Commentary: Former Bruin says Jim Mora should take history lesson

UCLA Coach Jim Mora prepares to coach the Bruins against Arizona State on Oct. 8. (Christian Petersen / Getty Images) UCLA’s football team, the consensus preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 Conference’s South Division, is mired in fifth place.

Several reasons have been given for the collapse: the loss of quarterback Josh Rosen and others to injuries, players being held out for team rule violations, the inability of receivers to catch passes.

But the primary factor, some critics say, is Coach Jim Mora’s switch from a spread to a pro-style offense while lacking the personnel to pull it off.

Before taking that leap, perhaps Mora should have retraced the steps of one of his UCLA predecessors,…