UCLA Football: 4 Takeaways From Bruins Comeback Win Over Hawaii

The Bruins earned Foster's first win as head coach.

Marco Garcia-USA TODAY Sports

In DeShaun Foster's first game as head coach, UCLA football overcame a brutal start offensively to come back and defeat Hawaii 16-13 at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Bruins, who came into the game as nearly two touchdown favorites, trailed 10-0 at the half. The offense looked disastrous but calmed down in the second half to earn Foster's first win as head coach.

Here are four takeaways from the win:

Offense, Ethan Garbers Shake Off Awful First Half

It's hard to imagine a worse first half to start the season for the Bruins. After punting on their opening drive, the Bruins drove down the field to the red zone. Facing a third-and-goal with no one open, Garbers unwisely chose to throw across his body into traffic and was picked off.

Throughout the first half, the offense could not consistently get into a rhythm and tried to force big plays while failing to run the ball. Rather than Garbers and the offense easing into the game with short passes and screens, the Bruins too often tried to earn an unprovable deep shot down the field. Garbers missed several makeable throws, and UCLA could not even put points on the board when Hawaii bailed them out on penalties.

The first-half woes were epitomized by the final play of the half for UCLA's offense. Under duress close to his end zone, Garbers threw to evade a safety, but the ball went directly into the hands of a Hawaii defender. The Rainbow Warriors capitalized on the turnover with a field goal to end the half.

Coming out in the second half, the Bruins began with multiple short passes to get the team down the field. Those plays drove them halfway down the field, where they capped off a 96-yard touchdown drive with a 39-yard deep touchdown pass.

Garbers' play calmed down, and he played much more like himself. Garbers showed his playmaking ability as on multiple occasions he used his footwork in the pocket to escape an incoming rusher, step up or out of the pocket, and deliver a pass to a target. Garbers took off and ran when needed, but also kept his eyes down the field, allowing him to make last-second throws under pressure.

The second half was still far from perfect, especially as Red zone woes continued to plague the Bruins, who finished second-last in the FBS in red zone play a season ago.

Run Game Fails to Get Going

Perhaps the most shocking part of a tough offensive performance was the lack of a run game by the Bruins. The Bruins finished as a top-20 rushing team a season ago, rushing for nearly 200 yards per game, but never mustered up a consistent attack against Hawaii. Despite two former running backs in Foster and Bieniemy leading the offense, the Bruins rushed for just 71 yards on 20 carries at an average of just 3.6 yards per pop.

The majority of those yards came from Garbers, too, who led the Bruins in rushing as he carried the ball seven times for 47 yards. Starting running back T.J. Harden, who finished with over 800 yards a season ago, carried the ball nine times for nine yards. The Bruins failed to maintain patience in the run game, and their backs only saw a total of 13 carries.

Rico Flores Jr. Flashes on Offense

The top playmaker of UCLA's offense proved to be sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr., who showed just why he was named a starter as he hauled in three passes for 102 yards.

The Notre Dame transfer earned his first catch on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Garbers, providing UCLA with his first points of the day. On the ensuing drive, Flores caught a pass from Garbers as he escaped pressure, and turned up the field for a 53-yard catch and run that led to a field goal. Flores appears to be a target that Garbers can not only rely on for an explosive play but is on the same page as his quarterback when the play breaks down.

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Defense Steps Up For UCLA

The UCLA defense was immediately put on notice by Hawaii's run and shoot offense, which got off to a blazing start. Rainbow Warriors quarterback Brayden Schager went six-six on the opening drive, leading a touchdown drive that gave Hawaii a 7-0 lead early on.

After that first drive, UCLA's defense proved to be a major reason why the Bruins stayed in the game and were able to pull off the comeback. The defense did allow some plays, but they also came up with key stops and turnovers while limiting Hawaii to just two more field goals.

Additionally, UCLA's playmakers on the defensive side of the ball each came through with significant play. Five different Bruins sacked Schager, as K.J. Wallace, Jacob Busic, Ale Kaho, Ramon Henderson, and Keanu Williams each brought the quarterback down.

Linebacker Kain Medrano showed why he has the green dot for in-helmet communication with his coach. Medrano played all over the field, impacting both the run and pass game. He pressured Schager in the third quarter, affecting Schrager's throw which resulted in an interception. He later picked up an impressive tackle for loss in the backfield and finished the day with five total tackles and a tackle for loss.

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