UCLA Football: What the Bruins Should Be Thankful for in 2014
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the prudent thing would be to speak about the things Jim Mora and the UCLA football team are thankful for.
Sitting at 9-2, there's a real chance for the Bruins to potentially sneak into the final four of the inaugural College Football Playoff.
There are multiple aspects that have helped get UCLA to this current spot. A gargantuan effort by a reserve quarterback was a potential turning point early in the season. Another big play by an embattled cornerback helped to seal a victory.
Three players have immensely helped the Bruins in becoming a Top 10 team. Lastly, the head coach deserves a great deal of thanks.
This piece will speak about what the UCLA Bruins should be thankful for in 2014.
Conor McDermott
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UCLA's offensive line was a massive talking point in the early portion of the season—and not in a positive light.
The unit was abhorrent in terms of protecting quarterback Brett Hundley. For example, the signal-caller was sacked an eye-popping 10 times against Utah.
Offensive line coach Adrian Klemm opted to shake up things within the starting lineup. Versus Cal, 6'9" redshirt sophomore Conor McDermott was inserted as the starting left tackle.
Since his insertion, the Bruins have gone undefeated. On the season, UCLA has allowed 32 sacks. In the time McDermott has started (five games), the Bruins have allowed only eight sacks.
Not only has McDermott immensely upgraded the position, but he's given Hundley a sense of comfort and trust from within the group. The quarterback has played much better in recent weeks, which correlates with McDermott's increased role on the field.
UCLA appears to have found its starting left tackle for the next few seasons.
Marcus Rios' Interception
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The trials and tribulations in regard to cornerback Marcus Rios have been well documented. It's truly amazing to see Rios still on the football team—let alone seeing time on the field.
Earlier this season versus Cal, the Golden Bears were driving the field with minimal time on the clock. At the time, UCLA was up by only two points. All Cal needed was a field goal to win the game.
However, the Golden Bears opted to challenge Rios on a deep throw down the sidelines. The northern California native was able to intercept a Jared Goff pass with less than a minute remaining. It sealed UCLA's first victory in Berkeley since 1998.
For everything Rios has been through, it most certainly was a special moment. UCLA has to be thankful for the preservation of the win, but also thankful for Rios providing a source of inspiration for the entire team.
Paul Perkins
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Ironically enough, Paul Perkins entered the year as the second-string tailback behind Jordon James. Since starting the season well versus Virginia, Perkins hasn't looked back.
The Queen Creek, Arizona, native is the leading rusher in the conference with 1,265 yards on 214 carries. With 18 more yards, Perkins will become sixth on the all-time rushing list in UCLA history.
He's stabilized a position with some question marks heading into the season. Perkins has also been a steadying force for the offense as a whole.
Not only does he get tough yards between the tackles, but Perkins also catches passes out of the backfield with much effectiveness.
UCLA has got to be thankful for unearthing one of the best skill position players in the Pac-12.
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Eric Kendricks' Brilliance as a Football Player
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Eric Kendricks will go down as one of the best linebackers in the history of UCLA football.
Including this year, Kendricks will have led the team in tackles for three consecutive seasons. Currently, Kendricks leads the conference with 128 total tackles. He's also leading in tackles per game, with 11.6 a contest.
Kendricks combines dogged effort and a tenacious attitude with superlative intuitiveness. He's seemingly always around the football. Kendricks also does a great job of positioning not only himself, but his younger teammates as well.
He's a main reason why the Bruins defense has steadily been improving over the course of the season. Kendricks also was recently named as a finalist for the Butkus Award.
Jerry Neuheisel's Late-Game Heroics
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Jerry Neuheisel will forever go down in UCLA lore.
The son of the former head coach (and former UCLA quarterback) Rick Neuheisel, the younger Neuheisel displayed tremendous amounts of moxie, poise and skill in the 20-17 come-from-behind win over Texas.
For many reserve quarterbacks, the stage would've been too big. Playing in AT&T Stadium against a marquee opponent in front of a vast sea of burnt orange wasn't easy by any stretch.
However, the reserve signal-caller was able to make the biggest play of the game—and potentially the season—as he found receiver Jordan Payton streaking down the sidelines late in the fourth quarter for the game-winning touchdown.
One cannot underestimate the magnitude of this win. If the Bruins would've lost this game, it could've sent them into a tailspin—virtually ruining a season with much preseason promise.
UCLA should be thankful it has a very capable quarterback sitting behind Hundley.
Jim Mora
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The biggest amount of thanks goes to Mora.
In three short years, he's completely transformed this program from having a soft mindset to one rooted in discipline, enthusiasm and ruggedness. This three-year span has been the most successful of any coach in the history of the program.
With the win over Southern Cal this past weekend, UCLA has now won at least nine games in three consecutive seasons for the first time ever. Not to mention, Mora is undefeated versus the Trojans in three tries.
The program is also in great shape for the future. Mora has compiled a tremendous staff from both a recruiting and player development standpoint.
Simply put, Mora has changed things for UCLA football. We're on the cusp of uncharted waters with the amount of success he's both brought and sustained during his tenure in Westwood.
UCLA has shaken the moniker of a sleeping giant and is now making its way into the upper echelon of the college football world.
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