The 2014 football season began in Westwood with a buzz that hasn't been heard since Troy Aikman was under center. This was supposed to be UCLA's year -- the year that UCLA football was finally mentioned in the conversation with the other west coast powerhouse programsâOregon and Stanford.
Instead, the Bruins ended the regular season ranked No. 19 with a 9-3 record, on the outside looking in. Eliminated from playoff contention, UCLA will play in another anticlimactic bowl game.
"That's what we set out to do this season -- we set out to be one of the Oregons and Stanfords," linebacker Myles Jack said. "That was kind of our motto. We figured this was the year, but I guess not."
So where did it all go wrong? In Jim Mora's third season, why weren't the Bruins able to elevate the program from good to great?
"I think it all comes down to consistency," quarterback Brett Hundley said, who is expected to declare for the NFL draft any day now. "We've showed this season that we can win close games. But at the same time, moments like this, these are the moments that all of that stuff prepares you for. And to be able to stay consistent and finish what we started was the big thing."
The moments he's referring to are the moments the Bruins failed to take advantage of against Stanford. But Hundley is right about the big picture. The team has been wildly inconsistent.
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For a third-straight season, UCLA was one of the most penalized teams in the Pac-12. Paul Perkins ran for more than 1,000 yards for a running game that was never truly established. At times, the defense could be the staunchest in the conference and at other times, the sloppiest.
But they showed flashes of greatness in all areas. And when it looked as though they would cave under the weight of the expectations placed upon them, the Bruins found a way to manage them.
"We always expect the most out of ourselves, and I think we have even higher expectations than even the outsiders," Hundley said. "I think we've done a good job of managing and handling. There was the preseason hype and to battle through the losses and to battle through the ups and downs of the season and still be able to put ourselves in this position, I think we've handled it pretty well up to this point."
Ultimately, it comes down to time. UCLA simply needs more time.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is any powerhouse. Mora made an immediate culture change two seasons ago, but when comparing the Bruins in their current state to other programs like Stanford, you realize that those cultures are deeply ingrained.
Cardinal culture was established years ago under Jim Harbaugh and has carried over under his former assistant coach, David Shaw. Chip Kelly left a winning program to Mark Helfrich. Mora had to start his from scratch.
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"We will get there, we're just not there yet," Mora said. "They've been doing what they've been doing longer than we've been doing what we've been doing. They've been recruiting the types of athletes that fit their profile longer than we've been recruiting the types of athletes that fit our profile.
"And these aren't excuses, these are just facts. We've got to continue to doing what we're doing because we're making headwind. It doesn't reflect in the score today, but I'm talking about as a football team, we're getting better as a football team and becoming more like what I want us to be, which is a physical team."
The foundation has been laid, but there is still more upward building going on in Westwood.
