UCLA fires coach Mora

L OS A NGE L ES» Jim Mora’s tenure at UCLA began with three years of enormous promise. It ended with the school abruptly firing the coach late in his sixth season — and on his birthday.

UCLA dismissed Mora on Sunday with one game left in the regular season. Athletic director Dan Guerrero announced the move one day after rival Southern California’s 28-23 victory over the Bruins, who have lost six of nine while going winless on the road this season.

Offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will coach the Bruins in their regular-season home finale against California on Friday night.

UCLA must pay more than $12 million to buy out the remainder of Mora’s contract, which runs through 2021. The school announced that Mora’s contract will be “honored by UCLA Athletics, exclusively using departmentgenerated funds.”

“Jim helped re-establish our football program, and was instrumental in so many ways in moving the program forward,” Guerrero said in a statement. “While his first four seasons at UCLA were successful, the past two seasons have not met expectations.”

Mora went 46-30 in his first significant collegiate coaching job.

True Seminole scores

Motlow something on Saturday that has never happened in the 71-year history of Florida State football.

Motlow, who is a preferred walk-on, is the first member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida to score a touchdown for Florida State. His 12-yard catch from J.J. Cosentino with 8:38 remaining in the fourth quarter was part of the Seminoles’ 77-6 win over Delaware State.

Footnotes.

Heisman Trophy front-runner and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield apologized for his “unacceptable” and “disrespectful” actions toward Kansas players during the Sooners’ 41-3 victory Saturday. … West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is expected to be out several weeks after breaking the middle metacarpal in his throwing hand.