UCLA Football: Chip Kelly Reflects On Playing Bowl Game In LA

The Bruins won their season finale with a W.

The UCLA Bruins ended their 2023 season on a better note than what they finished the regular season with. They took down the Boise State Broncos by a score of 35-22 to win the LA Bowl.

UCLA used a dominant 21-0 third-quarter performance to change the entire scope of the game around, leading to the big win. The Bruins season was full of ups and downs, and this game sealed a nice ending to a frustrating year.

Bruins head coach Chip Kelly reflected on the team playing in the LA Bowl. He said that having the chance to play a game at Sofi Stadium.

“Being home in LA was awesome, and the fact that we can play in SoFi [Stadium] was really, really special.”

Per Chip Kelly via UCLA Communications

Kelly was proud of his players for how they responded to the adversity of the season. They were down at halftime to Boise State, and they could have folded, but they turned the entire narrative around to get the victory.

"What these guys showed today, I’m really proud of them. I’m really proud of how they responded. That’s what a competitor does. A competitor responds. A non-competitor reacts. Did the ball bounce our way every single time? No, but that’s football. I think as a football coach, you have to teach life lessons. Sometimes those life lessons are hard and you have to go through them as a group. … When you look at statistics, this group won eight-plus games three years in a row. It’s the second time it’s happened since 1988 at UCLA. So that’s what I’m really proud of what these guys did and to beat a really good Mountain West football team in Boise State. Our guys came out in the second half and won that football game. It wasn’t handed to us. They won that football game.”

Per Chip Kelly via UCLA Communications

UCLA now enters the offseason feeling a little better about themselves, and that alone is a great thing. Next up for this program is the Big Ten Conference, and the challenges won't get any easier for the Bruins going forward.