Eric Bieniemy, a two-time Super Bowl champion offensive coordinator, constructed UCLA’s plays.
Deciding whether to go for it on fourth down?
That’s entirely up to DeShaun Foster, the new coach whose experience before this season had been confined to working with running backs.
“Every decision that we did was me,” Foster said Wednesday during his first meeting with reporters since the Bruins’ come-from-behind, 16-13 victory over Hawaii last weekend. “ … I’m telling everybody what to do. There’s no decisions being made by any other coaches, so anything that’s happening is coming directly from me.”
How would Foster describe his philosophy when it comes to making those critical fourth-down decisions?
“It depends on the situation,” he said.
At least in the opener, the Bruins unveiled a decidedly cautious approach. On their opening drive, they punted on fourth and five at Hawaii’s 44-yard line.
“I just didn’t like the situation at the time,” Foster said.
In the second quarter, facing fourth and four at Hawaii’s 34-yard line, it looked like UCLA was going to go for it as players readied themselves near the line of scrimmage. Foster said he decided to kick a field goal after Hawaii called a timeout, though the box score indicated that the Bruins called the timeout.
“With the momentum going, I probably was gonna go for it,” Foster said. “Then, they end up calling a timeout so we kicked the field goal.”
Blake Glessner missed a 52-yarder, preserving Hawaii’s 7-0 lead.
The Bruins unleashed a pass-heavy offense, throwing 38 passes while combining for only 13 carries by their running backs. Foster said the running backs’ struggles — Keegan Jones, T.J. Harden and Anthony Frias II combined for only 24 yards — led to so many passes.
UCLA’s troubles moving the ball on the ground went beyond a short-handed offensive line, Foster said.
“Just the whole offense, just not exactly executing the way that they should,” Foster said. “So, just a lot of stuff that’s easy to fix — ID’ing [situations], stuff like that. So, I’m not really worried about it. They should get out here and make sure that they work through their corrections and get better.”
The run game could get a boost in time for the first Big Ten game against Indiana on Sept. 14 at the Rose Bowl. Foster intimated that injured tackles Garrett DiGiorgio and Reuben Unije should be back by then. It’s also possible that running back Jalen Berger, a transfer from Michigan State, could make his UCLA debut after continuing his efforts to round into form.
United again
His team needing a lift midway through the third quarter, UCLA safety Ramon Henderson knew just the guy to provide it. So he approached wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. on the sideline with some simple instructions.
“Catch the ball,” Henderson told him, “and run.”
Flores complied, hauling in a 39-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Garbers to spark the team’s comeback. Hearing the play call and seeing Hawaii’s safety not looking his way before the snap, Flores said he knew he was going to score, especially after making a move to free himself from the cornerback.
“I posted and took it over the top,” Flores said, “and the rest is history.”
It was the sort of play Henderson knew Flores could make because he had seen it when they were teammates at Notre Dame before transferring to UCLA.
Flores’ move late in the offseason led to his exclusion from “EA Sports College Football ‘25,” though the video game makers included him in their recent update.
“Finally,” Flores said. “Long time coming.”
Flores’ player rating left him disappointed, though he could be in for an upgrade after making three catches for a team-high 102 yards against Hawaii.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve arrived yet,” Flores said. “I’ve still got a lot of work to do.”
Etc.
Foster said using multiple punters and kickers in the opener was part of a planned platoon. Mateen Bhaghani replaced Glessner and made all three of his field-goal attempts, including the 32-yard game-winner with 56 seconds left. Chase Barry averaged 39.5 yards on two punts and Brody Richter averaged 33.5 yards on two. … The Bruins practiced for about 2½ hours Wednesday in scorching heat. Said Flores: “It didn’t feel like a bye week practice at all.” … Foster on his focus in the bye week: “I want the whole team to get better, so it’s not a one-sided thing like one side of the ball needs to get better and the other side can stay where they’re at; everybody needs to improve.”
