Two days after a 33-point loss in which his team gave up 492 yards while missing a slew of tackles, DeShaun Foster indicated that he didn’t feel quite so bad about what might have felt like the end of days to UCLA fans streaming out of the Rose Bowl before the end of the third quarter.
What was the coach’s assessment after rewatching the game footage?
“That we were close,” an upbeat Foster said Monday evening of his team’s season-opening 43-10 setback against Utah.
Before reporters could follow up by asking “Close to what?” Foster went on to suggest that a number of corrections might help the Bruins (0-1) make the needed improvement before facing Nevada Las Vegas (2-0) on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium.
“There’s a lot of things that we can actually fix,” Foster said, “so that’s the bright spot that I saw on that [film] and talking to the team, I can tell that they were ready to hear those things, and they saw the same thing too.”
Foster was more unsparing in his estimation of how much work was left to do.
“When you have things at every position — D-line, O-line, running backs, linebackers, tight ends, safeties, corners, receivers — it turns into each position has a little thing, it turns into a huge amount of stuff that we have to improve on,” Foster said. “So I think that they looked themselves in the mirror and understood that everybody has a hand in this and you gotta get better.”
That resolve was also reflected in the coaches.
As he exited the Wasserman Football Center on his way to the practice field, inside linebackers coach Scott White glanced at a group of reporters and said, with a smile, “Trying to get it fixed, man.”
Tackling must be priority No. 1 for a defense that failed to bring down quarterback Devon Dampier and others on what seemed like dozens of occasions. Foster noted that his team used the same approach in training camp that it did last season, when its defense went on to produce four NFL draft picks.
“Just putting a little bit more emphasis on it,” Foster said of tackling, “and continuously just telling the guys about it.”
Foster said he would not change personnel based on one disappointing game, though he would monitor how players responded in practice and approached the challenge of facing UNLV. The early portion of practice open to reporters Monday evening reflected a subdued, businesslike vibe in which the most pep came over loudspeakers with the playing of Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas.”
“I’m not going to just turn this whole thing over like we’re done,” Foster said of making wholesale changes in his lineup. “You know, the biggest growth that you’re going to see in a team is from Week 1 to Week 2. So I’m just excited that we’re going to be able to get out there and actually show who we really are.”
Quarterback Nico Iamaleava might have already provided a telling glimpse. After completing just half of his passes for 136 yards with one touchdown and one interception in his UCLA debut, Iamaleava took ownership of the loss. His coach’s message? You’re not the only one who needs to do so.
“As soon as he looked at me,” Foster said of his quarterback, “he was like, ‘It’s on me,’ and I have to let him know, like it’s, it’s not one-on-11, you know? And that’s just the kind of competitor he is. He’s going to take full responsibility and full blame for everything. But we got to let him know that you have people here that are playing with you, so it’s the ultimate team game. And everybody has to do their part to get the victory.”
If the Bruins really are close, then maybe a breakthrough can come as soon as Saturday.
“We’re not gonna make any excuses,” Foster said. “It was an unfortunate night for us, you know? It was tough to be a Bruin that night, and we’re gonna move past that and really show you what this team can do moving forward.”
Etc.
Foster said the availability of edge rusher Nico Davillier, who was going through a personal situation and did not play in the opener, remained unclear for the UNLV game. Davillier was present but did not participate in the early portion of practice Monday. … Foster, on his decision to kick a field goal instead of going for it on fourth and four in the third quarter with his team trailing 23-7: “I was going for it when it was a little shorter in those situations, right, but in that one, we had to get some points. So let’s try to get something started by getting the field goal.” … After Iamaleava showed his elusiveness with a team-high 47 yards rushing in 13 carries, his coach offered a small critique. “The one thing I would like for him to do,” Foster said, “is slide.” … UCLA shifted practice from the grass of Drake Stadium to the artificial turf of its intramural fields to simulate the surface it will play on Saturday in Las Vegas.
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