightest of slip-ups. Perhaps one loss to Oregon or Stanford during the regular season might not doom their championship aspirations, but there is no margin for error. It’s really just time for the Bruins to go out on the field and justify all the off-season hype.