WATCH: DeShaun Foster reviews film of UCLA’s loss to Utah
The UCLA football team returned to the practice field Monday evening, two days removed from an eye-opening 43-10 loss to Utah in the season opener. Before doing so, head coach DeShaun Foster looked back on the rocky start.
The Bruins were thoroughly outmatched physically on both sides of the line of scrimmage. The defense particularly had a rough performance, allowing six touchdowns and producing just one stop on eight drives before the Utes took a knee on the final possession.
“They were able to keep us off balance, and it was a tough first game,” the UCLA head coach said Monday. “… I don’t know if there’s a certain thing that we can do. But, I just feel that as long as we keep emphasizing it they should understand. It’s just getting back to the fundamentals.”
Offensively, UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava had a slow start passing and was pressured by the Utah defense heavily.
The Bruins’ offensive line offered little protection. Iamaleava was sacked four times. Still, Foster felt the group up front turned in a solid performance.
“It’s not really a concerning thing,” he said. “I think the O-line did a good job of protecting him, and we just got in a situation where we had to be one dimensional just because of the score. They were able to pin their ears back, and they knew what was coming.”
Looking ahead to UNLV
UCLA will look to iron out those issues Saturday in a road contest at UNLV, which is off to a 2-0 start under new head coach Dan Mullen.
The Rebels scored 38 points apiece in wins over Idaho State and Sam Houston.
“I’m just excited for this next opportunity,” Foster said. “I’m in a better place than I was Saturday night. The fact that the team was too this morning when I met with them, it resonated a little bit better. We got some resilient guys and they’re ready to go.”
Watch the full press conference prior to Monday’s practice below:
DeShaun Foster reviews film of loss to Utah (9/1)
