UCLA’s Tim Skipper focused on the wins, not taking credit for the turnaround

Fox College Football tweeted that “the Jerry Neuheisel era has begun with the Bruins.”

ESPN personality Pat McAfee added to the chorus of adoration for UCLA’s new play-caller, tweeting that Neuheisel “might just be a football wizard.”

Other media outlets and sports betting sites tweeting about the Bruins’ transformation from 0-4 into darlings of the college football world prominently posted photos of the blond-haired assistant coach.

That was enough to prompt sports media website Awful Annoncing to ask: “Does anyone know that Tim Skipper is actually UCLA’s interim head coach, not Jerry Neuheisel?”

Having been busy saving the season, Skipper admitted that he was not aware of any stories about who did what led to his team’s turnaround.

“I think it’s good that I’m not on social media and all that stuff right now because I don’t feel that way,” Skipper said Monday when asked about the idea that he didn’t get proper credit. “But I don’t really know what’s going on in the outside world [because] I’m in this [practice] Build a lot.

“But I love what I do. I’m just working, man, and just trying to put us in the best position to be successful on Saturday.”

Part of any credit tarnish may be related to Skipper presiding over the Bruins’ 17-14 loss to Northwestern after replacing DeShaun Foster. The following week, Neuheisel was elevated to play-by-play player, helping the Bruins (2-4 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) revive a horrific offense and rack up 80 points during victories over Penn State and Michigan State.

In fact, there were enough fingerprints on UCLA’s resurgence to leave countless marks.

Skipper brought energy, precision, drive, and his motivational methods – including leaving publications asking “Are you a one-hit wonder?” On the players’ seats on the team plane last week — it had its intended effect during the blowout win over Michigan State.

There is no doubt that Neuheisel has raised the level of an attack that struggled mightily under his predecessor Tino Sunseri.

Kevin Coyle, the de facto defensive coordinator who was brought in before the Northwestern game to replace Ikaika Malloy, unleashed an aggressive, disciplined style that largely made up for the shortcomings previously exposed.

There were also a host of other contributors, from the scouting staff who helped identify the weakness that led to a successful onside kick against Penn State, to the security guards outside Drake Stadium who constantly encouraged players to work out amid loss after loss to start the season.

And of course, don’t forget the players – the leadership and poise of midfielder Niko Emaleva along with a slew of others who rose to the moment after much early struggle.

The Bruins are favored against Maryland (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday in the Rose Bowl for the first time since they faced New Mexico, and it might be easy to envision their increased success. But Skipper said he wouldn’t introduce the idea of ​​making a bowl game as the next motivational tool.

“I care about the moment you’re in, man,” Skipper said. “…this week, sort of, [the mantra] It is the standard and never tires of success. We have to keep doing what we’re doing and always be on the rise, you know?

Approaching the one-month mark since his promotion on Sept. 14, Skipper admitted he was initially concerned about keeping his roster intact as players could enter the transfer portal or redshirt.

“When I first took over, every time I talked to you guys, everyone was asking who was going to redshirt, who was going to go to the portal?” Skipper said. “That was the theme that was, like question No. 1. And we’ve been able to keep the team safe, you know, and that’s an everyday thing. I think we’ve shown them that we can make it happen, make the environment good here, even though we have all this change and stuff, just stick with us and we’ll be fine.”

A clean locker room, smiles and the excitement that comes with a win were among the big changes in the aura around the team that Skipper said he noticed since taking over.

“The guys seem to be in good spirits and stuff like that, and they know tomorrow’s going to be a work day and they better be ready to go,” Skipper said. “But I think we give guys the ‘why’ and reasons why we do things, and that helps them know what to expect.”

Enter me, coach

UCLA revealed a potent offensive weapon late in the third quarter against Michigan State.

It was Sayali Tupacia 337-pound defensive lineman used as a blocker when the Bruins got into the red zone. Move quickly straight to reverse Jayvian ThomasTobacki slammed a defender into the ground as Thomas scored the game’s second goal.

“He was begging to be able to do something on the offensive side,” Skipper said of the junior who bounced between the offensive and defensive lines during his seven seasons with the team. “He definitely went out there and did his job, so that gave us some juice on the sideline and it was good to see.”

etc.

Skipper said the team’s tackling improvement in recent weeks has been more of a function than a scheme. “We do drills when we get them [individual] “Time to use your weapons specifically — your eyes, your feet, your hands, and we’re learning how to twist and move our feet on contact because the hardest thing you can do is restart your feet when they stop,” Skipper said. … The UCLA Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet in closed session Tuesday in San Francisco to discuss what compensation package will be available to UCLA’s next coach.