Brett Hundley injured his elbow in the first quarter of UCLA’s comeback win over Texas in Arlington last weekend, leaving many Bruins fans (and curious parties) wondering about his status for the Arizona State game.
Here’s the thing: there is no status update because coach Jim Mora is choosing not to provide one.
Unlike the NFL where coaches are mandated to provide injury reports during the week (originally for gambling and now also for fantasy football purposes), college coaches are not required to do so. Any information they provide is optional, but generally considered a courtesy to keep their paying customers (aka fans) happy as well as the media outlets covering the team.
Some coaches choose not to give any more information than what is necessary. Mora is clearly deciding to follow that, and his reasoning makes sense.
Like UCLA, Arizona State is 3-0 on the season. This is expected to be a good, close game. By choosing not to provide any updates, Mora is forcing the Sun Devils to prepare for the possibility of facing both Hundley and backup Jerry “Little Ricky” Neuheisel. He’s trying to keep them guessing. That’s also the same reason why Mora would not allow the media inside practice this week.
What we do know is that Hundley was fully suited up for practice Wednesday, according to the LA Times.
#ucla QB Brett Hundley was in full pads, heading into practice. No bandage or brace on left arm @UCLAFootball #pac12
— chris foster (@cfosterlatimes) September 17, 2014
It is believed that Hundley suffered a hyper-extended left elbow. We know he wanted to return to the game but Coach Mora would not let him back in.
The Associated Press has the photo of Brett Hundley's awkward elbow injury: pic.twitter.com/DyaOwlft5n
— Edward Lewis (@EdwardLewisBSR) September 14, 2014
I am almost certain that Hundley would play this week if UCLA had a game on Saturday, so I’m even more certain that he will play against Arizona State since that isn’t until Thursday, Sept. 25.
Just don’t expect any updates from Mora prior to kickoff, according to the LA Daily News.
“I’m not going to tell anybody anything until kickoff versus Arizona State,” Mora said Sunday. “Nobody. Nothing.”
