UCLA Football: Arizona Post-Game Roundtable

1. Look, I don’t know what to write in these things anymore, so this week you’re getting Bruins Nation Roundtable: HOT TAKES EDITION! First take: Arizona is actually one of the best teams in the conference. Agree?

Markybcool: Disagree, they happened to play the worst team in the conference.

Joe Piechowski: I agree with Mark. They aren’t even close to being one of the best in the conference.

Dimitri Dorlis: I don’t know, with Khalil Tate at quarterback, this team suddenly has a dynamo at quarterback that they’ve lacked in recent years. Yes, his two games have come against bad teams in UCLA and Colorado, but considering that the top of the conference doesn’t look nearly as strong after last weekend, I’m willing to wait this one out a few weeks.

2. Josh Rosen should stay in school because he makes too many mistakes and costs his team wins. True or false.

Markybcool: False, Rosen has been the only thing on this team worth watching. He basically has to drive the team down and score each and every time we have the ball to even keep us close. Saturday was a bad game, and he still makes mistakes that young quarterbacks make. Let’s not forget a total NFL rookie contract worth around $25 million plus is waiting for him, so no way he will stay another year. Hello San Francisco 49ers.

Joe Piechowski: True, but he won’t. He’s going to take the money and bail.

Dimitri Dorlis: My rule for college players: go get paid a ton of money whenever the opportunity presents itself. But this is also false because Rosen doesn’t make more mistakes than your average college quarterback; those mistakes are just amplified because UCLA can’t stop anyone.

3. Jim Mora just needs a few more years to get his players into the system. How hard did you laugh when I typed that out?

Markybcool: I apologized and took up for Jim Mora the last two years, including to start this season. I knew the talent was not on this team, and that is where coaching should have brought this group up to a higher level than it currently resides, and I blame the coaches. because he’s a good person that cares for his players, and I think that’s an integral part to building a solid program. Players want to believe their head coach cares for them and wants what’s best. This was cemented for me when I read the draft day article about Tak and Coach Mora. With that being said, the part that is also really important in building a program is winning, and we’re going backwards in that area.

Joe Piechowski: Ummmmm...I wondering what you’re smoking and if you can bring some to Saturday’s tailgate.

Dimitri Dorlis: Yeah, I thought it was funny too.

4. Chip Kelly to UCLA will never happen. True or false.

Markybcool: True, I don’t want that retread coach here whose problem at Oregon revolved around never having a defense good enough to win it all. I want a young up and coming coach.

Joe Piechowski: I was on the Kelly bandwagon for a long time. But, I learned about his Show Cause order at Oregon. Now, I’m not, which means that if..and that’s a big “IF”...Dan fires Jim, Dan will hire Chip. Dan being Dan.

Dimitri Dorlis: True, but not because Kelly would not take the job. It’ll never happen because Dan Guerrero lacks a certain chutzpah to actually do his job in a positive manner.

5. Ok, actual question of substance here: what steps should Bruin fans take to try and enact any change in the direction of the program?

Markybcool: None, support the young men that put on that UCLA uniform each week and represent our university.

Joe Piechowski: Everything possible. I’m strongly considering not renewing my season tickets if Mora isn’t fired.

Dimitri Dorlis: You know, Alford only returned a full year of his buyout once the school was embarrassed publically. This athletic department under Guerrero has focused on not being embarrassed, so something like the planes or billboards might actually work on some level. But beyond that, money talks, and it’d require more than dwindling attendance at UCLA games to enact change - you’d need the historically-complacent major donors to start caring about football and the general direction of the athletic department, and that might be the biggest tall task.

6. The Extra Point - Fire away!

Markybcool: When you look at the remaining schedule, based on the current state of affairs, we can realistically expect to win two more games, and that might even be pushing it. I truly hope there is some sort of turnaround for the sake of the young men playing because we all know the noise that will surround this team if losses continue to mount will be a huge distraction to the team and any hope to lure in the remaining top recruits.

To believe that UCLA started as 7 point favorites over Oregon tells me that Vegas must know something that we don’t know.

Joe Piechowski: Vegas bases point spreads based on anticipated wagers. That’s what they know. I think expecting us to win two more games is generous.

Dimitri Dorlis: Let me say one actual thing about the game - I thought the run game looked maybe the best it had all year, and a sign that the offense, at the very least, is getting better under Jedd Fisch. I don’t know if he’ll be here next year, but he has been a breath of fresh air; an actual coach who makes the team better.