UCLA football: Rahim Moore gears up for Tennessee waltz
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UCLA free safety Rahim Moore is excited about this weekend.
The Bruins will be in Knoxville for what is expected to be a difficult game against Tennessee. Moore sees it as a watershed moment.
“This game will give us a wake-up call, whether we win or lose,” said Moore, a sophomore. “If we lose, we have to bounce back and improve. If we win, we have to be humble. We can’t get a big head because this is a long season.”
Tennessee is 7½-point a favorite in a rematch of last season’s game at the Rose Bowl, in which UCLA upset the Volunteers, 27-24, in overtime.
Moore sees this game as having a bigger theme than just a revenge scenario, though “they have the pain of regret and I’m sure they’re waiting for us. Let the games begin.”
But from the Bruins’ perspective, “This game is going test me, it’s going to test our team, it’s going to test Coach [Rick] Neuheisel,” Moore said. “This is one of those games that you have to come to win.”
Moore said the environment will be as tough a challenge as the Volunteers, but he was looking forward to playing in 100,011-seat Neyland Stadium.
“This game will be determined by how you act when the crowd is going against you,” said Moore, who intercepted three passes in UCLA’s 33-14 victory over San Diego State on Saturday. “We can show how tough we are as a team if we go out and do what’s right. Focus on the field, not what’s going on in the stands and win the battle of the officiating.
“We’re tough enough. But this game will be so intense it will show how much you love football.”
--Chris Foster
Twitter.com/cfosterlatimes