The UCLA football team is diving into its inaugural Big Ten Conference season after a bye week. The Bruins beat Hawai’i in their season opener on the islands to get DeShaun Foster his first win as a head coach, and now they turn their attention to Indiana (2-0).
The fact that the game, slated for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, is a Big Ten debut is on the Bruins’ minds.
“You can’t just ignore it, but it’s the same thing as always,” linebacker Carson Schwesinger said. “We’re treating it as a normal game. We know the stakes that are with it but we’re going out there to play hard and play to win.”
Playing at the Rose Bowl brings the Bruins (1-0) a level of comfort. The environment could look livelier this season with a new student section located behind the away team’s bench. The fall quarter for students doesn’t begin until Sept. 23, but Foster is optimistic about what a bigger Bruin Den could bring.
“I’m actually trying to get paddles for them like Oklahoma State so we can beat on the wall right there,” Foster joked. “I hope our student section is fired up to make as much noise as we can and just be that 12th man for us.”
UCLA is also bringing back the Bruin Walk, a tradition in which the team arrives near the fan zone on Rosemont Avenue and walks into the stadium as a unit.
The season opener resulted in a win, but the Bruins showed that improvements needed to be made in order to make a strong first impression in its Big Ten opener. UCLA was outscored 10-0 by the Rainbow Warriors in the first half before winning the game on a field goal with 56 seconds left.
“The first half didn’t go exactly how we wanted it to go but that was good that we were able to bounce back,” Foster said. “And that happening in the first game, that can prepare me to keep a positive attitude and keep the guys motivated.”
When Indiana has the ball
The Hoosiers are coming off a 77-3 win over Western Illinois and have outscored opponents 108-10 in their first two games.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke, a redshirt senior who transferred from Ohio, completed 15 of 17 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions against Western Illinois. The offensive line gave up two sacks in the season opener against FIU but none in the following game.
“Just a good quarterback who can throw RPOs really well, does a good job at leading his team,” Foster said. “You can tell he’s a mature quarterback. Doesn’t try to put them in bad situations. Just a veteran quarterback that plays hard.”
Redshirt sophomore Omar Cooper Jr. and junior Elijah Sarratt were Rourke’s top targets against Western Illinois with 131 and 137 receiving yards, respectively. Indiana can easily shift to its rushing attack, which averages 278.5 yards per game.
UCLA’s defense recorded 11 tackles for loss, five sacks and two interceptions in the season opener at Hawai’i and its depth at linebacker will be useful against Indiana’s passing offense. Redshirt senior Kain Medrano earned an 88.4 grade from Pro Football Focus after the Hawai’i game, which ranks fourth out of all linebackers.
The defense gave up 278 yards of total offense to Hawai’i but allowed only 51 rushing yards, which ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
When UCLA has the ball
The Bruins will get their first taste of a gritty Big Ten defense. The Hoosiers have allowed one touchdown and an average of 151.5 yards of offense per game.
Linebacker Aiden Fisher leads Indiana with 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. Defensive lineman Mikail Kamara has three sacks. Their total defense and rushing defense both rank third nationally.
“Guys that are blue-collar football players,” Foster said. “Their effort is high, high energy. This is a talented defense that we’re going against and a talented team, so we’ve got to be on our ‘A’ game.”
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UCLA’s offense can’t have a repeat of its performance against Hawai’i and will need to get going quickly. Coaches and players have said they’re confident in redshirt senior quarterback Ethan Garbers’ knowledge of the offense – the unit just has to execute.
The rushing attack struggled with only 71 yards but could see improvement if the fleet-footed redshirt senior Jalen Berger, a transfer from Michigan State, gets into a game. The coaching staff has said they want Berger to be fully healthy and physically ready before seeing action.
Indiana (2-0) at UCLA (1-0)
When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Rose Bowl
TV/Radio: NBC, Peacock/AM 1150