Jim Mora wasn’t about to be fooled by the leading question as he stood in front of a group of reporters.
“You’re trying to get me to say ‘must win,’” said the UCLA coach with a laugh. “I don’t like that term.”
But with just four games remaining, No. 22 UCLA (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) sits in fifth place in the Pac-12 South, a game back of Arizona State. It’s crunch time for UCLA as it faces No. 12 Arizona (6-1, 3-1) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, something even Mora is willing to admit.
“This game, there’s an enhanced sense of urgency,” Mora said.
Whatever he wants to call it, the pressure to perform is certainly present for the Bruins, who will need to win to have a shot at finishing atop the Pac-12 South.
“(Arizona) is a big game for us,” said redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley. “It’s a huge game – it’s a (Pac-12) South opponent, and for us to be able to get to our end goal, which is a Pac-12 championship, we have to be able to beat (Arizona).”
In years past, that may not have been too tough a task – UCLA beat Arizona 31-26 last season and 66-10 in 2012. But this year’s Arizona team has drastically outperformed expectations.
After losing quarterback B.J. Denker and running back Ka’Deem Carey, the Wildcats seemed like they’d be mired in a transition season this year as new, younger replacements adjusted to their expanded roles in the offense.
Instead, the Wildcats have become the best offense in a Pac-12 conference packed with offensive firepower.
“They kind of caught a lot of the Pac-12 by surprise,” said sophomore defensive end Eddie Vanderdoes. “They’re the (12th-ranked) team in the country. They’re rolling, they beat Oregon good, and they only got one loss on the season, so this is a very important game for us.”
That win over Oregon propelled Arizona onto the national stage, validating its early season success and proving that its impressive offensive statistics were no fluke.
The Wildcats have played like they belong among the conference’s elite all season. Redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon appears to be the ideal fit in coach Rich Rodriguez’ brand of the spread tempo offense – he comes into Saturday’s game with 2,430 yards, 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Meanwhile, the running back tandem of freshman Nick Wilson and redshirt senior Terris Jones-Grigsby has combined for 998 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
Add the pieces together, and the Wildcats have one of the nation’s top offenses, their 541.9 yards per game ranking No. 6 in the NCAA and their 40.6 points per game ranking 12th in the nation.
On the other sideline, the Bruins, despite their respectable 6-2 record, have been in a bit of funk of late. After consecutive losses to Utah and Oregon, UCLA scraped by Cal and Colorado – two teams far from elite status – by a combined five points.
So with its season on the line this week against an Arizona team that earned its elite stats, UCLA is looking to make a change to keep its Pac-12 title hopes alive.
“It’s a mindset. It’s bearing down even more than we typically do. We practice well, we’re focused, but it’s now finding the next level,” Mora said. “We’re always doing that but it’s just, ‘Let’s go, OK, enough!’ I’m sure everyone out there watching this feels the same way. Enough.”