LOS ANGELES — The press conferences have gotten shorter. The football games have drawn fewer national eyeballs than the weeks following UCLA’s winless start. Such is the life as an under-.500 college football program with an interim head coach, amid a coaching search for the next leader, and a roster of players that could – or could not be – Bruins come the spring.
But still, interim coach Tim Skipper has reason to smile. He didn’t need to rally his team after falling to Ohio State in dominating fashion. The metaphorical – and physical locker room – is spotless. UCLA awaits another chance to self-start its engine and re-enter the win column against Washington at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Rose Bowl.
“We had a team meeting (Sunday) night and are focused on finishing the season right, on taking it one day at a time and giving our best effort,” Skipper said. “Everybody knows you’re measured when you’re dealing with adversity, so we’re going to attack the situation and try to do everything we can to be successful by Saturday.”
UCLA fans may remember Washington’s coach well. Jedd Fisch, the former UCLA offensive coordinator and interim coach himself after Jim Mora’s firing in 2017, spent time revitalizing Arizona football in Tucson as the Pac-12’s last legs gave out before the West Coast programs split across the country’s conferences. Fisch’s time in Washington, so far, has been up and down as rumors swirl over the coach’s interest in open head coaching jobs like at UCLA or Florida.
Fisch finished his first year on Montlake with a 6-7 record before having a little bit more success in 2025. Yet, Washington has lost games it arguably shouldn’t have, like to Wisconsin, and didn’t dominate against Maryland and Rutgers, which could have placed Fisch in better standing with the fans that dream of conference championships like the Huskies often claimed in the Pac-12.
Fisch does have offensive options to play with, however. Sophomore quarterback Desmond Williams Jr. is one of the better mobile quarterbacks in the country. Williams has passed for more than 2,500 yards and run for more than 500 yards, both better marks than UCLA redshirt sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Undersized at 5-foot-11, Williams has accounted for 21 touchdowns.
“They have a lot of extended plays,” UCLA redshirt senior defensive back Key Lawrence said. “The quarterback they have, he’s a shorter guy, so he’s trying to get out of the pocket a lot. So that’s where the extended plays come from. So he can see the receivers a little bit more, and they have a great receiver corps. So I think it’d be a fun game offensively.”
Washington’s secondary, led by safeties Alex McLaughlin and Makell Esteen, has held opposing offenses to relatively low passing numbers, allowing just over 200 yards per game. The duo has combined for four interceptions.
Junior wide receiver Mikey Matthews said in the Big Ten, every secondary UCLA (3-7, 3-4 Big Ten) faces will hold up, and it’s up to him and his teammates to build drives to get on the scoreboard. But for the Cal transfer, he’s hoping for a loud end to the 2025 season.
“An exclamation point because no one wants to lose, so definitely just want to end the season with two wins and end at 5-7 and call it a good day from there,” Matthews said.
When Washington has the ball
Williams keeps Washington (7-3, 4-3) moving fast and unpredictably, playing into the dual-threat traits and ranking 25th nationally in yards per play. They can make explosive plays at any moment. Should wide receiver Denzel Boston be available, he’ll be Williams’ go-to target. If he’s not, running back Jonah Coleman, with 15 touchdowns on the season, makes plays all over the field and could cause the Bruins problems.
Keep an eye on Washington’s offensive line, one of the few teams in the conference that allows more sacks per game (2.4) than UCLA (2.2). But the Bruins are still last in the country with 0.7 sacks per game, needing to prove they can exploit a poor protective front.
When UCLA has the ball
If Garrett DiGiorgio and Reuben Unije, offensive linemen who have battled injuries this season, are available, then UCLA may be able to reopen the run game for business. All four of the Bruins’ tailbacks are healthy and practicing. If Iamaleava is also full-go after sitting out last week’s Ohio State game with concussion-like symptoms, the Bruins might be able to cause a little more chaos in recent weeks, in which the offense has become a little more one-dimensional.
Washington (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) at UCLA (3-7, 3-4)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/radio: NBC (Ch. 4)/790 AM