By all accounts, UCLA proved it couldn't handle the hype surrounding the program heading into the 2014 season.
The Bruins were new to garnering national attention after years of futility. Sure, UCLA recovered with a 10-win season and an Alamo Bowl victory. The Bruins are poised to have another strong season, albeit not without first answering questions about their uncertainty at quarterback. Nevertheless, UCLA has the potential to have a stronger season, and if the hype makes its way to Westwood best believe the Bruins are better equipped to handle it this time around.
ESPN's Kevin Gemmell has a revealing piece with telling quotes from coach Jim Mora, Jerry Neuheisel, Myles Jack and Kenny Young.
The Bruins admitted that last year's hype was too much to handle.
"Realistically, no, we weren't ready for it," Jack told Gemmell. "It was a lot. You can only ignore so much when people tell you what you're going to be. Eventually it seeps in. You feel like you have to live up to it -- at least that was my perspective. I don't want to blame things on that. But we were tight. I think we felt like we had to blow everybody out. If we didn't win 49-0, we couldn't figure out what was wrong."
Will the Bruins be ready this time around?
"I think we've done a lot of growing up," Young tells Gemmell. "If we do good things, people will write about it. If we do bad things, people will write about it. That's going to happen no matter what. But I think now we know how to handle it."
(h/t ESPN)
