UCLA Football: DeShaun Foster May Have Hinted At How He Will Make Crucial Calls Throughout Season

Valentina Martinez | Sep 6, 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-Imagn Images / Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

DeShaun Foster will make the decision whether to go for it on fourth down, despite having Eric Bieniemy, a two-time Super Bowl champion offensive coordinator, on the coaching staff.

In the Bruins' comeback 16-13 win over Hawaii on Saturday, Foster was responsible for all the crucial calls made throughout the season opener.

One of Foster's decisions came in the second quarter. The Bruins were fourth and four at Hawaii's 34-yard line. Players were inching closer to the line of scrimmage, indicating UCLA was going to go for it. Although the box score stated that the Blue and Gold called the timeout, Foster said he decided to kick a field goal once Hawaii made the call for a timeout.

“With the momentum going, I probably was gonna go for it,” Foster told Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times. “Then, they end up calling a timeout so we kicked the field goal.”

As a result, Blake Gessner missed a 52-yard field goal. The Rainbow Warriors held on to their 7-0 lead.

Another fourth-down decision made by Foster was on the opening drive of the game. UCLA punted on fourth and five at Hawaii's 44-yard line.

Thus far it seems as though Foster's decisions on fourth down are pretty timid.

“Every decision that we did was me,” Foster said. " … 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.”

Despite getting in the win column to kick off the season, the performance was sloppy overall. The offensive unit didn't come to life until the second quarter.

Ethan Garbers threw two interceptions. The special teams looked lost at times and the UCLA running backs averaged 1.8 yards per carry, a snail-like pace compared to last year's numbers.

“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.”

After the rocky start, the Blue and Gold will look to regroup before their game against Indiana on Sept. 14. The new era of UCLA football hasn't quite convinced people they are playoff contenders this season, but there's still a lot of football left to play.

More UCLA: UCLA Football: DeShaun Foster Sets Tone For Bruins Even During Bye Week