Bruins' Rock Bottom: DeShaun Foster Addresses Disastrous Loss and Future of UCLA Football

The UCLA Bruins are facing a potentially catastrophic season after a disheartening 35-10 loss to the New Mexico Lobos, marking their third consecutive defeat. The team finds itself at rock bottom, and the prospect of an 0-12 season looms large as conference play approaches in two weeks. In the wake of this devastating loss, head coach DeShaun Foster addressed the media, offering his perspective on the team's struggles and his plans for the future.

Foster's Opening Statement: Discipline and Execution

"Not the outcome at all that we wanted," Foster began, acknowledging the disappointment. He attributed the loss to a lack of discipline and execution, stating, "It’s coming down to discipline and execution. Not executing at a high level and not making plays when we need to. We’re not at our best when our best is needed." Despite the current situation, Foster expressed optimism, emphasizing the two weeks ahead as an "opportunity to get it fixed."

Lowest Point Around UCLA Football

When asked if this was the lowest point he'd experienced around UCLA football, Foster responded, "Yeah, it’s pretty low right now." Having been around the program for a long time, he described the situation as "unfortunate," reiterating the team's failure to execute.

Problems on the Field: Penalties and Perfection

Foster identified penalties as a significant problem, stating, "Too many penalties. We’ve got to find a way to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We’re not good enough to keep having the type of penalties that we’re having. We’ve got to almost be perfect out there." This highlights the crucial need for improved discipline and error reduction.

Is He Still the Right Coach? A Confident Affirmation

When directly asked if he is still the right coach for UCLA, Foster gave a confident, "Most definitely," explaining, "Because I can get these boys to play." He dismissed any notion of feeling overmatched, stating, "No. Not at all."

Message to the Fans: Stick With Us

Foster's message to the fans was a call for unwavering support. "If you’re a real Bruin, you’ll still be a fan," he asserted, reminding them that "There are plenty of programs that have had unfortunate starts who have turned stuff around. You’re either going to stick with it or not."

Run Defense Woes: Execution and Solutions

Addressing UCLA's run defense, Foster admitted, "Towards the end they were able to run the ball." He again pointed to execution, saying it "comes back to execution and guys not executing exactly how we want them to." He stressed the urgency of finding solutions: "But we’ve got to figure it out. That’s what it’s coming down to. This stuff has to get figured out."

Discipline: A Mind-Boggling Mystery

Foster expressed bewilderment regarding the team's lack of discipline. "That’s a good question because that’s something I’m wondering myself," he confessed. Despite efforts to instill discipline, he noted, "They’re just going out there and not executing that. It blows my mind. It’s something I’ve never been around. We’re going to figure it out."

Locker Room Response: Understanding, But No Translation on the Field

Foster described the team's positive response in the locker room: "That’s the thing about it. They respond in the correct way. Everybody’s looking at me straight eye-to-eye, standing at attention, understanding what I’m saying, saying ‘Yes, sir.’ They understand what they’re doing. They get that they’re letting it slip away. It’s just unfortunate. This is not something that you would anticipate happen." However, this understanding isn't translating to on-field performance.

Enough Talent to Win? Execution is Key

When questioned about whether there is enough talent to win a game this season, Foster affirmed, "I like the team we have, and we’re going to continue to fight and get it going. We have enough (talent). We just have to execute on both sides of the ball." He elaborated on the specific issues: "There are people wide open. They’re not getting the ball. There are people not catching the ball, people missing the blocks. There are people not making tackles, not staying in their gaps." He also touched on the complexities of talent acquisition, alluding to the influence of money. "Well, we know what comes with talent. You can get kids but you’ve got to have a certain amount of money. It’s a whole lot of stuff that goes into acquisition."

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Accountability: The Buck Stops Here

Foster took full responsibility for the team's performance, stating, "Everything that happens can fall on me. I’m the head coach. It can fall on me. You don’t have to try to word things differently. I’m the head coach." Despite the current struggles, he remained optimistic: "But what I do know is that eventually this team is going to play with discipline. It’s going to happen. It’s eventually going to happen. Pretty sure we didn’t think we would go on a run last year either when it happened. One thing that is going to happen is that those guys who are in the room are going to continue to believe and eventually it’s going to turn around."

