WATCH: Interim head coach Tim Skipper discusses UCLA's third consecutive win
“The standard is the standard” has become UCLA’s mantra under interim head coach Tim Skipper. The Bruins might need to update it to “the standard is winning” following Saturday’s Week 8 matchup with Maryland.
UCLA struggled on offense for most of the evening Saturday but still found a way to dispatch the Terrapins 20-17 at the Rose Bowl. Skipper is now 3-1 leading the Bruins with all three wins coming over the last three games.
Skipper thought he lost starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava late in the game to an injury. However, Iamaleava went back on the field after going down to eventually put UCLA in position for a victory.
Kicker Mateen Bhaghani connected on a 23-yard field goal to seal the win in a game that looked like it could go into overtime late.
“Tough games, you’re gonna need everybody,” Skipper said after the win. “Like we preach all the time, you never know when your moment’s gonna happen. You keep working hard, keep executing, keep sawing wood and when your opportunity comes take full advantage of that. It was a whole team effort. You can name a lot of people that contributed to this thing. We talk strain, we talk grinding. Every single play matters. We preach that, but literally tonight every single play mattered.”
The Bruins have been through plenty of adversity this season, including losing multiple coaches. Skipper has helped flip the season around for UCLA, but he continues to credit the players and coaching staff.
“Nobody pointed fingers,” Skipper said. “That’s the main thing. It got tight, it was really tight down there on the sideline. Nobody was pointing fingers. … And, we figured out a way to finish it off.”
Listen to Skipper’s full postgame press conference below:
