It looked like Jim Mora was going to have a heart attack during the first half of No. 11 UCLA’s game against California on Saturday night.
That because his Bruins, already the most penalized team in the country at 10.8 penalties per game, had eight penalties for 54 yards against the Bears in the first two quarters at the Rose Bowl.
UCLA went into the locker room up 24-10, but Cal looked to be within reach despite going 0 for 8 on third downs and gaining just 139 total yards.
The Bruins, meanwhile, overcame their sloppiness and forged a lead thanks to the fine play of quarterback Brett Hundley, who was 21 of 25 for 263 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, much of UCLA’s mistakes could be blamed on its youth, as the Bruins are starting two true freshmen on the offensive line and a couple more on defense.
But if the Bruins are going to challenge Oregon and Stanford down the road, they need to clean up their mistakes....at least for the sake of Mora’s health.