LOS ANGELES — UCLA head football coach DeShawn Foster has a calm, collected demeanor.
But even he couldn't help but smile slightly on Monday morning as he spoke about how excited his players are to finally get game week underway.
“You've got to come out here fired up, you've got to be excited to be out there,” Foster said before practice. “I'm fired up, I know the guys are fired up, and I'm not going to get in their way. If they want to be fired up, let them be.”
Once practice began, Foster was even more vocal in his enthusiasm, clapping and yelling every time the punting team took a kick.
He seemed to have more energy than usual in his step as he moved from one area of the field to the next, overseeing a variety of individual drills.
“You need excitement and aggression. He's got that nerve. It's Week 1 and he's really on a roll. He's really upping the tempo and putting pressure on us,” starting right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio said of Foster. “He wants us to get out there fast and play fast from the moment he takes the ball off. I think it's a really good combination to have him there as a mentor, as someone we can rely on and to push us as hard as we can.”
With the first game of the season looming, the team's morning meeting was different than usual. DiGorgio said instead of a general football discussion, the coaches and players were eager to finally go over a specific game plan for the season opener against Hawaii on Aug. 31.
But while expectations are widespread throughout the program, players aren't losing sight of the work they have to do this week.
“What Coach Foster and all the coaches here preach is getting into a routine,” starting defensive tackle Jay Toia said after practice. “Do the same things over and over, be the same person every day. Don't try to get outside of yourself, stay inside of yourself.”
Toia and the rest of the UCLA defense will be tasked with stopping Hawaii-born quarterback Braden Shager, who passed for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the Rainbow Warriors' season-opening win over Delaware State on Saturday. Shager added 38 yards and two scores on the ground in the 35-14 victory.
Foster said the focus will be on defenses pressuring Shager and disrupting his rhythm. If the line can get a few hits on Shager and get him out of the pocket, it will make things easier for the entire defense.
At the end of the day, as long as UCLA plays its own style of football and doesn't cave to Hawaii's style of play, Foster said it doesn't matter who the opposing team's center is.
“I told the guys we just have to go out there and play no matter who the opponent is,” he said. “It really doesn't matter who the opponent is. If we play to the Bruins standard, we should do well.”
“He's obviously a great player,” Toia said of Shagar, “but we're just focusing on what we can control and what we can do as a team and the game plan.”
Rose Bowl Scrimmage
The Bruins played a mock game at the Rose Bowl on Saturday to simulate what a real game day would be like.
The purpose was to allow players and coaching staff to become familiar with the communications and technology used at the stadium and ensure there were no surprises at the first home game of the season.
“The communication from coach to player is on the iPad, seeing who's in the box and communicating that way,” Foster said. “I just wanted them to go out there and do a little mock game and tie special teams into offense and defense.”
First published: August 26, 2024, 1:16 pm
