Plaschke: Will Chip Kelly give up on UCLA before giving it up?

On Saturday, during another wilting night at the Rose Bowl, a member of the UCLA Sports Department surely asked the question.

It may have happened as quickly as in the first game of the match, in which Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts cut all the preparation for a week while sprinting for 52 yards without touching the line. touch.

It may have been about two minutes later, when Hurts conceded the fourth goal with 30 losses, against Bruins defensemen, who did not seem to know, for the first of six touchdowns of The Sooners.

It was perhaps early, often, and throughout fifth place, Oklahoma, which had demolished in 48-14 a single team of UCLA rank that rarely seemed to belong to the same field.

But, surely, at some point, someone finally had to ask the question whose answer could haunt this program for years.

Was hiring Kelly Chip a mistake?

Was it really a good idea to give $ 23.3 million to a guy whose once innovative methods now seem not only outdated but destructive?

Was it really wise to make such a huge bet on a once great coach who can not adapt to the new era, to new children and to a new school, and who has just won three of his first 15 games?

Not only is it reasonable to think that UCLA officials have these ideas, but it is understandable to wonder if another noted, Bruin, shares them.

Could Chip Kelly ask himself the same question?

There is apparently no way for Bruin officials to consider sending Kelly after this season, even though the Bruins are 0-3 for the second year in a row and could start again at 0-5. Public servants would never admit such an expensive mistake so quickly and would not be willing to pay for it.

But some people thought that if the team did not improve radically, Kelly could finally say enough, that's enough.

He may not think he needs the complete rebuilding that has completely failed so far. He could come to the conclusion that this back to college agreement is no longer working. He may just want to return to the NFL.

Certainly, nights like Saturday can not be fun for a guy who has now lost 26 of his last 31 games as a coach, regardless of his level. Faced with national viewers in front of national television viewers, the Bruins were for the most part a national disaster and we have already seen it.

They had already lost to a Cincinnati team that lost to Ohio by 42 points and San Diego for the first time in 23 games. And now, what should have been a glorious Saturday in Pasadena has become bloody.

Then I asked Kelly to measure his personal disappointment and he said, "It's not my cross, it's everyone's cross. Nobody will feel sorry for us. We are not sorry for ourselves. We do not apologize, we do not let anyone else apologize. We must grow and be better as a team and we will continue to do so. "

A program with the size and resources of UCLA should never be beaten so badly, even by a powerhouse like Oklahoma. Yet that night, the Bruins never had a chance. They took a 34-7 lead at half-time on a score of 434-116, and even a second-half thrust consisting of a goal scored could not change the reality: it looked like a Power Five team playing a Putrid Five team.

Overall, the Sooners outscored them, 611-311, while averaging 10 yards in each game. The Bruins could barely touch the big Hurts, who scored three touchdowns and ran for a touchdown and totaled 439 yards.

Meanwhile, Bruin's offense scored just 14 points for the third week in a row, while its beginners ended the night in a fight against the Backers, while linebacker Ryan Jones intercepted Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the final game offensive of the UCLA match.

"We are a young football team … we will continue to fight, we will continue to fight," Kelly promised. "They competed in the second half, it's something we need to build on, and now we will have the opportunity to learn and grow after it."

Everyone did not agree with the optimism.

"Stupid!" Mumbled a UCLA fan while turning his back on the field and exiting in the final minutes.

"It's a terrible team," added his companion.

The Bruins were booed at different times of the game. Some of the strongest cheers occurred at the end of the first quarter when the UCLA national championship softball team's field introduction. It could have been worse. However, even though UCLA distributed free tickets for the match, their fans were still 60 times fewer than those in Oklahoma, with the Rose Bowl being barely three-quarters full.

This disparity was even more striking after the match ended, as the stadium was filled with sounds of the Oklahoma group playing "Boomer Sooner" and the sight of Sooner players welcomed as rock stars by hundreds of remaining supporters of Oklahoma. Meanwhile, the Bruins penetrated painfully into their tunnel without music and mostly empty looks as Kelly lowered her head and rushed between them.

"Honestly, we saw more red than blue," Jalen Redmond told reporters. "In fact, I wanted to play at home. It was really comfortable.

The Bruins were uncomfortable late in the first period when Charleston Rambo of Oklahoma sprinted unhindered to complete a 48-yard touchdown pass. On his journey to the end zone, he passed the symbol of UCLA's centennial celebration.

"UCLA, 100 Years" read the logo in the field, evoking the idea of ​​another logo.

"UCLA football has never been so bad."