USC v. UCLA

MORA

So what did you think of Jim Mora’s decision to take an intentional safety near the end of the Arizona State game, which made the deficit, 31-23. UCLA would have to get a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie the game.

Did that avoid a blocked punt and possible ASU recovery in the end zone? Did Mora think ASU would get an easy field goa if UCLAl punted out of the end zone? Was the safety a big advantage in field position with the free kick from the 20?

Did you agree or disagree with the decision? It was out-of-the-box thinking, at the very least. And if Steve Sarkisian did it, the reaction would be negative.

154 thoughts on “USC v. UCLA

  1. The reaction would have been negative by people who don’t understand football strategy. ….such as attention starved bloggers and trolls

      • The reason the Ruins lost is because they are not good – and that is that. We DESTROYED ASU, and they went to your rented house and HUMILIATED your low life ruin team – have a nice life!

      • Mora’s gamble only makes sense if the Bruins had kicked the extra point instead of opting for Mazzone’s foolish, failed 2 pt. conversion.

        • They were both the percentage play. 2 pt try puts us down 11 which could be a TD and a FG. The safety keeps us within 8. If we punt, ASU would have already been in UCLA territory and a short drive for a FG and a 9 point lead at that time.

          • The two pt. conversion was counter productive. The failed play pumped Az St.

            Had UCLA kicked the ex pt. and all things remaining the same, Mora’s gamble puts UCLA down 7 and 2pt conversion for the win.

          • Just don’t agree. Bruins scored a TD right after that. Biggest play was ensuing ASU drive when they completed a pass on 3rd and long. That killed the comeback.

          • UCLA was down by 6 with 9:58 (10) minutes to play (AZ St. 29 UCLA 23). What killed them was ball control – nothing else 37+ AZ St. and 22 for UCLA. The offense and defense were missing all night. When they were needed – that close in that game – it was missing

          • And it was PROVEN the NCAA had an agenda against USC. So yes, you HAVE TO, if you keep bringing it up and accusing USC of cheating. You have to back it up.

          • We shall see when the McNair court case is resolved. In the meantime, enjoy your snarky comments and your losing football team.

        • Reminder renter, the only problem is, that you thought Thug U or ugly was in the game. Thug U or ugly was never in the game. It was over when it started.

        • To light to be effective. I doubt Mora will waste KL-S redshirt year on a few minutes of garbage PT.

          • That’s a good thing in the long run, but it could be problematic if Wole Betiku comes and takes playing time away from him after he sat out a year.

          • I can’t imagine KL-S, provided he bulks up, won’t start or see significant 2016 PT.

          • He was the one player that UCLA signed that I wanted the most to be a Trojan. We were never really close to getting him.

    • Your point is right on.People who don’t know game. Watching the game, once in that 3 down set, Rosen was close to a sack safety. The intentional safety, snap was quick, there wasn’t mention to the strategy til after fact.
      Everything considered, it was the right play. ASU’s final drive was a good example of adjusting to the defense. They kept it away from middle where ucla DT had been killing them.
      ASU coach’s out coached them.
      As for SW statement about Sark, SW doesn’t fail to show his lack of respect to game, coach, and fans.

  2. UCLA’s punter sucks, and did terrible all game long, sooooo, it wasn’t like UCLA stood a chance either way. We know for a fact that Mora’s decision resulted in 9 points for ASU. So best case scenario probably would be that UCLA loses by 2 less points had he not decided the way he did, unless of course the ASU punt returner muffed it and UCLA recovered and drove for the winning score. So yeah, he’s stupid.

  3. Ucla will lose the next two games, and will then have lost 3 in a row – Mora will continue to show his inability to contain his feeble mindset at pressers, and will continue to rant aimlessly – let the show begin!!! Hahaha it is great seeing the bruins lose it in every way

  4. I thought it was the right call. ASU would’ve gotten great field position if they had punted and the game would’ve been over with any kind of score. If the UCLA would’ve forced a punt, they would’ve been in the exact same spot they were just in, buried deep in their own endzone. Rosen has shown flashes, but going 90+ yards to win the game is a tough task for a freshman. He was playing field position in the hopes that he’d score and with momentum and the home crowd on his side, be able to convert a two point conversion. Too bad they couldn’t stop the Sun Devils on that last drive!

    • SC did it at Ohio State with Barkley, but the difference here is that we are talking about ucla

      • Funny you should mention that YoYo, in light of the fact Kupcake U has lost 3 consecutive games to UCLA by double digits.

  5. How’s this for a Mora stat: According to ESPN, UCLA has lost 7 games at home as a ranked team under Jim Mora. 7!

      • That’s all you got now…and forever…..keep on trolling, and enjoy your trip back to irrelevance.

          • Kupcake U would have to win every UCLA Basketball game for 30 years just to tie the series. Good luck Chump.

