UCLA Coach Jim Mora explains his intensity at practice

UCLA Coach Jim Mora said he told his team something that it probably didn’t take a UCLA education to figure out.

“I told them after practice, am I an ass—? Yeah ... out here I am,” Mora said.

Being an overly intense person -- or whatever socially unacceptable word you want to attach -- seems to be part of the football coaching job description. And Mora does get an A-plus in it.

His highly colorful rant at freshman quarterback Josh Rosen on Wednesday brought criticism from media members not in attendance during practice at Cal State San Bernardino.

For those who have been there the last two weeks, it seemed calculated, something Mora admitted Thursday.

“This is football, I’m not going to change the way I coach just because there are fans and media out here,” Mora said. “I’m trying to put these guys in stressful situations. I’m trying to test them to see how they handle it.”

To underscore that thought, Rosen draped his arm over Mora as they talked during practice Thursday.

“On game day, you see me support those guys and be there for them,” Mora said. “Out here, it’s about toughening them up physically, mentally and emotionally to go out there in front of 85,000 fans, against a great opponent, and perform in a stressful situation.”