Kelly says he isn’t focused on job security
UCLA didn’t recover after losing Garbers to injury in the 33-7 loss to Cal at Rose Bowl.
It felt like so much of what had come before it under Chip Kelly.
A week after posting a riveting victory, UCLA sustained the sort of loss that made one question the whole operation.
Long, hard reflection was practically all that remained after the latest lurching left the Bruins with their most deflating defeat of the season Saturday night at the Rose Bowl.
Only seven days after pummeling its crosstown rival, UCLA fell flat during a 33-7 loss to California that left Kelly to answer for six seasons of one-step-forward, one-step-back results that put his record at an even .500 while serving as a sad senior night sendoff.
Was Kelly concerned about his job status? How would he evaluate his performance? Why didn’t he switch quarterbacks after Dante Moore committed three turnovers in relief of Ethan Garbers?
Did his team’s third loss in four games — and second at home in that stretch to a heavy underdog — make him worry school officials might rethink their recent show of support?
“I don’t worry about that,” Kelly said after his team finished the regular season 7-5 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-12, leaving his record at the school at 34-34. “I don’t worry about that dynamic. I know this team’s 2413 in the last three years, and they compete every single day, and I’m proud of every single kid in that locker room.
“I think they represent the school the right way. So we understand where we are and we understand that we have to win games, and I get that. That’s part of the deal. But I don’t think about those things. I don’t worry about those things. That’s never been my M.O.”
Kelly wasn’t in the mood for much self-reflection after his team fell into a tie with Cal (6-6, 4-5) for seventh place in the Pac-12 standings, possibly sending the Bruins to the Independence Bowl based on conference tiebreakers. A representative from the bowl matching teams from the Pac-12 and Big 12 attended Kelly’s postgame news conference.
“We didn’t do what we needed to do, and it’s disappointing because in phases I think we’ve played really, really well,” Kelly said when asked to evaluate the job he did this season. “But we got to put it together. And in five games we didn’t put it together.”
Stops and starts have been a staple of Kelly’s last three seasons. The Bruins started 2-0 in 2021, including a victory over Louisiana State, before dropping two of their next three games. An 8-1 start last season was largely offset by a 1-3 finish, including a fourth-quarter collapse against Pittsburgh in the Sun Bowl. This season, UCLA was nationally ranked heading into November before a loss to Arizona started another 1-3 slide.
UCLA’s final Pac-12 game started in promising fashion thanks to the hero of its victory over rival USC. Garbers completed seven of nine passes on the opening drive, leading the Bruins to Cal’s 20-yard line, before appearing to hurt his arm and departing the game.
Enter Moore, whose first pass into heavy coverage was tipped by one defender to another in the end zone for an interception. It was a theme for the true freshman who struggled, having two passes intercepted and losing a fumble.
“Something I stand on is that God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers. I know as of right now I’m going through a storm,” said Moore, who completed 23 of 38 passes for 266 yards with one touchdown in addition to the turnovers. “Right now I’m going through a tough battle. I know my faith and believe in the man upstairs and God and really my faith. A storm is going on, but at the end of the day I’m going to get through it. Things aren’t going my way.
“It kind of reminds me of my freshman year of high school. I had a lot of mistakes. I had a lot of picks, actually. My picks went down, lower and lower and lower, because I just learned the speed coming from Little League to high school, and of course going through the same thing in college. I just have to adapt and adjust to things.”
Kelly intimated that he contemplated a change at quarterback but didn’t make one, believing in the true freshman who was sacked six times even with liberal substitutions on the offensive line in an attempt to bolster the protection.
“I just didn’t think it was the right thing to do,” Kelly said.
Garbers’ absence was a reminder of his value to the Bruins given that the team went 4-2 in games he started this season, with both losses coming after he was knocked out because of an injury.
“That’s just, that’s football.” Kelly said. “I mean, you can’t make an excuse that we lost a player. That’s just the way the game goes sometimes and you have to have next-man-up mentality, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Moore’s turnovers weren’t the only culprit Saturday. After Moore’s fiveyard touchdown pass to Logan Loya in the front of the end zone momentarily gave UCLA a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, Cal’s Jaydn Ott returned the kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
The Bruins also missed another field-goal attempt, making them eight for 17 this season, fumbled a kickoff and helped the Golden Bears convert a fourth down when they were called for a “disconcerting signals” penalty.
“It just kind of snowballed on you, you know what I mean?” Kelly said.
Not even interceptions by Kamari Ramsey and Laiatu Latu could save the Bruins from another limp offensive showing two weeks after they had also managed just seven points during a home loss to Arizona State. UCLA’s previously unstoppable run game ran aground, producing just 71 yards and two yards per carry.
UCLA’s defense, which had been the best in the Pac-12 against the run, appeared to wear down and gave up 124 yards rushing on a night the Golden Bears became bowl eligible.
Kelly said it was too early to assess needs to address in the transfer portal that opens Dec. 4, noting he would first talk to seniors with remaining eligibility to find out how many intended to return. Offensive linemen and a kicker would figure to be at the top of the wish list.
Assuming Kelly remains the coach, one of his top priorities will be holding onto defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. UCLA finished the regular season No. 11 in total defense by giving up 299 yards per game, earning Lynn a $50,000 bonus and probably a massive raise from the two-year contract that pays him $1 million annually if the Bruins intend to ward off potential suitors.
“Yeah, we definitely would love to keep D’Anton here,” Kelly said. “I’m not in charge of tearing anybody’s contracts up, so that’s not in my realm but I know — and I know our administration knows how valuable D’Anton is to us, he’s done a tremendous job and he’s a really, really good football coach, and he’s probably a better person than he is a football coach and he’s a really good football coach, so we’d love to keep D’Anton around here.”
Judging by the occasional boos from the crowd of 42,439 Saturday, there are at least some who would be happy to see Kelly go. It was a grim farewell to the Pac-12 and “Pac-12 After Dark,” not to mention an unhappy birthday for Kelly on the day he turned 60.
The last question Kelly took was about whether he felt any sense of melancholy given the end of the conference he had known for so long, going back to his first college head coaching job at Oregon.
“Melancholy’s not what I’m thinking about right now,” Kelly said. “I’d like to wax eloquent about the demise of the Pac-12, but that’s not on my mind right now.”
There were too many other topics to ponder, too many questions that remained unanswered.