WATCH: RB Anthony Woods, LB Jalen Woods look back on first game
A 33-point loss to Utah this past weekend produced only a handful of positives, but for UCLA running back Anthony Woods it included a personal milestone in a journey back from injury.
Jones caught the lone touchdown, a 19-yard pass from quarterback Nico Iamaleava on a wheel route. It was Jones’ first game back after a knee injury sidelined him for the entire 2024 season.
Jones did so while playing against his former team. He finished with a team-high three catches for 48 yards.
“I mean, it felt good. I mean, I haven’t played in a year or so,” Woods told reporters after Tuesday’s practice. “So being able to play the game that I love, it felt good.
“I feel like I’m back to myself. I feel like I’m back, normal, yeah.”
Defensively, though, there was far less to highlight after struggling to tackle and produce third-down stops.
Before the Bruins’ previous practice, head coach DeShaun Foster maintained things “were close” despite the 43-10 score. Foster gave credit to dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier for creating most of his team’s issues.
Foster said it’s the jump from Week 1 to Week 2 that should reveal plenty about his team.
UCLA linebacker Jalen Woods, who finished with six tackles, told reporters Tuesday that it’s been back to fundamentals and “honing in on the details” for the defense ahead of this weekend’s contest at UNLV.
“We emphasize tackling every week with the drills and stuff that we do,” Woods said. “It’s just, it is literally just like the little fine details. Like, just get…one step closer to the person, two steps closer. Just like little stuff like that. And just that separates between a tackle and a missed tackle.”
Watch the full interviews below (courtesy of UCLA Athletics) for what else both players had to say after practice:
