The Bruins’ coach fielded questions about the upcoming game against Pitt, including who could be available for the postseason showdown.
UCLA football coach Chip Kelly spoke with reporters in El Paso, Texas, one day before the Sun Bowl against Pittsburgh. Kelly talked about how the Sun Bowl has set itself apart for nearly 90 years, the travel situations his players’ families have faced, who may or may not be available for the game, how he expects the Bruins to match up with the Panthers and the program’s turnaround since he arrived in 2017.
On being at the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl…
“First I just wanted to thank Bernie (Olivas) for the hospitality everyone here has shown us here. It’s something that makes the Sun Bowl really special. A deep heart thank you for how you all treat everybody. It’s just awesome. There’s a reason why it’s the second oldest bowl game and the reason why it will continue. We’re just excited for our team and to play a very good Pitt football team.”
On updates on player availability…
No, we meet tonight with our trainers to get all that information, and so we just got off – literally just got off the field, some of our guys are still coming back, so i don’t have any updates for you.
On the travel situation for family of players…
“We’ve seen some of our parents travel in. Some decided to jump in a car and drive here from 12 hours away. And other parents are trickling in. But it’s an issue that’s going on around the country.”
On the excitement of getting the game started…
“I think they’re really excited. We’ve talked about how this is the last time for this group together. It’s a special group and it’s been such a joy to coach this group. The best thing to do is everyday and the hardest thing to do is everyday. Being able to be on the practice field with them and in the film room with them. It’s just been a lot of fun and they enjoy being around each other.”
On the success of UCLA’s running game…
“I think it takes all 11 and we have an outstanding offensive line. The group of running backs we’ll roll through, obviously Zach (Charbonnet) is the leader of that group but the other guys have also really contributed. And when you have a quarterback who can be a plus one in the running game and the group of tight ends and receivers that we have are alway going to do their role.”
On the battle between the UCLA offense and Pitt Defense…
“That’s a chess match that we have been talking about. Pat (Narduzzi) is a defensive head coach and they do such a great job with that scheme. Their players are really sound and they don’t really give up big plays. They are always where they’re supposed to be and they help each other really well so I think that’s one of the matchups to keep an eye out.”
On preparing for the Pitt personnel…
“I still think if you go back and look at the games from years past, Pat’s defensive scheme is Pat’s defensive scheme. They do such a great job of recruiting players. We anticipate the same scheme. It’s going to be different players but the scheme is the same which they do such a good job of doing. And even their offensive staff it’s their first year together but they still do a great job.”
On the timetable of UCLA’s turnaround…
“I don’t think you can put a timetable on something like that. We have a great group of kids who are awesome to coach and they understand what our school is about, which is the No. 1 public institution in the country. They accept the challenge of going there academically and they thrive in it. We have 20 graduates that are in grad school and graduated before the season even started. This team does it on and off the field and I think they correlate. It’s no surprise that the grades have improved, so have the wins.”
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