Just one page of the Bruins’ 2024 chapter – arguably the most transformative one in their book – remains to be studied.
UCLA football (4-7, 3-6 Big Ten) will cap off its first season under the helm of coach DeShaun Foster against Fresno State (6-5, 4-3 Mountain West) at the Rose Bowl on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins, who were stripped of bowl eligibility in this year’s Battle for Los Angeles, will honor veterans, armed forces and their seniors to close the page on this chapter.
“Whenever you play Fresno, you know you’re going to get a hard-nosed team that’s going to play hard,” Foster said. “We just have to make sure they match our intensity when we get into that stadium.”
There’s a different tale behind each of the two teams that will meet on the gridiron Saturday.
Fresno State is fresh off clinching bowl eligibility following its upset win against Colorado State at home, with quarterback Mikey Keene’s 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns leading the path to victory.
UCLA, on the other hand, is riding on a failed attempt to secure a postseason berth after losing to USC at the Rose Bowl last weekend. Despite leading after the third quarter, the Bruins’ offense failed to produce, allowing the Trojans to secure a 19-13 win and roll the Victory Bell back to University Park.
“It is what it is,” said senior linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo. “Unfortunately we lost, but we got to move on, got to keep fighting and got to keep going.”
The loss to USC seemed a reminder of what appeared to be a roller coaster of a season for Foster’s squad. The first-year head coach led his unit to glory in its season-opener, but later found itself in a multiple game skid, mainly against the Bruins’ newly formed conference rivals and some of college football’s best.
But win or lose, the heart and soul of UCLA football is its seniors.
“It’s my seniors that run this program and keep these guys going,” Foster said.
Redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers and redshirt junior linebacker Carson Schwesinger – the team’s captains – have provided leadership and guidance amid a novel era under Foster.
Garbers assumed QB1 duties following Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s departure to the NFL following the 2023 season. He answered the call from the get-go, more than doubling his passing yards from last season to average 243.8 a game this year.
Schwesinger, a former walk-on, adjusted to the transition with ease. The Moorpark, California, local leads the Big Ten in total tackles, total tackles per game, double-digit performances, solo tackles and solo tackles per game – all of which led him to being named UCLA’s first-ever Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and a finalist for the Butkus Award, honoring the nation’s best linebacker.
While Saturday’s game might be his last, Schwesinger’s desire to win remains unfazed.
“You could say there is not much to play for, but with this team, you have a lot of competitive people,” Schwesinger said. “At any time, we’re going to go out there and play our hardest regardless of what is at stake.”
Saturday’s game will wrap up a monumental season for the Bruins – their first in the Big Ten and their first under both Foster and an entirely novel coaching staff. It will serve as the final test to the foundation Foster has cemented in his program just nine months after taking on the head coaching mantle.
While Foster may not be hailed for flashy performances or rugged coaching, the philosophies he has ingrained in his unit – centered on discipline, respect and enthusiasm – have helped spark a newfound culture in Westwood.
“We want to go out strong, play fast – for the seniors, for the coaches, for the staff and for the program,” Oladejo said.
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