          • The subject is alway Kupcake U vs UCLA sports. I willing to offer you kudos for KU winning the unsanctioned NCAA Sand Volleyball Championship.

          • Uh uh, we’ve scored 1/2 a NC in 1954, before your Grandparents were born.

          • You backed in by not even playing for it. Thug U or ugly could not go to the rose bowl that year to meet up with Ohio St. So the poles gave Thug U aka ugly the 1/2. Something that ugly did not earn by playing for it. Disgusting

          • Renter of the rose bowl, who did ugly or Thug U beat in the Rose Bowl to win a 1/2 national championship? The answer is NO ONE. Ugly did not play. so who is rewriting the history, numbskull?

          • If memory serves me right (LOL!) back then the final polls were picked before the four New Years Day Bowl Games. UCLA and Oklahoma were both affected by the “no repeat rule” that season. UCLA won the 1954 UP (Coaches) Poll, Ohio State the AP Poll. OSU beat USC 20-7 in the ’55 RB.

          • At the time Professor, a Pac-8 wasn’t allowed consecutive Rose Bowl bid.

            PT, another barely literate KU grad.

          • Polish your shoes, get some new laces to replace the one’s with knots and for goodness sake get some new material, yours is so old and so predictable. Speaking of predictions: (i) UCLA loses to Stanford, Utah, USC, and (ii) UCLA loses to at least one of the following; Colorado, Oregon State and/or Washington State.

          • What does blonde say when you blow in her ear:

            “Thanks for the refill.”

          • For the time being. Lest you forget Rey, UCLA didn’t field a Div. 1 FB until 1929 or 30.

            So Rey, the first ten years of the rivalry UCLA was cream puff on Kupcake U’s schedule. Subtract those 10 games and KU is up just 5 games.

      • Here we go again win a Game that means something instead of the Kupcakes you beat before this game. Excuses Excuses you sound like a Women that got sand in her bathing suit .

      • Typical. You got you @S$ Kicked. Live with it. You’re team is no better than SC

        • What good is a 3-0 mark if they can’t achieve the ultimate goal, or come anywhere near it. It’s like having a suitcase full of money but you can’t spend it because it’s counterfeit.

          • Define bigger picture.

            If you mean the upcoming UCLA/Stanford game. the Bruins have the capability to rebound like Az St.

          • Owns. We’re both broken records. You have to beat the ASU’s, and now here comes a tough Thursday game against Stanford. If UCLA doesn’t beat Stanford plain and simple then where do you go from there. The Cardinal are Kryptonite to the Bruins under Mora and the season will be riding on that game. The big picture as a fan (bruin fans) is take your wins and move on. And if you lose why are you Bruins still bragging and talking. The crosstown success is on hold. Now it’s time for the Bruins to take a “big picture” step and beat ASU at home and go on the road and get over the hump and beat Stanford. Those are the big picture things. If UCLA loses to Stanford how will you feel about the season and Jim Mora?

      • Dipwad, where do you get these ideas about the letter K? There is no K in Thug U aka ugly or USC. Get with the thought process.

  6. Here’s another star for Wolf: with ASU beating UCLA last night, the PAC 12 is the only conference where no team has a losing record.

  7. Ucla lost because classes started, at least that’s the excuse mora used after the game

    • For a coach who talks about not making excuses, and perfection, this and that, but most of all being a former NFL Head Coach that was a pretty weak excuse.

      • Yea it’s the ol’ list all the excuses then say we aren’t going to make any trick. That comes right out of the Gutty lil playbook

    • What a fool to even throw that out there.

      Imagine if Sark had said that after the Stanford loss – the ruin’ flunkie Plaschke would beat that to death.

      Face it Mora you got beat by a team that came prepared to win after having been trounced by USC.

  8. I’m sorry if you believe that high snap was intentional you are gullible. “I meant to that’ is only good in sitcoms.
    Even though the explanation seems to work Ucla had already missed on a 2 point try. I don’t think head coaches give away points to get field position.

    • I think our chances look good against the bruins, and expect to completely blow them off their wheels this year – Rosen will not handle the pressure from a creative SC blitz package, and our corners and safeties are just getting better all the time – we need to keep the Utes from slipping past us, they seem to be the biggest threat from the south this year – but i think we can handle them too

      • I’m watching the bruin game right now, and Rosen looked overwhelmed. Pump faking too much, and throwing bad passes. Freshman passes. I said earlier in the week that ASU blitzes the most in the conference and it’s gonna get to him. The ASU defense played UCLA’s pass screen dump offs really good. You and my friend said the exact same thing to me about the Bruins. Utah looks good so far. But ND should be a challenge.

        • we need to win the south this year, and we need another crack at Stanford and win – that’s all we need

          • Stanford has nothing more to add to it’s earlier great effort. They planned, coached and played a great game, we didn’t. WE WILL for the rematch and when both teams plan, coach and play to their potential the outcome is USC by at least 21 points. To paraphrase Jack Lord (McGarrett), you can book it Danno.

