UCLA Football: Bill Plaschke Applauds Chip Kelly's Work In Comeback LA Bowl Win

Heading into the UCLA Bruins bowl game over the weekend against the Boise State Broncos, the biggest talking point was about how UCLA hadn’t fired head coach Chip Kelly. The pull to rid the program of Kelly had grown louder in recent weeks after UCLA stumbled down the finish line of the season.

But Kelly didn’t pay any mind to the talking heads and went about his day preparing for this game. It’s the poise that he shows that has defined this Bruins team over the years.

While it’s not always pretty, Kelly is a true leader for the Bruins. Long-time LA sports columnist Bill Plaschke of The LA Times praised Kelly for his leadership in helping the Bruins take down Boise State.

He could have folded under the pressure of an early game deficit or even from the cries for the team to fire him, but that isn’t who Kelly is.

“For more than an hour Saturday, the third annual LA Bowl in a half-empty SoFi Stadium was a Bruins mess. Then, Bruins magic. It still exists. Kelly still can summon it. His players still can thrive on it. A season still can end with it.”

Per Bill Plaschke of The LA Times

The Bruins took control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Broncos 21-0 to grab the lead. They never looked back and were able to close the game down with a victory.

Kelly spoke about the outside noise entering the game but also praised his players for staying the course.

“It’s tough,” he said. “I’m older and so that stuff really doesn’t bother me. I’m not a social media guy, I can’t do that. I feel for our players at times because what used to be the information age, we’re not in the information age, we’re in the information overload age. And I think you have to really kind of build a moat around your mind and allow the right things in, and I think these guys have stayed the course through everything and just watch their performance today, I think they’ve really done that, you know.”

Per Chip Kelly via The LA Times

UCLA now heads off into the offseason feeling a little better about themselves. This win doesn’t vindicate anything, but it does allow them to take some positives with them into next season.