There were not a lot of positives to take away from the season opener.
The defense could not stop anything, allowing six touchdowns and nearly 500 yards of total offense; redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw for just 136 yards in his anticipated UCLA debut; and the Rose Bowl – 682 miles from Salt Lake City – teemed with throngs of Utah red, almost matching the size of the Bruin faithful.
But for UCLA football head coach DeShaun Foster, the film brought a dose of perspective – something he considers optimistic.
“I was a little more disappointed right after the game and then seeing the film, it brought a little more life into me,” Foster said. “Just because if we can execute, there are a lot of things that we can actually fix.”
The numbers highlight the struggles: UCLA was outgained 492 to 220 in yards and forfeited 286 on the ground – more than the Bruins had in total yards.
Still, Foster did not sound defeated.
He acknowledged the gap between perception and performance, insisting that what went wrong was “technical, not terminal.”
Redshirt junior linebacker Jalen Woods added that the defense has gone “back to the fundamentals” in practice this week. Tackling, in particular, has become a focal point after Utah’s tailbacks and dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier carved through gaps on every drive.
“It’s just literally the fine details,” Woods said. “One step closer to the person, two steps closer – that separates between a tackle and a missed tackle.”
Foster echoed the same theme – technique over panic.
“These are fixable things,” Foster said. “We just got to get back to the fundamentals and the details.”
UNLV will host UCLA at Allegiant Stadium with back-to-back wins under its belt and a run game that has produced more than 450 yards across the first two weeks of the season.
Woods added that preparation starts with learning to aniticipate a team that is likely to attack the same areas Utah exploited.
“More than likely, UNLV’s going to try to do the same thing (Utah did),” Woods said. “So it’s being able to take that and being able to focus on what we did wrong the last game and being able to not let that happen this game.”
This includes offensive preparation, especially since the Bruins abandoned the run after falling behind early against the Utes.
UCLA finished the contest with fewer than 90 rushing yards, and the squad’s sole touchdown came through the air. But even with limited touches, redshirt junior running back Anthony Woods made his mark in his first outing in over a year after suffering an ACL injury last offseason.
“I haven’t played in a year so me getting in the end zone, it felt good for sure,” Anthony Woods said.
And Foster does not plan to shake anything up despite the week one loss.
“No decisions are going to be made just because of how this game went,” Foster said. “The outcome could’ve gone a different way if we executed.”
Against his former team, Anthony Woods flashed the rushing attack’s potential.
Anthony Woods also added three catches for 48 yards and the team’s singular touchdown – a 19-yard reception near the right sideline. Foster hinted that the running back, along with the rest of the backfield, could become a more significant part of the offense.
And despite the lopsided result, Foster emphasized a forward-focused mindset, stemming from faith in the team’s foundation.
“We’re not going to make any excuses,” Foster said. “We’re going to move past that and really show you what this team can do.”
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