Foster Gives Confident, Self-Praising Statement Following Win Over Nebraska

DeShaun Foster comes off his best win yet as UCLA's head coach.

Oct 19, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster reacts during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Things weren't initially looking good for UCLA coach DeShaun Foster's first season as the Bruins' head coach.

Foster and the Bruins got off to an alarming 1-5 start to the year, and while not a whole lot was expected of the program in its first year in the Big Ten, their showing through their first six games was simply inexcusable.

But UCLA is beginning to turn its season around, now heading into the last leg of its season riding a two-game win streak. Its latest win, in particular, has instilled a renewed sense of hope around the program, as the Bruins bested a solid Nebraska team on the road, a week after the Huskers took No. 4 Ohio State to the wire.

Foster was on a bit of a hot seat after the 1-5 start, but after this latest stretch, there's reason to believe he's the man for the job.

He certainly thinks so.

"Martin (Jarmond) hired the right guy," Foster said after his team's victory on Saturday. " … The team has been playing well and doing the right thing. I’m just excited for this, and we’re going to continue to get better as this year goes on.”

Now, with four games left, the Bruins actually have a fighting chance to make a bowl game. But they would have to win three of those upcoming contests.

"I just let them know we are in a one-week season. Just continue to be one week. We’re not going to focus on that outcome. This season is the first year, but we had that gauntlet that we were going through. Now, we’re in the middle piece (of the season) and that’s like the blue-collar teams we’re playing against. They’re tough. They have a certain type of style of play that they play with. And at the end of the season, we have our west coast runs. We’re just trying to get through this blue-collar part. Hopefully we can just continue to win.”

Foster was hired following the departure of the great Chip Kelley, who served as UCLA's head coach for six seasons.

Even Kelley struggled in his first few seasons at the helm, having been unable to surpass the four-win mark until his fourth year as the Bruins' head coach. From there, he and the Bruins turned in 8-4, 9-4 and 8-5 seasons, respectively. His time with the program was capped off by a victory in the LA Bowl.

It's all a process.

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