UCLA Football: DeShaun Foster Proud of Way His Team 'Kept Fighting' Against Hawaii

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

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Nearly seven months after he was hired as UCLA's next football head coach, DeShaun Foster made his coaching debut at Hawaii. Foster, who was formerly a running back for the Bruins from 1998-01, earned the rare opportunity to become the head coach of his alma mater.

First win of the Fos Era! 🏈

Congratulations, @DeShaunFoster26!#DRE pic.twitter.com/xJa6c5A7D2

— UCLA Football (@UCLAFootball) September 1, 2024

While the game was far from pretty for UCLA, the Bruins did earn a 16-13 win against Hawaii, Foster's first as head coach. Following the win, UCLA athletic director Martin Jarmond awarded Foster the game ball.

Foster admitted that he held back his emotions before the game, but did not take the moment for granted and was choked up after the game with his players.

“I kept a lot of stuff bottled in coming into this, so I didn’t want to just be out there all emotional, but I was really excited that we got our first victory, just the way the guys played,” Foster told reporters after the win, via UCLA communications. “It didn’t really go exactly the way we wanted in the first half, but the second half, they kept fighting, kept playing. We were able to execute and get the job done.”

Foster additionally credited his players for continuing to fight throughout the game to earn the victory. The Bruins, especially on offense, got off to a brutal start. The offense failed to get in a consistent rhythm or score in the first half against a Hawaii team they were favored by double digits over.

During that half, quarterback Ethan Garbers was off-target on multiple pass attempts and threw two interceptions on attempts that were simply poor decisions. The run game also did not get any momentum going, and even when Hawaii committed penalties and helped the Bruins, UCLA did not score.

Rather than let a demoralizing half of play dictate the rest of the game, the Bruins came out in the second half and immediately put seven points on the board with a 96-yard touchdown drive. The Bruins put together some easier plays at the beginning of the drive to progress the ball into Hawaii territory when they then struck with a 39-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Rico Flores Jr.

Garbers credited Foster for helping keep the team on track with his message during halftime. “He was the same person," Garbers said. "He didn’t flinch, he didn’t move. He said, ‘Hey, we’ve got to go. We’ve got to pick this up.’ … We were in that locker room focused and ready to get back on the field.”

The Bruins scored three more field goals the rest of the game, enough for their first victory.