UCLA Coach Jim Mora admits to mistake last year against Arizona State

Before UCLA played Arizona State last season, Coach Jim Mora decided to play then-freshman Myles Jack exclusively at running back instead of at his usual position, linebacker. The Bruins were wrecked with injuries at the tailback position, and Mora didn’t think Jack would be effective starting both ways.

The decision didn’t pay off. The Sun Devils scored 38 points and totaled 448 offensive yards. Quarterback Taylor Kelly had one of his best games of the conference season, running for 99 yards, passing for 225 and totaling two touchdowns. UCLA had to sit on the sidelines and watch Arizona State celebrate its Pac-12 South title.

On Tuesday, Mora said that he regretted not having Jack on the field as a linebacker as soon as Arizona State completed its first trip down the field — a seven play, 76-yard touchdown drive.

“I felt like it was a necessity going into the game,” Mora said. “Looking back on it, I think it was a huge mistake on my part. I’ve tried to be a little bit more thoughtful in those decisions since that time, but yeah, shouldn’t have done that.”

Jack will be on the field as a linebacker Thursday, and will also get some carries at running back occasionally mixed in. Kelly is out of the game with a foot injury, but the Sun Devils still have running back D.J. Foster, who has run for 510 yards and five touchdowns already this season.

Whether or not Jack makes the difference remains to be seen, but at least he won’t be on the sideline in Tempe.

“I’m not saying it would have made a difference,” Mora said. “They’re a good football team, and they were a heck of a football team when we played them last year. They just made it seem like a pretty stupid tactical error on my part.”

For more Bruin observations, follow Everett Cook on Twitter @everettcook