UCLA Coach Jim Mora mum on status of injured players

There are times when UCLA Coach Jim Mora is forthcoming with injury updates and other times when he is less so.

Less so meaning not at all.

He shifted into protection mode this week when it came to the status of injured right guard Kolton Miller, receiver Ishmael Adams and defensive tackle Eli Ankou. The only update came from defensive line coach Angus McClure, who indicated that Ankou was making progress in his recovery from a hyper-extended elbow and might be able to play Saturday against Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium.

“I don’t like to talk about injuries unless they’re very obvious,” Mora said Wednesday. “I appreciate that everyone wants to know, but in terms of competitive advantage, it doesn’t really do us any good if we let our opponent know who’s playing and who’s not playing, so I hope people can respect that.”

Unlike the NFL, which requires teams to submit standardized injury reports, college teams are allowed to disclose injury news however they see fit. Mora said he prefers it that way.

“The NFL does it for bettors,” Mora said. “That’s the only reason why they release an injury report. And I don’t think I want to encourage people to bet on college football. If they do, they do, but our job is trying to win, not try to provide information to the fans and to the teams that may hurt us in our ability to win.”

Facial recognition is the only way for reporters to identify UCLA players during the 20-minute portion of practice they are allowed to observe because the starters don’t wear numbers and the scout team bears the numbers of the players from an opponent they are trying to mimic.

Miller seems the least likely of the injured Bruins to play against Arizona State because he was on crutches during the second half of the Arizona game last week after suffering an undisclosed injury. Adams partially dislocated a shoulder in the same game.

Mora disclosed the separation after the game in what qualified as one of his more candid moments.

Quick hits

Mora declined to discuss the Pac-12 Conference’s reprimand of his comments on a post-game radio show critical of the officiating during UCLA’s victory over Arizona. “My focus is on Arizona State, and that’s it,” Mora said. “Saturday, Arizona State, that’s all I care about.” … UCLA remains in its locker room when the national anthem is played at the Rose Bowl and at most road games, reducing the possibility of a Colin Kaepernick-style protest. “That’s probably why we haven’t talked about it at all,” defensive tackle Boss Tagaloa said of players making a statement similar to the San Francisco 49ers quarterback who has sparked a national dialogue about racial injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem.

ben.bolch@latimes.com

Twitter: @latbbolch