Run Call at the End of the First Half: Avoiding a Turnover

Explaining the run call to end the first half, Foster said, "I didn’t want it to be a turnover trying to get a pass up there and maybe it got intercepted. I wanted to go into the half knowing we were going to get the ball and I wanted to make sure we went into the half with some okay momentum and not going off a turnover and trying to go out and get the boys excited again."

Foster's Second Year and Big Ten Media Days

DeShaun Foster's journey to the head coaching position and his approach to leadership provide further context to the current situation. After being elevated to the head coach role following Chip Kelly’s departure to Ohio State, Foster, a former Bruins All-American, aimed to reshape the program. He spent seven years as the Bruins’ running backs coach, originally hired by Jim Mora, before taking on the head coaching role in 2024.

Foster's appearance at Big Ten Media Days last year was not well-received. He came across as nervous. However, he learned from the experience. With a full season at the helm, Foster came across as well prepared and embraced how his performance at last year's event turned into a lesson. He used part of his time during his opening remarks joking about his media day mishap the year prior and how it worked to the team’s benefit. "That moment taught me a valuable lesson,” Foster said. “Authenticity resonates more deeply than perfection. Our players saw me being human and it brought us closer together.”

Foster and the team have spent the past year joking about the moment on stage. When the coach took to the field at the Wasserman Football Center for training camp, he was wearing a shirt that read "We're in LA" - a phrase he had said at 2024's Media Days - and had a UCLA helmet logo that pinpointed Los Angeles in an outline of the state of California. “Last year, I stood up here and reminded everyone that UCLA is in L.A., which, looking back, might have been the most obvious geography lesson in Big Ten history,” Foster said. “But we are in L.A. and we’re proud to be in L.A. And this year we are ready to show the Big Ten what L.A. football looks like when it’s firing on all cylinders.”

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Foster shuffled his coaching staff but the program is aiming to keep up its momentum in recruiting and bringing in talent via the transfer portal. The Bruins brought in 31 transfers, including 14 who had played high school football in the state of California, including quarterback Nico Iamaleava and his brother Madden. The 31 transfers is the 10th-most in the FBS.

Reshaping UCLA's Culture

Foster used his first season to help reshape the UCLA football program into the way he wanted it - and remembered it. Jarmond told the Daily Bruin, “He’s put his imprint on the program. You now see guys embody him as a leader, … making the program his. I see that more now. I see it upon the building and the guys and the enthusiasm and the energy and the vibe around the program. It’s really special."

With training camp starting next week, Foster is taking the Bruins off-campus to train for the upcoming season in Costa Mesa, California. With Kelly at the helm, UCLA held training camp at the football center on campus. Mora used to take the team to San Bernardino for training camp. UCLA will use the team's time off-site to switch the turf practice fields at the Wasserman Football Center to natural grass, which is what the Bruins play on at the Rose Bowl.

Nico Iamaleava's Transfer: Family First

The arrival of quarterback Nico Iamaleava is a significant development for the Bruins. Iamaleava spoke to reporters for the first time since announcing his decision to commit to UCLA on April 20. “I would say that my decision to leave (Tennessee) was extremely hard and one of the toughest decisions I had to make, but family was the biggest thing to me. A lot think about financial stuff, but it was never that. It was about being close to home with my family and playing at the highest level with my family's support. With our Samoan culture, we are always together and that was a very important thing to me.” Iamaleava played football at Warren High School in Downey, California, before spending the past two seasons with the Tennessee Volunteers. He’s expected to be the Bruins' starting quarterback. Iamaleava's brother, Madden, also transferred to UCLA after spending spring camp with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Madden Iamaleava had originally committed to UCLA in June 2024, but it was announced that he signed with the Razorbacks the day after the signing period started.

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