UCLA football to be focus of Pac-12 show ‘The Drive’
By Kevin Bowman
April 28, 2014 5:52 p.m.
UCLA football will be the star of season two of “The Drive: Pac-12 Football,” a Pac-12 Networks show following the team around throughout the season.
The series will begin in early September and run throughout the season, with 15 weekly episodes, each 30 minutes in length. The show will follow players and coaches not just in games and practices, but also away from the field. “The Drive” will show players on the field, in their classes and their homes.
“Being part of ‘The Drive’ is obviously a great way to showcase the program that we have been building here at UCLA,” said coach Jim Mora in a statement. “But more importantly, this is an opportunity for our student-athletes to be part of a show that is dedicated to highlighting their hard work and effort while also giving them an opportunity to tell their story. Someday, when they’re old like me, they will have a copy of ‘The Drive,’ sit their kids down and be able to share these memories with them in a very tangible way.”
After its inaugural season split time between Arizona State and Cal, the second season will be focused solely on UCLA, a decision which Pac-12 Networks President Lydia Murphy-Stephans said was based on the recent success of the Bruin football program underneath Mora’s leadership. Sophomore linebacker Myles Jack said jokingly at the announcement event, held at the Target Terrace at L.A. Live, that redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley would keep his room vacuumed, according to the Pac-12 Networks.
Mora expressed excitement about sharing his team’s talent and personality on TV.
“The high expectations, coupled with the talent and personalities surrounding the 2014 UCLA football team, creates an opportunity for the Pac-12 Networks to capture an incredible sophomore season of ‘The Drive,’” Murphy-Stephans said in a statement. “Coach Mora has brought UCLA back to prominence with a new, unique identity. And, the unpredictable stories that unfold throughout a football season will provide viewers with an inside look at a first-class football program in a most compelling way.”
That new identity is as a top-10 program, according to several ESPN preseason predictions. The Bruins are coming off a 10-win season, which is tied for a school record, and a Hyundai Sun Bowl win over Virginia Tech. The Pac-12 Networks’ press release cited UCLA having a Heisman candidate in Hundley, as well as Jack, the Pac-12 Offensive and Defensive Freshman of the Year, as major reasons for choosing UCLA for the series.
Mora seems too share the Pac-12 Networks’ high hopes for the series.
“Let’s get an Emmy or something, huh?” Mora said at the announcement event, according to the Pac-12 Networks.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.
