UCLA Football: Bruins May Have More Questions After Barely Surviving Season Opener

Valentina Martinez | Sep 3, 2024

Aug 31, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers (4) scrambles away from Hawaii Rainbow Warriors defensive lineman Dion Washington (19) during the fourth quarter of an NCAA college football game at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports / Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA football was projected to finish 15th in a preseason Big Ten Conference media poll. In Saturday's 16-13 lackluster win, the Bruins didn't do anything to remove any reservations people had about the program. In fact, the disastrous performance likely only fueled the doubts about the Blue and Gold.

Despite a second half resurgence from the Bruins, it didn't negate the previous 30 minutes of the game.

The offense was essentially a stalemate to start the game. Ethan Garbers threw two interceptions in the first half. Bruins running backs averaged a lowly 1.8 yards per carry.

UCLA ended the first half down 10-0 to the Rainbow Warriors, which only fueled speculation about the abilities of the new Westwood regime.

“We didn’t really start the first half the way that we wanted to, but I was just glad with the way that they came out in the second half,” UCLA first-year coach DeShaun Foster told the media. “They came out and executed. It was about us more than exactly what they were doing to us, so I just liked that my guys came out and fought hard and continued to play and we were able to get the victory.”

Foster will take the upcoming bye week to reassess his team. Being a former Bruin himself and having played in the Golden Age of UCLA football, Foster knows the feeling of competing for a respected football program.

Saturday's season opener revealed the new era of UCLA football isn't quite there yet.

“There’s most definitely concerns, but I’m glad that we have a bye week so we can go into the week and try to address some of those issues that we had,” Foster said. “I think we addressed some of those in the second half, that’s where we were able to execute, but a lot of stuff, you know, guys’ emotions were playing, they were just getting caught up in the emotion of the game and we just weren’t able to execute the way that we wanted to, but in the second half they kind of settled down.”

Despite Hawaii's considerable lead in the first half, Foster didn't panic, according to his quarterback.

“You know, this is not us,” Foster told the team, according to Garbers. “Let’s get back to what we’ve been doing in practice, what we’ve been doing in fall camp.”

Foster didn't doubt his team's abilities after a disappointing first half, maybe onlookers shouldn't doubt the program either.