Coach Mora was able to share some encouraging news during this morning's presser - Devin Lucien was back at practice, in a non-contact role. Devin has tweeted that he'll be back for the Southern Cal game; Mora loves his enthusiasm and positive mindset, but is trying not to get ahead of the doctors actually clearing him to play by next Saturday.
He also briefly revisited the fake Goforth twitter - specifically his reaction in yesterday's presser, in which he admits that he may have overreacted a bit - as far as saying that the person responsible should be locked up (transcribed quotes via the insideucla blog).
These guys, I feel like they’re my kids. When someone attacks your kids, you get angry. Obviously, I overreacted. Obviously, I don’t want the guy to go to jail. It made good headlines I guess, but I looked at it and I go, ‘You’re just an idiot.’ I’m good for something stupid said every once in a while.
Later on in the presser, Mora also noted how he had regrettably overreacted and gone over the line in reaction to player miscues in his past while coaching the Seahawks - the Olindo Mare incident being one. That was in response to being asked about the last few days surrounding Washington State's football program; a postgame presser in which Coach Leach threw his lines in front of the media, followed by one of the top Cougar players reportedly leaving the team.
... I have (talked like that before). This is me, this has nothing to do with Coach Leach. This guy, he’s won more games than I could even imagine right now. He’s done so many more things than I’ve done, so I would never be critical. I just know that I did it twice with Seattle. I regretted it. That wasn’t my style. I stepped out of character and I regretted and it hurt me and it hurt other people. But that was me. Totally different situation.
Coach Mora talked a bit about how the program is doing its best to make each road experience as consistent for the players as possible. The goal is to have the only noticeable difference between trips being the length of bus ride from airport to the team hotel. He also shared his experience traveling to Pullman as a player at the U of Washington - flying in a formation of commuter prop planes because they could not get the typical charter jet into the regional airport.
video from UCLA YouTube channel