      • Tashon Smallwood and DJ Calhoun. Two former SC commits made some big plays on defense for ASU.

      • Rosen keeps trying to throw the ball across his body across the field like the BYU game. That’s gonna end up being a pick six if he continues to do that.

      • Bruins CB Randall Goforth dropped an interception and then starts pointing to Berchovici like “you’re lucky”. That’s comedy! Typical Bruin.

    • How about the convoy of bruin defenders running along side the ASU scrum to the end zone that was pure comedy!

  9. I for one support the thinking out of the box strategy of Mr. Mora, however I suggest he not use the Fight On gesture in the future, see the image above, but the real difference is that if Sark had used this strategy, taking an intentional safety; the defense would have held Arizona State on the other side of the 50 yard line, forcing a punt. As the B-9 Class M-3 General Utility Non-Theorizing Environmental Control Robot might say, Danger Will Robinson (i) punting to USC often leads to adorable returns. (ii) or if he didn’t take the punt return to the house, the offense would have scored the TD and converted the two point conversion, tied the score and won in overtime or, if the two pointer was unsuccessful, (iii) our special teams would have successfully executed an onside kick and Alex Wood would have banged a long one through for a field goal to win by one.

    • 5 guys can’t block 6 or 7. Up to the OC to change the scheme. He has coached against Graham for 4 years now and should know better. Horrible job.

      • The SC game had a lot of good film where Kessler just found a man open 6 yards most of the night.

        • When you have a freshman QB, it is better to open up the playbook and throw on the early downs rather than wait for 3rd and long. It was a very badly called game on offense for the Bruins. Our defense was missing 4 starters plus Jack’s replacement and performed better than the offense for most of the game. At the end they wore down as the offense could not sustain any drives. Just a bad night overall.

          • When you decided to change your name did you consider going with “Yesterday U”?

            How long ago was that streak?

          • No, Jethro. Always enjoy the banter. Yesterday U could apply to both schools, frankly.

          • When Kenny Clarke was making plays in the 2nd half, the Sun Devils started to go around the DLine and there wasn’t much help

  10. Not so fast 22, I’m pretty sure a chimp could have called a better game than Mazzone.

  11. Jaleel Wadood got blasted by the pulling guard on Berchovici’s 34 yard TD run!
    #73 Teofilo put Wadood on his bottom!

    • All 160 pounds of him? By the way, this is ProbU. Decided to change the name to something less troll-like!

      • I was thinking that too. I thought man, Wadood isn’t the size of a safety like you’d usually have. He looked like a CB.

        • He has a lot of guts to play safety at that weight and tackle. You have to hand it to him.

          • I thought Tahaan Goodman improved in my opinion. But I always thought Wadood was a real good ball player. Did Lucier-South redshirt?

          • I believe Lucier-South is redshirting. He needs to put on weight. Goodman seems to be improving. He is a hard hitter that makes some mental mistakes. I think he could play a Cravens-like position physically…but he isn’t Cravens-like upstairs.

          • We really wanted him, but we could only take 15 players. At the time we had Jalen Ramsey and Chris Hawkins. Lane Kiffin fired our DB coach and blew it with Ramsey who’s now gonna be a 1st round NFL draft pick.

          • I am waiting to see if Mora, Bradley and Mazzone can figure out a way to beat Stanford. Our D is shorthanded and struggling so we need to move the ball on Stanford and score points. I don’t think the Stanford D is as strong as it used to be. For the Bruins to win, we need to score a lot of points, get a turnover or two and have some luck. 10 days to prepare.

          • SC was scoring on the Stanford defense. That wasn’t a problem. But we couldn’t get pressure on Hogan or stop the run. That was big. Them running the ball and eating up the clock. A Thursday night game against Stanford will be tough. Teams need bye weeks, but I hate them as a fan. That should be a good game.

          • There’s a reason they play the games. UCLA has a habit of playing better on the road than at home. Certainly one would have to like Stanford in the game but stranger things have happened.

  12. I totally agree. A the punter averaged 33 yards a punt, so why give ASU possessions possibly inside the 30 yard line, and for sure a field goal at least which would have made it a two possession game, rather than one.
    Thanks Scott, this afterall is more a UCLA forum than it is usc’s. 🙂

    • hilarious….the resident WESTERN GUNSLINGER…..doesn’t even read the the topic of this thread….
      you have lost cabin pressure in your head……

      • I read the topic. But why are you here? Just because the topic is what it is, doesn’t mean you TROLLS should be here.

  13. So when USC lost, was there a thread on “Inside UCLA” titled UCLA vs. USC? This is pathetic.

  14. We gave up in the entire 4th quarter last season against UCLA……not sure I understand you……

Comments are closed.